2003 Pontiac Sunfire Brakes Problems

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. *JS

NHTSA ID

10598342

Incident

Jun 9, 2014

Mileage

123,000 mi

DT: THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING THE BRAKES GRABBED AND LET GO, LIKE A PULSATION. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER THREE TIMES FOR THIS PROBLEM. THE FIRST TIME THE VEHICLE WAS AT THE DEALER THEY TURNED THE ROTORS. THE SECOND TIME THE DEALER CLEANED THE ROTORS. THE THIRD TIME THEY TURNED THE ROTORS FOR THE SECOND TIME. THE BRAKES WORKED, BUT THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE MULTIPLICITY OF TIMES THAT THE ROTORS WERE SERVICED. TWO DIFFERENT DEALERS TOLD THE CONTACT THEY HAVE SEEN THIS PROBLEM A LOT. MANUFACTURER SAID THEY WILL NOT FIX IT UNDER THE WARRANTY AND OFFERED NO HELP AT THEIR EXPENSE. *AK UPDATED 11/15/2005. *NM

NHTSA ID

10140361

Incident

Aug 24, 2004

Mileage

15,857 mi

WHEN EVER THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED, THEY WOULD CAUSE EXCESSIVE VIBRATIONS IN THE VEHICLE. ALSO, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT STOPPING PROPERLY AS IT SHOULD. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS INFORMED BY THE MECHANIC THAT THE FRONT BRAKE ROTORS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *JB *NM

NHTSA ID

10101594

Incident

Sep 22, 2004

WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES CONSUMER HAD ANOTHER DRIVER STAND BEHIND THE VEHICLE AND WATCH FOR THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO COME ON. CONSUMER HAD NO BRAKE LIGHTS. HE DROVE THE VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE BULBS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THIS CAUSED MOISTURE TO BECOME TRAPPED INSIDE. *AK REAR BRAKELIGHTS KEEP FAILING. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP SIX TIMES.

NHTSA ID

10089846

Incident

Aug 26, 2004

Mileage

4,977 mi

WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND HESITATED. ABS BRAKING LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD AND REMAINED ON. THIS CAUSED THE BRAKING SYSTEM TO ACTIVATE AND VEHICLE SKIDDED WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES. CONSUMER DROVE IT TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, BUT MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM.*AK

NHTSA ID

10091992

Incident

Sep 13, 2004

THE BRAKES ON MY 2003 SUNFIRE HAVE BEEN SERVICED 4 TIMES. THE FIRST TIME THEY WERE GRINDING AND I WAS TOL DNOTHING WAS WRONG. THEN 3,000 MILES LATER I WAS BACK IN THE SHOP AND THE BREAKS WERE GROUND. THAT WORKED FOR A LITTLE WHILE BUT NO SOONER WAS I BACK IN THE SHOP AND THE BREAKS WERE COMPLETELY CHANGED. WELL ITS BEEN LESS THEN 4,000 MILES SINCE THAT WAS DONE AND THE BREAKS ARE STARTING TO GRIND AGAIN.*AK

NHTSA ID

10086837

Incident

Jun 9, 2004

WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT, THE HEADLIGHTS FAILED. THIS CAUSED POOR VISIBILITY TO THE DRIVER. THE BRAKES BECAME INOPERATIVE. WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED THE VEHICLE VIBRATES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE DRIVER THAT THE ROTORS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

NHTSA ID

10076101

Incident

Mar 25, 2004

WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER NOTICED SMOKE INSIDE REAR OF VEHICLE. CONSUMER INSPECTED TRUNK, AND DETERMINED THAT LEFT SIDE BRAKE LIGHT SOCKET WAS ON FIRE. *AK *JB

NHTSA ID

10059247

Incident

Jan 22, 2004

Mileage

20,620 mi

FRONT ROTORS ON THE CAR ARE DEFECTIVE. MY CAR WAS BROUGHT IN AT 6000 MILES WITH A COMPLAINT OF WARPED ROTORS CAUSING A VIBRATION UPON BRAKEING. AT THAT TIME I WAS TOLD THE ROTORS "WERE WITHIN SPECS". I BROUGHT THE CAR IN AT 14000 MILES WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT AND THE ROTORS WERE "RESURFACED AND THE PADS WERE BUFFED". I DID NOT RECEIVE THE CAR WITH RESURFACED ROTORS AND BUFFED PADS. THIS HAS BEEN A COMPLAINT SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR IN FEBRUARY 2003. I FEEL SINCE THE CAR CAME WITH A DEFECTIVE PART, THE ROTORS AND THE BRAKE PADS SHOULD BE REPLACED WITH NEW ONES. THIS COULD BE A LIFE THREATING PROBLEM IF THE BRAKES FAIL DUE TO DEFECTIVE ROTORS.*AK

NHTSA ID

10050639

Incident

Dec 16, 2003

Mileage

100 mi

LEFT BLINKER AND BRAKE LIGHTS NOT FUNCTIONING - PURCHASED VEHICLE 5/03 - MILEAGE 2300 MILES.

NHTSA ID

10040953

Incident

Sep 15, 2003

Mileage

2,300 mi

BRAKE ROTORS WARPED AFTER LESS THAN 11,000 MILES OF TRAVEL; 2003 PONTIAC-SUNFIRE PURCHASED ON APRIL 29, 2003. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A BAD BATCH OF BRAKE PARTS OR THE COMPONENT IS EITHER UNDER DESIGNED OR IMPROPERLY SPECIFIED TO WITHSTAND DAY-TO-DAY CITY DRIVING CONDITIONS. A 2001 CHEVROLET-CAVALIER THAT I PREVIOUSLY OWNED EXHIBITED THE SAME INSUFFICIENCY IN IT'S BRAKE ROTORS THAT REQUIRED SERVICING THREE TIMES IN 60,000 MILES OF DRIVING. BOTH OF THESE CARS ARE ESSENTIALLY THE SAME WITH THE EXCEPTION OF TRIMS AND GM DIVISION NAME. THE COST TO RESURFACE SALVAGABLE ROTORS IS APPROXIMATELY $140 AT THE DEALER. IF THEY CAN'T BE RESURFACED THEN THEY HAVE TO BE REPLACED ENTIRELY. LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR RESPONSE.*AK

NHTSA ID

10037291

Incident

Sep 4, 2003

Mileage

11,681 mi