KnownCarProblems2009 Pontiac Vibe Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 528 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Pontiac Vibe, most often about the air bags (67% of complaints, typically around 93,000 miles). It is the most complained-about Vibe model year since 2000 and has 9 recalls.
Most common 2009 Pontiac Vibe problems
Air bags
352 complaints · 67%Half of these problems showed up before 93,000 miles.
2 weeks ago my drivers side airbag warning light came on and has been staying on. I looked up on recall and saw that toyota has a airbag recall affecting the cable switch to the airbag. 2009-2010 Vibe spiral electrical cable can be damaged when turning the steering wheel. Once broken, the airbag deactivates and the…
Takata recall I received a recall notice about my front passenger airbag in early february stating that I should not use my front passenger seat until the airbag has been repaired. It is now almost 4 months later, and I have not been notified of any fix available. I called gm and was told that not only is a fix not…
Speed control
58 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 20,500 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal.
We purchased a new 2009 Pontiac Vibe (toyota, matrix platform) in april 2008. We drove it for nearly two years and accumulated a little over 20k miles. In early march, we returned from a six or seven hour trip and were going through a local car wash when suddenly and unexpectedly, the accelerator depressed under my…
Various lights come on in the dashboard, I forget now exactly which lights, but I think it was the ABS light, the vsc light, and the traction control light. This happens only for a few minutes in a month or so. When it happens, the abc, vsc, and traction control do not work (I tested it in a snowy parking lot). I went…
Engine
37 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 83,500 miles. Parts named most often: exhaust system, engine.
Excessive oil consumption, defective piston rings. The 2009 pointiac Vibe gt shares the same engine as the 2009 toyota matrix. The engines were manufactured in the same plant. Toyota has issued a warranty enhancement program ' ze7, to fix the premature wear of the defective piston rings. Gm has not issued as similar…
Starting about 80,000 mile my car started consuming oil of greater than 1 quart every 1000 miles. Now at 160,000 miles it consumes 1 quart every 500 miles. I have the 2.4 l 4 cylinder engine that came fairly standard with this model year. I have seen this complaint alot on web pages. My rav 4 2006 with the same engine…
Steering
35 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 38,000 miles. Parts named most often: column, linkages.
Tl contact owns a 2009 Pontiac Vibe. She stated that while driving 35 MPH the vehicle began pulling to the left and when applying the brakes, it would pull the steering wheel to the left. She had to use excessive force to control the vehicle. The dealer was contacted and they diagnosis indicated that the steering…
When driving at speeds greater than 35 MPH the vehicle's steering becomes unpredictable. Initially while attempting to correct the wandering direction of the car nothing will happen. When correcting further the vehicle will catch itself and over-correct. It feels as if you are driving through a wind tunnel or getting…
Brakes
22 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 21,000 miles. Parts named most often: power assist, pedals and linkages, foundation components, antilock.
Tl contact owns a 2009 Pontiac Vibe. While driving 10 MPH and approaching a stop sign and engaging the brake pedal, the vehicle would not stop. The contact had to apply extreme pressure to the brake pedal before the vehicle would stop. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the vacuum pump caused the…
I own a 2009 Vibe . Recall has been completed re: sudden acceleration. They removed drivers floor mat over a year ago. I had first episode today. Fortunately it was at about 10mph. When I engaged the brake the engine revved and the brake pulsated like the anti-lock feature had been activated. The engine revved for 3…
Electrical
18 complaints · 3%Half of these problems showed up before 74,000 miles. Parts named most often: ignition, 12v/24v/48v battery.
The contact owns a 2009 Pontiac Vibe. While driving 15 MPH, after opening the driver side window via the power window controls located on the driver's side door panel, smoke appeared from the door panel. There were no warning indicators illuminated. When the contact restarted the vehicle, the smoke disappeared. An…
Received recall on above vehicle. Called dealer (smicklas) chevrolet, told to bring vehicle in. Took vehicle in on 3-12-2009 and [] (service mgr) told me they didn't have the tools to do the job and and that they had been sending vibes to the toyota dealership for recall repair and that otherwise he didn't know what…
Transmission
13 complaints · 3%Half of these problems showed up before 49,500 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission.
Tl contact owns a 2009 Pontiac Vibe. The contact stated that on june 4, 2010, while at a traffic light, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and crashed into a wall. The contact sustained major injuries and was hospitalized. A police report was filed. The contact had previously been complaining about the transmission but…
When coming to a stop, occasionally the vehicle will lunge forward. I have noticed this on many, many occasions since purchasing the car in july 11. When coming to a fast stop (such as when someone pulls out in front of you or someone suddenly stops in front of you -- ABS is not being used as these are not panic…
Visibility and wipers
13 complaints · 3%Half of these problems showed up before 27,000 miles. Parts named most often: power window devices and controls.
I cannot roll down my windows since they are on recall since november 2012. I have to show a badge when I enter my community and must take off my seat belt and get out of the car to do so. I only received one letter and was told I would receive a second. It has now been over four months.
Pulling out of the firestone parking lot, looked both ways; nothing coming from the right or the left, began to pull out, and almost hit a guy on a motorcycle. There is a very poorly designed trait in my Pontiac Vibe with the side mirrors blocking your view.... Can the mirrors be changed to a smaller (height) mirror?…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2009 Pontiac Vibe recalls
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, 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.
Full defect summary
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, w
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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).
Full defect summary
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 northern mariana islands (saipan), and the u.s. Virgin islands, or "zone a." additionally, unless included in "zone a" above, toyota is recalling certain 2009 toyota corolla, corolla matrix, yaris, yaris hb, scion xb, pontiac vibe, lexus, es350, is250, is350, and is-f 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, pennsy
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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 (le
Full defect summary
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, distric
Visibility and wipers: power window devices and controls
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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 con
Full defect summary
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.
Visibility and wipers: power window devices and controls
Risk: If the switch overheats, it may melt, possibly resulting in a fire.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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 lubrication process may cause the power window master switch assemblies to malfunction and overheat.
Speed control: accelerator pedal
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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
Full defect summary
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.
Speed control: accelerator pedal
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Brakes: vacuum
Risk: This could lead to an increase in vehicle stopping distance and a crash could occur.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
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
Fleet vehicle recall completion audit
Summary
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 roadways.rmd queried three (3) major motor vehicle manufacturers (ford, chrysler, and general motors) and requested data regarding completion figures for fifteen (15) discreet safety recalls.analysis of this data demonstrated that rental car recalls completion was neither complete nor consistent.the rental
Questions about the 2009 Pontiac Vibe
- What are the most common problems with the 2009 Pontiac Vibe?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (352 complaints, typically around 93,000 miles); speed control (58 complaints, typically around 20,500 miles); engine (37 complaints, typically around 83,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2009 Pontiac Vibe have?
- 9 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from January 9, 2018 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2009 a bad year for the Pontiac Vibe?
- It is the most complained-about Vibe model year since 2000, with 528 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.