"How reliable is the 2002 Pontiac Sunfire?"

"Based on 128 NHTSA complaints, the 2002 Pontiac Sunfire has a median complaint mileage of 29000 miles. The most common issue is Electrical System."

"What are common problems with the 2002 Pontiac Sunfire?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2002 Pontiac Sunfire is Electrical System, accounting for a significant portion of the 128 total complaints filed."

2002 Pontiac Sunfire: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 128 complaints

128

Total Complaints

29,000mi

Median Mileage

Electrical System

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

6,469 25th Percentile

29,000 Median Mileage

80,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Electrical System

Steering

Engine

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

Rotor

Power Train

Air Bags

Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip

Wiring

Tires

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"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"

"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 ..."

"THE REAR WINDSHIELD SHATTERED AND THE CONSUMER BELIEVES THE REAR WINDSHIELD WAS DEFECTIVE AND THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD REPLACE IT UNDER WARRANTY. *YH UPDATED *JB"

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.

Electrical System 18 complaints

25th: 33,817 mi Median: 92,488 mi 75th: 136,200 mi

Steering 8 complaints

25th: 6,469 mi Median: 45,700 mi 75th: 91,475 mi

Engine 6 complaints

25th: 19,400 mi Median: 20,000 mi 75th: 23,000 mi

Service Brakes, Hydraulic 5 complaints

25th: 18,000 mi Median: 20,000 mi 75th: 26,000 mi

Rotor 5 complaints

Median: 5,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

OH: 14 MI: 11 NY: 10 TX: 10 NV: 9 VA: 8 IL: 8 IN: 7 MD: 6 MO: 6

Who Files Complaints?

51.6%

Original Owners

48.4%

Second+ Owners

Pontiac Sunfire — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1995	154	90,000	Engine	15
1996	320	136,050	Engine	36
1997	257	96,000	Rack And Pinion	35
1998	149	77,000	Gasoline	13
1999	128	92,700	Unknown Or Other	9
2000	169	56,500	Electrical System	15
2001	83	64,586	Electrical System	9
2003	113	40,000	Electrical System	7
2004	41	48,275	Electrical System	4
2005	94	61,000	Electrical System	0

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