2000 Pontiac Sunfire SE from North America - Comments

Just another owner of a problematic Pontiac Sunfire!!

Mine is having the same basic list of problems you are all having. Lights flicker on and off until the Service engine light comes on for good, number 1 and 2 blower settings don't work, the car occasionally for no apparent reason will not start even with good spark and fuel pump working, and my when I attempt to turn on my high beams, my lights completely shut off.

From reading soooo many of these post, I am having a hard time understanding why GM has not put a recall out to fix both the blower motor resistor problem that so many of us are facing and also the many problems that are arising due to the poor quality of the wiring harness they installed in the cars.

Thanks for all of your info however and I am going to attempt to change the blower motor myself and at least now I can tell the dealer, if they don't already know from the many previous car being brought in with the exact same headlight issues.

Oh and unless I see a recall by the time I sell this car, my soon to be 100k + a year salary will never buy another GM in my life. It's time to tell our grandparents that the X generation is the generation of Toyota automobiles :). That is until American car companies get their act together.

My 2004 Sunfire is worthless!

Here's my story:

I have a 2004 Sunfire and I have had very similar problems that you described. My car usually starts on the first try most of the time, but on 3 different occasions in the past month it has not started for me. The time between failed start-ups has shortened. One night I tried for an hour to start it and it finally started. Ran well for 2 days and then the same thing happened; I stopped at gas station and it wouldn't start again. I had it towed, the dealership said it was the fuel pump and I paid way too much money to get a new fuel pump installed. That worked for about a day. Then one morning it wouldn't start again... and after 20 minutes, it started. The dealer couldn't find any problems and couldn't find any "computer codes." Just 2 days ago, my car wouldn't start and I finally got it to start, then I was going about 25 mph and it stalled once I applied the brakes, at about 0-2 mph. Everytime I try to start it and it won't start, it spins and tries to turn over, and sometimes catches, but only for a second, then turns off.

Does replacing the TCC Solenoid fix this problem?

Is it easy to troubleshoot this by unplugging the "square" plug on the transmission, like the "about.com Auto Repair" articles states?

Please...I need help with this... this is my only car.

Thanks.

Emails are Welcome! suerte41@yahoo.com.

1999 Sunfire - Electrical gremlins.

Boy, I thought I was in a boat of my own until I stumbled across this website. I'm just thankful I have a pre-2000 Sunfire so I don't have to worry about the driving light issue, thought the turn signal problem is driving me nuts.

Turn signals go on and stay on. I must manually flash the lever or risk being rear ended by a non alert idiot bearing down on my rear bumper. Oh, did I mention this happens whenever it wants, sometimes works, sometimes it is both sides other times just one. I can't figure out it out. What I have done that seems to have helped just a little bit (problem actually went away for like five weeks) was to remove that di-electric grease in the bulb socket with some rubbing alcohol and Q-tips. The leads looked corroded and I think that grease is actually trapping moisture in. Just a theory.

Same problem with everyone else with the blower, I'll try to tackle this repair myself this weekend.

AC doesn't work, won't even take a charge. Garage says that is already at maximum pressure and it won't take. This being good because seals should be fine. Then it might be issue with the evaporator or blower doors. Any suggestions?

My newest beef now if the gas gauge. I figure I can go about 240 miles or so on a full tank. The needle slowly goes down to about a 1/2 - 1/3 tank like normal and then goes back up. The gauge will actually read full when the tank is on fumes. What the heck!

Any help suggestions whatever badgrhockey@gmail.com.

Thanks.

I own a 2000 Cavalier. I have have similar DRL problems mentioned. The only difference is that the headlights do not work...period. All other lights work...ie...amber front lamps and rear lights. When I turn the car on, the DRL indicator light flickers and the service light turns on. If I pull the high beam lever nothing happens. I do not think it is the headlight switch assembly. I zeroing in on the DRL relay found in the fuse box in by the driver side door. Any suggestions? I'll check the wiring behind the headlights tomorrow. My e-mail is gwl1972@yahoo.com. No spam please. Only serious answers/suggestions.

Thanks.

I have a sunfire with the exact same problems. Obviously my concern being the headlights. I have gone to the point where I have had a mechanic rewire the headlights differently so at least I can count on them not to shut down on me. I have had them repaired properly 3 times already and have given up on that angle. I have spoken to Transport Canada who recognizes the problem and have stated they have recieved several complaints regarding this problem, but there is nothing they can do to force a recall until such time as it is proven that having your headlights go out while driving on an unlit road late at night is a safety risk. In otherwords a person would have to die directly as a result of the headlights going out while they are driving before they take GM to court and try to force the recall. So for all of you people out there, you are going to have to make a decision just like I will. Either keep the car and deal with the continual problems with the electrical system be it the lights, heater motor or circuit board, fuel pump etc etc etc or get rid of the vehicle and do like me promise myself that I will not buy another GM Vehicle. Personally, I think I will be taking the second road.

I have a 2000 Pontiac Sunfire and have had it since it had 10,000 miles. I have had the most random issues with it, much like the ones mentioned above; however, I am not having light issues. There isn't much that is electrical in my car. My heat/AC will not work on intensities 1,2 or 3. I thought to myself, how can this die in a car? It's not wear and tear?! Well thanks to everyones comments I figured out what that was.

