2004 Pontiac Sunfire

No clear pattern

22% of complaints about the 2004 Pontiac Sunfire arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2004 vehicle, but with only 41 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is electrical system (16 complaints), typically at 4.8 yr or about 56,000 miles.

Complaints: 41
Median age at failure: 4.2 yr
Median mileage: 51,550 n=36
Crash / fire / tow: 12.2% of reports
Safety recalls: 2

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

08E063000 2008-10-17

Steering

DORMAN PRODUCTS IS RECALLING 3,900 INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFTS DORMAN PART NOS. 425-151, 425-152, AND 425-153, (SOLD UNDER DORMAN'S "OE SOLUTIONS" BRAND NAME), BALKAMP #'S 7-3057, 7-3058, 7-3059 (SOLD UNDER THE "NAPA" BRAND NAME), AND PLATINUM PARTS #'S 2425151, 2425152, AND 2425153 MANUFACTURED DURING THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER 2007. THESE REPLACEMENT STEERING SHAFTS CAN BE USED ON THE VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. THE WELD CONNECTING THE INNER TUBE TO THE OUTER TUBE MAY BE DEFECTIVE.

IF THE WELD FAILS, LOSS OF STEERING COULD RESULT, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

04V300000 2004-06-23

Seat belts:rear/other

CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 210, 'SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY ANCHORAGES.' THE PASSENGER-SIDE REAR SAFETY BELT MAY HAVE BEEN INSTALLED WITH AN INCORRECT NUT AND BOLT.

IN A SEVERE CRASH, THE UPPER SEAT BELT ANCHORAGE MAY SEPARATE. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE SEAT BELT COULD THEN BE REDUCED AND THE OCCUPANT COULD RECEIVE GREATER INJURIES.

In owners’ own words

Electrical system 12,500 mi 7 mo in service

WHEN STOPPING AT A STOP LIGHT VEHICLE STALLED, AND THE BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON. *AK

Electrical system 13,000 mi 1.4 yr in service crash / fire / tow

I WAS DRIVING MY NEW 2004 SUNFIRE THAT WAS JUST PURCHASED AT THE END OF AUGUST, WHEN I SAW A FLAME COME OUT FROM UNDER THE DASH NEAR MY FOOT. I SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES, THROUGH IT IN PARK AND JUMPED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED!*JB

Electrical system mileage not reported 1.4 yr in service

WHEN DRIVING MY 2004 SUNFIRE THE DASH SEEMS TO GET REALLY HOT AND SMELLS LIKE SOMETHING IS BURNING. I AM AFRAID THAT IT IS GOING TO CATCH ON FIRE.*AK

Other Sunfire model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2004 Pontiac Sunfire

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Sunfire model years

How to read this