KnownCarProblems2010 Pontiac Vibe Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 58 complaints with NHTSA about the 2010 Pontiac Vibe, most often about the air bags (53% of complaints, typically around 93,000 miles). It is 8th of 12 Vibe model years by number of complaints and has 8 recalls.
Most common 2010 Pontiac Vibe problems
Air bags
31 complaints · 53%Half of these problems showed up before 93,000 miles.
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.
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.
Speed control
7 complaints · 12%Half of these problems showed up before 20,000 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal.
The contact owns a 2010 Pontiac Vibe. The contact stated that the vehicle abnormally accelerated while the contact was braking. The engine had to be turned off for the acceleration to stop. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the dealer test drove the vehicle but was unable to duplicate the failure. The…
Engine speed accelerated when coming to a stop. Had to jam on break and throw transmission into park. This occurred multiple times in future months . Car is only driven may thru jan. Car went to dealer 4 times for this problem including toyota recalls. Last occurrence 11/9/11. Problem never solved. (multiple times…
Engine
5 complaints · 9%Parts named most often: engine.
Tl contact owns a 2010 Pontiac Vibe. While traveling 70 MPH the contact noticed that the vehicle had suddenly shut off without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealership where the contact was informed that the failure could not be reproduced; however, the contact continued to experience the failure. The failure…
Engine oil consumption, since the last oil changed ( 5,000 miles ) the oil level was almost empty, the oil used since new is synthetic and the recommended grade by manufacturer. Car only has 36, 000 miles and oil has been change every 5000 miles as recommended.
Steering
4 complaints · 7%At highway speeds, my car will suddenly steer sharply on its own, as if it were hit by a sudden, violent crosswind this has happened approximately 20-25 times, always at highway speeds. Always swerving to the left. No accidents have occurred, but each occurrence could have resulted in an accident, as it is difficult…
Tl contact owns a 2010 Pontiac Vibe. While driving approximately 40 MPH and accelerating around a curb the vehicle jerked to the right violently. The contact was able to control the vehicle, it was taken to the dealer where the technicians were unable to duplicate or diagnose the failure. The contact stated the…
Brakes
4 complaints · 7%Tl contact owns a 2010 Pontiac Vibe. While driving approximately 40 MPH and accelerating around a curb the vehicle jerked to the right violently. The contact was able to control the vehicle, it was taken to the dealer where the technicians were unable to duplicate or diagnose the failure. The contact stated the…
The contact owns a 2010 Pontiac Vibe. The contact stated that when driving during inclement weather, the brakes would malfunction. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic test but the dealer was unable to diagnose the failure. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign I.d. Number: 09v392000 (service…
Transmission
3 complaints · 5%Parts named most often: manual transmission.
The clutch in my 2010 Pontiac Vibe gt failed while driving at 45 MPH. The car would rev but with virtually no acceleration ability. Luckily I was on a rural road and able to pull over. My vehicle has 36k miles on it. I have 31 years of manual transmission driving experience and I have never had to replace a…
Engine speed accelerated when coming to a stop. Had to jam on break and throw transmission into park. This occurred multiple times in future months . Car is only driven may thru jan. Car went to dealer 4 times for this problem including toyota recalls. Last occurrence 11/9/11. Problem never solved. (multiple times…
Stability control
3 complaints · 5%Driving in a light rain, I lost control at 75mph and hit the rear of a semi trailer. The car started to slide sideways and I pressed the brakes hard and the car began to skid. The skid continued until my car reached the shoulder, whereupon it began to roll. The car rolled a total of three times and came to rest on its…
Check engine light, vsc, and tss all illuminate on dash. Then the car experiences a down shift in the transmission to a lower gear, engine rev's to a high RPM slowing the car down. After the car stops forward progress, car idles very rough and may stall. The first time his happened was on a city street and while car…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2010 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 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).
Full defect summary
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.,
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 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.
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 2010 Pontiac Vibe
- What are the most common problems with the 2010 Pontiac Vibe?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (31 complaints, typically around 93,000 miles); speed control (7 complaints, typically around 20,000 miles); engine (5 complaints).
- How many recalls does the 2010 Pontiac Vibe have?
- 8 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 2010 a bad year for the Pontiac Vibe?
- It is 8th of 12 Vibe model years by number of complaints, with 58 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.