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.
The worst 2003 Pontiac Sunfire problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Lights25
- Electrical23
- Engine10
- Brakes8
- Fuel system7
- Airbags6
- Transmission4
- Visibility4
- Body3
- Locks2
- Seat belts2
- Steering2
- Acceleration1
- Driver assistance1
- Seats1
- Suspension1
- Tires1
- Wheels1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2003 Pontiac Sunfire
Recalls 1
Exterior lighting: turn signal
- What is wrong
- 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.
- 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.
- Remedy
- 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.
Recall number 04V524000 · Recall details
See all 1 recalls for the 2003 Pontiac Sunfire
Defect investigations
Turn signal malfunction
On may 14, 2004 the office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation (pe04-043) based on consumer complaints alleging that the brake/tail turn signal lamps would not operate properly when either the tail lights were turned on, the brake pedal was depressed, or when the turn signal switch was activated.on september 14, 2004 odi upgraded pe 04-043 to an engineering analysis (ea04-028).gm states that some brake/tail/turn signal lamp bulbs can prematurely become inoperative due to excessive heat buildup within the bulb sockets.the cause of the excessive heat build up was determined to be a lack of thermal grease placed in between the bulb and the socket. By letter dated october 27, 2004 gm notified the federal safety agency that it will conduct a safety recall (the federal safety agency # 04v524) covering all my 2003 vehicles.gm dealers will inspect the rear lamp bulb socket assemblies and apply thermal grease to them or replace them with new assemblies with thermal grease already attached.model year 2004 and newer vehicles have the thermal grease installed from the factory. The action taken by gm is sufficient to resolve the issues raised by this investigation.accordingly, this investigation is closed.
EA04028
Turn signal malfunction
Complainants allege that the rear turn signals fail to illuminate and do not provide a signal to drivers in following vehicles.odi has received one report of a crash where the complainant braked and attempted to make a left turn and the following vehicle impacted the complainant's vehicle in the driver-side door.in may 2002, gm's supplier made changes to the bulb socket that included stopping the use of thermal-mastic grease in the bulb socket.gm reports that the grease reduces arcing at the contacts and dissipates heat thus preventing melting of the socket material or burning of the contacts.most of the subject vehicles were produced without grease applied to the bulb socket.in june 2003, gm directed the supplier to resume the use of grease in the socket.gm issued technical service bulletin (tsb) 04-08-42-004a on july 15, 2004 advising technicians to make sure that adequate amounts of grease were added to the bulb sockets on all service parts.odi will upgrade this investigation to ea 04-028 to further examine the issue.
PE04043
Technical service bulletins for the 2003 Pontiac Sunfire 457
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- This PI communicates the requirement to provide a pico file to receive diagnostic assistance from TAC.
- This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on OnStar Module 2G Sunset Information.
- This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have...
- This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating...
- This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that the...
- This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about changing the tire...
- Vehicle Wide Programming (VWP) is a new process to update software on GM Vehicles
- This bulletin provides information for use on a Product Assistance Claim (PAC), which is formerly known as...
- This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Service Programming System (SPS)...
- This Warranty Administration bulletin provides retail and wholesale service personnel with the...
2003 Pontiac Sunfire fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.2L 4‑cyl | FWD | 21-22 | 30 | 25 |
What 2003 Pontiac Sunfire owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
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 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
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 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.
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.
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 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.
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. 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.
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.
Compare the 2003 Pontiac Sunfire
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Questions about the 2003 Pontiac Sunfire
Is the 2003 Pontiac Sunfire reliable?
Owners have filed 72 complaints about the 2003 Pontiac Sunfire, close to a typical Sunfire model year.
What is the 2003 Pontiac Sunfire year score?
The 2003 Pontiac Sunfire scores 73 out of 100 (average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Pontiac Sunfire: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2003 Pontiac Sunfire?
Lights, with 25 complaints, typically around 18,000 miles. Next is electrical (23).
How many recalls does the 2003 Pontiac Sunfire have?
1 recall, covering exterior lighting.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Pontiac Sunfire lights?
Yes, 1 recall: 04V524000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Pontiac Sunfire have the most lights problems?
The Pontiac Sunfire model years with the most lights complaints are 2003 (25 complaints), 1996 (17 complaints) and 1997 (11 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 2003 Pontiac Sunfire get?
Official estimates for the 2003 Pontiac Sunfire range from 25 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.2L 4-cyl, FWD) gets 21-22 city and 30 highway.
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