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2002 Pontiac Sunfire

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2002 Pontiac Sunfire do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 77.

Counts are not adjusted for sales, age, mileage exposure or reporting. A lower count does not establish that a car is problem-free.

About this comparison →
82Owner complaints

Model-year median: 77

0Recall campaigns

View recall details →

0Investigations

View investigation details →

Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗ Model-level counts do not show whether a particular VIN is affected or repaired.

Inspection summary

2002 Pontiac Sunfire

NHTSA snapshot: September 18, 2026. 82 owner complaints · 0 recall campaigns · 0 investigations.

Counts are not failure probabilities and are not adjusted for sales, age, mileage exposure or reporting. One report may name several categories. Comparison method and limitations.

Top reported categories (up to 5)

  • Electrical System: 24 reports
  • Service Brakes, Hydraulic: 15 reports
  • Engine And Engine Cooling: 11 reports
  • Steering: 11 reports
  • Visibility: 10 reports

Full reported-category list and vehicle report

Recall links

    No recall campaigns in this snapshot.

    Check a VIN with NHTSA. Model-level history does not establish whether a particular VIN is affected or repaired.

    Print the top reported categories, recall links, snapshot date and comparison limits.

    How this year compares

    Owner complaints by model year

    Other model years Selected year
    93
    1999    96
    2000    66
    2001    82
    2002    72
    2003    32
    2004    68
    2005
    Compare all Sunfire years →

    Counts vary with age, sales, mileage exposure and reporting. They are not failure rates.

    What owners reported most

    Electrical System
    24    Service Brakes, Hydraulic
    15    Engine And Engine Cooling
    11    Steering
    11    Visibility
    10
    All reported categories
    Power Train
    7    Exterior Lighting
    6    Air Bags
    5    Equipment
    5    Fuel System, Gasoline
    5    Structure
    5    Interior Lighting
    3    Seat Belts
    3    Tires
    3    Suspension
    2    Vehicle Speed Control
    2    Engine
    1    Fuel System, Other
    1    Latches/locks/linkages
    1    Service Brakes, Air
    1    Unknown Or Other
    1

    Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

    When problems were reported

    Mileage at the reported incident

    59 reports with mileage · 23 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.

    • Electrical System. Review the 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
    • Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
    • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

    NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

    8 crash reports3 fire reports7 injury reports

    Exterior Lighting complaints

    6 reports
    Clear category filter
    125,627 miles · Aug 14, 2011
    Exterior Lighting

    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 …

    Read full complaint

    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

    NHTSA ODI #10419392

    42,800 miles · Nov 27, 2006
    Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

    DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS AT NIGHT, THE HEAD LIGHT HIGH BEAM WAS INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER, WHO DETERMINED THE WIRING HARNESS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.

    NHTSA ODI #10174404

    370 miles · Nov 9, 2005
    Engine And Engine CoolingEquipmentExterior Lighting

    AIR CONDITIONER LOUD NOISE WHILE ON, ABS RATTLING WHEN STOPPING IN NON WET WEATHER. POPPING WHILE TURNING RIGHT. HEADLAMPS DON'T ALWAYS TURN ON WHEN SWITCH IS ENGAGED. ENGINE NOISE AS IF SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH LIFTERS.*JB

    NHTSA ODI #10142228

    100,000 miles · May 24, 2005
    Exterior LightingVisibility

    CONSUMER STATES: BLINKERS MALFUNCTIONED, WHEN TURNING ON BLINKERS AT TIMES THEY WILL NOT WORK AT ALL. THEN, OTHER TIMES, THEY WILL WORK AND BLINK 2 OR 3 TIMES, THEN QUIT. ALSO, WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL COME ON WITHOUT TOUCHING THEM. HAPPENED NO MATTER WHAT THE SPEED. DEALER DIDN'T ATTEMPT TO LOOK AT VEHICLE, AND NOT UNDER WARRA…

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    CONSUMER STATES: BLINKERS MALFUNCTIONED, WHEN TURNING ON BLINKERS AT TIMES THEY WILL NOT WORK AT ALL. THEN, OTHER TIMES, THEY WILL WORK AND BLINK 2 OR 3 TIMES, THEN QUIT. ALSO, WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL COME ON WITHOUT TOUCHING THEM. HAPPENED NO MATTER WHAT THE SPEED. DEALER DIDN'T ATTEMPT TO LOOK AT VEHICLE, AND NOT UNDER WARRANTY.*AK

    NHTSA ODI #10122040

    Mileage unknown · Feb 5, 2005
    Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

    #2

    NHTSA ODI #10109894

    1,950 miles · Jan 5, 2003
    Electrical SystemEngine And Engine CoolingExterior LightingInjury

    I FILED A COMPLAINT ON A 2002 GRAND AM GT VIN [XXX] CONCERNING STEERING PROBLEMS. I CANNOT FIND IT IN YOUR CONSUMER COMPLAINT DATA BASE, NOR ANY OTHER INFORMATION RELATED TO THIS VEHICLE OR RECALLS, SAFETY ISSUES, ETC ON 2002 GRAND AM GT IN GENERAL. AM I LOOKING IN THE WRONG PLACE? PLEASE HELP. ALSO, I NOW OWN A 2002 PONTIAC…

    Read full complaint

    I FILED A COMPLAINT ON A 2002 GRAND AM GT VIN [XXX] CONCERNING STEERING PROBLEMS. I CANNOT FIND IT IN YOUR CONSUMER COMPLAINT DATA BASE, NOR ANY OTHER INFORMATION RELATED TO THIS VEHICLE OR RECALLS, SAFETY ISSUES, ETC ON 2002 GRAND AM GT IN GENERAL. AM I LOOKING IN THE WRONG PLACE? PLEASE HELP. ALSO, I NOW OWN A 2002 PONTIAC SUNFIRE VIN [XXX]. I TOOK DELIVERY ON 10.31.02 AS PART OF LEMON LAW BYBACK BY GM ON ABOVE DISCUSSED GRAND AM. I AM HAVING SEVERAL PROBLEMS WITH THIS NEW CAR I CONSIDER SAFETY HAZARDS. GM SO FAR HAS HAD THE CAR MORE THAN I HAVE. HOW CAN I FILE A COMPLAINT AND FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION ON THE AREAS OF CONCERN WITH THIS VEHICLE. SO FAR, IT WENT OF PARK INTO REVERSE AND HIT ME IN THE HEAD CAUSING INJURY MY DOC IS LOOKING INTO, THE CAR ON THE SAME TRIP COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN, LOSING ALL POWER EXCEPT RADIO, AND THE ABS OFF LIGHT WENT ON. YET TWO DEALERS, MIDWAY IN PHOENIX ON 12.16.02 AND COURTESY IN LAS VEGAS SAY NO PROBLEMS EXIST. COURTESY SILL HAS CAR BECAUSE IT WAS NOT FULLY REPAIRED PER WORK ORDER. I FEEL LIKE I AM IN THE SAME BLACK HOLE I WAS IN WITH THE GRAND AM GT EXCEPT NO SERIOUS ACCIDENTS TO THE VEHICLE LIKE THE ONE I HAD WITH THE GT HAS OCCURRED. PLEASE GUIDE ME ON WHAT TO DO IF YOU CAN. MY WIFE AND I ARE DISABLED AND THIS IS VERY TRYING ON US. ALSO, I AM WAITING PER MY DOCTOR FOR THE FIRST WEEK IN FEBRUARY TO RVIEW X-RAYS AND CAT SCAN F MY NECK. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

    NHTSA ODI #10000534

    Recall campaigns

    0

    No recalls in this snapshot.

    Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

    Defect investigations

    0

    No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

    An investigation is not a finding of a defect, and closure does not prove a vehicle is problem-free.