1985 Pontiac SAFARI: complaints, problems and recalls
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
1 owner complaints analyzed
0 distinct recall campaigns
Not available median reported failure mileage
Scope: 1985 model year. Data updated: . 0 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.
This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.
Most common problems
Visibility:Windshield Wiper/Washer:Motor is the most frequently named component, appearing in 1 of 1 complaints (100.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical and battery issues | 1 | 100.0% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Visibility:Windshield Wiper/Washer:Motor | 1 |
Visibility:Windshield Wiper/Washer:Motor: 1
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 0 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 0 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 0 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 0 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 0 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 0; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0
No usable failure mileage is recorded. 1 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 1 |
1999: 1
Pattern summary
Visibility:Windshield Wiper/Washer:Motor leads the component reports. Electrical and battery issues appears in 1 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 844525 · 1999-08-06 (August 6, 1999)
UNABLE TO GET THE FLUID FROM THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR TO CLEAN THE WINDOWS. THERE APPEARS TO BE A ELECTRICAL SHORT.THE PLASTIC PIECE TO THE WINDSHIELD WIPER ARM IS BROKEN.CONSUMER CONTACTED DEALER. *AK
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 844525 at NHTSA ↗
Recall history
0 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
No recall campaigns are recorded in this snapshot.
Vehicle analysis explorer
Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.
Data completeness
1 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.
Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.
Problems by model year
Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.
| Component | 1973 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System:Wiring:Front Underhood | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 125.0%ODI 970032ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE, WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN, UNKNOWN CAUSES. TT |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Master Cylinder | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 1100.0%ODI 838889MASTER CYLINDER FAILED. VEHICLE DID NOT SLOW DOWN OR STOPPED WHEN BRAKES WERE APPLIED. HAD TAKEN TO DEALER & HAD MASTER CYLINDER REPLACED, BUT PROBLEM STILL CONTINUES. *AK | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Steering: Steering Wheel/Handle Bar | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 125.0%ODI 536703THE TILT WHEEL COLUMN IS VERY LOOSE AND MOVES LEFT AND RIGHT. |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 125.0%ODI 9006179THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR (TPS) BEGAN FAILING AT APPROXIMATELY, THE ENGINE SERVICE LIGHT SOON WOULD SPORADICALLY COME ON. CAR WOULD RUN ROUGH AND STALL WHEN IN TRAFFIC, CAUSING LOSS OF POWER BRAKES. TPS REPLACED FOUR TIMES. |
| Visibility:Windshield Wiper/Washer | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 125.0%ODI 713198THE WINDSHIELD WIPER CONTROLS TURN ON AND WORK FINE AT ALL SPEEDS. HOWEVER, WHEN YOU TRY TO TURN THE WIPERS OFF, (TURN THE WIPER CONTROLL TO THE "OFF" POSITION, YOU CANNOT DO SO UNLESS YOU STOP THE CAR AND TURN OFF THE ENGINE. THEREFORE ONCE YOU TURN THEM ON AND THEN IT STOPS RAINING, YOU CANNOT TURN OFF THE WIPERS BY JUST SETTING THE WIPER CONTROL TO "OFF". YOU MUST INSTEAD SET THE CONTROL TO "OFF" STOP THE CAR, AND THEN TURN OFF THE ENGINE COMPLETELY. WHEN YOU START THE CAR AGAIN, THE WIPERS WILL BE STOPPED UNTIL THE NEXT TIME YOU USE… |
| Visibility:Windshield Wiper/Washer:Motor | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 1100.0%ODI 844525UNABLE TO GET THE FLUID FROM THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR TO CLEAN THE WINDOWS. THERE APPEARS TO BE A ELECTRICAL SHORT.THE PLASTIC PIECE TO THE WINDSHIELD WIPER ARM IS BROKEN.CONSUMER CONTACTED DEALER. *AK | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.
Failure mileage by component
Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.
| Component | Mileage range (25th–75th percentile) | Median | Usable records | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No usable records for this analysis. | ||||
Complaint and recall timeline
Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.
Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.
Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples
| Month | Complaints | Campaigns announced | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2024-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-10 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-10 (partial) | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
Emerging complaint spikes
Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.
This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.
No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.
Equal-age model-year comparison
Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.
1986: 0 complaints · 1987: 0 complaints
| Model year | Through age 0 | Through age 1 | Through age 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Date coverage across each selected cohort
| Year | Incident dates used | Filing date fallbacks | Excluded dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.
Components reported together
Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.
| Component | Visibility:Windshield Wiper/Washer:Motor |
|---|---|
| Visibility:Windshield Wiper/Washer:Motor | — |
Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.
Recurring narrative patterns
Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.
0 patterns with matching reports.
No narratives match the published patterns.