The Used Car Index

2009 Pontiac Vibe problems

NHTSA lists 527 complaints for the 2009 Pontiac Vibe, 23 of them mention a crash and 2 mention a fire. 8 complaints mention an injury, with 10 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-10.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as PONTIAC VIBE.

At a glance

Complaints
527
With crash
23
With fire
2
With injury (complaints)
8
Injuries
10
Deaths
0
Recalls
9
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
2,519,424
Investigations
2
Open investigations
1
Manufacturer communications
877

Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. No sales source is available for this record.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
AIR BAGS35266.8%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL5811.0%
STEERING356.6%
ENGINE295.5%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM183.4%
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC132.5%
POWER TRAIN122.3%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)91.7%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER91.7%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING81.5%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROLACCELERATOR PEDAL19
POWER TRAINAUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION5
STRUCTUREBODY5
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLINGEXHAUST SYSTEM3
VISIBILITYPOWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS3
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULICPOWER ASSIST2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM12V/24V/48V BATTERY1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMIGNITION1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLINGENGINE1
SERVICE BRAKES, AIRANTILOCK1

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags: This model year has not been tagged.

Recalls

See new recalls and investigations this week.

9 recalls.

18V024000

Date: 2018-01-09. Systems: AIR BAGS.

Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2013 Scion xB, Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sienna, 4Runner, Lexus IS250, IS350, IS250C, IS350C, IS-F, and GX460 vehicles sold, ever registered, in the states of AL, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, SC, TX, PR, AS, GU, the MP (Saipan), and the U.S. VI or "Zone A." Toyota is also recalling certain 2010 Scion xB, Toyota Corolla, Cor (excerpt)

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death. (excerpt)

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 (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

17V006000

Date: 2017-01-09. Systems: AIR BAGS.

Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2012 Toyota 4Runner, Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sienna, Yaris, Scion xB, Lexus ES350, GX460, IS-F, IS250, IS350, IS250C, IS350C, and Lexus LFA vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northe (excerpt)

Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death. (excerpt)

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 (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

16V340000

Date: 2016-05-23. Systems: AIR BAGS.

Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Scion xB and Lexus IS F, 2009-2011 Toyota Corolla and Corolla Matrix, 2006-2011 Toyota Yaris, Lexus IS250 and Lexus IS350, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, Lexus IS250C, Lexus IS350C and Lexus GX460, 2011 Sienna, 2007-2011 Lexus ES350, and 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in Al (excerpt)

Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death. (excerpt)

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 (Toyot (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

15V689000

Date: 2015-10-22. Systems: VISIBILITY.

Defect: Toyota Motor Company (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2009-2011 Tundra, Sequoia, Corolla, Corolla Matrix and Scion xB, 2008-2011 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2007 Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2009 Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2006-2011 RAV4, 2006-2010 Yaris, and 2009-2010 Scion xD and Pontiac Vibe vehicles. During the manufacturing of the Power Window Master Switch (PWMS), grease lubricant may (excerpt)

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. (excerpt)

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. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

14V168000

Date: 2014-04-09. Systems: AIR BAGS.

Defect: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006-2008 RAV4, 2006-2010 Yaris, 2008-2010 Highlander, and 2009-2010 Tacoma, Corolla, Corolla Matrix and General Motors Pontiac Vibe vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the steering column assembly contains electrical connections to the driver's airbag module housed in a spiral cable assembly, which includes a Flexible Flat Cable (FFC). Due to the shape and (excerpt)

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. (excerpt)

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. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

12V491000

Date: 2012-10-10. Systems: VISIBILITY.

Defect: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 Camry, Camry Hybrid, RAV4, Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Tundra, Sequoia, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Yaris, Scion xB, Scion xD and Pontiac Vibe vehicles. The power window master switch assemblies in some of these vehicles were built using a less precise process for lubricating the internal components of the switch assemblies. Irregularities in this (excerpt)

Consequence: If the switch overheats, it may melt, possibly resulting in a fire. (excerpt)

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 cont (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

10V024000

Date: 2010-01-27. Systems: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL.

