Total Complaints
4 filings
PONTIAC SUNBIRD · model year
1985 PONTIAC SUNBIRD
4 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1985PONTIACSUNBIRD carries 4 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 1 fire, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1985 SUNBIRD is power train:automatic transmission:torque converter with 1 filings, followed by steering: steering wheel/handle bar (1) and engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 17 investigation files overlapping the 1985 SUNBIRD. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
4
Complaints
1
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
1 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:TORQUE CONVERTER | 1 |
| STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 1 |
Recent Complaints
19970627ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
THE OIL PLUG FAILED.
19970527FireENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE. (OHIO STATE POLICE REPORT)
19961010CrashSTEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR
LOST OF STEERING, CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL/ACCIDENT.(OHIO STATE POLICE REPORT)
19951013POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:TORQUE CONVERTER
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION THM 125 METRIC SYSTEM; WHILE DRIVING LOCKING TORQUE CONVERTER WILL SEIZE UP RESULTING IN GEARS FREEZING AND INABILITY TO STOP. TT
Compare 1985PONTIACSUNBIRD to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1985 PONTIAC SUNBIRD have?▼
The 1985 PONTIAC SUNBIRD has 4 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 1 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1985 PONTIAC SUNBIRD?▼
The most-complained component for the 1985 PONTIAC SUNBIRD is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:TORQUE CONVERTER with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE.
Is the 1985 PONTIAC SUNBIRD safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1985 PONTIAC SUNBIRD; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.