2004 Pontiac Sunfire problems & reliability
32 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2004 Pontiac Sunfire, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2004 Pontiac Sunfire vehicles were involved in 11 fatal crashes with 9 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System → | 16 | 50% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 13% |
| Engine | 3 | 9% |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 9% |
| Structure | 3 | 9% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 6% |
| Unknown OR Other | 2 | 6% |
| Air Bags | 1 | 3% |
| Electronic Stability Control | 1 | 3% |
| Equipment | 1 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 14 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 24 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 53,275 miles (middle 50% between 29,000 and 86,750 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“While driving my 2004 pontiac sunfire, I had to hold the steering wheel to the left in order for it to go straight. I thought I might need a front end alignment and dropped the car off at my neighborhood firestone dealer that normally works on my cars. After checking the car, they called me and said the frame of the…”
Structure · filed Aug 13, 2020
“The inner ignition lock needs to be changed about every 60,000 miles. You can't turn the key over at all so obviously you can't start your car. This should be a recall, alot of other people have the same problem.”
Unknown OR Other · filed Aug 15, 2017
“My daughter left home and the vehicle frame, of the 2004 pontiac sunfire,broke in two parts while she was driving the vehicle. The tow truck driver said it broke due to it rusted into two parts. She was not injured but the car of course was inoperable. There was no wreck or accident for the frame of this vehicle to…”
Structure · filed May 12, 2015
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
461 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2004 Pontiac Sunfire. The 10 most recent:
This PI communicates the requirement to provide a pico file to receive diagnostic assistance from TAC.
PIP5601C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 18, 2025
This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on OnStar Module 2G Sunset Information.
23-NA-001 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 28, 2025
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have an unusual noise and is difficult to identify, isolate or pinpoint. Technician should get record a sound clip or…
PIP5358D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 20, 2025
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 25, 2024
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that the Heater-Vent-Air Conditioning blows warm air. Before calling General Motors Technical Assistance Center technician…
PIT5099H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 12, 2024
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that the Heater-Vent-Air Conditioning blows warm air. Before calling General Motors Technical Assistance Center technician…
PIT5099H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 12, 2024
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about changing the tire and wheel size on vehicles. General Motors will only support a tire calibration for tires that have been sized…
PIT3271P · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 6, 2024
Vehicle Wide Programming (VWP) is a new process to update software on GM Vehicles. It provides the ability via a single selection within Techline Connect to first identify which modules need updating and then proceed to…
General Communication · Service Campaign · issued Aug 26, 2024
This bulletin provides information for use on a Product Assistance Claim (PAC), which is formerly known as a Product Allegation Resolution (PAR) claim.
18-NA-099 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 17, 2024
This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Service Programming System (SPS) Error Codes E4398, E4399, E4401, E4403, M4404, M4413, M6954, M6955, E4414, E4423, E4491, E4492, or E6961 and…
24-NA-098 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 6, 2024
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2004 Pontiac Sunfire has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2004 Pontiac Sunfire?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 53,275 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.