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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.

About this comparison →
82Owner complaints

Model-year median: 77

0Recall campaigns

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0Investigations

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
93
199996
200066
200182
200272
200332
200468
2005
Compare all Sunfire years →

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

What owners reported most

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

What owners actually said

82 reports
Mileage unknown · May 1, 2002
Air Bags

WE JUST BOUGHT A NEW CAR AND I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE PERMISSION TO HAVE AN ON/OFF SWITCH PUT ON THE AIR BAG ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR BECAUSE I HAVE 9 GRANDCHILDREN AND OFTEN I HAVE 4 OF THEM WITH ME. THE BACK SEAT ONLY HAS 3 SEAT BELTS. WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO HAVE THE AIR BAG UNHOOKED OR DO I NEED THE ON/OFF SWITCH? MER…

Read full complaint

WE JUST BOUGHT A NEW CAR AND I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE PERMISSION TO HAVE AN ON/OFF SWITCH PUT ON THE AIR BAG ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR BECAUSE I HAVE 9 GRANDCHILDREN AND OFTEN I HAVE 4 OF THEM WITH ME. THE BACK SEAT ONLY HAS 3 SEAT BELTS. WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO HAVE THE AIR BAG UNHOOKED OR DO I NEED THE ON/OFF SWITCH? MERALYN CHIPMAN.*JB

NHTSA ODI #761421

Mileage unknown · Apr 10, 2002
Equipment

INFORMATION IN OWNERS MANUAL IS WRONG. MANUAL STATES THAT THERE SHOULD BE 5.8 QUARTS OF OIL IN VEHICLE, BUT CONSUMER FOUND OUT THAT THERE SHOULD ONLY BE 4 QUARTS OF OIL. *AK

NHTSA ODI #8007271

Official recalls

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 ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.