- The problem
- Dorman products is recalling 3,900 intermediate steering shafts dorman part nos. 425-151, 425-152, And 425-153, (sold under dorman's "oe solutions" brand name), balkamp #'s 7-3057, 7-3058, 7-3059 (sold under the "napa" brand name), and platinum parts #'s 2425151, 2425152, and 2425153 manufactured during the month of september 2007. These replacement steering shafts can be used on the vehicles listed above. The weld connecting the inner tube to the outer tube may be defective.
- The risk
- If the weld fails, loss of steering could result, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash.
- The fix
- Dorman will notify owners and replace the steering shafts free of charge. The recall began on october 16, 2008. Owners may contact dorman toll free at 1-800-523-2492.
Vehicle safety record
2003 Pontiac Sunfire Problems, complaints & recalls
Owners have filed 85 complaints about the 2003 Pontiac Sunfire with NHTSA, most often about the lights (25) and the electrical system (24). Those complaints describe 5 crashes, 2 fires and 5 injuries. It is covered by 2 recalls, the latest in October 2008 for the steering. For comparison, the 2002 has 91 and the 2004 has 32.
NHTSA data checked
CAbout as many problems as a typical Sunfire year, for its age
#129 most complained-about 2003 vehicle
- Complaints
- 85
- Recalls
- 2
- Crashes
- 5
- Fires
- 2
- Injuries
- 5
- Deaths
- 0
Most common 2003 Pontiac Sunfire problems
Share of all 85 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.
2003 Pontiac Sunfire recalls 2
Recall repairs are free. Your dealer fixes them whether or not you bought the car there - check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if yours is done. What to do
- The problem
- On certain passenger vehicles, the rear lamps that provide stop and turn signals and tail lamp functions stop working because of inadequate contact between the bulb and socket. In addition, if one bulbs were to become inoperative while the vehicle was operating in cruise control, the cruise control would disengage when the remaining bulb was activated. If both lamps were to become inoperative, the cruise control would not engage.
- The risk
- An inoperative brake lamp will not convey the driver's intention of stopping to drivers in following vehicles, and an inoperative rear turn signal lamp will not convey the driver's intention to turn to drivers in following vehicles. Both of these failures can increase the risk of a crash.
- The fix
- Dealers will inspect the rear lamp bulb socket assemblies and apply grease or replace them if necessary. The recall began on january 18, 2005. Owners should contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 or pontiac at 1-800-620-7668.
What owners say
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85 complaints about the 2003 Pontiac Sunfire
Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners. Page 1 of 4.
Every time I let my car sit for 2 hours or more, I start it up and the belt on the tensioner squeak for 15 seconds. Also the battery light comes on and the rim fluctuate between 1,000 and 2,000. When I drive it the battery light will continue to stay on but every time the air bag light turns on and I'm accelerating the engine will not shift, the rpms will rev up to red line if pushed that far, eventually the light for airbag and battery will shut off and it will shift. Sometimes when I hit the gas pedal while this is doing this at night, my dashboard as well as radio lights will shut off until rpms go down to 2,000. *Tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 pontiac sunfire. While driving at an unknown speed, the contact heard a rattling noise from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the timing chain separated and caused the tensioner and valve to fail. The timing chain valve and tensioner were replaced, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 98,000.
I was driving home from vernon down's casino and was making a right and was about to switch into third gear the rpm's where 3000 and the engine just died ........ Maugeri''s auto on albany and bleeker st. Towed my car to his shop fixed the steering column as a result of the engine dieing the window's wont roll up and the interior just got soaked in wet in the rain after on the date of 7/714 paid almost a grand for towing and steering column in the vehicle . I am a recipient of the traumatic brain injury program...
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and use the vehicle to and from my structured day as well as my neurologist as well as my hematologist who's offices are 57 miles away from my house it is going to be very uncomfortable to drive to my dr. Appt. In the morning... I am on social security disability and a fixed income receiver less then 700 dollars a month... *Tr updated 2/6/2015 *js
Bought a 2003 pontiac sunfire from a dealership 5 months ago. I told the owner/salesman I wanted a safe 1st car for my kid. My kid and some friends were driving,it was raining and the back tires started to slide,my kid regained control of the car briefly and said after a few minutes the steering locked up and they ended up in a spin. The car hit an object on the passenger side,spun around and hit another on the drivers side,then bounced off that and landed across a deep ditch where it was hit again in the rear when...
