The 1988 Pontiac Sunbird has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 14,873 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 4 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
THERE MAY BE POOR BOND ADHESION BETWEEN WINDSHIELD GLASS AND MOUNTING.
WINDSHIELD COULD SEPARATE DURING A 30 MPH FRONTAL BARRIERTEST REQUIRED BY FMVSS 212. SUCH SEPARATION DURING AN ACCIDENT COULD RESULT INAN UNBELTED OCCUPANT BEING EJECTED AND INJURIED.
REINSTALL WINDSHIELD ASSURING PROPER ADHESION.
REAR LAMP WIRING HARNESS MAY CONTAIN OPEN OR INTERMITTENT CIRCUITS AFFECTING BACK UP LAMP OR LICENSE PLATE LAMP OPERATION.
LAMPS WOULD FLASH OR BE INOPERATIVE; CARS WOULD NOTCOMPLY WITH FMVSS 108.
INSTALL NEW WIRING HARNESS.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“The tire was put on at firestone in may of the same year (new), and it blew out my front fender and caused a lot of damage to my car. I payed for a new tire because firestone would not take care of that.*ak (dot number: none tiresize: p21560r-14)”
“Blown engine head gasket, causing smoke to ente rinto vehicle. *ak”
“Power steering fails occasionally. *dh”
“Consumer stated that the wiring in the fuel tank shorted out, causing an electrical spark. Also, when driving the vehicle cuts off without no warning. Dealer refuses to correct the problem. *ak”
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SUMMARY:A CHEVROLET SERVICE BULLETIN DATED JULY 1988 INDICATES THAT BOTHSOCKETS MUST BE REPLACED USING PART NUMBER 5972532.THIS SERVICE STOCKUSES A NEW HEAT RESISTANT MATERIAL.PRODUCTION STOCK WAS ALSO CORRECTEDBEGINNING WITH VINS J7163799 AND JJ187909.===
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Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1988 Pontiac Sunbird as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.