IllustrationLOST BRAKES IN MY 1998 PONTIAC SUNFIRE WHEN BRAKING ON AN EXPRESSWAY EXIT RAMP. THIS WAS A VERY UNSAFE CONDITION, BUT WAS ABLE TO AVERT A COLLISION. THE LEFT REAR BRAKE LINE (HYDRAULIC) CORRODED THROUGH AND CAUSED A LARGE LEAK, LEAVING MARGINAL BRAKES.*TR
1998 Pontiac Sunfire
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 Pontiac Sunfire do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 77.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Sunfire years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
30–25K
125–50K
1250–75K
675–100K
8100–150K
2150K+
32 reports with mileage · 88 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 32 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 21 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
11 crash reports1 fire reports5 injury reports
Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints
13 reportsWHEN APPLYING BRAKES THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO COAST, AS A RESULT THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. *JB
ABS BRAKES FAILED 50% OF THE TIME WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. WHEN THIS FAILURE OCCURRED, VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN, BUT THEN THE FRONT BRAKES RELEASED, AND VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ROLL FORWARD. REAR BRAKES WERE THE ONLY BRAKES STOPPING THE VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP SERVICED THE VEHICLE SEVERAL TIMES FOR THIS ISSUE, BUT ONLY PERFOR…
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ABS BRAKES FAILED 50% OF THE TIME WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. WHEN THIS FAILURE OCCURRED, VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN, BUT THEN THE FRONT BRAKES RELEASED, AND VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ROLL FORWARD. REAR BRAKES WERE THE ONLY BRAKES STOPPING THE VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP SERVICED THE VEHICLE SEVERAL TIMES FOR THIS ISSUE, BUT ONLY PERFORMED A BRAKE ADJUSTMENT. THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS.*AK
CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING ABS LIGHT WOULD COME ON. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK
MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING MY 1998 PONTIAC SUNFIRE AND HAD A COLLISION WITH ANOTHER CAR. SHE REPORTED THAT THE BRAKES FAILED AND WOULD NOT STOP THE CAR AT ALL. WE HAVE ALSO REPORTED TO THE DEALER ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS THAT THE GAS PEDAL GETS STUCK. THIS MAY HAVE ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO THE COLLISION. *NLM
MY ABS BRAKE MODULE WENT OUT, ALONG WITH MY REGULAR BRAKES AS WELL. IF MY CAR GOES OVER 30 MILES PER HOUR, THE CAR SKIDS TO A STOP AND MY TIRES LOCK UP. MY CAR IS JUST OUT OF WARRANTY AND I KNOW GM HAS A "CODE A" THAT COVERS REPAIR IF THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY, BUT THE CAR DOESN'T YET HAVE 60,000 MILES ON IT. ONLY A G…
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MY ABS BRAKE MODULE WENT OUT, ALONG WITH MY REGULAR BRAKES AS WELL. IF MY CAR GOES OVER 30 MILES PER HOUR, THE CAR SKIDS TO A STOP AND MY TIRES LOCK UP. MY CAR IS JUST OUT OF WARRANTY AND I KNOW GM HAS A "CODE A" THAT COVERS REPAIR IF THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY, BUT THE CAR DOESN'T YET HAVE 60,000 MILES ON IT. ONLY A GM DEALERSHIP CAN FIX IT, BUT THEY WON'T COVER IT UNDER CODE A. I TOOK IT TO ANOTHER REPAIR SHOP AND THEY TOLD ME THAT SOMETHING IN MY CAR'S SYSTEM CAUSED THE ABS BRAKE MODULE GO OUT, SO THERE TECHINICALLY IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH MY CAR, IT ISN'T JUST THAT THE PART WENT OUT. I HAVE TALKED TO PONTIAC REPEATEDLY FOR OVER THE PAST MONTH, AND ALTHOUGH THEY ADMIT THIS SHOULDN'T HAPPEN TO MY CAR WITH ONLY 48,00 MILES ON IT, THEY REFUSE TO REPAIR IT FOR ME UNDER CODE A. OBVIOUSLY THERE IS A DEFECT IN MY CAR, HOWEVER, THEY WON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. I DON'T WANT TO GIVE ANY MORE MONEY TO GM BECAUSE THEY