2002 Pontiac Sunfire

I PURCHASED A 2002 PONTIAC SUNFIRE BRAND NEW IN 2001 THINKING I COULD SAVE MONEY ON GAS..AT AROUND 20,000 MILES THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE AND MESSED UP THE WHOLE ENGINE. THE ENGINE IS A NO TOLERANCE ENGINE AND WHEN ONE THING BREAKS IT MESSES UP EVERYTHING. SERVICE FIXED THE TIMING CHAIN BECAUSE IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. I RETURNED REGULARLY TO THE DEALERSHIP STATING I COULD HEAR A NOISE, AND BEING A WOMAN WAS NOT TAKEN SERIOUSLY. I EVEN SENT THE VEHICLE HOME WITH THE SERVICE REP FOR THE WEEK-END AND WAS TOLD HE COULDN'T HEAR A THING. AS IT TURNS OUT AT THIS TIME 62,000 MILES THE ENGINE BLEW AT 55 MPH IN THE MIDDLE OF A US HWY ON THE WAY HOME FROM PICKING UP MY GRANDSON. THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP MORE THAN IT HAS BEEN AT MY HOME AND IS NOW DEAD...NOT RUNNING...BROKEN..GUESS I KNEW WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT AFTER ALL..EVEN IF I AM FEMALE. THANKS GM FOR MAKING SUCH QUALITY PRODUCTS. *TR

I OWN A 2002 PONTIAC SUNFIRE AND I CONSTANTLY HAVE TROUBLE STARTING IT AND THERE ARE NO PROBLEMS WITH THE BATTERY. AFTER I PLAY WITH THE WIRING FOR A BIT IT EVENTUALLY STARTS YET WHEN I'M DRIVING IT IT STALLS OUT AND IT SEEMS LIKE MY CAR HAS A HARD TIME SHIFTING GEARS BECAUSE IT JOLTS AS I SPEED UP OR SLOW DOWN. AND SOMETIMES IT JOLTS WHEN I'M NOT ACCELERATING NOR DECREASING SPEED. THIS HAS HAPPENED EVER SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR IN MID 2006. AND AFTER RESEARCHING IT I FOUND THAT THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL OF MY CAR HAS BEEN RECALLED FOR VARIOUS REASONS. *JB

CHECKED OUT THIS SITE BEFORE I DECIDED TO POST THIS AND SAW SOMEONE ELSE COMPLAINING ABOUT IT, AND FRANKLY, I REALLY THOUGHT I WOULD FIND MORE PEOPLE WITH THE COMPLAINT. I BOUGHT THE 2002 PONTIAC SUNFIRE WITH 22000 MILES ON IT. UPON PURCHASE I NOTICED THAT OUT OF THE 5 SETTINGS FOR THE BLOWERS THE FIRST ONE DIDN'T WORK. HONESTLY, I DIDN'T CARE THAT MUCH AT THAT POINT- ALL THE OTHERS WORKED, SO NO BIGGIE. THROUGH OUT THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS, SLOWLY ONE BY ONE ALL THE OTHERS STOPPED WORKING TOO, EXCEPT THE HIGHEST BLOWER. BASICALLY, I WAS EITHER ON HIGH OR NOT ONE AT ALL. STILL, AT THIS POINT, I COULD NOT COMPLAIN THAT MUCH. BUT WHEN I MENTIONED THE PROBLEM TO BOTH MY MOTHER AND A FRIEND THEY BOTH HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. MY MOM'S CAR, A GRAND AM, WAS DOWN TO 3 SETTINGS, AND MY FRIENDS VEHICLE, A PONTIAC, WAS ON THE LAST SETTING TOO. WHEN THIS WINTER BEGAN I FIGURED I SHOULD BREAK DOWN AND GET IT LOOKED AT. THE NICE MAN AT THE PONTIAC DEALERSHIP INFORMED ME IT WAS GOING TO BE A GOOD CHUNK OF CHANGE TO FIX THE PROBLEM, THOUGH HE OPTED AGAINST TELLING ME WHAT EXACALLY THE PROBLEM IS, AND I NEGLECTED TO ASK. BUT AFTER HEARING OTHER COMPLAINS I STARTED TO WONDER IF IT WAS A PONTIAC THING. AND THOUGH IT MAY NOT BE CONSIDERED A 'SAFTY' ISSUE, IF NOT FIXED IT PROBABLY COULD BECOME ONE. *AK

