Safety Score
62
Average
Recalls
2
Complaints
50
NCAP Stars
—
Recalls (2)
| Date | NHTSA ID | Component | Units | Completion | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-03-06 | 02V070000 |
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH | 1,589,948 | — | Details |
| 1998-12-15 | 98V319000 |
SUSPENSION:REAR | 27,083 | — | Details |
Owner Complaints (showing up to 50)
| Date | Component | Crash | Injuries | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-07-21 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | No | 0 | SUNFIRE WON'T START A SOMETHING WITH FUEL PUMP |
| 2013-05-31 | AIR BAGS | No | 0 | TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 PONTIAC SUNFIRE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE PARKED, THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED I… |
| 2011-05-01 | POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION | No | 0 | NUMEROUS FAILURES WITH MY CAR I AM ONLY LISTING THE ONES WHICH HAVE HAPPENED MORE THAN ONCE 1..TRANSMISSION FAILURE, T… |
| 2011-02-22 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | No | 0 | 1996 PONTIAC SUNFIRE 2.2L. REAR RIGHT BRAKE LOCKS. CAUSES THE CAR TO SHUDDER AND DIFFICULT TO STOP. THIS ALSO CAUSES TH… |
| 2009-09-30 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | No | 1 | TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 PONTIAC SUNFIRE. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH THE DRIVER FRONTAL AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARRANT.… |
| 2009-02-27 | STEERING:RACK AND PINION | No | 0 | FEBRUARY 25, 2009 - NOTICED WHEN USING THE TILT STEERING LEVER, THE STEERING COLUMN DID NOT LOCK AT CERTAIN LEVELS (LOW… |
| 2008-07-08 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | No | 0 | TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 PONTIAC SUNFIRE. WITHIN A WEEK OF PURCHASING THE VEHICLE, IT BEGAN OVERHEATING. IN ADDITIO… |
| 2008-05-29 | AIR BAGS | No | 0 | DRIVING DOWN THE DRIVEWAY ONTO ROAD, APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES AN HOUR, SUDDENLY BOTH AIR BAGS DEPLOYED AT THE SAME TIME. C… |
| 2008-03-08 | AIR BAGS | Yes | 0 | WHILE TRAVELING AT 5 MPH BARELY BUMPED VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME,WHEN AIRBAGS DEPLOYED CAUSING WINDSHIELD TO SHATTER AND … |
| 2008-02-01 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | No | 0 | MY 1996 AIR BAG DEPLOYED, A FEW MONTHS AGO, I RECEIIVED AT NOTICE OF THIS HAPPENING ONCE I CALLED A PONTIAC DEALERSHIP… |
| 2007-10-14 | POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | No | 0 | WHEN TURNING OFF A ROAD ONTO A HIGHWAY, I NOTICED THAT THE CAR WAS STUCK IN 2ND GEAR. I CAREFULLY DROVE TO THE NEAREST… |
| 2007-07-07 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING | No | 0 | LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS GO OUT WITHOUT WARNING, WE HAVE REPLACED BULBS AND CHECKED FUSES. *JB |
| 2007-04-12 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | Yes | 0 | I HAD THE FUEL PUMP REPLACED ON THIS VEHICLE IN DECEMBER 2006. I HAVE BEEN GIVEN INFORMATION INDICATING THIS PUMP IS I… |
| 2007-03-01 | STEERING:RACK AND PINION | No | 0 | TL*- THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 PONTIAC SUNFIRE. THE VEHICLE MADE A KNOCKING NOISE WHEN THE STEERING WAS TURNED ALL THE W… |
| 2007-02-27 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS | No | 0 | HEADLIGHTS FAIL TO WORK. NO DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS. HEADLIGHTS DIM, HEADLIGHTS WIRING DEFECTIVE. *JB |
| 2007-02-15 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | No | 0 | FEBRUARY 2007 HAD VEHICLE SERVICED AND WAS TOLD REAR CALIPERS NEEDED REPLACEMENT. WORK WAS COMPLETED TOTALING $875. W… |
| 2006-12-05 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:SWITCH | No | 0 | THE LIGHT SWITCH ASSEMBLY FAILED WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. THE LIGHT SWITCH ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO FOR T… |
| 2006-05-17 | AIR BAGS | Yes | 1 | MY WRECK HAPPENED IN 2006. THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED AND CRUSHED MY FACE I HAD TO HAVE TITANIUM PLATES PUT IN MY FACE CRASHE… |
| 2005-09-20 | STEERING:RACK AND PINION | No | 0 | THIS IS ABOUT A RECALL THAT THE DEALER WILL NOT FIX ON MY 1996 PONTIAC SUNFIRE. YOU LIST THE PROBLEM WITH MY STEERING I… |
| 2005-07-25 | LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | No | 0 | DT: THE DOORS OPENED BY THEMSELVES WHEN GOING AROUND THE CORNER. THREE OUT OF FOUR OF THE DOORS DO THIS. IF THE CONS… |
| 2005-04-05 | SUSPENSION:FRONT:WHEEL BEARING | No | 0 | WHEEL BEARING SEEMS TO BE GOING BAD. THE MOTOR HAS BEEN JUMPING WHEN I TAKE OFF FROM A STOP LIGHT. I THINK THE MOTOR MO… |
| 2004-12-16 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | Yes | 0 | 1996 PONTIAC SUNFIRE BRAKES FAILED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO STOP VEHICLE. *TS THE CONSUMER RAN OFF THE ROAD AND STRUCK A W… |
| 2004-09-01 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL | No | 0 | WHILE DRIVING ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS STUCK AND WENT TO THE FLOOR. CONSUMER APPLIED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND WAS ABLE TO P… |
| 2004-07-01 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | No | 0 | WHILE ON THE STREET VEHICLE WAS IN PARK AND THE KEY WAS TAKEN OUT OF THE IGNITION SWITCH. THEN, VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE … |
| 2004-04-13 | FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM | No | 0 | MY VEHICLE HAS A VERY STRONG GAS ODOR. THE PROBLEM IS WITH FUEL INJECTORS. MECHANIC STATES THE CAR COULD CATCH FIRE AN… |
| 2004-03-21 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | No | 0 | WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH THE VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE UNDER THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT. DUE TO THE INTERIOR DAMAGE THE VEHICLE WAS TO… |
| 2004-01-22 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING | No | 0 | I PURCHASED A 1996 PONTIAC SUNFIRE IN JULY OF 2003. I PREVIOUSLY OWNED A 1997 SUNFIRE AND DIDN'T HAVE ANY PROBLEMS LIK… |
| 2004-01-03 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:HIGH/LOW BEAM DIMMER SWITCH | No | 0 | THE HEADLIGHTS GO OUT UNEXPECTEDLY WHEN THE DIMMER SWITCH IS MOVED TO OR OPERATED IN LOW BEAM. FAULTY DIMMER SWITCH. I … |
| 2003-12-15 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | No | 0 | MY INCIDENT IS NOT A FAILURE, BUT A CONSTANT PROBLEM. SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR USED IN DECEMBER OF '03, THERE HAS BEEN MA… |
| 2003-12-03 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | No | 0 | THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND THE CONSUMER NOTICED OIL WAS LEAKING FROM UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER HAD TAKEN T… |
| 2003-12-02 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | No | 0 | FAILURE OF HEAD GASKET AT LESS THAN 64,000 MILES. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A COMMON COMPLAINT WITH THE SUNFIRE MODEL A… |
| 2003-11-30 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | No | 0 | HEAD GASKET ON MY 96 PONTIAC SUNFIRE BLEW AND CAUSED MY CAR TO STALL IN TRAFFIC AND ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT WITH MY F… |
| 2003-08-27 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | No | 0 | CAR TURNS OVER BUT WILL NOT START.BROUGHT IT BACK TO DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE CAMSHAFT SENSOR. GOT THE CAR BACK TWO… |
| 2003-08-06 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | No | 0 | WHILE PUTTING THE KEY INSIDE THE IGNITION VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. DRIVER TOOK KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION AND STEERING CO… |
| 2003-07-10 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | No | 0 | WHEN THE CONSUMER ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE THE IGNITION FAILED TO TURN, WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN SMOKE EMITTED FROM T… |
| 2003-06-15 | AIR BAGS | Yes | 1 | I WAS A PASSENGER IN THE CAR, SO I DON'T KNOW SPECIFIC MILEAGE, OR VIN NUMBER. THE CAR HAD APPROXIMATELY 80,000 MILES … |
| 2003-05-29 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | No | 0 | -THE HORN ON 1996 PONTIAC SUNFIRE HAS QUIT WORKING AND BEEN REPAIRED THREE TIMES. THE PEOPLE AT THE SHOP SAID THAT IT… |
| 2003-03-29 | STEERING | No | 0 | THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING, CONSUMER'S SON LOSS CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. *JB |
| 2003-03-15 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | No | 0 | THE ETS LIGHT, ABS LIGHT, AND SENSOR FOR THE IGNITION IS REMAINED ON. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AND WAS TAKEN TO TH… |
| 2003-02-13 | STEERING:RACK AND PINION | No | 0 | NHTSA.02-V-286-000: THE RECALL WAS PERFORMED REGARDING THE RACK AND PINION, HOWEVER THE RECALL REPAIR FAILED.*JB |
| 2003-02-09 | STEERING:RACK AND PINION | No | 0 | ON SUN FEB.9,2003 MY RACK AND PINION WENT OUT OF MY CAR AND IS NOW NOT DRIVABLE . I STARTED NOTICING PROBLEMS THE LAST … |
| 2003-02-01 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | No | 0 | SMOKE STARTED COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE INTO THE VENTS. VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE PLEASE FILL IN ADDITIONAL INFO… |
| 2003-01-09 | TIRES | No | 0 | THE LEFT TIRE SEPARATED FROM THE VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING.*JB |
| 2003-01-06 | STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:POWER STEERING FLUID | No | 0 | THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE POWER STEERING ASSEMBLY. (RECALL NUMBER 02V286000) THE VEHICLE'S' VIN NUMBER WAS NOT INC… |
| 2002-10-23 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | No | 0 | CONSUMER STATED THAT THE TRANMISSION STALLED THE ENGINE CAUSING THE ENGNE TO SMOKE. TS |
| 2002-10-12 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH | No | 0 | THE IGNITION SWITCH HAD A SHORT CIRCUIT WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE NOT TO START. AFTER THE IGNITION WAS REPAIRED IT STIL… |
| 2002-10-02 | POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION | No | 0 | CONSUMER STATES THAT AFTER RECALL WAS DONE,THE ENGINE LIGHT AND OTHER WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON AND VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACC… |
| 2002-10-01 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | No | 0 | WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY THE VEHICLE OVERHEATED. THE CHECK ENGINE AND CHECK ENGINE GAUGE LIGHT APPEAR ON THE DAS… |
| 2002-09-25 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | Yes | 0 | WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN INTO AN INTERSECTION. ANOTHER VEHICLE HIT HER HIT ON AND HER DUAL AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. TH… |
| 2002-09-25 | AIR BAGS | Yes | 0 | CONSUMER STATES: WHILE DRIVING AT THE SPEED OF 35 MPH WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION NEITHER AIR BAG DEPLOYED. DEA… |