Problems · NHTSA complaints
2002 Pontiac Sunfire problems
Owners filed 91 complaints about the 2002 Pontiac Sunfire with NHTSA between Apr 2002 and Oct 2016. The most-cited component is electrical system (26).
Complaints
91
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
8
Reported by owners
Fires
3
Reported by owners
Injuries
7
People reported injured
Deaths
1
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Electrical system26
- Service brakes, hydraulic15
- Engine and engine cooling13
- Steering11
- Visibility11
- Exterior lighting9
- Equipment9
- Power train7
- Structure5
- Air bags5
- Fuel system, gasoline5
- Interior lighting3
- Tires3
- Seat belts3
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 27, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
6
14
12
11
6
15
8
3
2
2
0
2
7
2
1
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 6 |
| 2003 | 14 |
| 2004 | 12 |
| 2005 | 11 |
| 2006 | 6 |
| 2007 | 15 |
| 2008 | 8 |
| 2009 | 3 |
| 2010 | 2 |
| 2011 | 2 |
| 2012 | 0 |
| 2013 | 2 |
| 2014 | 7 |
| 2015 | 2 |
| 2016 | 1 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Electrical system
26 reports2 fires
“TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE, GOT MY FUSES AND RELAY'S ALL CHECKED AND TURNED THE CAR ON THE NEXT MORNING, NOTHING ON MY DASH PANEL IS WORKING. NO MILEAGE, NONE OF THE GAUGES WORK, FUSES AND RELAYS ARE ALL GOOD.”
Service brakes, hydraulic
15 reports3 crashes
“ON NOVEMBER 12, 2008 I WAS IN AN AUTO ACCIDENT. I WAS DRIVING MY 2002 PONTIAC SUNFIRE THAT I HAD PURCHASED ON OCTOBER 28, 2008. AS THE CAR AHEAD OF ME BEGAN TO BRAKE I BEGAN TO BRAKE AS WELL. HOWEVER, IT DID NOT FEEL AS THOUGHT THE BRAKES "GRABBED" CAUSING ME TO COLLIDE INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. I HAVE A BROKEN FOOT CAUSED FROM PUSHING ON THE BRAKES. *TR”
Engine and engine cooling
13 reports
“THIS CAR WAS BOUGHT BRAND NEW. SINCE IT'S PURCHASE WE HAVE HAD MANY ISSUES. WE HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION AT LESS THAN 20,000 (IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY THOUGH). MY POWER WINDOWS HAVE ALL STOPPED WORKING AND HAVE BEEN REPLACED (I'VE HAD TO BUY 7 DIFFERENT ONES), MY CIGARETTE LIGHTER FUSE HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE, I HAVE ALSO HAD THE PROBLEMS WITH MY HEADLIGHTS AND THEY HAVE HAD SHORTS AND THE WIRING HAS NEEDED REPLACED ON BOTH SIDES, AND LAST FINALLY MY SWITCH ON MY DRIVER DOOR THAT TURNS THE DOME LIGHT ON AND THE RADIO OFF HAS NEEDED CHANGED 3 TIMES NOW! WE HAVE HAD MANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR AND I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND THIS CAR TO ANYONE!! *TR”
Steering
11 reports2 crashes1 fire1 related recall
“MY TILT STEERING WHEEL COLUMN WOBBLES FROM SIDE TO SIDE, IT WOULD NEVER STAY LOCKED IN ONE POSITION AND WITH TIME IT STARTED TO MOVE WHILE DRIVING, PEOPLE HAVE ATTEMPTED TO FIX IT, BUT IT DOESN'T LAST AND I CAN'T GET A SAFETY INSPECTION BECAUSE OF IT, THE INSPECTOR SAYS IT IS TOO DANGEROUS. IT HAS NEVER BEEN WRECKED OR DAMAGED AND WAS BOUGHT BRAND NEW, IT ABOUT 123,000 MILES ON IT. WHEN I TURN TO THE LEFT ESPECIALLY, THE STEERING WHEEL FLOPS FROM LEFT TO RIGHT. *TR”
Visibility
11 reports1 fire
“PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW MOTOR STOPPED WORKING. DRIVER SIDE WINDOW MOTOR WORKING SLOWLY. UPON REPLACING THE BAD MOTOR I NOTICED THERE WAS NO ASSIST SPRING ON THE WINDOW LIFTING ASSEMBLY ON EITHER DOOR. ALTHOUGH THERE IS A SPOT FOR ONE ON BOTH ASSEMBLIES. ASSEMBLIES THAT I HAD WORKED ON IN THE PAST INCLUDED THESE SPRINGS. I HAD THOUGHT THAT THE ASSIST SPRINGS WERE THERE TO HELP THE MOTOR IN LIFTING THE WINDOW. ESPECIALLY IN A TWO DOOR WITH LARGER WINDOWS. *TR”
Exterior lighting
9 reports
“THE DRL LIGHTS ON MY DAUGHTERS PONTIAC SUNFIRE MALFUNCTIONED AND QUIT WORKING. THE PROBLEM WITH THE DRL'S IS THAT THEY ARE WIRED INTO THE HEADLIGHTS, AND WHEN THE DRL"S SHORT OUT THEY DISABLE THE LEFT HEADLIGHT. I HAVE TRYING T TO GET IT REPAIRED BUT HAVEN'T FOUND THE PROBLEM YET. I HAVE REPLACED THE DRL RELAY, THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH, THE BULBS, WITH NO LUCK. *TR”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 27, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.