1997 PONTIAC SUNFIRE — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 184 complaints · 9 recalls
Most-reported system: STEERING (39 complaints · 21.2%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 29
  • Fires 8
  • Injuries 19
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 1996 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution STEERING appears in 39 of 184 owner complaints (21.2%) in this vehicle snapshot. STEERING: 39 complaints, 21.2% of reports STEERING 39 · 21.2% · 8 crash reports 2 fire reports ENGINE: 26 complaints, 14.1% of reports ENGINE 26 · 14.1% · 1 crash reports 1 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 25 complaints, 13.6% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 25 · 13.6% · 1 crash reports 5 fire reports AIR BAGS: 23 complaints, 12.5% of reports AIR BAGS 23 · 12.5% · 11 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 19 complaints, 10.3% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 19 · 10.3% · 4 crash reports VISIBILITY: 12 complaints, 6.5% of reports VISIBILITY 12 · 6.5% FUEL SYSTEM: 8 complaints, 4.4% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 8 · 4.4% SUSPENSION: 7 complaints, 3.8% of reports SUSPENSION 7 · 3.8% · 1 crash reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 6 complaints, 3.3% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 6 · 3.3% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 132 complaints, 71.7% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 132 · 71.7% · 23 crash reports 4 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
STEERING 39 21.2% 8 crashes · 2 fires
ENGINE 26 14.1% 1 crashes · 1 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 25 13.6% 1 crashes · 5 fires
AIR BAGS 23 12.5% 11 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 19 10.3% 4 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 12 6.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 8 4.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SUSPENSION 7 3.8% 1 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 6 3.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 132 71.7% 23 crashes · 4 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 1997; the first recall shown was reported in Jun 1997. 1997-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 1997-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 1997-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 1997-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 1998-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 1998-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 1998-Q3: 11 owner reports 11 1998-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 1999-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 1999-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 1999-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 1999-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2000-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2000-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2000-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2000-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2001-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2001-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2001-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2001-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2002-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2002-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 2002-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2002-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2003-Q1: 15 owner reports 15 2003-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2003-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2003-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2004-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2004-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2004-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2005-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2005-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2008-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jan 1997 Jan 2015 Recall campaign 97V106000 ◆ Recall campaign 97V106000 Recall campaign 98V032000 ◆ Recall campaign 98V032000 Recall campaign 98V146000 ◆ Recall campaign 98V146000 Recall campaign 98V319000 ◆ Recall campaign 98V319000 Recall campaign 02V070000 ◆ Recall campaign 02V070000 Recall campaign 02V286000 ◆ Recall campaign 02V286000 Recall campaign 06E026000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E026000 Recall campaign 07E015000 ◆ Recall campaign 07E015000 Recall campaign 08E063000 ◆ Recall campaign 08E063000 Investigation EA98001 ● Investigation EA98001 Investigation PE02001 ● Investigation PE02001 Investigation DP03007 ● Investigation DP03007
  • Campaign 98V319000 was reported 555 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 02V070000 was reported 1,252 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 02V286000 was reported 1,370 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 07E015000 was reported 3,666 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1997-Q1 Owner reports 5
1997-Q2 Owner reports 1
1997-Q3 Owner reports 1
1997-Q4 Owner reports 6
1998-Q1 Owner reports 7
1998-Q2 Owner reports 5
1998-Q3 Owner reports 11
1998-Q4 Owner reports 5
1999-Q1 Owner reports 7
1999-Q2 Owner reports 3
1999-Q3 Owner reports 6
1999-Q4 Owner reports 4
2000-Q1 Owner reports 2
2000-Q2 Owner reports 6
2000-Q3 Owner reports 4
2000-Q4 Owner reports 5
2001-Q1 Owner reports 4
2001-Q2 Owner reports 2
2001-Q3 Owner reports 4
2001-Q4 Owner reports 2
2002-Q1 Owner reports 6
2002-Q2 Owner reports 11
2002-Q3 Owner reports 4
2002-Q4 Owner reports 7
2003-Q1 Owner reports 15
2003-Q2 Owner reports 6
2003-Q3 Owner reports 2
2003-Q4 Owner reports 5
2004-Q1 Owner reports 7
2004-Q2 Owner reports 2
2004-Q3 Owner reports 1
2004-Q4 Owner reports 4
2005-Q1 Owner reports 3
2005-Q2 Owner reports 2
2006-Q1 Owner reports 2
2006-Q2 Owner reports 1
2006-Q4 Owner reports 2
2007-Q1 Owner reports 1
2007-Q2 Owner reports 1
2007-Q3 Owner reports 2
2007-Q4 Owner reports 1
2008-Q2 Owner reports 3
2008-Q3 Owner reports 1
2010-Q4 Owner reports 1
2012-Q1 Owner reports 1
2012-Q3 Owner reports 1
2014-Q3 Owner reports 1
2015-Q1 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 97V106000
Recall campaign 1 98V032000
Recall campaign 1 98V146000
Recall campaign 1 98V319000
Recall campaign 1 02V070000
Recall campaign 1 02V286000
Recall campaign 1 06E026000
Recall campaign 1 07E015000
Recall campaign 1 08E063000
Defect investigation 1 EA98001
Defect investigation 1 PE02001
Defect investigation 1 DP03007
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (9)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 02V070000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    IF THE SWITCH IS DAMAGED, A FIRE COULD OCCUR IN THE STEERING COLUMN, EVEN WITH THE ENGINE OFF AND THE KEY REMOVED.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL A RELAY KIT IN THESE VEHICLES TO PREVENT HIGH CURRENT FROM FLOWING THROUGH THE IGNITION SWITCH. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MARCH 27, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-222-1020, PONTIAC AT 1-800-762-2737, BUICK AT 1-800-521-7300, OR OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-442-6537.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 02V286000

