GM Passlock question

I have a 2000 Pontiac Sunfire which is showing signs of a problem with the
Passlock Vehicle Theft Deterrent system. The car refused to start for several minutes the other night. I finally ran the auto gear shift from one end to the other, cranked it and it started immediately with no dash problem indicator lights on. The next day I started the car and after a few minutes it lit up the 'service vehicle soon' light and the Passlock light on steady.
The next start everything is normal.
A couple of questions.
Is the gear shift on the automatic tied in with the Passlock system in any way or was it just a fluke it started after I ran it through the gears?
I don't have time to take the car in for service right now; if I lock the doors manually; not using the FOB is the Passlock on the ignition switch effectively disabled?

The gear shifter does not affect the Passlock system. It also is not affected by the way in which you lock the doors (only the alarm, if equipped, is).

Thr passlock is tied into the starter and fuel injectors, not the shifter. You have a possible problem with the neutral safety switch (on shifter), or it was just a coincidence. GM has some trouble with the passlock wires on the ignition switch breaking in the mid-late
90's. Don't know if that is your problem, but it was common.

Locking the doors with or without the fob has no effect on passlock.
Passlock is thru the key and computer only.

You have a malfunction pass lock system if while you are driving the security light comes on which it usually do a few minutes after you start the car or while you are driving, whenever it wont start just wait 10 to 15 minutes and it will reset itself, however you will have to put it in the shop sooner or later, the pass lock module is what malfunctioning you might also have to change the ignition switch, good luck to all GM owners you definitely need it.

Romie35, welcome to the forum You don't seem to value GM very much?

You got that right: laugh: I got a Jimmy so I know, I have had Toyota’s, Honda’s, Nissan’s but my wife choose to buy a GM and that’s the time we know how much trouble a vehicle can give. Don’t get me wrong there are some GM that I love like the older models (Muscle cars).

I see... a declination in quality you would say from previous times. I never had a MG so couldn't comment on that. But, apart for their performance, I do think they got some great looking models. What model does your wife own?

My wife have a 98 GMC JIMMY the catalytic converter start making a rattling noise we had to change wheel bearings two years ago and that needs changing now the wiper motor had to change twice the rear wiper now stop working today the mirror fell in my lop the sending unit stop working so we have no clue as to how much gas we have in the tank, I don't know if it is just the one we have or they are all like that but it takes extra effort to honk the horn that’s a tuff horn I tell you the pass lock system malfunction, I now have a 91 Honda accord and a dodge spirit the spirit doesn’t backs up and I am doing a total overall on the Honda, so we have only the GMC to use right now, last Saturday I wanted to take my wife out for dinner and a movie and the truck would not start it never start until about 12:15 Sunday morning, how about that, the security light keep flashing and the truck decided it would not start until Sunday morning. Those are some of the stuff I don’t like, but whenever I lift that hood and that motor is running it sounds so good I love some things about the truck, I still say GM just need to spend a little more time at the drawing board and when they produce a vehicle with a flaws the should not let the customer pay's for the repair.

O I agree with you. But that would count for any vehicle I think. Although there are companies that actually do such things, but I forgot which they were. I remember a company having faults in it's latest production line and the customers were all called back to change their cars to new ones and their old ones would be repaired and re-sold. If only I could remember which car that was

I know the 2007 Nissan Altima had a problem and they call them in and change them for newer models, that's good customer service but almost every one I meet either have that problem with there GM or had it before, the Malibu, the Blazer the Jimmy, the Impala etc you name them from the 98 models and up, the dealers making a lot of money repairing these vehicles and that isn't fair to the customers, I know of some one who bought a 2007 Equinox last year and had the same problem but it was still under warranty the next time that happen the money to pay for it may come out of her pocket because the warranty might expired then now look at that a couple month old car and it has that problem already that is to show that this is a factory fault, but who's going to do some thing about it? I do love the appearance of the new rides GM is coming out with now but the durability dose not pleases me. To show you I am not a fanatic for Honda's, I love Honda with a passion but the 2008 Accord I'll pass on that one, I don't know who Honda get to design that one but it dose not hold up the Honda Flag at all, the first time I see one from the rear I thought it was a Saturn, those Accord really looks cheap. But I will wait to see what 2009 looks like Honda always bounce back from the drawing board.

Yeah, that's right Honda learns from its mistakes. Usually