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stopping. No steering. No brakes. The engine was still going even though the front end of the car was wedged into the edge of the pavement and the embankment of the ditch. By the grace of god no one was physically injured. We had the car towed to our home. My kid said that before the accident the steering wheel felt " wiggley". We looked at that area 1st. The steering column was loose. The pivot pin for the column was gone. I saw there was a recall in october of 2008. I called gm to request the records to find out if the repair was ever done. The gm rep refused to give me the information in the data base. He said I could get it from a "certified" gm dealer! He also said there was no recall on the steering, but there was others. I asked what they were and again he said he couldn't give me that information. I also own a pontiac g5 that's been waiting for parts on the ignition recall. I have been on a list at my dealership. I am mad as hell! All my kid has now is the comfort of knowing the friends weren't hurt or killed. Some 1st car, huh? Spent 5000.00 Of 401k money for a death trap that gm refuses to give me the database history on. Can't drive it, can't sell it, and with no history, can't fix it. Liability and comp, that's all we could afford, insurance is too expensive for young drivers. There is no middle class and this kind of thing is why. *Js
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 pontiac sunfire. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that the fuel filter needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired but did not rectify the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000 and the current mileage was 130,000. *Tr
I was driving on the highway around 5:00pm, perfect road conditions. I started choking & swerved into another lane, other driver blasted his horn & scared me. I over compensated & lost control of my car & ended up hitting the median. My airbags deployed, the passenger side was fine, but the drivers side didn't deploy correctly. The air bag came out of the side & not directly in front of me. The airbag blew my rear view mirror off of the wind shield & ended up breaking my right hand in multiple places. My seat...
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belt also came undone. I am only 5 feet tall & if the airbag had gone off like it should've, I know I would have had numerous injuries to my face & chest. The reason I am making a complaint is due to the fact that had I hit this wall head on, I most likely would've been killed. At this time I do not know the vin or correct miles, my car as totaled & it's still with the tow company. I believe this, along with the seat belt unlocking on it's own after a serious accident, to be tremendously dangerous. *Tr
I have been driving a 2003 pontiac sunfire since 2008. My family bought it brand new with only 27 miles on it. Every winter when it is really cold, the temperature gauge would not always reset itself after the car was turned off. This would result in the fuel gauge going all over the place but eventually it would reset itself. However, in september of 2012, all of my gauges on my dash went all over the place. My temperature gauge has since spun completely around and is stuck on the plastic from the dash. ...
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Also, my speedometer is now not resetting itself. It has said that I was at 40 mph while sitting at a stop light. I do know that the temperature has dropped which could be effecting things but this issue is just plain annoying anymore. I can deal with the fuel gauge not working, I can use my mileage to figure that out. But the speedometer not working is a real issue for me. *Tr
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 pontiac sunfire, with cooper, trend setter se, size p195/15/r15 replacement tires. While driving approximately 65 mph the passenger front tire separated and the tread separated from the steel belt. The contact was able to drive safely onto the emergency lane. The contact sated the tire did not deflate; however, the wheel well and the rear tire were damaged. The tire was replaced at a local repair shop. The local mechanic stated that the front driver side tire was also cracked. A police report was filed. The failure and current mileage were 90,000. Updated 12/30/10
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 pontiac sunfire. The contact stated that all of the gauges on the instrument panel stopped functioning while she was driving 50 mph. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who stated that the instrument cluster malfunctioned. The current and failure mileages were approximately 70,000.
Failure to the headlight harness, with time, corrosion attack the headlight harness. Which will cause the headlight intensity to lower or worst, total headlight failure. That mean that you can be driving at night and totally lose your headlight. This defect has been repaired 4 times now, and I need to have it repaired a 5th time april 2004. *Tr
2003 Pontiac sunfire. Headlamps do not work. Found out thru internet search this is a common problem on this vehicle. There are multiple wiring problems with this vehicle that gm should fix (fog lamps as well). The lamps already went out a couple of times before. It is a safety hazard because if this happens at night you have no lights. Gm keeps skirting around the issue until your warranty runs out then it costs you more money than you have to get it fixed. Very, very, very frustrating. Just do a internet search for sunfire headlight problems/do not work/ etc. And you'll see. *Tr
I purchased the car in 2006 with everything on it stock. In 2009 the coil pack started misfiring causing the catalytic converter to go bad and also causing the rods bearings to spin. *Tr
1. High use of transmission shift cable leads to separation at the transmission end link. 2. Once the shift cable link wears out it falls down and the transmission can no longer be shifted through gear positions from within the vehicle. A vehicle can be left stranded in any gear, drive, reverse, neutral, or any other position. 3. A temporary fix is possible with a zip tie, but is only temporary due to heat and wear on the zip tie. An oe replacement for the shift cable needs to be installed. This is a high failure item leading to stranded vehicles in many dangerous locations and needs to be upgraded with a fail safe connection at the transmission end. *Tr
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 pontiac sunfire. While driving approximately 40 mph at night, the headlights suddenly became extremely dim. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and repaired according to a safety recall. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer on three separate occasions for identical failures, but the repairs did not correct the issue. The nhtsa campaign id number was unknown. The failure mileage was 3,000 and the current mileage was unknown.
