1998 Pontiac Sunfire problems
Owners have filed 149 complaints about the 1998 Pontiac Sunfire with NHTSA. Engine and engine cooling accounts for 22.8% of them — the clear leader, ahead of electrical system at 14.1%.
Complaints149
Crashes13
Fires1
Injuries6
Deaths2
What owners report breaking
Engine and engine cooling 22.8% · 34
Electrical system 14.1% · 21
Steering 10.1% · 15
Service brakes, hydraulic 8.7% · 13
Air bags 7.4% · 11
Power train 4.7% · 7
Vehicle speed control 4.7% · 7
Seat belts 3.4% · 5
Severity
Of those complaints, 13 describe a crash, 1 describe a fire, 6 report an injury and 2 report a death.
Reading the numbers
Across the 8 model years of the Pontiac Sunfire in this data, 1998 sits 5th by complaint volume. 1996 draws the most.
Filings are rising — 7 in the last three years against 6 in the three before. For a vehicle this age that usually points to a wear-related failure owners are hitting now.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 77,000 miles.
In owners' own words
When starting out, vehicle starts but when you push the accelerator it stalls, when you try to restart it keeps turning, it won't catch. It has also hesitated while driving at 30 mph and 60 mph. It has done this 15-20 times and been to the dealer at least 7 times. They say that there is nothing wrong, once they updated my computer, another time they replaced my computer, but it still stalls and hesitates. Engine and engine cooling
When vehicle reached a normal temperature it caused hesitation. Vehicle has been in dealer's shop on two occasions, and had the clutch replaced between 1500-2000 miles. However, problem has reoccurred. Dealer wanted to replace the clutch again. Seeking help in nhtsa in this matter. Engine and engine cooling
Coolant had been leaking for over 3 months off and on. Put in stop leak for a temp fix. However dexcool continued to eat away at my coolant system. Car has overheated on many occasions. Finally able to use jb weld to fix leak . Engine and engine cooling · reported at 110,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…