Founded in Pontiac, Michigan 92 years ago in 1926, the Pontiac car company churned out a great deal of vehicles in its time. It was initially a division of GM and was considered to be a parallel producer of vehicles with Oakland Automobiles, which at the time were a little bit higher-end. The Pontiac division soon won out and became much more popular as well as a huge seller for GM, thus resulting in the years of success that Pontiac enjoyed afterwards.

The vehicles that the company produced in the 1960s and 70s are particularly phenomenal and are considered some of the best ever. Included in this category are, of course, the renowned GTO and the Catalina…both exceptional muscle cars that are still sought-after today and frequently become heavily modified when driven by automotive enthusiasts.

That era brought even a plethora of impeccable designers and engineers to the Pontiac team, one of which was John DeLorean, who eventually went off and founded his own company, DMC. But unfortunately, the mid- to late-1980s would bring the dawn of substandard quality for the company and probably for a vast number of reasons. It could be attributed to cutting corners in order to stay afloat and competitive with other brands or even because they got careless but regardless, the quality of the vehicles was definitely poorer compared to earlier years and models.

The company fell on Halloween morning of 2010 and is now defunct. This was no shock to many, as the last few cars to emerge from their lot were definitely abysmal, to say the least. Join us as we look back at some of the worst cars Pontiac had to offer, the ones that no doubt had a hand in their demise.

25 SUNBIRD

This particular vehicle went into production back in the 1970s—1975, to be exact—and although early versions of the car were in quite good, the same problem that would haunt the rest of the cars in this list would make itself apparent throughout the eighties. It was in this era that the company started producing vehicles of a lackluster quality and the Sunbird was no different. A massive amount of issues were reported for this car and just the tip of that iceberg includes: engine stalling issues, low idle, ignition module failure, and the list does go on. And despite the fact that Pontiac did last a few more decades, the eighties marked the beginning of the end for the company.

24 GRAND AM

The Grand Am was indeed quite popular. Throughout the 1990s probably this and the Cavalier by GM were the main choice of families everywhere across the United States. Was this because these vehicles were good?

Definitely not—although the Cavalier did have the edge on the Grand Am here.

The reason these cars did do well was because of price. Low price. Throughout the 90s, families were all about saving a dollar and the Grand Am promised to be affordable, while all the while having that sleek style that appealed to car aficionados (something Pontiac would achieve often right up until their demise). But beneath the surface, a lot of issues proved that the company cut a lot of corners to save costs.

23 SAFARI (1989)

This is probably one of the more memorable styles of station wagon. After all, who can forget the wood paneling along the side? Although it brings up feelings of nostalgia, it also makes us cringe and ask: "Was this car ever really in style?" Indeed it was, and for quite some time. Earlier models appeared early in the 1950s and the car gradually diminished not only in style but also in performance, with the wood paneling making an appearance in the 1970s. This car was discontinued in 1989, and for good reason. Imagine driving one nowadays. Yikes!

22 PURSUIT

Like the Grand Am before it, the Pursuit was an example of what not to do as a motor vehicle manufacturer, which was to concentrate on style and put the cheapest functioning parts on the inside. In layman's terms, that pretty much describes Pontiac's whole plan for this car and the slew of cars that marked the company's last decade or so in the automotive industry. The Pursuit had a multitude of problems ranging from shoddy brakes to intermittent starts and ambient noise while in function. Oh yeah, and the suspension also had issues, which led to a multitude of other problems, as well.

21 WAVE

And so continues the modern era of Pontiac. This particular car was very much like the Pursuit and the others we'll have for you in just a bit and unsurprisingly, it had many of the same problems. The only difference was the shape of this model and if we can discuss that for a second, let's face it, the car had no shape!

It was simply a bubble of space on wheels.

And can any of you who drove this model remember the sounds this thing made going over bumps in the road? If you've never been in one, dear reader, count your blessings, because this car was no treat. Ambient noises from the engine and the terrible suspension made this one a racket on wheels. Somebody get me the Aspirin!

