2000 Pontiac Sunfire SE from North America - Comments

My gas gage has never worked properly.

Car has taken to overheating for no apparent reason.

The head has warped.

The CD player only works half the time.

This is in response to the previous comments that I have been reading about the problems we all seem to be having with this model of car.

I have just recently spent over $1,000 to fix my Sunfire. I have a lot of the same problems with my car that have been mentioned in previous reviews.

My car had the eratic gas gage levels and the stalling. I inquired several different times with the local dealership as to the cause and they were only able to tell me that it could be 1 of 26 different things.

I do not have the money to replace 26 different things on this car in hopes that I might get lucky and fix the problems within the first few tries.

Here are some of the things that I replaced before I finally got it fixed. The first thing that the dealership suggested was the ignition module, which cost over $100, then there was the thermostat which runs about $8.00, the the fuel filter, another $20.00, and finally when all was said and done, the fuel pump at a cost of $200.

On top of all of this my car started running hot and overheating for no reason. This eventually caused the head to warp and I had to have 20 thousandths shaved off.

If you fail to notice the coolant temperature rising and drive the car so long that it boils out all the coolant, then you are to blame, for being a negligent driver.

A simple thing like the thermostat failing can lead to boiling all the coolant out, wrecking the water pump, warping the cylinder head and eventually if you keep on driving, to the engine seizing up altogether.

I am also a victim of the SunFire Shinanagans. And I spent $2800 fixing a Seized engine. Not to mention the time it was in a repair garage not being worked on because the machanic could't figure out how to keep the car at idle. After finally remembering that the car has to learn to idle on its own we finally got it running. But it never ran as good as it used to.

So now 4 months later and it's overheating again. I'm beyond words with this car and I'm tapped out of cash and can't afford another. I should have taken it to a "Pontiac" dealer and got raked over the coals once. That's my suggestion to anyone unfortunate enough to have one of these cars.

OK, well I bought my sunfire brand new and it now has 80,000 miles. This car was a great car the past 6 years until the past few months. I have always kept up with everything fluids, hoses, filters, you name it. The fuel filter needs to be changed all the time. My engine is overheating!!! I noticed that when it idles it heats up, but when I drive faster it doesn't. I get the thermostat replaced. That did NOT work. Radiator flush and new hoses and still it heats up. I do not know how to feel because it has been such a good car.

Bought my 2000 pontiac sunfire brand new. prior to this, I had a 1987 chevrolet spectrum, which was a lemon. the engine light kept coming on. left california a few days prior to the end of the one year warranty. the dealer simply said the problem was "bad gas". a very quick answer if you want to put someone off until his warranty has expired. so I told myself, never again, would I buy a chevrolet. instead I bought a pontiac sunfire. not long after I bought it, surprisingly the engine light kept coming on. this was only about two months into the first year. the dealer supposedly solved the problem with putting in an oxygen sensor. I had asked why an oxygen sensor was not already on the car. just prior to the end of the first year, my engine light began coming on again. this was resolved by replacing the previous oxygen sensor. then about a year later, my engine light appeared again. this time, not only a new oxygen sensor was put in, something was done to the computer on the car. whether to adjust it or to keep the engine light from ever coming on again. must have been the latter, because the engine light has never came on again.******** overall, since all these replacements/repairs were done while the car was still under warranty, I seemed to have liked my 2000 pontiac sunfire. despite that irritating problem with the oxygen sensor having to be replaced so many times. this is the only true thing that I have against the 2000 pontiac sunfire. I'm glad that I bought it though.

Don't blame chevy for the problems with the spectrum. It was an isuzu more or less, badged as a chevy.I'm not trying to defend Chevy or GM for that matter, but I'm just trying to be accurate here.

A reason for the overheating problem is that the cooling fan often does not kick in until after the engine is already getting too hot. This usually happens at idle and can be remedied by turning on the air conditioner. The cooling fan works constantly when the air is on so this will keep the engine cool until you can start moving again. Mine tries to overheat when I'm hung up in traffic or at a long traffic light and turning on the air always works for me.

I bought my Sunfire in 2000, brand new. I cannot say I have ever had a problem. The car has been very good to me and I have no plans of getting rid of it soon. However, I went through the same thing with the oxygen sensor, but I never replaced it. I just had the light turned out the few times it came on. I was told if water occasionally gets in there, this will set the check engine light on. Other than this, I can't make any complaints.

I just recently purchased a 2000 Sunfire with the 2.2L. On first glance I like the car a lot better than I thought I would. The styling is o.k, except for the hub cabs. The 5-Speed 2.2L is fun to drive and more powerful than expected. Car has 72,000 miles. I like it so far.

I have recently purchased a 2000 sunfire and I have noticed that the car will start to overheat at idle, but when you start off it will settle back down.

It also has the problem that the CD player worked for 2 weeks then it quit working and hasn't worked since.

Other than that I have had no other problems. it has great gas mileage.

I have a 1996 Sunfire and mine does the same thing when its idle in traffic. I'm getting a thermostat put in tommorow I was told that's what it might be. Other than that I have not had many problems other than normal wear and tear. I make sure I get all the fluids and everything flushed. The head gasket did crack but that's been fixed.

I have a 2000 Sunfire. It is leaking oil, but only when running. If anybody has had the same problem, let me know so I can repair it faster. playninthemud23@yahoo.com

I bought my Sunfire new in 2000. I now have 233,000 miles on it, and have no plans to get rid of it.

I've only had a few "non-maintenance" issues on this entry-level car. Most issues were electrical (headlight harness, rear speakers & fan speed adjuster), fuel pump & radiator.

Many parts are still original like exhaust, starter, battery, alternator, engine & trans.

Take care of your car and it will take care of you.

I have a 2000 Pontiac Sunfire 2.2 liter 5 speed, and the car won't idle. I rigged up the throttle to hold idle at 900 or so to keep it running. What could be the issue? The car runs great, even with 200,000 miles. It's very reliable, but will not idle on its own.

I got my 2000 Pontiac Sunfire for graduation in 2005. Obviously used.

I have the over heating problem, but not at idle, it overheats in general. I did replace the thermostat and that wasn't the problem. So I'm having a guy put in the water pump tomorrow, and that should fix the problem.

Also when your car is overheating, get it looked at! You CAN seize up the engine and ruin your car.

Do not get a garage to look at your car if you can help it! They will rape you in prices. Try if you can to find a guy that can come to your home and look at it.

For all you people who have the overheating problem when sitting in traffic that goes away when you start driving: check your radiator fan. The reason your car could be cooling down when you start driving is the air being forced through. If your radiator fan isn't working, there is no air movement.