Airbag complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Dt: while driving about 45 MPH, the airbags deployed inadvertently deployed which caused the consumer to strike a utility pole. The seat belt also failed, it unlatched during this incident. The vehicle was totaled as a result. The consumer had been driving for about 20 minutes when this occurred. No repairs have been made to vehicle.
I purchased the car in October 2003 and the car was great. In March 2006 I started having problems where the car when attempted to start would take a few seconds extra and then start, then 6 months later I was driving down the street and the car just cut off in the middle of an intersection. The car restarted about 10 minutes later. Then in November this started happening more an more frequently. One night in December the car cut off and would not restart at all. I was able to pull of the road. I waited an hour and still the car would not start. I came back the next day and the car would not start. I got the car towed to a mechanic who said that he thought it was the fuel pump so I replaced that and the car worked for 2 days and then the same problem again. He then tested the car and saw there was no power going to the fuel pump. …
My son was driving home the night before his wedding, was not drunk according to the coroner. The police report said he must have went off the road, overcorrected and began spinning and rolling.the car went 469 feet before it came to rest on top of him, the report says he must have been ejected through the sunroof. My son was 34 very muscular. I do not believe that unless there was something mechanically wrong with the car thar he could not have controlled it. I have seen other reports of the same thing happening to other people with the same car. Also the airbags did not deploy that alone might have saved my sons life. There were two other people in the car, both hurt seriously. Please let me know if this same thing is happening to other people and if there is anything I can do. I still have the car exactly as it was, in storage.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Pontiac Sunfire. The vehicle was parked with the engine running as the contact placed her child in the rear child seat. When she pushed the passenger seat back, the air bags deployed unexpectedly. She called GM and was informed that someone would come out to inspect the vehicle. The current and failure mileages were 47,000. Updated 03-04-08
Airbags did not deploy in a front-end collision. The vehicle was totaled. Police officers and emt s were surprised and questioned weather bags were defective. Driver received small scrape to forehead which could have been prevented had airbags worked. Driver and three passengers were wearing seatbelts, so only minor bruises were sustained.
2001 Pontiac - airbag deployment causes total wreck June 28, 2005, ca. 1130 - on a right-angle turn at less than 5 MPH into a narrow lane in a parking area at conroe regional medical center , conroe, tx, at about 1130 June 28, the left rear wheel of my 2001 Pontiac Sunfire went up onto a 3-to-4-inch-high concrete median. When I attempted to steer off the median, the resulting slight drop caused my airbags to deploy. This deployment caused bruises on both forearms, bruised my lower right ribcage and forced both hands back off the wheel, preventing me from steering the car. Furthermore, the deployment forced my legs away from the foot controls. The deploying airbag knocked my spectacles up onto my forehead, the left temple causing a small cut and bending the spectacles so they could not be worn and had to be repaired later. …
Vehicle was involved in a frontal collision crashing into a tree, impact was approximately 45-50 MPH. Upon impact, both frontal air bags deployed 15 minute afterward. Consumer was air carries to the local hospital with major injuries. Dealer and the manufacturer were both notified.
Daughter hydroplaned, went into ditch on right side of road, traveled across road into left ditch and hit tree, opening the convertible top during crash and totaled vehicle airbags didn't deploy during crash.
Related recalls (1)
Air bags
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.
Remedy: Dealers will recalibrate the air bag sensing and diagnostic module.
NHTSA investigations
Oversensitive air bag deployments
There is no summary currently available
Frequently asked questions
Which Pontiac Sunfire years have airbag problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1996 (33), 1997 (27), 1995 (13), 1998 (11) and 1999 (10) model years. Airbag complaints make up 16% of all complaints for the 1996.
Is there a recall for Pontiac Sunfire airbag problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 98V-146 (air bags, Jun 29, 1998). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Pontiac Sunfire airbag problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 91,000 miles; 29% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the frontal (67 mentions), followed by the frontal › sensor/control module (2).
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.