AI DamagePontiac Vibe: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Pontiac Vibe across 13 model years: 1,869 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 54% of all complaints
- 2 Visibility 10% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 7% of all complaints
- 4 Vehicle speed control 6% of all complaints
- 5 Engine and cooling 5% of all complaints
- 6 Electrical system 5% of all complaints
- 7 Engine 3% of all complaints
- 8 Structure 3% of all complaints
- Air bags: 1,013 complaints (54% of all), 66 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Visibility: 195 complaints (10% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 136 complaints (7% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Vehicle speed control: 118 complaints (6% of all), 24 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 101 complaints (5% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 1.8 L · petrol · 4 cyl 2003–2010named in 10 complaints
- 2.4 L · petrol · 4 cyl 2009–2010named in 9 complaints
- automatic, 4-speed 2003–2010
- automatic, 5-speed 2009–2010
- manual, 5-speed 2003–2010named in 24 complaints
- manual, 6-speed 2003–2006named in 24 complaints
Drive: FWD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 1,869 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 1,013 | 66 | 0 |
| Visibility | 195 | 2 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 136 | 2 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 118 | 24 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 101 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 96 | 3 | 0 |
| Engine | 65 | 4 | 0 |
| Structure | 63 | 6 | 0 |
| Steering | 58 | 5 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 52 | 9 | 0 |
| Tires | 27 | 3 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 25 | 8 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 18 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The Highway Patrol was called to the scene. The wife was unable to exit the vehicle due to the damage to the front driver's door from the crash. They had to be forcefully opened by the emergency personnel.
The contact spoke with a certified mechanic who informed them that the Forward Collision Avoidance feature seemed to fail due to other safety features in the vehicle not activating and preventing the crash.
Air bags failed to deploy and vehicle is not available for inspection. Vehicle was a total loss and is in the proces of becoming proprty of Copart.com for auction (I assume). I hit my head very hard from the T-bone type of collision and my side airbags did not deploy.
The secondary hood latch mechanism appears to be extremely rusted and stuck in the "open" position. I am aware the NHTSA has issued a recall for a similar defect in the past (Nissan affecting 1.9 million vehicles).
Airbags did not deploy at dashboard nor did seat belt lock upon impact. Vehicle underwent airbag inflator replacement may 24th 2018 per recall #17477 parts 77204 as listed on repair invoice.
The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a salvage yard where it was deemed destroyed. The manufacturer and dealer were not notified of the failure. There were no injuries. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000. The vin was invalid.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Visibility. Wipers, mirrors, defrosters, cracked glass.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
Other models of this make
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.