My head gasket blew at 105,000km.
My head gasket than cracket 4 months later.
My head gasket now has to be replaced once again due to leaks.
Took it to the Pontiac dealership, and they charged me over $1000 for fixing it and un-neccassary tune ups amongst other things.
Water in back lights cause blinkers to stop working.
Antifreeze was leaking in numerous places.
Now my antifreeze is leaking again, worse than before.
Catalytic Converter needed to be replaced.
My exhaust pipes had to be replaced because of shaking.
Muffler holder "clamps" were welded on wrong which caused the muffler to shift and dig into my back tire.
Car door locks would not open in the winter, had them replaced twice and still the same problem.
Right windshield wiper does not clean good, no matter how many times it has been replaced.
Fan belt has been replaced twice.
Passenger side seat broken, and dealer promised to fix and has not.
My horn has stopped working out of the blue.
I am a college student, and when I first got this car I was happy it was not a old clunker and I wouldn't have all these problems like my friends with their old cars.
The money I earn from my summer job all goes into fixing this car, instead of me enjoying my college years.
As it turns out I have had more problems with this car than anyone I know.
This car is very comfortable.
However I am really disappointed at the service that I have received at the Pontiac dealership in Cambridge, Ontario.
The people who work there are very rude.
They were very inpatient with my parents who are not very good in English.
I have read the other reviews submitted on this page and I know what these people are thinking and how much money they are wasting.
My family has always owned Pontiac, but from now on we never want to see one on our driveway.
Stay away from Pontiacs!
I disagree with you completely. We've always had Pontiacs, we took care of them and they were great cars. I've never heard anything like this in my whole life. Just because you bought a lemon and kept putting money into it, doesn't mean the whole manufacturer is bad.
I must say your anger is justified, but let me tell you something about misdirected anger. Vehicles break down, if it's a GM or a Ford or any other. You can't lash out at the people who are trying to help you because your car, an inanimate object is breaking down. I work for Roadside assistance for General Motors, I hear all the horror stories, but above all else these people love their vehicles. Pontiac, Chevrolet, GMC, Oldsmobile, Saturn, SAAB, Buick, All Divisions of GM are excellent! Back to the anger, people respond to how you treat them, so if all the guys in the service department of your dealership are rude, think about why. Could it be because you blame the malfunctioning vehicle on them? Probably is, just remember they work there because nothing is perfect and they're trying to fix your problem, not create more.
As an independent mechanic, I service all kinds of cars, GM, Ford, Chrysler, Japanese, European; you name it, I probably pulled wrenches on it. As for the GM J-body cars (Cavalier, Sunfire, etc.) I can tell you from experience, they certainly keep mechanics in business; these are some of the more poorly engineered cars I have ever seen, in particular the engines, (head gaskets, pistons, cams etc.). Don't get me wrong, every manufacturer has its share of questionable vehicles (some more than others), and I am a pro- GM guy (I own a '69 Caprice & an '87 Monte Carlo) but GM should, as a corporation, be ashamed of these wheeled monstrosities. (As should any other manufacturer who has/is producing similar garbage). In short, if you want a Pontiac, stay away from the Sunbird/Sunfire (and other J-body cars) -- you'll get "burned"!
To the GM roadside assistance employee: Yes any car can, and probably will break down in its lifetime, but I believe the owner of this Sunfire is saying that if the car wasn't such a poorly designed and engineered excuse of a vehicle to begin with, they would not be as frustrated with General Motors as they are. I speak from experience as I used to own a 1997 Sunfire that was at least as bad as what I have read here. I don't believe mine was "just a lemon", the whole model series are lemons. How is it that I have accumulated over 200,000 trouble free KM on my '94 Corolla, and barely 50,000 aggravating KM on my '97 Sunfire, when both were similarly, religiously maintained??? Come on, GM, you can and have done better that this! I have a near-mint '77 Trans-Am that I got in part trade for the Sunfire; IT is the kind of (reliable) car that GM SHOULD be building (again)!!!
My 1995 Sunfire is a lemon too, and nobody cared to take time to find out why. I was told GM only allows minimal time for them to diagnose the problem under warranty. So, they write on the repair order: "Cannot duplicate problem" or "Seems Normal" or "No repair available at this time". They are more than happy to find the solution if you are willing to pay them out-of-pocket, even though you have bought their best NEW CAR extended warranty for over $1200!
