Pontiac Sunfire Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 1,139 consumer complaints across the 11 model years of the Pontiac Sunfire (1995–2005) that have at least 5 complaints. 1996 has the most, with 201. Across all years, the part named most often is electrical system (304 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
Best and worst Sunfire years →
All Sunfire model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 68 | 61,000 | 0 | 495 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2004 | 32 | 45,000 | 1 | 393 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2003 | 72 | 34,459 | 1 | 357 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 2002 | 82 | 35,690 | 0 | 305 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 2001 | 66 | 63,000 | 1 | 249 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 2000 | 96 | 63,500 | 1 | 228 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1999 | 93 | 87,500 | 2 | 32 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1998 | 120 | 71,620 | 3 | 26 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1997 | 190 | 95,000 | 6 | 24 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1996 | 201 | 136,050 | 7 | 18 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1995 | 119 | 92,022 | 5 | 16 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Electrical system304 27%
- Engine cooling219 19%
- Brakes155 14%
- Air bags122 11%
- Steering109 9.6%
- Exterior lighting90 7.9%
- Transmission and drivetrain69 6.1%
- Fuel system67 5.9%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2005: “Going down hill, turned my car to the right and the car keep going straight. It did not turn at all. I almost got hit by on coming traffic, but my car hit the curve first stopping an accident from occurring I have replace window motor twice and they have went out again now. And I have also replaced window motor buttons for a second time in the past 3 years”
NHTSA complaint #10983596, filed 2017-05, 130 miles1998: “While driving the vehicle will shut down and the theft system light with start flashing will start again and but shut down again I was driving on a city street and had it at a dealer they replaced the ecu the gauges and the ignition they replaced the ecu 3 times with no avail this has happened to all 4 of my pontiacs”
NHTSA complaint #11098157, filed 2018-05, 165,000 miles2004: “The RPM needle went totally on the right side into the needle of the speedometer. Can't tell how fast I am going. Expensive to replace. Paint starting to chip in different places. This is the second vehicle that I had that the paint peeled and general motors states that it is too old of a vehicle to pay to have painted. That is totally sad.”
NHTSA complaint #10464834, filed 2012-07, 71,000 milesOther Pontiac models
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About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology