2006 Pontiac G6

midsize car / 4-door sedan

2006 Pontiac G6 4-door sedan

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side
Side: original test with optional side airbags
Side: original test without optional side airbags
Head restraints & seats

Other available safety features

  • Standard daytime running lights

Key

  • G
    Good
  • A
    Acceptable
  • M
    Marginal
  • P
    Poor
  • Superior
  • Advanced
  • Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2005-10 models

Tested vehicle: 2005 Pontiac G6 4-door

The Pontiac G6 was introduced in the 2005 model year as a replacement for the Pontiac Grand Am. A short production run of 2010 models were built and sold only to fleets before the car was discontinued.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Action shot taken during the frontal offset crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained very well.

Smeared greasepaint indicates where the dummy's head hit roof rail during rebound. Head acceleration from this hit was low.

Intrusion into the driver's space was minimal (shown with carpeting removed).

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEF0521
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 4
Left (cm) 7
Center (cm) 4
Right (cm) 3
Brake pedal (cm) 1
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 1
Right (cm) 1
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) -3
Rearward (cm) 0
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 0

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEF0521
Head
HIC-15 281
Peak gs at hard contact 14
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.6
Extension bending moment (Nm) 29
Maximum Nij 0.42
Chest maximum compression (mm) 31
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 0.5
Femur force - right (kN) 3.4
Knee displacement - left (mm) 0
Knee displacement - right (mm) 0
Maximum tibia index - left 0.41
Maximum tibia index - right 1.02
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 2.1
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 3.3
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 47
Right 84

How the moderate overlap front test is conducted

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2006 models built after June 2005

Tested vehicle: 2006 Pontiac G6 4-door with optional front and rear head curtain airbags and optional front seat-mounted torso airbags

The Pontiac G6 was introduced in the 2005 model year. Beginning with 2006 models manufactured after June 2005, changes were made to the side torso airbags and front and rear door trim panels to improve occupant protection in side impact crashes. Beginning with 2007 models, side curtain airbags became standard, but side torso airbags remained optional. Beginning with 2008 models, the side torso airbags also became standard.

Two tests of a 2006 G6 were conducted, one with optional side curtain and side torso airbags for the driver and rear passenger, and one without any side airbags. Both cars were manufactured after all design changes for 2006 had been made. These vehicles are rated separately, except that the structural ratings for both vehicles are based on both tests.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection

View of the vehicle and barrier just after the crash test.

View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the side airbags and damage to the occupant compartment.

Action shot taken during the side impact crash test showing the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side curtain airbag.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy’s head was protected by the side airbag.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES0519
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -3.0
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0519
Head HIC-15 440
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.2
Compression (kN) 0.3
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 48
Lateral force (kN) 1.4
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 34
Average deflection (mm) 31
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 3.94
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.58
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.9
Acetabulum force (kN) 2.8
Combined force (kN) 4.4
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 1.2
L-M moment (Nm) 116
A-P moment (Nm) 35

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0519
Head HIC-15 222
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.6
Compression (kN) 0.3
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 38
Lateral force (kN) 1.8
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 54
Average deflection (mm) 40
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 3.81
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 1.02
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.3
Acetabulum force (kN) 2.9
Combined force (kN) 4.0
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.3
L-M moment (Nm) 35
A-P moment (Nm) 19

Rating applies to 2006 models built after June 2005

Tested vehicle: 2006 Pontiac G6 4-door without optional side airbags

The Pontiac G6 was introduced in the 2005 model year. Beginning with 2006 models manufactured after June 2005, changes were made to the side torso airbags and front and rear door trim panels to improve occupant protection in side impact crashes.

Two tests of a 2006 G6 were conducted, one with optional side airbags for the driver and rear passenger, and one without. Both cars were manufactured after all design changes for 2006 had been made. These vehicles are rated separately, except that the structural ratings for both vehicles are based on both tests.

Beginning with 2007 models, side curtain airbags designed to protect drivers' and front and rear passengers' heads became standard, but side airbags designed to protect drivers' and front passengers' torsos remained optional.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
The dummy's head was hit by the intruding barrier, producing high head injury measures.
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection
The dummy's head was hit primarily by the window sill of the rear passenger door. This impact did not produce high head injury measures, but the head protection is inadequate.

View of the vehicle and barrier just after the crash test.

View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the damage to the occupant compartment.

Action shot taken during the side impact crash test showing the driver dummy's head being hit by the intruding barrier.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy’s head was hit by the window sill of the rear passenger door.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES0519 CES0526
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -3.0 -2.0
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0526
Head HIC-15 927
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.8
Compression (kN) 0.6
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 59
Lateral force (kN) 3.0
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 53
Average deflection (mm) 41
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 5.73
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 1.53
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 2.6
Acetabulum force (kN) 3.4
Combined force (kN) 5.4
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 1.2
L-M moment (Nm) 126
A-P moment (Nm) 42

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0526
Head HIC-15 608
Neck
Tension (kN) 2.0
Compression (kN) 0.1
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 46
Lateral force (kN) 1.9
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 53
Average deflection (mm) 42
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 4.25
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 1.11
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.7
Acetabulum force (kN) 3.4
Combined force (kN) 4.6
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.5
L-M moment (Nm) 91
A-P moment (Nm) 29

How the side crash test is conducted

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Manual cloth seats

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Manual cloth seats
Geometry
Backset (mm) 48
Distance below top of head (mm) 52
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Fail
Max T1 acceleration (g) 12.8
Head contact time (ms) 80
Force rating 2
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 104
Max neck tension (N) 794

How the head restraint & seat test is conducted
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.