The 2004 Pontiac Sunfire has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 37 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 41 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SEAT BELTS04V3000002004-06-2337 affected
Defect
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 210, 'SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY ANCHORAGES.' THE PASSENGER-SIDE REAR SAFETY BELT MAY HAVE BEEN INSTALLED WITH AN INCORRECT NUT AND BOLT.
Consequence
IN A SEVERE CRASH, THE UPPER SEAT BELT ANCHORAGE MAY SEPARATE. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE SEAT BELT COULD THEN BE REDUCED AND THE OCCUPANT COULD RECEIVE GREATER INJURIES.
Remedy
DEALERS ARE TO INSPECT THE SAFETY BELT ANCHORAGE AND INSTALL A NEW NUT AND BOLT, IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 23, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438 AND PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668.
Complaints by component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
7
1fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
6
ENGINE
3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
2
STRUCTURE:BODY
2
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
2
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH
1
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL:AUTOMATIC (ASC)
1
1crashes1injuries
Total complaints41
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“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…”
“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.”
“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…”
“Bought car used in 2013. Everything seemed to be okay until 9/12/14 when the theft system service light came on and I noticed the speedometer, rpms, and gas indicators were not reading - car began stalling like it was going to shut down. I was traveling about 50 to 55 mph on a busy street. After…”
“Bought car used in 2013. Everything seemed to be okay until 9/12/14 when the theft system service light came on and I noticed the speedometer, rpms, and gas indicators were not reading - car began stalling like it was going to shut down. I was traveling about 50 to 55 mph on a busy street. After…”
“Bought car used in 2013. Everything seemed to be okay until 9/12/14 when the theft system service light came on and I noticed the speedometer, rpms, and gas indicators were not reading - car began stalling like it was going to shut down. I was traveling about 50 to 55 mph on a busy street. After…”
“Vehicle was driven and parked for the evening. In the morning went to start the vehicle and vehicle would not start. Multiple attempts were tried to start. New starter installed and still no success to start. Vehicle was towed to repair shop. After evaluation it was found the timing chains had…”
“Vehicle was driven and parked for the evening. In the morning went to start the vehicle and vehicle would not start. Multiple attempts were tried to start. New starter installed and still no success to start. Vehicle was towed to repair shop. After evaluation it was found the timing chains had…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2004 Pontiac Sunfire as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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