The 1999 Pontiac Sunfire has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 1,421,815 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 128 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES. IF THE ENGINE FAILS TO START AND THE DRIVER HOLDS THE KEY IN THE "START" POSITION FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD, HIGH CURRENT FLOWS THROUGH THE IGNITION SWITCH, AND SOMETIMES PRODUCES ENOUGH HEAT TO MELT INTERNAL SWITCH PARTS.
Consequence
IF THE SWITCH IS DAMAGED, A FIRE COULD OCCUR IN THE STEERING COLUMN, EVEN WITH THE ENGINE OFF AND THE KEY REMOVED. THE FIRE COULD SPREAD TO THE INTERIOR OF THE CAR, WHICH COULD INJURE OCCUPANTS OR CAUSE DAMAGE TO ADJOINING STRUCTURES.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A RELAY KIT IN THESE VEHICLES TO PREVENT HIGH CURRENT FROM FLOWING THROUGH THE IGNITION SWITCH, AND CHECK THAT YOUR CAR WILL START WITH A PROPERLY CHARGED BATTERY AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE IGNITION SWITCH. OWNER NOTIFICATION WILL BEGIN ON MARCH 1, 2004. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO…
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE VEHICLES DO NOT COMPLY WITH REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 101, "CONTROL LOCATION, IDENTIFICATION, AND ILLUMINATION." THE INSTRUMENT PANEL BACKLIGHTING MAY NOT FUNCTION AFTER ADJUSTING THE INTERIOR LIGHT INTENSITY.
Consequence
IF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL IS NOT LIT AT NIGHT, THE DRIVER MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SEE THE CONTROLS AND DISPLAYS.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL TEST THE BODY CONTROL MODULE, AND IF NECESSARY, REPLACE IT.
Complaints by component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
7
3fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
7
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
6
4crashes2injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
5
1fires
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
5
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
5
AIR BAGS
4
2crashes1injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
4
STEERING
4
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
3
Total complaints128
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“I was purchasing this used car from a dealer. They replaced the ignition assembly 3 times. The car would mysteriously shut off, the ignition assembly would not allow the key to be removed and multiple times this happened. I lost allot of money I put on the car as it became obvious they could not…”
“I was purchasing this used car from a dealer. They replaced the ignition assembly 3 times. The car would mysteriously shut off, the ignition assembly would not allow the key to be removed and multiple times this happened. I lost allot of money I put on the car as it became obvious they could not…”
“I was purchasing this used car from a dealer. They replaced the ignition assembly 3 times. The car would mysteriously shut off, the ignition assembly would not allow the key to be removed and multiple times this happened. I lost allot of money I put on the car as it became obvious they could not…”
“I was driving the car just after I purchased it and became cold so I turned on the heater and within 30 seconds smoke filled the car. I thought the engine was on fire. It smelled like burning oil or gas. I called delphi about recalls and before I could finish a sentence the man cut me off saying…”
“I was driving the car just after I purchased it and became cold so I turned on the heater and within 30 seconds smoke filled the car. I thought the engine was on fire. It smelled like burning oil or gas. I called delphi about recalls and before I could finish a sentence the man cut me off saying…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1999 pontiac sunfire. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph, the vehicle decelerated. The contact was able to safely maneuver to the shoulder and shut the vehicle off. The vehicle would not restart. The vehicle was then towed to a dealer for diagnosis. The dealer…”
“The instrumental panel on my 1999 pontiac sunfire recently started functioning erratically I.e. Gauges (gas gauge, temperature gauge, speedometer) would start fluctuating wildly. Local pontiac dealership has diagnosed the vehicle as having a defective (or burned out) instrumental panel cluster. I…”
“The instrumental panel on my 1999 pontiac sunfire recently started functioning erratically I.e. Gauges (gas gauge, temperature gauge, speedometer) would start fluctuating wildly. Local pontiac dealership has diagnosed the vehicle as having a defective (or burned out) instrumental panel cluster. I…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1999 Pontiac Sunfire as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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