2000 Pontiac Sunfire: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 169 complaints
169
Total Complaints
56,500mi
Median Mileage
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Top Issue
15
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

50,000 25th Percentile
56,500 Median Mileage
97,210 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
10
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
10
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
10
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
7
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
6
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
6
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
5
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
5
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
4
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
4

Severity Assessment

15
Crashes
6
Fires
14
Injuries
1
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"ON 1-23-2000, MY AUTOMOBILE, WHICH IS JUST 4 MONTHS OLD, STARTED SHOWING PROBLEMS. EVERY TIME YOU APPLIED THE BRAKES, ALL THE INTERIOR LIGHTS INSIDE WOULD GO OUT. THE FOLLOWING MORNING, I WENT OUTSIDE TO START MY CAR TO LET IT WARM UP, WHEN I RETURNED IN ABOUT 15 MIN. THE INTERIOR WAS FILLED WITH ..."
"BRAND NEW AUTOMOBILE CONTINUED TO BREAKDOWN. CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM OR COMPUTER PROBLEM. JUST MISSED BEING CRUSHED BY ONCOMING AUTOMOBILES ON HIGHWAY. *AK *ML"
"BRAND NEW AUTOMOBILE CONTINUED TO BREAKDOWN. CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM OR COMPUTER PROBLEM. JUST MISSED BEING CRUSHED BY ONCOMING AUTOMOBILES ON HIGHWAY. *AK *ML"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

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