Tl*the contact owns a 1996 pontiac sunfire. Within a week of purchasing the vehicle, it began overheating. In addition, the headlights would remain illuminated when the vehicle was turned off, wiper fluid was leaking, and the muffler made a loud noise. The contact has not been able to reach the dealer since the vehicle was purchased. The failure mileage was 136,050. Updated 10/03/08 *bf updated 10/06/08.
1996 Pontiac Sunfire: engine overheating
6 of the 201 complaints about the 1996 Pontiac Sunfire describe engine overheating.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 17 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below
Engine overheating by model year
- 20052
- 20031
- 20022
- 20003
- 19991
- 19983
- 19972
- 19966
- 19957
What owners say
The vehicle was parked and the consumer noticed oil was leaking from underneath the vehicle. The consumer had taken the vehicle to the dealer for analysis and the mechanic noticed that the head gasket needed to be replaced due to deterioration. *ak the vehicle had also been losing coolant for the past year and exhibited a coolant smell. *sc
While traveling on the highway the vehicle overheated. The check engine and check engine gauge light appear on the dashboard. Please provide additional infromation. Dealer is aware of the vehicle. Ts
Engine runs hot at the very top of the gauge just before the over-heating mark on the gauge. Losing coolant. Car some times has trouble starting and back-fires. Water pump had to be replaced at 43,000 miles as it had a hole in it and was leaking. Oil leaks in several places, oil coming out of exhaust pipe, check engine light keeps coming on. Replaced gasket between the transmission and engine due leaks. Currently, the clutch sticks intermittently and I sometimes can't get the transmission to go into reverse. Had to replace high-pressure power steering pump due to leaks. Electrical system currently has a problem whereby I can't turn on the car alarm, the sensor alarms don't function right, drivers-side window only works intermittently and I've burned-out about 5 fues in six months. Driver's leather seats ripped at the sewed ribbing at around 15,000. The trunk hydraulic lift pumps stopped working at 25,000 miles, and the trunk-lid wouldn't stay up and it's a heavy trunk lid to hold open and try to put something it at the same time. Back-up lights stopped working at 10,000 miles. Driver's-side seatbelt is twisted, and the seat casing holder for the seat adjustment broke-off. There has always been a rattle in the right rear trunk area?
Coolant seeping from engine area. Suspect defective head gasket. Noticed problem on august 8, 2000 after coming back to parked car in two hours. I am the original owner and the car has never overheated.
Harness overheats/melts and shorts out switch, making headlights inoperable. This is my second repair in a year.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Expanded Availability for Remanufacture and Return (R&R) Electronic Control Modules
- Some owners may comment on leakage of a few drops of coolant after parking their vehicle
- Some customers may experience a failure of the cylinder head gasket leading to external coolant leaks from...
- Voluntary emission campaign involving vehicles exhibiting symptons resulting in the illumination of the...
- Information regarding additional corrections from privious campaign 99088, conditions that concern rough...
- Vehicles exhibit symptoms resulting in the illumination of the check engine light or the engine running...
- Comments that a metallic noise or cold rap heard on cold exhaust system
- Comments that a metallic noise on cold exhaust systems
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 1996 Pontiac Sunfire overheating
Is engine overheating a common problem on the 1996 Pontiac Sunfire?
6 of 201 owner complaints about the 1996 Pontiac Sunfire (3%) mention engine overheating. The model year with the most reports is 1995.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1996 Pontiac Sunfire?
There are 0 recalls and 17 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1996 Pontiac Sunfire
Headlights 14ABS 11Won't start 10Fire or smoke 8Wipers 8Brake failure 7No deployment 6Fuel pump 6Stalling 6Check engine light 5
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