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
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Electrical system26
  2. Service brakes, hydraulic15
  3. Engine and engine cooling13
  4. Steering11
  5. Visibility11
  6. Exterior lighting9
  7. Equipment9
  8. Power train7
  9. Structure5
  10. Air bags5
  11. Fuel system, gasoline5
  12. Interior lighting3
  13. Tires3
  14. 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
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20026
200314
200412
200511
20066
200715
20088
20093
20102
20112
20120
20132
20147
20152
20161

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.

03 —Owner reports

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.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 30, 2015Power train, Electrical system, Unknown or otherODI 10745149

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”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 22, 2008Service brakes, hydraulicCrash reportedODI 10249575

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”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 26, 2009Engine and engine cooling, Electrical system, Visibility, Interior lightingODI 10260055

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”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 24, 2016SteeringODI 10918510

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”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 10, 2008VisibilityODI 10248389

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”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 14, 2011Exterior lightingODI 10419392
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.