2001 Pontiac Sunfire problems
Owners have filed 83 complaints with NHTSA about the 2001 Pontiac Sunfire. Electrical system is the most reported problem area, at 25% of complaints. Next are engine (17%) and brakes (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 83 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 25% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 9 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 9 and 1
- Typical mileage
- 65,000 miles 39 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 0 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 2 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 13 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 11 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 7 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 4 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 2 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 39 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 65,000 miles. For electrical system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 64,000 miles (11 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 9 complaints mention a crash; 2 complaints mention a fire; 9 injuries reported; 1 death reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 81% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2001 ranks 9th most-complained-about out of 11 model years of the Pontiac Sunfire with enough data (53 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Driver side power window became stuck and wouldn't roll down. Taken to the dealership, they fixed it but it continues to roll down slow when pressing all four window buttons at once. When pressing only this button and none other the window rolls down at a medium pace.
Airbags did not deploy in a front-end collision. The vehicle was totaled. Police officers and emts were surprised and questioned weather bags were defective. Driver received small scrape to forehead which could have been prevented had airbags worked. Driver and three passengers were wearing seatbelts, so only minor bruises were sustained.
In a frontal collision driver's side seat belt came out of harness, causing driver to be thrown out of seat. Driver sustained major injuries. *aki
Electrical system failure. Under dash wire harness needs replacement. Speedometer, tach and all other gauges failed. All safety and diagnostic lights come on ... Reputable electronics repair shop diagnosed problem and cost to repair in excess $2,000. Car not drivable, not able to sell, not able to be register in ny state.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 pontiac sunfire. The contact stated that the traction control, service engine and ABS warning lights illuminated. The failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnosis. The technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle has not been repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 82,000.