Defect: GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009 AND 2010 PONTIAC VIBE PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL CAN GET STUCK IN THE WIDE OPEN POSITION DUE TO ITS BEING TRAPPED BY AN UNSECURED OR INCOMPATIBLE DRIVER'S FLOOR MAT. (excerpt)

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. (excerpt)

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 IMPLEME (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

10V018000

Date: 2010-01-21. Systems: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL.

Defect: GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009 AND 2010 PONTIAC VIBE VEHICLES. DUE TO THE MANNER IN WHICH THE FRICTION LEVER INTERACTS WITH THE SLIDING SURFACE OF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL INSIDE THE PEDAL SENSOR ASSEMBLY, THE SLIDING SURFACE OF THE LEVER MAY BECOME SMOOTH DURING VEHICLE OPERATION. IN THIS CONDITION, IF CONDENSATION OCCURS ON THE SURFACE, AS MAY OCCUR FROM HEATER OPERATION (WIT (excerpt)

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. (excerpt)

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. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

09V392000

Date: 2009-08-31. Systems: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC.

Defect: GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009-2010 PONTIAC VIBE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 1.8L ENGINE AND ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF ALASKA, COLORADO, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, IOWA, KANSAS, MAINE, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEVADA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW YORK, NORTH DAKOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA, VERMONT, WISCONSIN, AND WYOMING. WHEN DRIVING UNDER CERTAIN UNIQUE CONDIT (excerpt)

Consequence: THIS COULD LEAD TO AN INCREASE IN VEHICLE STOPPING DISTANCE AND A CRASH COULD OCCUR. (excerpt)

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. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

2 investigations; 1 open.

EA21002

Opened: 2021-09-17. Closed: Not listed.

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupt

Systems: AIR BAGS.

Linked campaign numbers: None listed.

AQ10001

Opened: 2010-11-18. Closed: 2015-12-28.

Fleet Vehicle Recall Completion Audit

On November 18, 2010, NHTSA's Recall Management Division (RMD) opened an audit query (AQ10-001) to investigate recall remedy completion by rental car companies on safety recall campaigns.It was expected to provide the agency an indication of how completely and how quickly rental car fleets perform necessary recall-related remedies on the vehicles owned and then rented/leased for use on the roadway

Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

Linked campaign numbers: None listed.

Manufacturer communications

877 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
EQUIPMENT438
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM173
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING76
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY68
POWER TRAIN53
ENGINE45
VISIBILITY42
WHEELS40

11023091

Date: 2025-09-09. Type: Other. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

New Vehicle Monitoring Programs Section in IVH

11021792

Date: 2025-08-07. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have an intermittent no crank, no start, or start stall concern with the security light coming on. Technician may find Diagnostic Trouble Codes B3055, B3060, B3935, C0750, C0755, C0760, C0765, and/o

11020816

Date: 2025-07-18. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This PI communicates the requirement to provide a pico file to receive diagnostic assistance from TAC.

11019072

Date: 2025-05-30. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about the use of J-35616-64B and Mini 50 terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads.

11019073

Date: 2025-05-30. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about the use of J-35616-64B and Mini 50 terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads.

11019074

Date: 2025-05-30. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about the use of J-35616-64B and Mini 50 terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads.

11014455

Date: 2025-02-20. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have an unusual noise and is difficult to identify, isolate or pinpoint. Technician should get record a sound clip or take a video of the noise for assessment by engineering. Technician will need to

11011782

Date: 2024-12-07. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about the use of J-35616-64B terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads. The J-35616-64B is the latest test probe released for checking tension or probing the .64 series terminals. The test probe

11009156

Date: 2024-10-25. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8 starting/charging tester A and Vehicle Data Recorder tools, giving website address and st

11009531

Date: 2024-09-27. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.

This service bulletin provides information for maintenance cleaning of the fuel injectors and gasoline detergent additive.

Notes on this record

  • Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
  • System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
  • Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
  • A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
VIBE527

Same model, other years

All model years | All Pontiac models

Other Pontiac models, 2009

Sources

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