1997 Pontiac Sunfire: Reliability Data
When Do Complaints Happen?
Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.
What Fails?
Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.
Severity Assessment
Sample Complaint Reports
"CONSUMER HAD HEAD ON COLLISION AND AIR BAGS DID NOT FULLY INFLATE, CAUSING CONSUMER TO HIT THE STEERING WHEEL WITH CHEST. *AK"
"RUPTURED FUEL TANK, CAUSING A LOSS OF FUEL, BECAUSE OF LOSS OF FUEL HAD TO CALL THE FIRE DEPT. *AK"
"WARNING LIGHT ON DASHBOARD INDICATES WHEN TO UPSHIFT AT A TIME WHEN TRANSMISSION SHOULD NOT UBE PSHIFTED; DOES NOT INDICATE WHEN IT SHOULD UPSHIFT, COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT DUE TO TRAVELING TOO SLOW FOR GEAR, ACCORDING TO DEALER, LIGHT INDICATOR IS PROGRAMMED INTO COMPUTER. *AK"
Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.
When Were Complaints Filed?
Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.
When Does Each Component Fail?
Median mileage at complaint for top components.
Where Are Complaints Coming From?
Top states by complaint count.
Who Files Complaints?
Pontiac Sunfire — Other Years
See how this model compares across different model years.
Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.
Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.
Data through: 2026-03-28
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