2009 PONTIAC VIBE — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 526 complaints · 9 recalls
Most-reported system: AIR BAGS (342 complaints · 65.0%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 23
  • Fires 2
  • Injuries 10
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2008 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution AIR BAGS appears in 342 of 526 owner complaints (65.0%) in this vehicle snapshot. AIR BAGS: 342 complaints, 65.0% of reports AIR BAGS 342 · 65.0% · 5 crash reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 47 complaints, 8.9% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 47 · 8.9% · 12 crash reports ENGINE: 31 complaints, 5.9% of reports ENGINE 31 · 5.9% · 1 crash reports STEERING: 28 complaints, 5.3% of reports STEERING 28 · 5.3% SERVICE BRAKES: 14 complaints, 2.7% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 14 · 2.7% · 1 crash reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 12 complaints, 2.3% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 12 · 2.3% · 1 fire reports POWER TRAIN: 11 complaints, 2.1% of reports POWER TRAIN 11 · 2.1% · 1 crash reports VISIBILITY: 11 complaints, 2.1% of reports VISIBILITY 11 · 2.1% · 1 crash reports 1 fire reports WHEELS: 5 complaints, 1.0% of reports WHEELS 5 · 1.0% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 57 complaints, 10.8% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 57 · 10.8% · 11 crash reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
AIR BAGS 342 65.0% 5 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 47 8.9% 12 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 31 5.9% 1 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 28 5.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 14 2.7% 1 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 12 2.3% 0 crashes · 1 fires
POWER TRAIN 11 2.1% 1 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 11 2.1% 1 crashes · 1 fires
WHEELS 5 1.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 57 10.8% 11 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Oct 2008; the first recall shown was reported in Aug 2009. 2008-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2009-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q1: 41 owner reports 41 2010-Q2: 13 owner reports 13 2010-Q3: 10 owner reports 10 2010-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2011-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2011-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2011-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2012-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2012-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2014-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2014-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2014-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2014-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2015-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2015-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2015-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2015-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2016-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q3: 21 owner reports 21 2016-Q4: 42 owner reports 42 2017-Q1: 26 owner reports 26 2017-Q2: 76 owner reports 76 2017-Q3: 56 owner reports 56 2017-Q4: 101 owner reports 101 2018-Q1: 15 owner reports 15 2018-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2018-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2018-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2019-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2019-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2019-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2019-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2023-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 2008 Jan 2025 Recall campaign 09V392000 ◆ Recall campaign 09V392000 Recall campaign 10V018000 ◆ Recall campaign 10V018000 Recall campaign 10V024000 ◆ Recall campaign 10V024000 Recall campaign 12V491000 ◆ Recall campaign 12V491000 Recall campaign 14V168000 ◆ Recall campaign 14V168000 Recall campaign 15V689000 ◆ Recall campaign 15V689000 Recall campaign 16V340000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V340000 Recall campaign 17V006000 ◆ Recall campaign 17V006000 Recall campaign 18V024000 ◆ Recall campaign 18V024000 Investigation AQ10001 ● Investigation AQ10001 Investigation EA21002 ● Investigation EA21002
  • Campaign 12V491000 was reported 961 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 14V168000 was reported 1,512 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 15V689000 was reported 2,068 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 16V340000 was reported 2,287 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 17V006000 was reported 2,518 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 18V024000 was reported 2,883 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2008-Q4 Owner reports 1
2009-Q1 Owner reports 3
2009-Q3 Owner reports 1
2009-Q4 Owner reports 1
2010-Q1 Owner reports 41
2010-Q2 Owner reports 13
2010-Q3 Owner reports 10
2010-Q4 Owner reports 3
2011-Q1 Owner reports 3
2011-Q3 Owner reports 7
2011-Q4 Owner reports 3
2012-Q1 Owner reports 6
2012-Q2 Owner reports 1
2012-Q4 Owner reports 2
2013-Q1 Owner reports 2
2013-Q2 Owner reports 3
2014-Q1 Owner reports 4
2014-Q2 Owner reports 8
2014-Q3 Owner reports 6
2014-Q4 Owner reports 7
2015-Q1 Owner reports 5
2015-Q2 Owner reports 5
2015-Q3 Owner reports 5
2015-Q4 Owner reports 6
2016-Q1 Owner reports 3
2016-Q2 Owner reports 2
2016-Q3 Owner reports 21
2016-Q4 Owner reports 42
2017-Q1 Owner reports 26
2017-Q2 Owner reports 76
2017-Q3 Owner reports 56
2017-Q4 Owner reports 101
2018-Q1 Owner reports 15
2018-Q2 Owner reports 4
2018-Q3 Owner reports 4
2018-Q4 Owner reports 4
2019-Q1 Owner reports 4
2019-Q2 Owner reports 2
2019-Q3 Owner reports 2
2019-Q4 Owner reports 2
2020-Q1 Owner reports 2
2020-Q2 Owner reports 2
2020-Q3 Owner reports 2
2022-Q3 Owner reports 1
2023-Q1 Owner reports 1
2023-Q2 Owner reports 1
2023-Q3 Owner reports 3
2023-Q4 Owner reports 1
2024-Q2 Owner reports 1
2024-Q4 Owner reports 1
2025-Q1 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 09V392000
Recall campaign 1 10V018000
Recall campaign 1 10V024000
Recall campaign 1 12V491000
Recall campaign 1 14V168000
Recall campaign 1 15V689000
Recall campaign 1 16V340000
Recall campaign 1 17V006000
Recall campaign 1 18V024000
Defect investigation 1 AQ10001
Defect investigation 1 EA21002
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (9)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09V392000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    THIS COULD LEAD TO AN INCREASE IN VEHICLE STOPPING DISTANCE AND A CRASH COULD OCCUR.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL MODIFY THE BRAKE VACUUM LINE FREE OF CHARGE. A SPECIAL ADVISORY LETTER WILL BE SENT TO OWNERS OF VEHICLES REGISTERED IN ALL OTHER STATES IN THE SAME TIME FRAME. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE OCTOBER 23, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668 OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 10V018000

