FaultScore

Pontiac Sunbird vs Ford F-550 SD

Both cars' complete complaint records, side by side.

Read the totals carefully. NHTSA publishes no sales figures, so the car that sold more collects more complaints regardless of quality. The rows worth weighing are the proportions — the share of complaints that involved harm, and which part dominates.

Measure Pontiac Sunbird Ford F-550 SD
Complaints on file 254 613
Model years covered 1979–2000 1997–2026
Worst model year 1999
Best model year 2005
Crashes reported 37 16
Fires reported 16 45
Injuries reported 25 21
Deaths reported 0 1
Most complained-about part Brakes Fuel & Propulsion
Share of complaints involving harm 30.7% 13.5%

Pontiac Sunbird by year

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Brakes 46 18.1%
Engine & Cooling 45 17.7%
Seat Belts 19 7.5%
Steering 16 6.3%
Acceleration & Cruise Control 16 6.3%
Transmission & Drivetrain 15 5.9%
Body & Structure 12 4.7%

Ford F-550 SD by year

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Fuel & Propulsion 185 30.2%
Engine & Cooling 107 17.5%
Tires 63 10.3%
Brakes 31 5.1%
Wheels 26 4.2%
Suspension 20 3.3%