NHTSA Safety Recalls
Pontiac Vibe Recalls by Year
NHTSA's files hold 22 recall campaigns for the Pontiac Vibe, across 8 model years from 2003 to 2010. The 2009 has the most (9); the fewest among years with a recall is 2008 (4).
Pontiac Vibe years to avoid by our method: 2003 (2.5× the median year) and 2009 (4.3× the median year).
- Model years
- 8
- Recall campaigns
- 22
- Most recalls
- 2009
- Owner complaints
- 1,867
2003–2010, with a recall
9 recalls
all model years, NHTSA
Owners have filed 1,867 complaints with NHTSA about the Pontiac Vibe across 12 model years; the most, 528, concern the 2009.
Owners marked a crash on 107 of the Pontiac Vibe complaints (6%) and a fire on 5.
Across all Pontiac Vibe model years, owners name the air bags most often (at least 1,013 complaints), then the visibility (161).
NHTSA received the most complaints about the Pontiac Vibe in 2017: 315, across all model years.
The component recalled most often on the Pontiac Vibe is air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module, in 19 model-year listings.
The newest Pontiac Vibe recall, 20V039000, was reported on January 23, 2020 and concerns the air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module.
Pontiac Vibe years to avoid
The 2009 Pontiac Vibe stands out most: 95 complaints between 2008 and 2012, 67% of them naming the air bags.
The 2009 also carries 9 recalls, against a median of 6 for the ranked Pontiac Vibe years.
The best-measured Pontiac Vibe years are 2008 (0.4×), 2006 (0.5×) and 2010 (0.5×).
The ranking uses owner complaints in each model year's first years on the road, adjusted for NHTSA's complaint volume for that model year. It is not adjusted for sales and is not a reliability rating. Method
Recalls and complaints by model year
First years: complaints received from the year before the model year to three years after it.Pontiac Vibe years without a link have no recall page on this site.
What gets recalled most on the Pontiac Vibe
- AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE19
- AIR BAGS12
- ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING4
- VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL4
- VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS3
- SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:VACUUM2
- AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE2
- VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR2
- AIR BAGS:FRONTAL2
- POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY1
Pontiac Vibe model-year listings per recall component; one campaign can cover several years.
Every Pontiac Vibe recall campaign (22)
| Campaign | Component | Years | Risk named | Vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20V039000January 23, 2020 | air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module | 2003–2004 | crash and injury | 554 |
| 19V627000August 28, 2019 | air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module | 2005–2008 | crash and injury | 229,460 |
| 18V883000December 12, 2018 | air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module | 2003–2007 | injury and death | 168,993 |
| 18V024000January 9, 2018 | air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module | 2009–2010 | injury and death | 628,018 |
| 18V025000January 9, 2018 | air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module | 2010 | injury and death | 116,126 |
| 17V006000January 9, 2017 | air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module | 2009 | injury and death | 577,875 |
| 16V340000May 23, 2016 | air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module | 2009–2010 | injury and death | 1,754,517 |
| 16V127000March 3, 2016 | air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module | 2008 | crash, injury and death | 147,242 |
| 16V128000March 2, 2016 | air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module | 2008 | crash, injury and death | 71,163 |
| 15V689000October 22, 2015 | visibility: power window devices and controls | 2009–2010 | fire | 1,814,284 |
| 15V285000May 13, 2015 | air bags | 2003–2007 | crash, injury and death | 1,973,468 |
| 15V286000May 13, 2015 | air bags | 2003–2007 | crash, injury and death | 1,069,055 |
| 15V043000January 28, 2015 | air bags: frontal | 2003–2004 | crash and injury | 1,006,849 |
| 14V168000April 9, 2014 | air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module | 2009–2010 | crash and injury | 1,486,413 |
| 13V029000January 30, 2013 | air bags | 2003–2004 | crash and injury | 887,709 |
| 12V491000October 10, 2012 | visibility: power window devices and controls | 2009 | fire | 2,519,424 |
| 10V387000August 26, 2010 | engine and engine cooling | 2005–2008 | crash | 161,754 |
| 10V024000January 27, 2010 | vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal | 2009–2010 | crash, injury and death | 70,806 |
| 10V018000January 21, 2010 | vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal | 2009–2010 | crash | 70,806 |
| 09V392000August 31, 2009 | service brakes, hydraulic: power assist: vacuum | 2009–2010 | crash | 10,119 |
| 08V162000April 10, 2008 | visibility: glass, side/rear | 2003–2004 | injury | 662,178 |
| 02V074002March 11, 2002 | power train: axle assembly | 2003 | — | 2,701 |
Vehicles: NHTSA's count of potentially affected vehicles in the whole campaign, not only the Pontiac Vibe. Each campaign page has the defect, risk and fix in NHTSA's words.
Newest record on this page: October 20, 2026. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted