1998 Pontiac Sunfire: recalls and complaints
NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 1998 Pontiac Sunfire. The newest campaign is 04V036000. NHTSA received the report on 27 Jan 2004. The NHTSA record gives the component Electrical System / Ignition / Switch. NHTSA has 111 complaints on file for 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, 04V036000, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will install a relay kit in these vehicles to prevent high current from flowing through the ignition switch, and check that your car will start with a properly charged battery and, if necessary, replace the ignition switch. Owner notification will begin on march 1, 2004. 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 1-800-630-2438, pontiac at 1-800-620-7668, buick at 1-866-608-8080, or oldsmobile at 1-800-630-6537. Customers can also check their vehicle online by going to www.mygmlink.com and entering the vehicle's identification number.
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
Recall campaigns
3 campaigns, newest first. 2,574,411 units in total.
04V036000Received . 1,415,231 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. The fire could spread to the interior of the car, which could injure occupants or cause damage to adjoining structures.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will install a relay kit in these vehicles to prevent high current from flowing through the ignition switch, and check that your car will start with a properly charged battery and, if necessary, replace the ignition switch. Owner notification will begin on march 1, 2004. 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 1-800-630-2438, pontiac at 1-800-620-7668, buick at 1-866-608-8080, or oldsmobile at 1-800-630-6537. Customers can also check their vehicle online by going to www.mygmlink.com and entering the vehicle's identification number.
Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Manufacturer campaign number 04002. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
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: .
97V219000Received . 24 units.
Wheels / Lugs/Nuts/Bolts/Studs
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The wheel lug nuts were not tightened securely resulting in a fracture of the wheel studs.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
The wheel could separate from the vehicle. If the vehicle were in motion, a vehicle crash could result.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will inspect the torque of all wheel nuts and, if necessary, tighten any that may be below required torque.
Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP..
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
111 complaints, 135 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.
- 1998 Pontiac Sunfire
- All 1998 vehicles
| Component | 1998 Sunfire | All 1998 vehicles | Sunfire, all years | Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 251.9 | 131.3 | 167.2 | 34 |
| Electrical System | 133.3 | 79.1 | 178.9 | 18 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 96.3 | 114.6 | 97.3 | 13 |
| Steering | 88.9 | 55.6 | 67.9 | 12 |
| Air Bags | 74.1 | 49.3 | 80.9 | 10 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 44.4 | 44.2 | 22.6 | 6 |
| Structure | 37 | 39.6 | 25.4 | 5 |
| Power Train | 37 | 94.3 | 47.3 | 5 |
| Seat Belts | 37 | 22.9 | 19.9 | 5 |
| Exterior Lighting | 29.6 | 27.8 | 61 | 4 |
The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 22.
- Complaints that report a crash
- 11
- Complaints that report a fire
- 1
- Injuries in the complaints
- 6
- Deaths in the complaints
- 2
- Date of the newest complaint
- 12 Nov 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.
Investigations
The NHTSA investigation file has no investigation that names this model year.
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.
A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.
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Official channels
- NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
- NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
- NHTSA page of the 1998 Pontiac SunfireThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.
Cite this page
Recall Register. 1998 Pontiac Sunfire: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/pontiac/sunfire/1998/. 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
- 29 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 1998 Pontiac Sunfire?
- 2,574,411 units in 3 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. 3 of them name the 1998 model year.
- Which component do the complaints about the 1998 Pontiac Sunfire name most often?
- Engine and Engine Cooling: 34 of 135 component mentions, or 251.9 per 1,000. For all 1998 vehicles the figure is 131.3 per 1,000.
- Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1998 Pontiac Sunfire open?
- The NHTSA investigation file has no investigation that names this model year.