    Report date
    Component:
    STEERING
    Consequence:
    IF THIS OCCURS, THE PINION SHAFT CAN BE FORCED UPWARD DURING LEFT TURNS AND BACK DOWN AS THE STEERING WHEEL IS MOVED BACK AND TO THE RIGHT. IF THE PINION SHAFT MOVES FURTHER, THE DRIVER WILL NEED TO EXERT MORE EFFORT TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL, SIMILAR TO A VEHICLE WITHOUT POWER ASSISTED STEERING. IF THE PINION SHAFT MOVES EVEN FURTHER, THE DRIVER WILL REQUIRE MUCH HIGHER EFFORT TO TURN LEFT AND MAY NOT BE ABLE TO TURN THE WHEEL AS MUCH AS INTENDED. WITH THE MAXIMUM PINION SHAFT MOVEMENT, WHICH REQUIRES INTERNAL GEAR COMPONENT DAMAGE, THE DRIVER CAN ENCOUNTER HIGH RESISTANCE TO TURNING LEFT, FOLLOWED BY UNINTENDED POWER ASSIST TO THE RIGHT. IN ANY OF THESE CONDITIONS, A CRASH COULD OCCUR.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW LOWER PINION BEARING UNLESS INSPECT OF THE EXISTING BEARING INDICATES THAT REPLACEMENT OF THE GEAR ASSEMBLY IS NECESSARY. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JANUARY 24, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-222-1020, PONTIAC AT 1-800-762-2737, OR OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-442-6537.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 06E026000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
    Remedy:
    PRO-A MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PRO-A MOTORS AT 323-838-2988.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 07E015000

    Report date
    Component:
    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
    Consequence:
    A STALLED VEHICLE CAN INCREASE THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH. A FUEL LEAK CAN RESULT IN A FIRE.
    Remedy:
    DELPHI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE MRAS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 20, 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT DELPHI AT 1-877-335-7443.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 08E063000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    IF THE WELD FAILS, LOSS OF STEERING COULD RESULT, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DORMAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE STEERING SHAFTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 16, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DORMAN TOLL FREE AT 1-800-523-2492.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 97V106000

    Report date
    Component:
    WHEELS
    Consequence:
    A RAPID LOSS OF AIR CAN INCREASE THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE RIM ON THE COMPACT SPARE TIRE ASSEMBLY. OWNERS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO USE THE SPARE TIRE UNTIL THE RIM HAS BEEN REPLACED.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  7. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 98V032000

    Report date
    Component:
    STRUCTURE
    Consequence:
    IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE SHEET METAL STRUCTURE WOULD NOT PERFORM AS DESIRED INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE WELDS AND, IF NECESSARY, PLACE FIVE WELDS BETWEEN THE INVOLVED PANELS AND APPLY PRIMER AND TOPCOAT FINISH MATERIALS.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  8. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 98V146000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    AIR BAGS DEPLOY WITH GREAT FORCE AND CAN SERIOUSLY INJURE UNRESTRAINED OCCUPANTS WHO ARE TOO CLOSE TO THEM.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL RECALIBRATE THE AIR BAG SENSING AND DIAGNOSTIC MODULE.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  9. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 98V319000

    Report date
    Component:
    SUSPENSION
    Consequence:
    IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL CAN OCCUR, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE REAR SUSPENSION TRAILING ARM FASTENERS.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 184 complaints · page 1 of 8

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources