KnownCarProblems2006 Pontiac Vibe Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 177 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 Pontiac Vibe, most often about the air bags (67% of complaints, typically around 127,500 miles). It is 5th of 12 Vibe model years by number of complaints and has 5 recalls.
Most common 2006 Pontiac Vibe problems
Air bags
119 complaints · 67%Half of these problems showed up before 127,500 miles.
I took this car in for a passenger bag recall. My niece drives the car and I was unaware that the airbag warning light was staying on, on the dashboard. My niece thought it was normal since it started after getting the car back from the dealer. I recently saw the problem and had an SRS code reader pinpoint the problem…
I received a recall notice for my car and the dealer says they are unable to fix it. It has been months and months and it's honestly a serious safety issue.
Engine
30 complaints · 17%Half of these problems showed up before 86,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system, cooling system.
P0741 code has been very common with newer Pontiac vibes and cars alike. Im just wondering if this can investigated as a faulty part or low quality part all together.
Tl contact owns a 2006 gm Pontiac Vibe. On may 22, 2010, while driving at 60 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The vehicle was towed to a repair facility where the contact was informed that the failure was caused by the engine control module. The contact called the manufacturer and informed that there was nothing…
Transmission
12 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 92,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission.
I own a 2006 Pontiac Vibe I purchased from a dealer in 2009. I started having issues with it shifting harshly,rolling backward on hills at a stop as a manual would within approximately 2 months after I purchased it. I had it looked at a local dealer but they could not find the problem so I just have been driving it as…
I purchased a used Pontiac Vibe with approximately 30,000 miles. We started noticing that the car was shifting roughly and making strange sounds last summer. We have been following regular service with our mechanic, who could not find anything wrong. In sept of 2010 , we received the recall about the PCM from gm. Part…
Electrical
11 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 96,500 miles. Parts named most often: ignition.
I have an 2006 Pontiac Vibe a corolla/ matrix twin. It intermittently stalls and shifts sporadically or unexpectedly. It usually stalls only when its been warmed up. I have been told it might be the ECM in the car help! This is one of many sporadic episodes since I bought the car in 2006. The crazy shifting of power…
The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac Vibe. The contact stated that the ignition would turn off whenever it was touched inadvertently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 82,000.
Speed control
6 complaints · 3%Half of these problems showed up before 27,000 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal.
I was driving my 2006 Pontiac Vibe south on interstate 79 in rural pennslvania when the brakes soundly failed to respond. I stepped on the peddle but the car failed to slow, and the cruise control failed to disengage. To avoid an hitting the car in front of me, I swerved into the shoulder, continuing to apply the…
Tl contact owns a 2006 Pontiac Vibe. While the contact was driving approximately 15 MPH, the brakes failed to respond during engagement. The vehicle speed began to increase and it would not slow down; suddenly an opposing vehicle crashed into the front passenger side of the vehicle. The impact of the crash caused the…
Visibility and wipers
6 complaints · 3%Parts named most often: power window devices and controls.
Over the past few months, the driver's side window would rattle going up or down and then progressed to not going completely up or completely down when I pressed the button. On 3/7/2008 I rolled down my window in the evening and when I went to roll it back up it appeared 'off it track.' it would roll up partially an…
The drivers side window does not roll down all the way, and when you roll it down as far as it goes, it seems to interfere with the door mechanism so you cannot open the door (it feels like the window will break if you force the door open). I have tightened the screws that hold the door hinge onto the door, and that…
Brakes
3 complaints · 2%I was driving my 2006 Pontiac Vibe south on interstate 79 in rural pennslvania when the brakes soundly failed to respond. I stepped on the peddle but the car failed to slow, and the cruise control failed to disengage. To avoid an hitting the car in front of me, I swerved into the shoulder, continuing to apply the…
The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac Vibe. The contact stated that while attempting to merge into traffic she engaged the brakes but it failed to stop the vehicle. The contact mentioned that she had to shift into neutral in order to maintained control of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2006 Pontiac Vibe recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify their owners. Pontiac vibe owners will be notified by gm. Dealers will replace the front passenger air bag assembly or sub-assembly, free of charge. Toyota owners may contact toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this recall are k1q and k0q. Pontiac owners may contact gm customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Gm's number for this recall is n192273760.
Full defect summary
Toyota motor engineering & manufacturing (toyota) is recalling certain 2003-2008 corolla, 2005-2008 corolla matrix, and pontiac vibe vehicles equipped with a front passenger air bag assembly replaced under a prior recall. The air bag may not unfold as designed during inflation under high temperature conditions, possibly resulting in the air bag not inflating properly.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Toyota will notify the toyota and lexus owners. General motors will notify the pontiac vibe owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, or replace the air bag assembly that includes an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began january 23, 2019. Owners may contact toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371, lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987 or pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Toyota's numbers for these recalls are j0a (zone a toyota), j0b (zone b toyota), j0c (zone c toyota), jli (zone
Full defect summary
Toyota motor engineering & manufacturing (toyota) is recalling certain 2002-2005 lexus sc and toyota sequoia, 2003-2005 toyota corolla and tundra, and 2003-2007 pontiac vibe vehicles. 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.
