Total Complaints
6 filings
Pontiac Sunbird · model year
1986 Pontiac Sunbird
6 NHTSA complaints. 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
- Complaints
- 6
- Recalls
- 0
The verdict
The 1986 Pontiac Sunbird posts below-average complaint volume among its own model-year siblings.
- Top 50%
- fewest complaints, own model years
- 0
- recall campaigns
The 1986PontiacSunbird carries 6 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 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 1986 Sunbird is steering:rack and pinion with 2 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:engine (2) and latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch (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 1986 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.
6
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
F
PlainCars Safety Score
0/100
1986 Pontiac Sunbird
PlainCars' own composite of NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings and rollover-risk assessment, each dimension normalized against the federal scale or the full national model-year corpus. Not an official NHTSA figure, and not a substitute for a specific vehicle's VIN-level recall check.
NHTSA Overall Rating N/A
Not rated
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program overall crash-test rating.
Front Crash N/A
Not rated
Frontal barrier crash-test rating.
Side Crash N/A
Not rated
Side barrier and pole crash-test rating.
Rollover Resistance N/A
Not rated
Static stability factor + dynamic rollover test rating.
Rollover Risk N/A
Not reported
NHTSA single-vehicle rollover probability, dynamic test.
Crashes Reported
0 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 |
|---|---|
| STEERING:RACK AND PINION | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 2 |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20041110SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
COMPLAINT ABOUT MANFACTURES NEED TO INSTALL BRAKE LINES ON ALL VEHICLES. *BF THE CONSUMER IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE RUSTING OF BRAKE LINES. *TC
19980519ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
WHEN CONSUMER TRIED TO START THE VEHICLE IT WOULD NOT START. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTO BODY SHOP. A MECHANIC STATED THAT THE LOBES ON THE CAMSHAFT WERE WORN OUT, WHICH IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS YEAR AND MODEL. THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED. *AK
19960307ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
HEAD GASKET CONTINUALLY FAILS. *DSH
19960229LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
REAR DOOR WOULD NOT LOCK, WOULD OPEN WITH A PUSH. *DSH
19950720STEERING:RACK AND PINION
THE RACK AND PINION STEERING WILL NOT WORK IN COLD WEATHER, EXCESSIVE EFFORT IS NEEDED TO OPERATE STEERING. TT
19950209STEERING:RACK AND PINION
COLD POWER STEERING. *AK
Compare 1986PontiacSunbird to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Vehicle Safety Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1986 Pontiac Sunbird have?▼
The 1986 Pontiac Sunbird has 6 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1986 Pontiac Sunbird?▼
The most-complained component for the 1986 Pontiac Sunbird is STEERING:RACK AND PINION with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE and LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH.
Is the 1986 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.
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 1986 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.