Electrical complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 60 | 88% | 61,000 miles |
| 2004 | 16 | 50% | 56,000 miles |
| 2003 | 23 | 32% | 50,000 miles |
| 2002 | 24 | 29% | 86,000 miles |
| 2001 | 21 | 32% | 64,000 miles |
| 2000 | 23 | 24% | 80,000 miles |
| 1999 | 21 | 23% | 93,000 miles |
| 1998 | 21 | 18% | 65,000 miles |
| 1997 | 30 | 16% | 107,000 miles |
| 1996 | 38 | 19% | 119,000 miles |
| 1995 | 27 | 23% | 100,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
None of the gauges work properly Gm has not issued a recall despite the numerous complaints and it is a 500 to 800 dollar repair bill to replace the instrument cluster. 2005 Sunfire and the instrument cluster is malfunctioning. The gas gauge has stopped working altogether and the temp and rpm gauge work erratically. This is definitely a recall issue and has nothing to do with the maintenance of the vehicle. Gm wants me to have a dealer check the vehicle when they are well aware of this issue as there are multiple posting from owners of this issue online.
Instrument gauge (speedometer) went first then slowly progressed into all of them. They are sporadically accurate, but most of the time rest at the low or high end and often off into the next gauge. I paid Firestone a few years back to do a diagnostic hoping one gauge was faulty causing the rest to fail, but its the cluster. Cost for replacement ~ $800. (for me about 3 weeks pay) so recently I decided I cant take it anymore and went searching for alternative prices and look what I find, a billion Sunfire owners with the same problem. (okay but a lot) and these are just the people that have bothered to complain. Been dealing with this for years, its now at the point I described above. I have emissions at the end of March. So looks like I'm out 1 weeks pay (earning a bit more, but not much) because GM wont own up to their cheaply manufactured parts. Buy American? …
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!
I own a 2004 Pontiac Sunfire and the headlights are extremely dim, making it very difficult to drive at night without using the "brights". After replacing headlight bulbs, the problem continued. I took it to a mechanic that told me this is a common problem with the Sunfire and it involved corrosion to the headlight wiring harness. I looked online to see if there was a manufacturer recall, which I did not find. While researching the problem I found that this problem is very common and there is much written about the problem in several auto forums, but GM has not addressed the issue with a recall. My daughter drives this vehicle and had complained to me about the problem which I did not acknowledge until she was following me at night and I saw that her headlights were extremely dim. This is a safety hazard and could cause accidents, why hasn't this problem been addressed. …
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. …
The 2003 Pontiac Sunfire is an inferior car. Mine currently has approx 57,000 miles on the odometer. The day after I purchased it brand new, it would not start. The dealer came out and replaced the battery. The car had white paint overspray on it. The dealer repainted it. The sunroof malfunctioned and the dealer fixed it. The turn signals kept going out & it was fixed due to the recall. The dash had to be taken out due to the fact that the air was not coming out of the vents properly. The power window driver's side failed completely around 38,000 miles & passenger intermittently would not work. This was fixed at my expense. The car has been in the shop for brake problems numerous times. I had the dealer check them several times while still under warranty and they finally replaced them at their cost because they said it should not be necessary given the mileage on the car. …
I have had the car since August of 2002, and have only had a problem with the rear defroster. It would work when it wanted to. I was told that it was a fuse, that wasn't the problem. I figured that it was a short in the wiring, but it wasn't covered by the warranty, and I don't have the money to let a mechanic go probing around my car to find out what was wrong. On 11/28/07 while I was driving only a few miles, upon starting the car - smoke started pouring out of my vents and the gas gauge (which the tank was full) started dropping down to 'e'. Took car to dealership and they say that the two things are unrelated. Exact quote from invoice about what caused the smoke "burnt smell electrical, found harness to rear defogger on left lower kick panel melted replaced connector with butt connectors". …
Turned off the vehicle, got my fuses and relay's all checked and turned the car on the next morning, nothing on my dash panel is working. No mileage, none of the gauges work, fuses and relays are all good.
Related recalls (2)
Electrical system › Ignition › Switch
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.
Remedy: 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…
Electrical system › Ignition › Switch
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.
Remedy: 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.
NHTSA investigations
Fire in steering column area
Frequently asked questions
Which Pontiac Sunfire years have electrical problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2005 (60), 1996 (38), 1997 (30), 1995 (27) and 2002 (24) model years. Electrical complaints make up 88% of all complaints for the 2005.
Is there a recall for Pontiac Sunfire electrical problems?
Yes — 2 recalls, including 04V-036 (switch, Jan 27, 2004); 02V-070 (switch, Mar 6, 2002). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Pontiac Sunfire electrical problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 71,000 miles; 29% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the ignition › switch (40 mentions), followed by the ignition (28).
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.