OBVIOUSLY ARE OF NO HELP, BUT I CAN'T EVEN GET MY CAR REPAIRED BY A REGULAR MECHANIC BECAUSE ONLY THE DEALERSHIP CAN FIX THE ABS BRAKE MODULE. I WOULD LIKE TO REPORT GM FOR NOT REPAIRING A DEFECT IN MY CAR, BECAUSE I LITERALLY HAVE NO BRAKES LEFT IN MY CAR, AND THEY REFUSE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. MY CAR IS JUST OUT OF WARRANTY, AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THEY WON'T OWN UP TO THE FACT THAT MY CAR IS DEFECTIVE IF IT IS MY CAR'S SYSTEM CAUSING THE HIGHLY PRICED ABS BRAKE MODULE TO GO OUT, IT'S NOT JUST "NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR." I THINK MY CAR, AS WELL AS OHTER PONTIACS ARE DEFECTIVE, AND I WOULD LIKE FOR SOMETHING TO BE DONE ABOUT IT. THANK YOU.*AK
WHILE GOING 15MPH APPLIED BRAKES & VEHICLE WOULD JERK, AND WOULD FAIL TO STOP. WHENEVER TURNING, VEHICLE WOULD BE THROWN 10 FEET TO WHITE MARKING WHEN USING BRAKES. TAKEN TO DEALER 5 TIMES FOR PROBLEM WHICH WAS SUPPOSE TO HAVE BEEN REPAIRED. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *AK
CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 25MPH ON A SIDE STREET ENGINE CHECK LIGHTCAME ON, BRAKES BECAME STIFF, AND PANEL BOARD LIGHT WAS VERY DIM. *AK
VEHICLE INVOLVED IN A REAR END COLLISION, VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING AT 50 MPH BEFORE DRIVER APPLIED BRAKE AND HIT REAR BUMPER OF OTHER VEHICLE. BOTH AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
WHENEVER IT RAINS, AND A COUPLE OF DAYS, REAR BRAKES/ABS LOCKUP. CONSUMER WILL NOT DRIVE CAR BECAUSE OF THIS SITUATION, DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE PROBLEM, AND WON'T REPAIR IT.*AK
Official recalls
304V036000 · Electrical System:ignition:switch
Jan 27, 2004
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES. IF THE ENGINE FAILS TO START AND THE DRIVER HOLDS THE KEY IN THE "START" POSITION FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD, HIGH CURRENT FLOWS THROUGH THE IGNITION SWITCH, AND SOMETIMES PRODUCES ENOUGH HEAT TO MELT INTERNAL SWITCH PARTS.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THE SWITCH IS DAMAGED, A FIRE COULD OCCUR IN THE STEERING COLUMN, EVEN WITH THE ENGINE OFF AND THE KEY REMOVED. THE FIRE COULD SPREAD TO THE INTERIOR OF THE CAR, WHICH COULD INJURE OCCUPANTS OR CAUSE DAMAGE TO ADJOINING STRUCTURES.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A RELAY KIT IN THESE VEHICLES TO PREVENT HIGH CURRENT FROM FLOWING THROUGH THE IGNITION SWITCH, AND CHECK THAT YOUR CAR WILL START WITH A PROPERLY CHARGED BATTERY AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE IGNITION SWITCH. OWNER NOTIFICATION WILL BEGIN ON MARCH 1, 2004. 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 1-800-630-2438, PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668, BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, OR OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-630-6537. CUSTOMERS CAN ALSO CHECK THEIR VEHICLE ONLINE BY GOING TO WWW.MYGMLINK.COM AND ENTERING THE VEHICLE'S IDENTIFICATION NUMBER.
02V286000 · Steering:rack And Pinion
Nov 4, 2002
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES AND MINI VANS HAVE LOWER PINION BEARINGS IN THE POWER RACK AND PINION ASSEMBLY IN WHICH THE RETAINER TABS WERE NOT CRIMPED PROPERLY. THESE AND SOME OTHER RETAINERS USED IN VEHICLES ASSEMBLED BETWEEN JANUARY 1, 1996 AND OCTOBER 31, 1997, COULD FAIL AND PERMIT THE BALL BEARINGS TO ESCAPE.
Consequence & remedy
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.
97V219000 · Wheels:lugs/nuts/bolts/studs
Nov 24, 1997
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE WHEEL LUG NUTS WERE NOT TIGHTENED SECURELY RESULTING IN A FRACTURE OF THE WHEEL STUDS.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THE WHEEL COULD SEPARATE FROM THE VEHICLE. IF THE VEHICLE WERE IN MOTION, A VEHICLE CRASH COULD RESULT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE TORQUE OF ALL WHEEL NUTS AND, IF NECESSARY, TIGHTEN ANY THAT MAY BE BELOW REQUIRED TORQUE.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.