Head lights fail for no reason and at any time. This can include both high and low beam and fog lights. Has been repaired now for the 5th time at a gm dealer ship. *Tr
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 pontiac sunfire. The contact stated that the driver's side headlight was not working on the vehicle. The forward electric harness allowed water to enter into the light and caused it to fail. Soon after purchasing the vehicle in 2003, the headlights failed. The dealer informed him that there was a recall (gm recall number 03029) on the lights. The vehicle was repaired because it affected the signal lights and driver's side headlight. The contact recently took the vehicle back to the...
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dealer for repair, but they stated that it was previously repaired and would not be repaired a second time. The failure mileage was 8,700. Updated 03/23/09. *Lj updated 03/24/09.*Jb
The front wiring harness on my 2003 pontiac sunfire 2 door has failed for the 4th time due to corrosion of the obviously-too-small gauge wiring and inappropriate placement and water-proofing of the wiring harness and connectors. Headlight(s) or foglight(s) typically either fail outright, or dim to about 10% intensity, caused by corrosion in the wires and connectors. Previous failures of this wiring harness affecting both headlights and/or foglights occurred in jan 2005, jan 2006, and jan 2007, and were repaired by...
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removal of corroded wire sections and re-splicing of wires. Discussions with both gm and independent mechanics confirm my suspicions of similar failures in many other sunfires and cavaliers. I agree with a lifelong mechanic who says the only proper solution is a complete rewiring job. This is an extreme hazard as complete headlight failure or dimming can happen any time without warning. A dead of night failure anywhere, in the city, near a school, or on a country road as happened to my daughter's friend in her sunfire, cannot be construed as anything other than life-threatening; fog light and headlight failure at any other time is dangerous. If the failure of sunfire/cavalier rear brake and turn lights warranted a 2004 recall, then surely this equally or more threatening chronic problem deserves one. Why this has not been addressed already is beyond me. Gm has acknowledged the problem by issuing a series of tsbs over the years on this problem: #03018, #0309, #030842002, #021903, and the nhtsa has been apprised of them. I am a hobby mechanic who has spent 45 years building and racing powerboats and working on and restoring cars. I know a design fault when I see one. This issue must be addressed before someone is killed or seriously injured. The suspect wiring harnesses should be recalled and replaced, rather than waiting for them to fail (time and time again) and then making splices to the wiring and cleaning up the connectors. *Tr
I have had alot of shortages on my 2003 pontiac sunfire. I have been researching on line and there have been alot of similar issues. Such as power window shortages, high beam and low beam shortages, the locks, and issues with the dashboard gauges not working. I feel that this is to many issues with shortages and it is a safety issue. *Tr
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...
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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've had brakes replaced two other times at my expense and they are still squeaking and creaking very loudly and I'm told the brake pads are "cracked" but that it won't hurt anything. Now, the new problem is, the radio quit playing for 15 minutes after the car is turned off and you're in it. When I come to a complete stop, my dome light and map lights come on and stay on until I let off the brake and accelerate. Also, the horn no longer honks when I lock the car with the remote. I've had it up to here with this car but cannot afford to get rid of it since I just paid it off in july 2008. I will never buy another pontiac! *Tr
2005 Headlights went out when driving at night - pontiac dealer wrapped harness with electrical tape. Stated it was from washer fluid leaking. Approx 12 months later incident occur again. Taken to another dealer on request of pontiac. Re-wrap harness different area. Service light on 2 weeks ago. Dealer wrapped entire harness. Pontiac service notified several times complaint numbers obtained. Safety issue as lights go out. Wiring harness deteriorated. Bandaided 3x. Concern re: lights going out again at night. Feel this is a dangerous situation. *Tr
The speedometer in the vehicle becomes erratic after warming up. On a hot day it may not respond at all or may reset to a negative value and not respond during movement. It also locks up when going down the highway at whatever the sustained speed has been, gradually falling to zero as the car accelerates and decelerates. *Tr
Fuel pump went out on 2003 gm pontiac sunfire. Lost power on highway in the middle of traffic only 65k miles on the car. *Tr
Referring to the passenger-side headlight: while driving my children home after it was already dark, I noticed that the passenger-side headlight seemed a little dimmer than the driver-side headlight. I also had on my driving lights that are below the headlights. We were on a particularly dark road where there is a tendency to be deer, so when it was clear of opposing traffic, I put the high-beam lights on. After putting the high-beams on, all the lights.....Headlights, high-beams, and driving lights went...