    Report date
    Component:
    VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
    Consequence:
    THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL MAY BECOME HARD TO DEPRESS, SLOW TO RETURN TO IDLE, OR, IN THE WORST CASE, MECHANICALLY STUCK IN A PARTIALLY DEPRESSED POSITION, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL A REINFORCEMENT BAR IN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WHICH WILL ALLOW THE PEDAL TO OPERATE SMOOTHLY. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN EARLY FEBRUARY AND BE COMPLETED IN LATE APRIL 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668 OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 10V024000

    Report date
    Component:
    VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
    Consequence:
    A STUCK OPEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL MAY RESULT IN VERY HIGH VEHICLE SPEEDS AND MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO STOP THE VEHICLE, WHICH COULD CAUSE A CRASH, SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH.
    Remedy:
    GENERAL MOTORS WILL NOTIFY CUSTOMERS WHEN A RECALL REMEDY IS AVAILABLE FOR RECALL 10038: FLOOR MAT INTERFERENCE AND ACCELERATOR PEDAL. GM REQUESTS THAT CUSTOMERS TAKE OUT ANY REMOVABLE (CARPETED, ALL-WEATHER, OR OTHER) DRIVER'S FLOOR MAT AND NOT REPLACE IT WITH ANY OTHER FLOOR MAT, AND PLACE IT IN THE TRUNK UNTIL THE FLOOR MAT INTERFERENCE AND ACCELERATOR PEDAL RECALL REMEDY IS READY AND IMPLEMENTED. IN THE EVENT THAT OWNERS CHOOSE NOT TO TAKE OUT THEIR REMOVABLE FLOOR MAT, GENERAL MOTORS STRONGLY RECOMMENDS THAT OWNERS USE ONLY FLOOR MATS DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR THE MODEL AND MODEL YEAR OF THEIR VEHICLE, AND THAT IT IS PROPERLY INSTALLED AND SECURED. DO NOT USE A MAT THAT IS FLIPPED OVER WITH THE BOTTOM-SIDE UP, AND DO NOT STACK ONE FLOOR MAT OVER ANOTHER. IN ADDITION, CHECK THE OPERATION OF THE ACCELERATOR, BRAKE, AND CLUTCH (IF APPLICABLE) PEDALS TO ASSURE THAT THE FLOOR MAT DOES NOT INTERFERE WITH THEM. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668 OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 12V491000

    Report date
    Component:
    VISIBILITY
    Consequence:
    If the switch overheats, it may melt, possibly resulting in a fire.
    Remedy:
    Toyota will notify its owners, and dealers will inspect the switch and apply a special grease that inhibits heat build up or replace any switch damaged by the defect, free of charge. Toyota owners that experience a problem with a switch should not attempt to make repairs, but should contact their Toyota dealer or the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331. General Motors will contact the Pontiac Vibe owners affected by this recall and GM dealers will inspect and repair switches as necessary. Those owners may contact Pontiac Customer Care at 1-800-762-2737.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 14V168000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    If the FFC is damaged, connectivity to the driver's air bag module could be lost and the air bag deactivated. The failure of the driver's air bag to deploy in the event of a crash that typically necessitates deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver.
    Remedy:
    Toyota will notify the Toyota vehicle owners, and General Motors will notify the Pontiac Vibe owners. Toyota sent owners an interim notification letter in May 2014 to advise owners of the recall. Toyota will mail owners a second letter when remedy parts are available. General Motors sent Pontiac Vibe owners an Interim letter on June 20, 2014 notifying them that parts are currently unavailable. General Motors sent notices to the Pontiac Vibe owners on September 15, 2014, that a remedy is available. The recall began on October 27, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-762-2737.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 15V689000

    Report date
    Component:
    VISIBILITY
    Consequence:
    If the sliding electrical contacts are not protected by lubricant, debris and moisture that get into the switch may cause a short circuit and the switch assembly may overheat and melt, increasing the risk of a fire.
    Remedy:
    Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the switch, applying a lubricant if no abnormality is found. If abnormality is found, the PWMS circuit board will be replaced, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin December 20, 2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is C0M.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  7. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V340000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    Toyota will notify the Toyota and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the model, dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator or the air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on December 6, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for interim notification for this campaign are G1P (Toyota Zone A), G1R (Toyota Zone B), G2G (Lexus Zone A), and G2H (Lexus Zone B). Toyota's numbers for final remedy for this campaign are G0P (Toyota Zone A), G0R (Toyota Zone B), GLG (Lexus Zone A), and GLH (Lexus Zone B).
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  8. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 17V006000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    Toyota will notify the Toyota, Scion and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the model, dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator or the air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on February 1, 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331, or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Toyota's numbers for final remedy for this campaign are G0P (Toyota Zone A), G0R (Toyota Zone B), H0A (Toyota Zone C), GLG (Lexus Zone A), GLH (Lexus Zone B) and HLA (Lexus Zone C).
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  9. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 18V024000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    Toyota will notify the Toyota, Scion and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, or replace the air bag assembly. The recall began on January 29, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331, or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Toyota's numbers for this recall are "Zone A" Toyota: G0P, Lexus: GLG; "Zone B" Toyota: G0R, Lexus GLH; "Zone C" Toyota: H0A, and Lexus: HLA.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 526 complaints · page 1 of 22

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources