2010 Pontiac Vibe recalls and problems

The 2010 Pontiac Vibe has 8 safety recalls and 58 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at any Pontiac dealer.

Recalls
8
Complaints
58
Crashes / fires
5 / 0
Injuries / deaths
5 / 0

Recalls may cover only some 2010 Pontiac Vibe vehicles. Check your VIN at NHTSA ↗ to see open recalls for your exact car.

2010 Pontiac Vibe recalls

Recall 18V-024: Air Bags

Reported Jan 9, 2018 · 628,018 vehicles affected · Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

Problem: 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.

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.

Recall 18V-025: Air Bags

Reported Jan 9, 2018 · 116,126 vehicles affected · Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

Problem: 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.

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).

Recall 16V-340: Air Bags

Reported May 23, 2016 · 1,754,517 vehicles affected · Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

Problem: 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.

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 (Lexus Zone B).

Recall 15V-689: Visibility

Reported Oct 22, 2015 · 1,814,284 vehicles affected · Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

Problem: 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.

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.

Recall 14V-168: Air Bags

Reported Apr 9, 2014 · 1,486,413 vehicles affected · Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

Problem: 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.

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 contact General Motors at 1-800-762-2737.

Recall 10V-024: Vehicle Speed Control

Reported Jan 27, 2010 · 70,806 vehicles affected · GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

Problem: 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.

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 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.

Recall 10V-018: Vehicle Speed Control

Reported Jan 21, 2010 · 70,806 vehicles affected · GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

Problem: 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.

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.

Recall 09V-392: Service Brakes, Hydraulic

Reported Aug 31, 2009 · 10,119 vehicles affected · GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

Problem: 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.

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.

2010 Pontiac Vibe problems reported by owners

Problem areaReports
Air Bags31
Vehicle Speed Control7
Steering4
Engine4
Service Brakes, Hydraulic3
Power Train3
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)3
Unknown or Other2
Service Brakes, Electric1
Visibility1
Engine and Engine Cooling1
Electrical System1

Most reported parts

  • Vehicle Speed Control › Accelerator Pedal — 2
  • Visibility › Windshield Wiper/Washer — 1
  • Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine — 1
  • Power Train › Manual Transmission — 1
  • Structure › Body — 1

Typical mileage at the time of the problem: 45,200 miles (median of owner reports).

Problems that are not covered by a recall are paid repairs; labor rates follow local mechanic pay — see what auto mechanics earn in each state.

Recent 2010 Pontiac Vibe complaints

Owner reports filed with NHTSA, as written (personal details removed). Complaints are not verified by NHTSA.

Air Bags · at 98,000 miles · reported Dec 2, 2019
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.
Steering · reported Aug 16, 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.
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) · at 90,000 miles · reported Aug 31, 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.
Service Brakes · at 114,000 miles · reported Mar 10, 2018
I bought a 2010 pontiac vibe and 3 months later the front end of the car started shaking real bad so I called up koehne auto to tell them and they wouldn't as much as tale it for a test drive to see what I was talking about. They kept on looking at the front end and kept telling me that there was nothing wrong with the brakes that the tires were bald so they put $500 dollars worth of tires on the car and then I went back to them and told them that the problem wasn't still fixed so I went to my private mechanic and he looked at it and found our the bearrings and the stablizer bar was shot and…
Engine · at 95,000 miles · reported Feb 16, 2018
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.

Other Pontiac Vibe years

Compare all Pontiac Vibe years · All Pontiac models

Frequently asked questions

Does the 2010 Pontiac Vibe have any recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 8 recalls for the 2010 Pontiac Vibe: 18V-024 (air bags), 18V-025 (air bags), 16V-340 (air bags), 15V-689 (visibility), 14V-168 (air bags) and more. Not every vehicle is affected, so check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What is the most common problem with the 2010 Pontiac Vibe?

Owners report air bags problems most often (31 reports), followed by vehicle speed control (7). The typical mileage when problems were reported is about 45,200 miles.

Are Pontiac recall repairs free?

Yes. Safety recall repairs are free at authorized Pontiac dealers, whether you are the first owner or bought the car used.