Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2003 Pontiac Vibe, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Visibility74
- Air bags66
- Power train49
- Structure24
- Electrical system23
- Exterior lighting14
- Vehicle speed control13
- Engine and engine cooling9
- Unknown or other9
- Seat belts9
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 35 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 20 2003 Vibe vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 16 people died inside them, and 4 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2003 Pontiac Vibe failed the safety check 2.72% of the time — 29% more often than the average 2003 passenger car (2.11%). Median odometer at inspection: 160,148 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 4 variants: combined 8.2–9.7 L/100 km (about 24–29 mpg US), CO₂ 189–223 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vibe · Station wagon: Small · Regular gasoline | 8.9 | 7.2 | 8.2 |
| Vibe · Station wagon: Small · Regular gasoline | 9.6 | 7.6 | 8.7 |
| Vibe AWD · Station wagon: Small · Regular gasoline | 10.4 | 8.2 | 9.4 |
| Vibe GT # · Station wagon: Small · Premium gasoline | 10.6 | 8.5 | 9.7 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
10 Transport Canada recalls for the 2003 Pontiac Vibe.
| 2020021 23 Jan 2020 | Airbag Issue: Certain cars that were repaired under a previous airbag recall may have had an incorrect passenger-front airbag installed. As a result, the airbag may … |
| 2018707 13 Dec 2018 | Airbag On certain vehicles, long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, could eventually degrade the propella… |
| 2016106 3 Mar 2016 | Airbag On certain vehicles, the passenger (frontal) airbag inflator could produce excessive internal pressure during airbag deployment. Increased pressure may cause th… |
| 2015272 18 Jun 2015 | Airbag On certain vehicles, the passenger (frontal) airbag inflator could produce excessive internal pressure during airbag deployment. Increased pressure may cause th… |
| 2014568 15 Dec 2014 | Airbag On certain vehicles, a defect in the supplemental restraint system could result in an inadvertent deployment of the front airbag(s) and/or seatbelt pretensioner… |
| 2014301 16 Jul 2014 | Airbag On certain vehicles, the passenger (frontal) airbag inflator could produce excessive internal pressure during airbag deployment. Increased pressure may cause th… |
| 2013116 12 Apr 2013 | Airbag On certain vehicles, the passenger (frontal) airbag inflator could produce excessive internal pressure during airbag deployment. Increased pressure may cause th… |
| 2013033 30 Jan 2013 | Airbag On certain vehicles, a defect in the supplemental restraint system could result in an inadvertent deployment of the front airbag(s) and/or seatbelt pretensioner… |
| 2008123 10 Apr 2008 | Other On certain vehicles, the regulator bolts - which attach the front side window glass to the power window regulator - may become loose, causing a loud noise to be… |
| 2002044 8 Mar 2002 | Suspension Certain 2wd Pontiac Vibes have loose hub to axle bolts. This could cause the bolts to break with resultant separation of the wheel assembly from the vehicle. Co… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2003-2004 Pontiac Vibe vehicles equipped with a front passenger air bag assembly replaced under a prior recall. The replacement air bag may not unfold as designed during inflation in high temperature conditions, possibly resulting in the air bag not inflating properly.
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.
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 necessitating the deployment of the front passenger air bag.
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 installed as replacement service parts. A replacement air bag may have been installed, as one example, if a vehicle had been in a crash necessitating the replacement of the passenger side frontal air bag.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Toyota Corolla vehicles manufactured December 28, 2001, to May 2, 2004, 2003-2004 Toyota Corolla Matrix vehicles manufactured January 6, 2002, to April 29, 2004, 2003-2004 Avalon vehicles manufactured June 5, 2002, to December 20, 2004, and 2003-2004 Pontiac Vibe vehicles manufactured January 18, 2002, to April 27, 2004. Due to electrical noise, a component in the air bag control module may fail, causing the front air bags, side air bags, and/or seatbelt pretensioners to deploy inadvertently while the vehicle is being operated.
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles and 2003-2004 Pontiac Vibe vehicles. The supplemental restraint system (SRS) circuits are susceptible to internal shorting. The electrical short may create an abnormal current flow and increased heat which can damage the circuits. This could result in an inadvertent deployment of the front airbags and/or seat belt pretensioners.
TOYOTA IS RECALLING 662,178 MY 2003-2004 COROLLA, COROLLA MATRIX AND PONTIAC VIBE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH POWER WINDOWS. THE DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGER DOOR GLASS BOLTS MAY LOOSEN AND COME OFF, CAUSING THE DOOR GLASS TO SEPARATE FROM THE WINDOW REGULATOR. DUE TO THE COMPONENTS BECOMING LOOSE AND POSSIBLY RATTLING, AN ABNORMAL NOISE MAY BE HEARD FROM THE DRIVER AND /OR FRONT PASSENGER DOOR WHEN OPERATING THE POWER WINDOWS.
ON CERTAIN TWO-WHEEL DRIVE (2WD) PASSENGER VEHICLES, IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THE BOLTS THAT JOIN THE REAR BRAKE AND HUB ASSEMBLY TO THE REAR AXLE CARRIER TO BE LOOSE DUE TO INSUFFICIENT TIGHTENING DURING THE ASSEMBLY PROCESS.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Pontiac told its dealers about the 2003 Pontiac Vibe: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 637216 | INFORMATION REGARDING THE JUNE EDITION OF EMERGING ISSUES FOR VARIOUS MODELS. *TT |
| 637183 | CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT THAT THE SINGLE DISK CD PLAYER MAKES A SCRAPING NOISE WHILE THE CUSTOMERS EITHER BRAKING OR TURNING THEIR VEHICLE. *TT |
| 636592 | CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT THAT THE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM DOES GET COLD ENOUGH. *TT |
| 636591 | CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT THAT THE CRUISE INDICATOR IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER COMES ON WHEN THE CRUISE SWITCH IS PUSHED ON, BUT THE SYSTEM WILL NOT SET WHEN THE LEVER IS PRESSED TO THE SET POSITION. *TT |
| 636572 | INFORMATIN ON THE CRUISE CONTROL RESUME FEATURE. *TT |
| 634772 | INFORMATION PERTAINING TO ENGINE COOLANT AND POWER STEERING FLUID USAGE. *TT |
| 629861 | SUBJECT REGARDING REAR BEARING HUB BOLT TORQUE SAFETY RECALL. *TT |
| 629850 | OWNERS MAY COMMENT THAT THEIR TRANSMISSION SHIFTS TOO EARLY WHEN ACCELERATING AT FULL THROTTLE WHEN THE ENGINE IS COLD. *TT |
| 629810 | CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT THAT THE ENGINE BREAKS UP OR LACKS PERFORMANCE ABOVE 7,000 RPMS. *TT |
| 629809 | INFORMATION ON USING T4 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLUID TO REDUCE HARSH SHIFT COMPLAINTS. *TT |
| 629757 | SOME MODELS EQUIPPED WITH A SUNROOF MAY ENCOUNTER A WATER LEAK FROM THE A-PILLAR OR HEADLINER AREA. *TT |
| 629728 | SUBJECT REGARDING AUTOMATIC LIGHT CONTROL OPERATION. *TT |
| 11009156 | This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8 starting/charging tester and Vehicle Data Recorder tools, giving website address and step by step instructions to complete the update. |
| 11007744 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that the Heater-Vent-Air Conditioning blows warm air. Before calling General Motors Technical Assistance Center technician will need to have high and low pressures, outside temperature, humidity, and vent temperature. |
| 11007743 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that the Heater-Vent-Air Conditioning blows warm air. Before calling General Motors Technical Assistance Center technician will need to have high and low pressures, outside temperature, humidity, and vent temperature. |
| 11007208 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about changing the tire and wheel size on vehicles. General Motors will only support a tire calibration for tires that have been sized, tested and designed for the vehicle in question and its applications. Technician should not use the information that is provided by the antilock braking system tire size selection. |
| 11006621 | Vehicle Wide Programming (VWP) is a new process to update software on GM Vehicles. It provides the ability via a single selection within Techline Connect to first identify which modules need updating and then proceed to updating affected modules (with some exceptions). The updating of modules is completed in parallel instead of the technician needing to update one module at a time. This allows a more streamlined approach for dealers and customers. |
| 11004557 | This bulletin provides information for use on a Product Assistance Claim (PAC), which is formerly known as a Product Allegation Resolution (PAR) claim. |
| 11002312 | This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Service Programming System (SPS) Error Codes E4398, E4399, E4401, E4403, M4404, M4413, M6954, M6955, E4414, E4423, E4491, E4492, or E6961 and resolution information. |
| 11000576 | This Warranty Administration bulletin provides retail and wholesale service personnel with the policies/procedures and the warranty transaction submission procedures that support the Personal Property Damage process. |
| 10252974 | This service bulletin provides information on Takata Air Bag Courtesy Transportation Reimbursement Program - Applicable to GM Recalls listed in bulletin. |
| 10252735 | This bulletin provides information for electrical ground repairs using new General Motors replacement fasteners with conductive finish. |
| 10252163 | XM Audio Traffic And Travel Link Availability And Operation. |
| 10251890 | This technical bulletin advises of a new fuel injection cleaner kit used for decarbonizing the intake valves to correct conditions of rough idle, Crank no start, extended crank or misfire, MIL with DTCs, and explains how Top Tier fuels should be used to reduce carbon build-up. |
| 10251345 | This service bulletin provides information on Takata Air Bag Completion Rate Improvement Program - Applicable to GM Recalls 14491, 14735,15040, 15041, 15043,15044, 15045, 15046, 15406,15438, 15442, 15815, 15816,15817, 15818, 15826, 17009, 17476, 17477, 28810, 28811,17478, 18015, N192273760, N192278940, N212328760, N212328770, N212328780, N212328790, N212328800, N242437050, N242437060, N242437070. |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
SIDE FRONT POWER WINDOW SHATTERS
SIDE FRONT WINDOW SHATTERS
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation