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2008 Pontiac Torrent

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 2008 Torrent.

Body SUV

Identified as an SUV requiring 4.5 qt of 5W-30 API engine oil, the 2008 Pontiac Torrent sits within a production run covering 2006 to 2009. This model year registered 125 total owner complaints, positioning it between the generation's high of 243 in 2007 and the low of 17 in 2009. Although zero recalls were issued, the top complaint area centered on Air Bags, establishing this model year as a moderate reliability choice within the generation that demands specific attention to that system.

Model year2009 2008 2007 2006

Quick specs

Fluid capacities, tune-up values and fuel economy at a glance.

Engine oil capacity4.5 qtOEM · verified

Engine oil type5W-30 APIOEM · verified

Lug nut torque100 ft-lbsOEM · verified

Fitment & sizes

Replacement part sizes and factory part numbers — battery, bulbs, filters and belts.

From the factory this vehicle uses a BCI 47 · 650 CCA battery, OE oil filter 12731175. Each part links to every other vehicle that shares it, so a part you already stock may fit more of your fleet than you'd expect.

Battery groupBCI 47 · 650 CCAOEM · verified

Tire sizeP235-65R16OEM · verified

Wheel / rim7 inOEM · verified

OE service part numbers OEM · verified

Engine oil filter	12731175 alt 12690386
Engine air filter	22676970
Spark plug	12681664 alt 19300872
Front wiper blades	22703507 alt 22703508
Serpentine belt	12576750 alt 12584310
Thermostat	10226107 alt 24507563
Cabin air filter	15781507

Full specifications

Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.

Dimensions & weight NHTSA vPIC

Overall length	189 in
Overall width	71.3 in
Overall height	69.3 in
Wheelbase	112.6 in
Curb weight	3719 lb
Track (front / rear)	61.4 / 61.8 in
Weight distribution (front / rear)	57/43

Service quick specs OEM factory data

Capacities, torques and tune-up values from the factory service manual.

This engine holds 4.5 qt of 5W-30 API engine oil, 75W-90 · GL-5 in the differential, DOT 3 brake fluid. Torque lug nuts to 100 ft-lbs, the oil drain plug to 22.0 ft-lbs. The firing order is 1-6-5-4-3-2. Note the cylinder-head bolts finish on a torque angle (torque-to-yield) — they stretch permanently and should be replaced, not reused, during any head service.

Lubricants & capacities

Automatic Transmission Fluid	ATF
Automatic Transmission Fluid Capacity	4.2-6.4
Brake Fluid	DOT 3
Differential Gear Oil	75W-90 · GL-5
Differential Gear Oil Capacity	1.0 qt
Engine Oil	5W-30 · API
Engine Oil Capacity	4.5 qt
Engine Oil	5W-30 · API

Engine torques

Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts	12 ft-lbs
Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts	17 ft-lbs
Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts	18 ft-lbs
Engine Oil Pan Drain Plug	18.0 ft-lbs
Engine Oil Pan Drain Plug	22.0 ft-lbs
Engine Valve Cover Bolts	7.4 ft-lbs

Chassis torques

Lug Nuts	100 ft-lbs
Transfer Case Fill Plug	11.0 ft-lbs
Transfer Case Drain Plug	18.0 ft-lbs
Front Wheel Hub	151 ft-lbs
Rear Wheel Hub	151 ft-lbs

Ignition

Cylinder Firing Order	1-2-3-4-5-6
Cylinder Firing Order	1-6-5-4-3-2

Battery & A/C

Refrigerant	R134a
Refrigerant Capacity	1.30 lbs
Oil Group	PAG
Oil Type	46
Oil Capacity	4.40 oz
Standard BCI Group Number	47
Standard BCI Cranking Performance	650 cca
Standard BCI Group Number	47

Service checks

Pressure Test	15, Pressure should not exceed 20 psi.
Radiator Cap Pressure Relief	15 psi
Thermostat Opening Temperature	188-206 °F
Key ON Engine OFF (KOEO)	56-62
Key ON Engine OFF (KOEO)	55-60
Injector Primary Resistance	11-14 @ 50-95 degreesF ohms
Injector Primary Resistance	11-14 @ 50-90 degreesF ohms
Engine Compression	100

Brakes

Torque Caliper to Bracket	20 ft-lbs
Torque to Knuckle	136 ft-lbs / 89 ft-lbs
Minimum Pad Thickness	Front: 0.080; Rear: 0.080 in
Rotor Max Parallel Variation	0.002 in
Rotor Runout Limit	0.001 in
Rotor Discard at or Under	1.079 in / 0.724 in

