2003 Pontiac Sunfire Engine Problems

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

NHTSA ID

10630444

Incident

Jul 3, 2014

Mileage

180,000 mi

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.

NHTSA ID

10626382

Incident

Aug 1, 2010

Mileage

98,000 mi

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

NHTSA ID

10295015

Incident

Nov 27, 2009

Mileage

80,000 mi

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED INTERMITTENTLY, THE VEHICLE STALLED WHILE DRIVING. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS WHEN THIS OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS PUT IN NEUTRAL THEN RESTARTED. THE DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. ALSO, THE CLUTCH FAILED ON THE VEHICLE TWICE. THE FIRST TIME OCCURRED WHILE PARKED AND THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE CLUTCH PIN. THE SECOND TIME, 3 MONTHS LATER, WHILE DRIVING THE CLUTCH WENT TO THE FLOOR. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A MECHANIC WHERE IT IS CURRENTLY BEING REPAIRED.

NHTSA ID

10150782

Incident

Feb 21, 2006

Mileage

87,000 mi

DT: BOUGHT VEHICLE BRAND NEW AND IT HAS BEEN IN THE REPAIR SHOP 15 TIMES FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. IT IS DYING AT RANDOM FOR NO REASON AND WILL NOT START BACK. SOMETIMES IT TAKES UP TO 20 MINUTES OR LONGER BEFORE IT WILL RESTART. MECHANIC HAD NO IDEA WHY THIS PROBLEM HAPPENED. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO DIFFERENT DEALERSHIP, BUT NO ONE COULD FIGURE THIS OUT. TWO WEEKS AGO THE CAR WAS SUBJECTED TO A PRESSURIZED TEST. CONSUMER HAS THE CAR TOWED ON 5-31-2005 BECAUSE IT DIED, AND DID RESTART. THERE HAVE BEEN LOTS OF PROBLEMS TO TRY TO CORRECT, BUT NOTHING WORKED. THE CAR WAS KEPT AT THE DEALER FOR UP TO TWO WEEKS AT A TIME.*AK

NHTSA ID

10122557

Incident

Jun 12, 2003

Mileage

15 mi

NUMEROUS OF FAILURES;AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON, CLUTCH STICKS TO FLOOR, CAR DOESN'T WANT TO START. *BF THE TURN SIGNALS AND LIGHTS HAD GONE OUT, IT WOULD TAKE A COUPLE OF ATTEMPTS TO START THE VEHICLE, THERE WERE TIMES WHERE THE VEHICLE WOULD START ON IT'S OWN WITHOUT THE TURN OF THE KEY, THE VEHICLE USED AN EXTREME AMOUNT OF GAS, THE DASH WOULD RATTLE, THE ENGINE WOULD GROWL, THE DASH MADE A SOUND LIKE THE SPEAKER WAS BLOWN, THERE WAS A BURNING SMELL IN THE STEREO AND THERE WAS A THUMPING NOISE WHEN TURNING THE VEHICLE. (2003 PONTIAC SUNFIRE) *SC

NHTSA ID

10109784

Incident

Dec 1, 2004

VEHICLE INTERMITTENTLY STALL ON THE HIGHWAY WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER EIGHT TIMES AND STILL HASN'T FOUND THE PROBLEM. *LA SINCE THE LAST CORRESPONDENCE THE CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WHEN HER VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DIFFERENT DEALER WHO INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT A SERVICE BULLETIN HAD BEEN ISSUED IN NOVEMBER 2003 REGARDING THIS PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER WAS NEVER NOTIFIED OF A RECALL FROM THE OTHER DEALER. *NM

NHTSA ID

10071957

Incident

Jan 20, 2004

Mileage

14,000 mi

REAR TURN SIGNAL BULBS BLEW OUT THREE TIMES BECAUSE OF A MALFUNCTION IN THE SOCKET. ALSO, EXHAUST FUMES ENTERED THE PASSENGER CABIN AFTER DRIVING FOR A PERIOD OF THIRTY MINUTES. DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE OR DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. *AK

NHTSA ID

10063539

Mileage

10,000 mi

REAR SEAT IS BROKEN RUNK LATCH IS BROKEN. WARRANTY WAS NOT HONORED. *AK

NHTSA ID

10055160

Incident

May 17, 2003

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. VEHICLE HAD BEEN REPAIRED THREE TIMES. *AK

NHTSA ID

10048178

Incident

Nov 7, 2003

Mileage

58,000 mi