2010 Pontiac Vibe: problems, recalls and reliability
8 recalls and 58 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (54% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Jan 2018
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 58 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“2010 pontiac vibe struck vehicle that crossed into right of way of pontiac vibe at 25 to 30 miles per hour. 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.”Owner report · Seat Belts · Nov 2019
“The steering wheel rattles badly. This happens when driving and also when moving the steering wheel side to side while stationary. Also shudders when braking.”Owner report · Steering · Nov 2018
“Vsc off stability indicator - traction control system tcs warning lights and check engine lights go on indicate system failure in the rain or after a extended spell of very humid weather. While dash lights are on there is no antilock or stability. This has been an ongoing problem for the 3 years I have owned the car.”Owner report · Electronic Stability Control (Esc) · Aug 2018
Show 7 more owner reports
“Unpredictable behavior, including erratic shifting, an engine that won't start, illumination of the check-engine light, or stalling while in motion while city driving usually occurring between 7-12 miles of travel. Same issue the 2004-2008 recall was issued for.”Owner report · Power Train · Feb 2018
“There is a persistent rattle coming from directly behind the steering wheel. Especially noticeable at speeds <35 mph and/or driving over bumpy pavement. When the rattle is occurring, the steering column feels like it oscillating very quickly.”Owner report · Steering · Jul 2017
“Takata recall how much longer will it take to replace the killer air bag in my car? We received notice 7 months ago about recall #15826, but to this day nobody knows anything about fixing the problem.”Owner report · Air Bags · Feb 2017
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2010 pontiac vibe. The contact stated that the recall notice for NHTSA campaign number: 16v340000 (air bags) was received in may. After contacting the dealer and the manufacturer on multiple occasions, the contact was informed that the parts needed for the recall remedy were still not available and no estimated time for receiving the parts could be provided. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jan 2017
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2010 pontiac vibe. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16v340000 (air bags) however, the part for the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced any failures. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. VIN tool confirms parts not available. *tr”Owner report · Air Bags · Nov 2016
“Tl* the contact owns a 2010 pontiac vibe. While driving various speeds, the air bag warning light illuminated. The failure recurred whenever the vehicle was operated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 88,000.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jul 2016
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2010 pontiac vibe. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16v340000 (air bags); however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. ..updated 10/28/16 *bf”Owner report · Air Bags · Jul 2016
When filing, owners marked a crash in 5 of these complaints and injuries in 5 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 8 campaigns
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 have been inconsistently applied to the sliding electrical contacts.
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.
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 Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 Scion xB and Lexus IS F, 2007-2008 Toyota Yaris, 2006-2008 Lexus IS250 and Lexus IS350 and 2007-2008 Lexus ES350 vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Vehicles of these model years and models that were not originally sold or ever registered in either Zones A or B are not subject to this safety recall. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
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).
On January 9, 2018, Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) notified NHTSA that they are recalling 14,585 model year 2010-2012 Yaris vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. As of January 30, 2018, Toyota is additionally recalling 3,347 model year 2010 Pontiac Vibe vehicles located in states listed above. Also included in this recall filing is 98,194 model year 2003-2008 Toyota Corolla Matrix vehicles, located throughout the U.S., that previously received a "like-for-like" interim air bag inflator replacement. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag assemblies with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began on January 29, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are G0R (Zone B), and H0A (Zone C), J0A (Matrix Zone A), J0A (Matrix Zone A), J0A (Matrix Zone A).
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, Corolla Matrix, Yaris, 4Runner, Lexus IS250, IS350, IS250C, IS350C, ES350, IS-F, GX460, and Pontiac Vibe vehicles sold, ever registered, in the states of AZ, AR, DE, DC, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, and WV or "Zone B." Toyota is also recalling certain 2009 Scion xB, Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Yaris, Lexus IS250, IS350, ES350, IS-F, and Pontiac Vibe vehicles ever registered in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
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.
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.
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.
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 (WITHOUT A/C) WHEN THE PEDAL ASSEMBLY IS COLD, THE FRICTION WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS OPERATED MAY INCREASE, WHICH MAY RESULT IN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BECOMING HARDER TO DEPRESS, SLOWER TO RETURN, OR, IN THE WORST CASE, MECHANICALLY STUCK IN A PARTIALLY DEPRESSED POSITION.
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.
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 CONDITIONS IN EXTREMELY LOW AMBIENT TEMPERATURES, THE INTAKE MANIFOLD SUCTION PORT FOR THE BRAKE VACUUM CAN BECOME LOCKED DUE TO THE FREEZING OF CONDENSATION RESULTING FROM POSITIVE CRANKCASE VENTILATION.
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.
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 location of the FFC's retainer, the FFC could become damaged when the steering wheel is turned.
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.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2010 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Vibe by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2010 Pontiac Vibe reliable?
NHTSA has 58 owner complaints and 8 recall campaigns on record for the 2010 Pontiac Vibe. The most complained-about area is air bags (54% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2010 Pontiac Vibe problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 41,050 miles or less.
Does the 2010 Pontiac Vibe have open recalls?
8 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning visibility:power window devices and controls. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.