Multi-step torque procedures OEM · verified

Crankshaft Pulley and/or Damper Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages

installation, 92 ft. lbs., step 2: remove bolt, step 3: install new bolt, 92 ft. lbs., step 4: 130

92 ft. lbs

Crankshaft Pulley and/or Damper Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages

74 ft. lbs., step 2: 150

74 ft. lbs

Cylinder Head — tightening sequence 2 stages

1	44 ft. lbs.	44 ft. lbs
2	95 degrees	95 degrees

Cylinder Head — tightening sequence 2 stages

Prep M11 bolts

1	22 ft. lbs.	22 ft. lbs
2	150 degrees; M8 bolts 9-10	150 degrees
1	11 ft. lbs.	11 ft. lbs
2	75 degrees; Do not reuse cylinder head bolts. Do not allow oil on cylinder head, head bolt bosses.	75 degrees

Factory maintenance schedule OEM · verified

Normal service, condensed from the factory interval matrix.

Under the factory schedule, replace the spark plugs every 100,000 mi; coolant at 150,000 mi. The big-interval services (at 150,000 mi for coolant, and the transmission fluid) are the ones owners most often skip — on a lower-mileage example, assume the original fluids are still in it and check them first.

Every 25,000 mi	Exhaust System (Complete) (inspect) · Fuel System (inspect)
Every 50,000 mi	Engine Air Filter Element (replace)
Every 100,000 mi	Spark Plug Wires (inspect) · Spark Plugs (replace) · Transmission Assembly (drain & refill)
At 150,000 mi	Accessory Drive Belt (inspect) · Engine Coolant System (drain, flush & refill)

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

The 2008 Pontiac Torrent sits at the midpoint of a four-year generation and represents a meaningful improvement over its early-cycle predecessors, with owner complaints falling sharply from 240 (2006) and 243 (2007) to 125 in the target year, and with none of the four recalls that marked 2007 carried over into 2008. No federal investigations were opened in any year of this generation, which strengthens the read that the 2006–2007 spikes were warranty-driven rather than safety-driven escalations. However, technical service bulletins climbed steadily across the full arc—648 in 2006, 793 in 2007, 914 in 2008, and 969 in 2009—indicating that even as customer-reported problems waned, GM was still actively refining the vehicle into its final model year. The 2008 complaint profile is concentrated in air bags (31) and fuel/propulsion (18), accompanied by five crash and two fire complaints, though the data does not specify root causes for these clusters. On balance, 2008 is one of the more defensible model years in this generation to buy, but the air bag and fuel system concentration, combined with the still-rising TSB count, argue for a targeted pre-purchase inspection of those systems.

Open recalls

NHTSA campaigns

914

Service bulletins

Manufacturer communications

ODI investigations

Office of Defects Investigation

125

Owner complaints

5 involved a crash · 2 a fire

NHTSA crash-test rating federal NCAP · out of 5 stars

Rollover★★★★★

Owner complaints by model year NHTSA · this generation & adjacent

’06 ’07’08’09

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 125 complaints on record, top 8 components.

Air Bags31

Fuel/Propulsion System18

Electrical System7

Unknown Or Other5

Power Train5

Structure4

Steering4

Electronic Stability Control (Esc)3

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

No recall campaigns on record with NHTSA for this vehicle as of the last data refresh.

Technical service bulletins NHTSA · verified

Showing 5 of 914 bulletins on record with NHTSA.

Bulletin	Date	Component	Summary
13598	2025-09-09	Unknown Or Other	New Vehicle Monitoring Programs Section in IVH
PIC5650M	2025-08-06	Unknown Or Other	This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about…
PIP5601C	2025-07-18	Unknown Or Other	This PI communicates the requirement to provide a pico file to receive diagnostic…
PIT5074R	2025-05-30	Unknown Or Other	This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about…
PIT5074R	2025-05-30	Unknown Or Other	This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about…

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420

Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1

P0300

Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected

P0171

System too lean — Bank 1

P0455

Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak

P0128

Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature

P0442

Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN

Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific Torrent. OEM

Build data

Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.

Recalls

Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Vehicles with shared specs

Find every vehicle that shares this one's battery, bulbs, oil capacity, platform or parts.

Group 47 battery Vehicles taking 4.5 qt Engine oil filter 12731175 Engine air filter 22676970 Spark plug 12681664 Front wiper blades 22703507

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Vehicle recalls & TSBs OBD-II trouble codes Torque specifications Maintenance schedules Fluid capacities & specs

Frequently asked

How much oil does the 2008 Torrent take?

4.5 qt of 5W-30 API, per the factory manual.

Does the 2008 Torrent have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 0 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.