Short List of Defects/problems from 1995 thru 2002:
1. Suspension noises and interior squeaks - not fixed.
2. Piston slap and valve noises - no repair available!
3. Steering pulls on accel - power steering rack replaced. 4. Noisy air conditioner - compressor replaced.
5. Failed emissions test - catalytic converter replaced.
6. Intermittent stalling after start - getting worse!
Just recently took my car in for a recall campaign, and asked if they could repair the intermittent stalling. I was told they can SCAN for codes for a fee, but that probably would not help diagnose an intermittent problem. The repair would be a hit and miss thing billed by the hour, and could be quite costly if I went ahead! At least the service department was honest about it.
This is the first GM car I have owned with the most problems. All my previous cars ran for years without all those visits to the shop. "They don't make them like they used to!" "Bottom line over quality"
Another ripped off 1995 Pontiac Sunfire driver, or should I say part time driver. I had nothing but problems with this car heater only works on high, bad alternator two leaking fuel injectors, leaking valve cover, ABS stopped working, replaced muffler strap three times and leaking head gasket. Took car in to see about recall (#98054a) on head gasket dealer would not do work, this car only has 100000km on it.
I am also experiencing many problems with my 95' Pontiac Sunfire, specifically with the head gasket, windshield wipers, engine mount, and even basic starting of the car. My car does not start in the cold weather, and it never has. I have regular maintenance on my vehicle and every winter I have to call roadside assistance to get me home. Most troubling however, has been the head gasket. There is an extened 'warranty' on this model and part, however, GM has been less than plesant to deal with and my concerns with my vehicle were dismissed, and my problems were called 'irrevelant' by one of their customer service representatives. I have owned Pontiac cars since I got my drivers licence, but I have spent more money on Sunfire repairs than the car itself. I am a university student, and have incrued almost 10, 000 in debt because of reparis this car. Tomorrow, I will pay another 2500.00. I am not impressed.
We own a 1995 Sunfire and it was the very First car we bought. We bought it as a used car buy the dealers as a loner car. We were told it was never in any accidents, but we have found that the color on one of the fenders don't match. We have also had many recalls and concerns with this car. We have had to replace the alternator twice, starter, and the muffler mounts twice, and I could go on, but I won't. We also bought a second hand 1992 Sundance and it has not been in the shop as much has the Sunfire. We have only owned the Sundance for a Year, but I have all the paper work on it. The file on the Sunfire is twice as much paper work.
I own a 1995 sun fire. I thank God I had purchased a guarantee with the car, as I saved quite a lot of money.. Had frequently visited the garage for numerous reasons, all have been mentioned in earlier, reports.
Unfortunately my next vehicle will not be a sun fire... Hopefully in the future the Company will decide to invest in satisfying their clients by giving them a car that will last longer and spend less time in the garage.. Thanks...
I was considering the purchase of a '96 Sunfire because the comparable Honda/Toyota/Nissan used cars are about $1500 more. Now I see why. I won't even drive this guy. I don't need headaches.
Try owning a '98 Sunfire 1,800 miles away from "home" - my daughter has mine in AZ. $1,200 for a water pump, steering rack, brake and alignment problems, incredible tire wear, battery/electrical problems. It doesn't run at all right now... and how would I find an honest mechanic in Tempe? This car will be dumped ASAP!!! Never owned such an unreliable and expensive to repair vehicle in 35 years of driving.
My husband and I are now having the same problems as everyone on this list. We have a 95 Sun fire it only has 45,000 miles we have not driven it a lot. So far we have had the muffler fixed. We are now having a head gasket leak or crack they are not sure. It will cost us 500 to 1000 dollars.
I bought my 1995 Sunfire new in July 1995. The day after I got it home, I went out and it wouldn't start. The dealer was great, however. I have spent thousands of dollars on the a/c system repairing a problem that was VERY similar to one I had with a 1991 Sunbird. We just found out that the head gasket needs to be replaced! Do yourselves a favor and NEVER buy a Pontiac. I chalked my first experience up too bad luck, but TWO TERRIBLE Pontiacs==a future Toyota owner!
I have a 2000 pontiac sunfire. ever since it approached 36,000 miles it's been nothing less than a nightmare. transmission failed at 36,000 under warranty luckily. fuel pump at 40,000, timing belt broke at 50,000, then oil pump failed immediately afterwards. upon getting those fixed the mechanics found that the crankshaft was warped I guess from the timing belt failure. the ensuing damage resulted in me buying a new motor. overall cost from 36,000 to 52,000 miles? how about over $3,000 bucks!!! I've had numerous autos, but none where my mechanics tell me they've heard nothing but negative reports concerning the design and reliability of the pontiac 2000 sunfire. ridiculous.
I have a 95 sunfire, and I have had the same problems, such as Blown head gasket, catalytic converter, alternator, water pump, radiator, power steering pump, a/c compressor, the car has 153,000 miles, but hell this all happened sooner, does anyone know how far a pontiac sunfire will go.