20 SOLSTICE

This one here was supposed to be the saving grace for a company that knew each passing day could be its last. This car represents the mad scramble that Pontiac lived over its last decade and the Solstice would prove that the company just didn't have the proverbial "it" anymore. To look at the vehicle, it looked awesome, even we can agree with that. The aesthetic design team were on the mark. The car looked like any other luxury vehicle out there—if not better—and many consumers highly anticipated the car's release back in 2005. But alas, it was like watching the return of a boxing legend after years of retirement, expecting an incredible showing of skill, and only to see him crumble in the first second of the first round.

19 G6

After The Pursuit came the G6, which was arguably the same exact vehicle with a few minor changes according to Pontiac. A few minor changes!? Okay, we'd like a tour. Anyone from Pontiac, please tell me exactly what was different enough to require a change in name! Of course there were few differences, but the G-series was just that, a bunch of cars that looked slightly different and had a bunch of different names. But at the end of the day, same car, same problems, and the same low, low price.

18 MONTANA

It was in 1997 that this minivan went onto the market and it, too, was swallowed up by the masses of soccer moms and full families obsessed about day trips to the beach and fitting as many groceries in one vehicle as they could.

Vans like this sold exceptionally well in the 90s, so the initial success of the Montana was understandable.

However, there were many better minivans on the market and this one here got a pretty bad reputation quite quickly. Issues included: transmission problems, electrical issues, engine failure, and a multitude of other expensive and tiring problems.

17 G8

I remember it like it was yesterday: I was in the market for a new car and I went shopping around. I didn't want to spend an arm and a leg, but wanted something, well, for lack of a better term, something cool. I was tired of driving around in my old Ford and wanted something new. I wound up visiting an old GM-Pontiac dealership in my neighborhood and as I looked at the cars in the showroom, I was impressed at the prices and the styles of the cars (pointedly ignoring the rumblings about the company and its cars). Anyways, the salesman finally made his way over as I looked over the G8, and I'll never forget his pitch: "Hello Sir ... How would you like a sports car at a very low price?" His sinister smile promised years of car troubles and I was out of there faster than you could say: "No money down." The G8 and the infamous Matiz would mark Pontiac's last ventures.

16 SUNBURST

This car is an example of how many car companies can produce the same vehicle at once. It's a tad confusing, but really, it's the same chassis, same parts, same package, yet a bunch of different companies get to put their stamp on it. This one in particular also sold as the Isuzu Gemini and and was also produced by Honda, of all companies. This car definitely has a storied past, but essentially, other companies did it justice much more than our friends at Pontiac. Pontiac produced a few of these under the Sunburst name and sales at the Pontiac camp were not at all impressive so not that many were made, but enough for the company to get in on the small profits that the car garnered.

15 SUNFIRE

The Sunfire is probably the most famous—or infamous—of Pontiac's modern era of vehicles. It represented the new wave of cars that the company produced, in this case being the newer model introduced after the Grand Am. Its style won this car and the company many supporters, but the mechanicals under the hood are what caused it to be the problematic vehicle it turned out to be. However, still today, the car can be seen on the roads and in actual fact, users have said that if the car was properly taken care of, then it could last, as it has for some consumers. But far too many people had issues for us to consider this a Pontiac hit.

14 6000

This particular vehicle was in production for a period of 10 years. The style of this vehicle is very familiar, as it is a cousin of the Le Mans, though it's not really a departure as it looked pretty much like the same car.

The Le Mans and the 6000 were very different cars from where the company had been in previous decades, aesthetically as well as mechanically.

All in all, it was a transitional vehicle for the company and few were impressed by it, hence the mere ten year reign it had in the market—if its time on sale and in production can indeed be called a reign. Timing gear issues made the car a bit of a hassle and the four-cylinder engine was just that, a four-cylinder engine.

13 BONNEVILLE (2005)

The lineage of this car goes way back, and the ancestors of the newer models are definitely worth their weight in gold, so to speak. The Pontiac brand prior to the eighties was a trusted brand of vehicle that could be depended on and this model here was indeed part of that elite class. Yet, very much like a lot of the models that stood the test of time, eventually even the classics would lose the good name and reputation they once enjoyed and even the newer Bonneville left a lot to be desired. Essentially, the Pontiac models of this newer era we keep alluding to all seem to blend into one car if you look at them long enough, with the features similar and oh-so-telling.

12 AZTEK

An SUV in general should be a vehicle that is trusted to last above any vehicle. The SUV promises to take a lot of punishment and keep coming back for more, or at least it should. You'd think that at least one division of Pontiac's modern era would have had the right stuff, but no, these vehicles disappointed as well, with one cheaper than the other, each category of vehicle proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that Pontiac had indeed lost all of its luster. Yet the rock-bottom prices still enabled the company to sell quite a few of these, which proved that consumers were looking for cheap prices more than quality vehicles.

11 ACADIAN (1986)

We talked before a little about the beginning of the end, and this car reminds us about that turning point that Pontiac took for the worse. That era in time, when their cars shifted on the scale, was when we could see that quality slowly slip away and run off into the sunset. It's pretty sad if you think about it, especially for car aficionados. The cars we love are definitely important to us and we defend their quality, no matter what the current reputation of Pontiac is or how they went out in the end. Plain and simple, the GTO and the Catalina and a slew of others are indeed epic cars, but that doesn't change the fact that the company dropped the ball in other departments, like with what happened to the newer generations of this model, which was also produced as the Chevette.

10 FIERO

Finally, a car with class and some muscle, right? Afraid not. Unfortunately, this one here was an earlier version of the Sunfire and the Pursuit. Sure, it looked good on paper and heck, even on the showroom floor.

But at the end of the day, the Fiero fell well short.

The design team burned the midnight oil coming up with a sleek new design, pretty much copying certain Ferrari designs, but mechanically speaking, the car was a dud, and a loud one at that. Think of it as an intimidating sound heard emanating from deep in a canyon. You think you've heard some spectacular beast but when the source surfaces from within the chasm, it's nothing but an opossum.

9 FIREFLY

Oh man! This one takes the cake, because not only was the Firefly a terrible car, it also looked like it was. No delusions of grandeur here. The car looked exactly like it was: a four-cylinder lemon, right from the start. Certain users reported countless issues and the phrase "constantly in the shop" was quite prevalent in the days where every second car passing by on the road was one of these. It promised a sporty and edgy look, but was nothing of the sort. And what more, it was probably as flimsy as the Wave if not more.

8 PARISIENNE (1986)

If you grew up in the 1990s, it seemed as though everybody's grandfather had this car. You know what I'm saying. You were playing in the park. All your friends from around the neighborhood are playing some touch football and there was always that one kid who walked from all the way across town, every day.

He was a cool kid, but he wasn't one of the neighborhood kids, so everyone kept their distance.

Regardless, you all had fun and when the sun went down and the neighborhood moms called everyone into dinner, there was a huge dark colored car that crested the hill leading to the park. The kid from across town would get that look in his eyes and say , "Well, goodnight guys, my grandfather's here." That kid, his grandfather never had a car relevant to the era, it was always a car like this, if not exactly a Parisienne.

7 SUNRUNNER

Did you ever notice how Pontiac loved to have the word ''Sun" in a lot of their car names? Well, it was all thought out in advance, we're quite sure. Maybe they felt that the word "Sun" would help sales, who knows. But they used that word as often as they used numbers to name their cars. And although that didn't help the quality of their cars, early sales were decent. Case in point, the aforementioned Sunfire and this, the Sunrunner.

This SUV—if we can call it that—needed all the help it could get, as it sure wasn't all-terrain ready, let us tell you. But we're sure by now, you all can imagine what was to be expected from this model and others of the era. GM, however, has had a better run with this vehicle in its life as the Chevy Tracker, though it's still not stellar mind you, just slightly better.

6 TORRENT

Now talk about a short run! This car was very short-lived. In fact, it was in production only a mere four years, if that. It was introduced in 2005 and went discontinued when the company went under. Now that's just plain sad, isn't it? Indeed. But in reality, it was poorly designed on the interior and totally missed the mark with buyers. But not to worry, Chevrolet picked up the model and re-packaged it as the Equinox. Hardly the improvement, again, but a tad better. Really, it was launched at the same time, which only added to the problems Pontiac suffered as far as low sales were concerned.