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out....While I was driving. A red "service" light came on the dashboard. I was very startled at this and had to pull over to the side of the road. I switched the lights off and then on again and nothing would work and the "service" light remained on. Fortunately, I was not in a high traffic area or this could have been a very serious accident waiting to happen, especially if I panicked. My children were very worried that we were pulled off in the dark. I decided to shut the car off, hoping to reset something, and turn it back on. When I did this, the "service" light was not on, and the headlights and driving lights came on. The passenger-side light was still dim when I looked at it, and I also noticed that the high beam lights were lit and dim, although the high beam switch inside the car was not on. I bought a new headlight and changed the bulb, but there was no change in the brightness of the headlight, it was still dim. *Tr
Driving to the store one night I realized halfway there, my dash light behind the fuel gage was almost out and then realized everything illuminated by my headlights looked very dim, like they weren't on, just my fog lights. I pulled over to find that it was just my fog lights, I had no low beams yet the switch showed my lights to be on. Thankfully no police were around, I've been told driving without your lights on is a red flag to the police that you may be driving drunk or driving recklessly, which neither was...
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the case. Luckily a friend was driving behind me and pulled over at the same time. We both looked at it and then he had to help me get back home, didn't know I had high beams still. I've tried everything to figure out what's wrong and still working on it 6 months later. I'm now on a disability income and can't just bring it to the dealer/mechanic to see if they may or may not be able to fix it and end up with an outrageous bill, especially if I have to keep going back. I was doing research to see if I missed a recall or an article stating the problem & fix with this issue when I found this website and see that it has an awful lot of the same complaints as mine. Kind of a relief. After reading most of them, I still haven't found a comment/complaint that says exactly what the issue is and if it's expensive. If I'm not the only pontiac owner with this issue and at a loss, what should I do next besides the obvious? Is there an actual fix for this problem that I haven't read/found yet or when there is one, will i/we be notified? *Tr
In dec. 2005 My driver side power window failed to operate - it will stick and not roll down. After while it will roll up and down as normal. I took the car to dealer mcelveen pontiac, summerville, sc (i had bought this vehicle from this dealer) as it was still under warranty. Dealer found nothing wrong and no work was performed. Above problem continued with driver and passenger side window intermittently normally happened when it was drizzling raining. In dec. 2007 My passenger side power window failed and...
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it will not roll up. It was drizzling when it failed. I took the car to dealer lou sobh pontiac, duluth, ga on 12/13/2007 and got repaired on 12/17/2007. According to dealer passenger side window assembly had failed. Dealer replaced the regulator assembly. Since than both windows are working ok so far. This can cause accident if it is raining and window fails to roll up or in the event of poor visibility (morning with heavy fog or frost on the window) when you want to roll down window to see upcoming traffic before taking left turn. This failure occur at the same time when my rear signal light failed. It turned out that there was electrical problem and socket had melted. Therefore, there is a possibility that these two incidents are related. *Tr
Pontiac Sunfire: every year compared
All Sunfire years2003 Pontiac Sunfire vs rivals
| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Pontiac Sunfire | 85 | 2 | C | |
| 2003 Pontiac Grand AM | 338 | 5 | F | Compare |
| 2003 Pontiac Vibe | 311 | 8 | F | Compare |
| 2003 Pontiac Aztek | 141 | 4 | C | Compare |
| 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix | 119 | 7 | C | Compare |
| 2003 Pontiac Montana | 97 | 7 | D | Compare |
| 2003 Pontiac Bonneville | 67 | 2 | F | Compare |
| 2003 Pontiac Trans Sport | 3 | 0 | A | Compare |
| 2003 Pontiac G6 | 1 | 0 | A | Compare |
More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.
Questions about the 2003 Pontiac Sunfire
Does the 2003 Pontiac Sunfire have any recalls?
Yes - NHTSA lists 2 recalls for the 2003 Pontiac Sunfire: steering (October 2008); turn signal (November 2004). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours has been fixed.
What are the most common problems with the 2003 Pontiac Sunfire?
By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the lights (25), electrical system (24), engine & cooling (14).
How many complaints has the 2003 Pontiac Sunfire had?
85 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on April 4, 2002 and the latest on September 3, 2014. Of these, 5 describe a crash and 2 a fire, and together they report 5 injuries and 0 deaths.
Is the 2003 Pontiac Sunfire a reliable vehicle?
Its Safety Index is 57 out of 100 (grade C: about as many problems as a typical Pontiac Sunfire year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.
Which Pontiac Sunfire years have the most complaints?
1996 (201), 1997 (201), 1998 (127). See every Pontiac Sunfire year compared.
What should I do if my 2003 Pontiac Sunfire has a problem?
If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data