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Pontiac Sunfire Fuel System, Other Safety Report | Dec 29, 2003
Reported on Dec 29, 2003
| THIS CONCERNS THE FUEL SYSTEM ON '98 (AND SIMILAR YEAR) PONTIAC SUNFIRES. ON DECEMBER 29, 2003 THIS VEHICLE WAS TAKEN IN FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE IN-LINE FUEL FILTER. THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN LOSING ACCELERATION AND HAS 78,000 MILES ON IT. IT WAS TAKEN TO A PONTIAC DEALER FOR THE SERVICE. THE FILTER IS CONNECTED TO THE FUEL LINE WITH A 'SNAP' FITTING. UPON TRYING TO SERVICE THE FILTER, EITHER THE DEALER BROKE THE SNAP FITTING OR THE PREVIOUS OWNER HAD DAMAGED IT (VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED WITH 45,000 MILES ON IT, AND THERE WERE NO LEAKS SO I SUSPECT THAT IT WASN'T DAMAGED). ALSO, THERE WAS A FAIR AMOUNT OF CORROSION ON AND IN THE FITTING. IN THE END, THE FILTER COULD NOT BE REPLACED WITHOUT CORRECTING THE 'SNAP' FITTING. TO MY SURPRISE THE FUEL LINE COULD NOT BE REPLACED AS A SEPARATE PIECE, YOU HAVE TO PURCHASE THE ENTIRE FUEL DELIVERY MODULE. THIS COST (WITH THE TECHNICIAN TIME) WAS $ 425 VS. $50 FOR A FILTER REPLACEMENT. IT WOULD SEEM TO ME THAT SINCE THE FILTER IS A CRITICAL PART OF THE SYSTEM (A CLOGGED FILTER COULD RESULT IN VEHICLE STALLS AND/OR NO STARTS, EMISSION ISSUES ETC.) THAT IT SHOULD HAVE SOME SORT OF REASONABLE WAY TO REPLACE IT WITHOUT PAYING FOR AN ENTIRE MODULE THAT WAS NOT NEEDED. THE FILTER IS A RECOMMENDED SERVICE ITEM. *AK | |
| Make: | Pontiac |
| Model: | Sunfire |
| Manufactured by: | General Motors LLC |
| Year: | 1998 |
| Was a crash reported? | N |
| Was an injury reported? | |
| Was a death reported? | |
| Was a fire reported? | N |
| Location: | LIVONIA MI |
| Vehicle Identification Number (VIN): | 1G2JB1248W7 |
| Mileage: | 78150 miles. |
| Speed: | 0 MPH |
| Number of cylinders: | 4 |
| Vehicle type: | FWD |
| Vehicle fuel: | GAS Fuel injection. |
| Was a police report filed? | N |
| Tire size: | |
| Dealer name and location: | |
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