Problems · NHTSA complaints

2004 Pontiac Sunfire problems

Owners filed 32 complaints about the 2004 Pontiac Sunfire with NHTSA between Dec 2003 and Aug 2020. The most-cited component is electrical system (16).

Complaints
32
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
3
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
1
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Electrical system16
  2. Engine and engine cooling4
  3. Structure3
  4. Engine3
  5. Exterior lighting3
  6. Service brakes, hydraulic2
  7. Vehicle speed control1
  8. Steering1
  9. Service brakes1
  10. Wheels1
  11. Electronic stability control1
  12. Equipment1
  13. Air bags1
  14. Other / unknown2

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 Nov 11, 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
20031
20045
20054
20062
20071
20083
20094
20101
20112
20121
20132
20143
20151
20160
20171
20180
20190
20201

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

16 reports1 fire
“BOUGHT CAR USED IN 2013. EVERYTHING SEEMED TO BE OKAY UNTIL 9/12/14 WHEN THE THEFT SYSTEM SERVICE LIGHT CAME ON AND I NOTICED THE SPEEDOMETER, RPMS, AND GAS INDICATORS WERE NOT READING - CAR BEGAN STALLING LIKE IT WAS GOING TO SHUT DOWN. I WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 50 TO 55 MPH ON A BUSY STREET. AFTER CAR IS SHUT OFF FOR A TIME IT STARTS UP OKAY AND RUNS UNTIL THE SAME THING REOCCURS AFTER GOING ABOUT 20 MILES OR SO - IF CAR SHUTS DOWN WHILE MOVING IT COULD CAUSE A SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. I HAVE READ NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SAME THING ON VARIOUS WEBSITES. APPARENTLY, THE APPROXIMATE COST TO FIX IS $400.00 - I AM ON A LIMITED INCOME AND CANNOT AFFORD. PLEASE HELP. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 18, 2014Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, EngineODI 10637233

Engine and engine cooling

4 reports
“I AM EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE AS ODI ID NUMBER : 1016866, WHERE AT ANYTIME, ANY SPEED, STOPPED OR MOVING, MY CAR'S ENGINE WILL DROP BELOW THE NORMAL IDLING SPEED AND STALL OUT. IT WILL JUST STOP! THE CAR IS MOVING, BUT THE ENGINE HAS STOPPED! THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES! I'VE EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM A COUPLE OF TIMES IN A HIGH VOLUME TRAFFIC AREA. THIS ISSUE COULD CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OR WRECK, BECAUSE WHEN THE ENGINE IS STOPPED, YOU LOOSE POWER STEERING! THIS CAR IS NOT AN EASY CAR TO MANEUVER WITHOUT POWER STEERING. I CRANKED THE KEY, THE CAR WOULD START RIGHT UP, BUT AS SOON AS THE CLUTCH HITS THE FLOOR AND GIVES THE ENGINE TIME TO WIND DOWN, IT STALLS AGAIN. THIS ISSUE IS VERY SPORADIC, I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO PUT A FINGER ON WHAT WOULD CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STALL THAT WAY. I DID EMAIL PONTIAC'S CUSTOMER SUPPORT AND HAVE RECEIVED NO REGARD TO MY EMAIL. NO QUESTIONS, NO CONFIRMATION OTHER THAN THE AUTOMATIC REPLY, NO CALLS, NOTHING. I FEEL LIKE WE ARE GETTING SHAFTED ON THIS ISSUE AND I DON'T THINK PONTIAC IS TAKING THIS ISSUE SERIOUSLY! I DON'T THINK THEY REALIZE THE POTENTIAL DANGER THIS ISSUE PROPOSES! *NM”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 6, 2006Engine and engine coolingODI 10170068

Structure

3 reports
“WHILE DRIVING MY 2004 PONTIAC SUNFIRE, I HAD TO HOLD THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE LEFT IN ORDER FOR IT TO GO STRAIGHT. I THOUGHT I MIGHT NEED A FRONT END ALIGNMENT AND DROPPED THE CAR OFF AT MY NEIGHBORHOOD FIRESTONE DEALER THAT NORMALLY WORKS ON MY CARS. AFTER CHECKING THE CAR, THEY CALLED ME AND SAID THE FRAME OF THE CAR WAS RUSTED OUT AND IT WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. WHEN I PICKED UP THE CAR, THEY GAVE ME PICTURES OF THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF THE FRAME WHICH ALL READY HAD CRACKED APART DUE TO THE RUST. THEY SAID IF YOU HIT A POTHOLE OR ANYTHING IN THE ROAD THE FRAME COULD SPLIT APART AND CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. I CALLED A BODY SHOP TO SEE IF IT COULD BE REPAIRED AND THEY SAID IT WAS TO BIG OF A JOB.. THEY RECOMMENDED JUNKING THE CAR.. THIS CAR IS IN REAL GOOD SHAPE EXCEPT FOR THIS MAJOR DEFECT. THIS HAS FORCED ME TO BUY ANOTHER CAR.. I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THE QUALITY OF YOUR PRODUCT. I FEEL THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 13, 2020StructureODI 11349088

Engine

3 reports
“VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN AND PARKED FOR THE EVENING. IN THE MORNING WENT TO START THE VEHICLE AND VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS WERE TRIED TO START. NEW STARTER INSTALLED AND STILL NO SUCCESS TO START. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO REPAIR SHOP. AFTER EVALUATION IT WAS FOUND THE TIMING CHAINS HAD BROKEN AND INFRINGED ON THE CYLINDER HEADS. VEHICLE REQUIRES REPLACEMENT ENGINE AS PER MECHANIC. INVESTIGATED OTHER CLAIMS OF THE SAME INCIDENT HAPPENING AND HAVE FOUND THAT THE 2.2L ECOTEC ENGINE HAS HAD SEVERAL COMPLAINTS OVER THE LAST 5-7 YEARS. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 24, 2014Electrical system, EngineODI 10584763

Exterior lighting

3 reports
“LEFT SIDE REAR BLINKER LIGHT GOES OUT SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK. THERE HAS BEEN A RECALL ON OTHER PONTIAC SUNFIRES BUT FOR YEARS OTHER THAN THE ONE I HAVE. APPARENTLY THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE WIRING. I CAN WIGGLE THE BULB AND IT WILL WORK UNTIL I HIT A BUMP AND THEN IT IS OUT AGAIN. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON 2004 PONTIAC SUNFIRES AS WELL AS THE OTHER YEARS. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 16, 2009Exterior lightingODI 10265560

Service brakes, hydraulic

2 reports2 crashes
“WHILE BRAKING THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS WORKING NORMALLY THEN SUDDENLY WENT SOFT. PUMPED BRAKES BUT PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR. CAUSED CAR TO CRASH INTO VEHICLE IN FRONT OF IT. FAILURE WAS CONSISTENT WITH EITHER MATER CYLINDER FAILURE OR HYDRAULIC BRAKE LINE FAILURE CAUSING LOSS OF FLUID AND PRESSURE. BOTH VEHICLES WERE A TOTAL LOSS. BOTH FRONT AIRBAGS WENT OFF IN SUNFIRE. NO SERIOUS INJURIES. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 12, 2011Service brakes, hydraulicCrash reportedODI 10439679
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 11, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.