Recall Register

1997 Pontiac Sunfire: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns for the 1997 Pontiac Sunfire. The newest campaign is 02V286000. NHTSA received the report on 4 Nov 2002. The NHTSA record gives the component Steering / Rack and Pinion. NHTSA has 185 complaints on file for this model year. 3 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 02V286000, in the NHTSA record

Dealers will install a new lower pinion bearing unless inspect of the existing bearing indicates that replacement of the gear assembly is necessary. Owner notification began january 24, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020, pontiac at 1-800-762-2737, or oldsmobile at 1-800-442-6537.
NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.

NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on . Complaint file through . Recall file through .

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

6 campaigns, newest first. 3,452,149 units in total.

  1. 02V286000Received . 1,159,156 units.

    Steering / Rack and Pinion

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Certain passenger vehicles and mini vans have lower pinion bearings in the power rack and pinion assembly in which the retainer tabs were not crimped properly. These and some other retainers used in vehicles assembled between january 1, 1996 and october 31, 1997, could fail and permit the ball bearings to escape.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    If this occurs, the pinion shaft can be forced upward during left turns and back down as the steering wheel is moved back and to the right. If the pinion shaft moves further, the driver will need to exert more effort to turn the steering wheel, similar to a vehicle without power assisted steering. If the pinion shaft moves even further, the driver will require much higher effort to turn left and may not be able to turn the wheel as much as intended. With the maximum pinion shaft movement, which requires internal gear component damage, the driver can encounter high resistance to turning left, followed by unintended power assist to the right. In any of these conditions, a crash could occur.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Dealers will install a new lower pinion bearing unless inspect of the existing bearing indicates that replacement of the gear assembly is necessary. Owner notification began january 24, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020, pontiac at 1-800-762-2737, or oldsmobile at 1-800-442-6537.

    Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Manufacturer campaign number 02049. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  2. 02V070000Received . 1,589,948 units.

    Electrical System / Ignition / Switch

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    On certain passenger vehicles. If the engine fails to start and the driver holds the key in the "start" position for an extended period, high current flows through the ignition switch, and sometimes produces enough heat to melt internal switch parts.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    If the switch is damaged, a fire could occur in the steering column, even with the engine off and the key removed.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Dealers will install a relay kit in these vehicles to prevent high current from flowing through the ignition switch. Owner notification began march 27, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020, pontiac at 1-800-762-2737, buick at 1-800-521-7300, or oldsmobile at 1-800-442-6537.

    Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Manufacturer campaign number 02008. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  3. 98V319000Received . 27,083 units.

    Suspension / Rear

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. One of the rear suspension trailing arm bolts can fatigue and break.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    If this were to occur while the vehicle was in motion, a loss of vehicle control can occur, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Dealers will replace the rear suspension trailing arm fasteners.

    Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  4. 98V146000Received . 675,302 units.

    Air Bags

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Because of certain calibrations in the air bag's sensing and diagnostic module, an inadvertent air bag deployment could occur in a low speed crash or when an object strikes the floor pan.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    Air bags deploy with great force and can seriously injure unrestrained occupants who are too close to them.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Dealers will recalibrate the air bag sensing and diagnostic module.

    Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  5. 98V032000Received . 8 units.

    Structure / Body

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. These vehicles were built with mis-located welds at the joint between the left rocker panel inner reinforcement and the body side ring. This does not meet the requirements of FMVSS no. 214, "side door strength."
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    In the event of a vehicle crash, the sheet metal structure would not perform as desired increasing the risk of personal injury.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Dealers will inspect the welds and, if necessary, place five welds between the involved panels and apply primer and topcoat finish materials.

    Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  6. 97V106000Received . 652 units.

    Wheels / Space Saver Wheel

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The compact spare tire assemblies were assembled with incorrect rims. If the spare tire is underinflated, the bead can separate from the rim causing a rapid loss of air. This does not comply with the requirements of FMVSS no. 110, "tire selection and rims."
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    A rapid loss of air can increase the risk of a vehicle crash.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Dealers will replace the rim on the compact spare tire assembly. Owners are requested not to use the spare tire until the rim has been replaced.

    Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

185 complaints, 250 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

  • 1997 Pontiac Sunfire
  • All 1997 vehicles
1997 Pontiac Sunfire: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component1997 SunfireAll 1997 vehiclesSunfire, all yearsMentions
Steering16870.367.942
Electrical System13679.7178.934
Engine and Engine Cooling132134.8167.233
Air Bags10860.780.927
Service Brakes, Hydraulic104106.397.326
Suspension5262.432.913
Visibility5258.946.613
Exterior Lighting4425.76111
Fuel System, Gasoline2846.332.97
Equipment2820.128.87

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 20.

Complaints that report a crash
29
Complaints that report a fire
6
Injuries in the complaints
19
Deaths in the complaints
0
Date of the newest complaint
14 Sep 2009

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 1997 Pontiac Sunfire, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 1998, with 28 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1997 Pontiac Sunfire
NumberTypeSubjectComponentOpenedClosedCampaign
DP03007Defect petitionUNINTENDED VEHICLE ACCELERATIONFuel System, Other / Delivery14 Oct 200330 Jan 2004
PE02001Preliminary evaluationFIRE IN STEERING COLUMN AREAElectrical System3 Jan 200215 Mar 200202V070000
EA98001Engineering analysisOVERSENSITIVE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENTSAir Bags23 Jan 199831 Jul 199898V146000

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

  1. 19850
  2. 19910
  3. 19940
  4. 19955
  5. 19967
  6. 19976
  7. 19983
  8. 19992
  9. 20001
  10. 20011
  11. 20020
  12. 20031
  13. 20041
  14. 20050

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

Official channels

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1997 Pontiac Sunfire: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/pontiac/sunfire/1997/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through .

Sources

Source
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence
US government work, public domain
Recall file through
30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through
29 Mar 2018
First complaint in the file
1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file
GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 1997 Pontiac Sunfire?
3,452,149 units in 6 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Pontiac Sunfire have for all model years?
NHTSA lists 17 recall campaigns for the Pontiac Sunfire, model years 1985 to 2005. 6 of them name the 1997 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1997 Pontiac Sunfire name most often?
Steering: 42 of 250 component mentions, or 168 per 1,000. For all 1997 vehicles the figure is 70.3 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1997 Pontiac Sunfire open?
No. Each of the 3 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.