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2010 Pontiac VibeProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 58 owner complaints about the 2010 Pontiac Vibe, most often about the air bags. It is covered by 8 safety recalls, and for recall 15V-689 the manufacturer reports only 46% of affected cars repaired.

2010 Pontiac Vibe
79
CarFlaw IndexOne of the best years73% below the Vibe median · #7 of 8 years by complaints
Safety recalls8Lowest repair rate 46%Owner complaints589 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage93kAir bags, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through August 23, 2022. Updated daily. Photo: Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Complaints by system

Where the 2010 Pontiac Vibe has problems

58 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Air bags314
Vehicle speed control70
Steering41
Engine40
Power train30
Service brakes, hydraulic31
Electronic stability control (ESC)31
Structure11
Visibility10
8 other systems81

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

8 recalls

2010 Pontiac Vibe recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

71%repaired · 2021 Q3

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 18V-025 · Jan 9, 2018 · 116,126 vehicles · 82,937 repaired

Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

77%repaired · 2021 Q3

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 18V-024 · Jan 9, 2018 · 628,018 vehicles · 481,268 repaired

Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

72%repaired · 2021 Q3

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 16V-340 · May 23, 2016 · 1,754,517 vehicles · 1,269,624 repaired

Risk. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

46%repaired · 2017 Q1

Visibility: power window devices and controls

Recall 15V-689 · Oct 22, 2015 · 1,814,284 vehicles · 828,698 repaired

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…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Show 4 more recalls
58%repaired · 2016 Q3

Driver side: inflator module

Recall 14V-168 · Apr 9, 2014 · 1,486,413 vehicles · 859,161 repaired

Risk. If the FFC is damaged, connectivity to the driver's air bag module could be lost and the air bag deactivated.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal

Recall 10V-024 · Jan 27, 2010 · 70,806 vehicles

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…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal

Recall 10V-018 · Jan 21, 2010 · 70,806 vehicles

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,…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Pontiac.

Best & worst years

2010 vs. every other Vibe year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Vibe median. How we score

'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'14
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
NHTSA crash tests

2010 Pontiac Vibe safety ratings

2010 Pontiac Vibe 4-DR. w/SAB in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

  • Rollover: 4 stars (13.6% risk)
  • Stability control: Standard
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
2 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2010 Pontiac Vibe, and the recalls they led to.

  1. Fleet Vehicle Recall Completion AuditAQ10001 · closed Dec 28, 2015
    No recall
  2. Desiccated Air Bag Inflator RuptureEA21002 · still open
    Open
In owners' words

What Vibe owners report

Recent air bags complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

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.
Complaint 11286297 · Dec 2, 2019 · 98,000 miles
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 PONTIAC VIBE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V340000 (AIR BAGS). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. DAVIS CHEVROLET (2277 SOUTH LOOP W, HOUSTON, TEXAS 77054,…
Complaint 11140638 · Oct 16, 2018
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 PONTIAC VIBE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V340000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED FOR THE REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR.…
Complaint 11101157 · Jun 11, 2018

Own a 2010 Vibe?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.