My car has stalled twice, once at an intersection while I was hitting the brakes. The other time, I was just cruising maybe 35/40 mph. My transmission sounds like it has issues. It is loud when I switch gears. I have kept up with the transmission fluid and filter since I bought it.

My trunk is broken. It won't open. That happened pretty early into it. GM fixed it under warranty, but it broke again right after 60k :\

Cd's have gotten stuck in the CD player. They come out half way sometimes. This could have been self-inflicted.

Anyone have ideas on the stalling? That's kind of important!

I forgot to include that my engine overheats while I am stopped. I have checked the thermostat, the cooling fluid is not leaking and it is clean.

I am the upset owner of a 2000 Pontiac Sunfire.

I have had many of the problems as you all have stated.

The wiring all happened under warranty, and after the 2nd time, I made them replace the wiring front to back. Since then (knock on wood) I haven't had those problems.

The a/c resistor is also a problem, but I finally took it to a mechanic who actually takes pride in his work, and he told me that now the issue is the cover for the a/c fan is off slightly, and the fan blade hits it from time to time, thus creating a spark and shards of metal that go all over, and that blew out the fuse within. He fixed the fuse for free, and said to bring it back in when I had time to reattach and properly weld the cover at a very reasonable price.

Here is my big problem; I have now replaced the clutch, $1350.00, the windows don't fit the door (I saw someone say they felt like they were driving through a wind tunnel, it's because the glass is not made to proberly enclose in the frame. The window sticks going down and is a pain to put back up, you have to play with it. The drivers side door lock is seized, (love the Canadian weather that they sure seem to know how to build for) and my car keeps dying. NOT IMPRESSED!

I to own a pontiac sunfire, but mine is a 1996 and yes I am having all the same problems, one being my car stalling when I let off the gas, but only every once in awhile, I brought it to a couple of mechanics and no one can find a problem? I also have problems with my lights my DRL lights work fine, but my headlights and highbeams don't work unless I hold the lever toward me while driving, which is inpossible so I put a piece of rolled up paper behind the lever, but then I can't use the blinkers because the paper will fall out. My blower only works on the highest setting to. If anyone knows what could be wrong with my car and about how much it would cost to fix you can e-mail me @ babykadles@yahoo.com.

I have been having similar problems with my 2002 Sunfire.

Most everything seems OK when I drive in the daylight, but at night when I turn the headlights on, problems start. The headlights are dim, the needles on the gauges keep going up & down, all kinds of warning lights on the instrument cluster come on, and it says "Error" where my odometer reading normally is. Also the DRL turn signal indicators flicker.

Is this because of the problems everybody has been having with the headlamp wiring harness? Does anybody know of a kit for repairing/replacing the wiring harness? I would like to repair/replace it myself to save money.

Ldoan@usa.com.

Oh my gosh, I feel so much better since reading this! My car also sucks. I have a 2000 sunfire which I purchased brand new in the plastic in 99.I have had this obnoxious noise coming from the engine since I purchased it. I had taken it in 6 times under warranty and was simply told that Pontiacs just make that squeal. My air conditioner has been broken for who know how long know and the best part is that this winter in Wisconsin. I either got to freeze or be super toasty because my blower is broken on settings 1,2,3. How great. The most recent problem is that my trunk lock solenoid has been broken for 3 months I have taken it to 8 dealerships who all say they will order that part and call me when it comes in. I have been calling them all like crazy and I am told the same thing everytime. It is backordered. You are meaning to tell me there are so many trunks that are bungeed from the inside to hold them down, awesome. Of course auto part stores do not carry this part because it is GM exclusive. Another great feature. I feel much better now that I vented thank you.

To the owner from April 4th who is having problems with the car overheating whilst at rest, but fine the rest of the time - My vehicle (2000 Cavalier) had the same problem. The part that broke was the fan motor that blows air over the radiator while the car's at rest. Have your mechanic look into that part.

I have a 2001 Sunfire and am very frustrated with it. Sometimes it won't start - it will turn over, but not start. And it also stalls while I am driving - VERY dangerous. I've taken it to a GM Dealership twice now and they cannot find the problem. It always works perfectly for them. This has been going on for about 6 months now. It's very sporatic and doesn't happen all the time, but when it does, boy, am I scared to drive. Has anyone solved this stalling/not starting issue? If not, we should petition to GM to do something about it.

I have a 2001 Sunfire SE with 64K miles on it.

Sunday I was leaving a friend's house after dark when my headlights went out, luckily I was able to flip to low beams before I went off the road. My high beams had died along with my daytime running lights and a side marker on the driver's side.

I took it to my Pontiac dealer where I was told this was a common problem. The service writer had this happen to her Sunfire when it was just two years old. She had the entire headlamp harness replaced... the kit at that time cost around $250. After they looked up the part they informed me that the cost today was around $500 plus the labor to put it in.

I have had many of the other problems listed in the above comments. It seems there were common defects in this model that GM has totally ignored in any kind of recall.

This is the last time I will purchase a GM vehicle.

An interesting note; they gave me a Pontiac G-5 to use while my car was in for repair. It had 8K miles on it. While I was driving it on the expressway it began to growl at 55 mph. My guess would be it has a CV joint problem.

I have a sunfire 2000 and I too have had a number of these problems mentioned. It's good to hear that you guys are coming together on here. But What are we going to do as group so we don't get screwed continually by GM and bad mechanics.

G3m3da@hotmail.com.