Air bags
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 2003-2004 corolla and corolla matrix vehicles that are recalled under both 15v-043 and 15v-285 are under a do not drive advisory. Owners of these vehicles are advised not to drive their vehicles until the recall remedy has been completed. Toyota will notify their owners. Pontiac vibe owners will be notified by gm. Dealers will replace the front passenger air bag. The recall began on july 13, 2015. Toyota owners may contact toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Pontiac owners may call 1-800-762-2737. Note: this recall supersedes recall 14v-312 in its entirety.
Full defect summary
Toyota motor engineering & manufacturing (toyota) notified the agency on may 13, 2015 that they are recalling certain model year 2004 sequoia vehicles manufactured august 18, 2003, to august 19, 2004, and 2003-2004 tundra vehicles manufactured march 18, 2003, to august 25, 2004. On june 16, 2015, toyota expanded the recall to include an additional 1,270,468 vehicles, including model year 2002-2003 and 2005-2007 sequoia, 2005-2006 tundra, 2003-2007 corolla, 2003-2007 corolla matrix, 2003-2007 pontiac vibe and 2002-2007 lexus sc vehicles. This is to address a safety defect in the passenger side frontal air bag inflator which may produce excessive internal pressure causing the inflator to rupture upon deployment of the air bag. This recall addresses both the passenger side frontal air bags that were originally installed in the vehicles, as well as replacement air bags that may have been ins
Air bags
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 2003-2004 corolla and corolla matrix vehicles that are recalled under both 15v-043 and 15v-286 are under a do not drive advisory. Owners of these vehicles are advised not to drive their vehicles until the recall remedy has been completed. Toyota will notify their owners. Pontiac vibe owners will be notified by gm. Dealers will replace the passenger side front air bag, free of charge. Owners may contact toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota began the recall on july 13, 2015. Pontiac vibe owners may contact gm at 1-800-762-2737. Gm began the recall on june 29, 2015. Note: this recacl
Full defect summary
Toyota motor engineering & manufacturing (toyota) notified the agency on may 13, 2015, that they are recalling 2005-2007 lexus sc, toyota corolla, corolla matrix, sequoia, and pontiac vibe, and 2005-2006 toyota tundra vehicles that were originally sold, or ever registered, in florida, along the gulf coast, puerto rico, hawaii, the u.s. Virgin islands, guam, saipan and american samoa. On june 16, 2015 toyota expanded the recall to cover an additional 769,055 vehicles, including certain model year 2002-2004 lexus sc, toyota sequoia, 2003-2004 toyota corolla matrix, toyota corolla, pontiac vibe, and toyota tundra vehicles, as well the vehicles covered by the may 13, 2015 notification in the portions of georgia, alabama, louisiana, mississippi and texas that were not previously included. The inflators in the front passenger air bags are susceptible to rupture in the event of a crash necessit
Engine: engine and engine cooling
Risk: There are a variety of warnings and consequences associated with the defect. The engine warning lamp could be illuminated, harsh shifting could result, the engine may not start, or the engine could shut off while the vehicle is being driven. An engine shutoff while the vehicle is being driven increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the production number of the ECM and replace the ECM if necessary. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on february 8, 2011. Owners may contact gm at 1-800-620-7668.
Full defect summary
Gm is recalling certain model year 2005-2008 pontiac vibe vehicles. The engine control module (ECM) for the subject models equipped with the 1zz-fe (lv6) engine and two-wheel drive may have been improperly manufactured. There is a possibility that a crack may develop at certain solder points or on varistors on the circuit board.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Desiccated air bag inflator rupture
Summary
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 rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 blomquist report at www.NHTSA.gov/sites/NHTSA.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa
Engine stall
Summary
On august 26, 2010, toyota submitted a defect information report to the national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) regarding problems with engine control modules that could result in engine stall while driving in certain model year (my) 2005 through 2008 toyota corolla, corolla matrix and pontiac vibe vehicles equipped with the 1zz-fe engine and two-wheel drive and manufactured between april 19, 2004 and january 2, 2008.toyota's report indicated that cracks may develop at certain solder point or on varistors on the ecms.according to toyota, such cracks generally resulted in engine warning lamp illumination, harsh shifting or engine no-start.in some cases, if the cracking occurs o
Questions about the 2006 Pontiac Vibe
- What are the most common problems with the 2006 Pontiac Vibe?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (119 complaints, typically around 127,500 miles); engine (30 complaints, typically around 86,000 miles); transmission (12 complaints, typically around 92,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2006 Pontiac Vibe have?
- 5 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from August 28, 2019 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2006 a bad year for the Pontiac Vibe?
- It is 5th of 12 Vibe model years by number of complaints, with 177 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.