CRUISE CONTROL HAS GONE INSANE ONE DAY WHEN DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, THE CRUISE CONTROL DECIDED IT NEEDED TO SWITCH ON AND THAT I SHOULD BE GOING 50+ IN A 35 MPH ZONE. THIS IS ON A 2002 PONTIAC SUNFIRE WITH 5 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION. IF I DEPRESSED THE CLUTCH, THE ENGINE OF COURSE RACED AS HARD AS IT COULD. APPLYING THE BRAKES FAILED TO DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL; MANUALLY SWITCHING THE CRUISE CONTROL OFF FAILED TO DISENGAGE; EVEN TURNING THE ENGINE OFF (BY TURNING OFF THE KEY) FAILED TO DISENGAGE IT! LUCKILY, I HAVE A MANUAL TRANSMISSION, AND KEPT A COOL HEAD, SO WAS ABLE TO KEEP THE CAR UNDER CONTROL. I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TURNED THE CAR OFF. WHEN I STARTED THE ENGINE BACK UP, THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS STILL ENGAGED, FOR IT WAS RACING AS HARD AS IT COULD. I TURNED IT BACK OFF AND LET IT SIT FOR A BIT, HOPING THAT ONCE IT SAT FOR A BIT, ALL WOULD BE WELL. AFTER ABOUT 10 MINUTES I TURNED THE KEY AND IT WAS FINE, EXCEPT THAT ONCE I GOT BACK ON THE ROAD, THE CRUISE CONTROL WOULD NOT COME ON WHEN I TRIED TO SWITCH IT ON. EVER SINCE, THE CRUISE CONTROL WILL NOT COME ON WHEN I TRY TO USE IT AND OCCASIONALLY. RANDOMLY COMES ON BY ITSELF WHEN I AM NOT TRYING TO USE IT. THE CRUISE CONTROL HAS COME ON BY ITSELF AT LEAST A HALF DOZEN TIMES. *JB

WHEN SLOWING DOWN TO A STOP, OR TURNING THE CAR LOSES COMPLETE POWER. NO DASH SIGNS ARE SHOWN DURING THIS PROCESS. STARTS UP IMMEDIATELY IF HEAT/DEFROST IS NOT TURNED ON OR IS TURNED OFF, LET THE CAR SIT FOR A MINUTE. THIS HAPPENS WHEN DEFROST OR HEAT IS USED OR NOT USED ONLY HAPPENS IN THE WINTER WHEN TEMP. FALLS BELOW 40 DEGREES. EVERY TIME I TURN ON THE CAR. IN THE SUMMER AND SPRING IF IT RAINS THE CAR LOSES POWER WHEN THERE IS ANY AMOUNT OF WATER ON THE ROAD, DOES NOT HAVE TO BE STANDING WATER ON THE ROAD NEW FUEL PUMP, STEERING CYLINDER,CLUTCH HAS BEEN CLEANED SEVERAL TIMES, BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR HAVE BEEN REPLACED, HOOKED UP TO ALL ELECTRICAL MACHINES AT SEVERAL DEALERS AND NOTHING SHOWS A DEFECT THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR 2 YEARS AFTER THE CAR HIT 60,000 MILES. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER SIDE DOOR OPENED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER WHO DETERMINED THE DOOR LATCH WAS INOPERATIVE. AFTER THE INITIAL DOOR LATCH REPLACEMENT, THE PROBLEM PERSISTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHO DETERMINED THE DOOR LATCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED. UPDATED 01/17/07. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN AT ANY SPEED, THERE IS A FLUTTERING NOISE FROM THE FRONT END. THE NOISE CEASES WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STOPPED. THE DEALERSHIP HAS ROTATED THE TIRES, ALIGNED THE FRONT END, CHANGED THE OIL, FLUSHED THE ENGINE, AND REPAIRED THE REAR ROTORS IN AN ATTEMPT TO STOP THE NOISE. HOWEVER, THE NOISE HAS GOTTEN WORSE. THESE REPAIRS HAVE NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM.