2007 Pontiac Vibe Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2007 Pontiac Vibe most often describe the engine quitting or refusing to restart, which many complaints tie to the engine control module; a good number also report the air bag warning light staying on, sometimes after a recall repair. Other recurring themes are brief unintended acceleration at low speed, hard or delayed shifting, and a few reports of poor braking or loss of control in wet or panic stops.

1. 1
   Engine

   Engine stalls or will not restart (ECM/control module)

   • 25 complaints (15%)
   • median 70,000 mi at 4.2 yrs old (19 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2008–2023

   Owners describe the engine cutting out without warning while driving at ordinary speeds, or failing to restart after being shut off. Several say the check engine light came on and a shop traced the problem to the engine control module, powertrain control module, or throttle body, which was replaced. Some mention they were told their vehicle was not covered by the control module recall, or that the recall part was not available, and at least one says the module was replaced under the recall but the light returned. Reported across a wide mileage range, from under 15,000 to over 170,000 miles, with many between roughly 40,000 and 100,000 miles.

   Recall 10V3870002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the engine control module recall (10V387000) has been completed and whether the module has ever been replaced again since. Have a shop scan for stored codes and check for a check engine light before buying.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Vehicle would not start after repeated attempts. Had vehicle towed to available repair shop after final diagnosis problem was found to be failed ECM module replaced by repair shop. Ecm recalculated to electronic computer by gmac shop. No further problem to date as this happened in a shopping strip mall I was fortunate as I am handicaps and have difficulty walking.”

   NHTSA complaint #10391728, filed 2011-03, 12,597 miles

   “I was following a bicyclist going about 20mph when my engine cut off and wouldn't restart. It was fortunate that I was able to coast into a driveway because I had just rounded a curve and any following vehicle would likely have run into me. The problem was computer failure and has been corrected.”

   NHTSA complaint #10282517, filed 2009-09, 35,065 miles
2. 2
   Air bags

   Air bag warning light on or air bags not deploying

   • 104 complaints (60%)
   • median 137,000 mi at 9.3 yrs old (18 state mileage)
   • 11 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2008–2026

   Owners report the air bag warning light staying illuminated, sometimes shortly after a Takata-related air bag recall repair, and being told the inflator or front air bag needed replacement. Others describe crashes in which the air bags did not deploy, or in which the passenger bag deployed with metal fragments. Several complaints center on difficulty getting the recall remedy performed or on dealers declining to repeat the repair. Mostly reported at higher mileage, commonly between about 75,000 and 185,000 miles, and often years after the recall notices were issued.

   Recall 19V627000Recall 18V883000Recall 15V285000Recall 15V2860002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check that the air bag warning light goes out after the bulb check on start-up, and ask for documentation that recalls 15V285/15V286, 18V883 and 19V627 were all completed on the passenger side.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Takata recall on 5-6-19 my passenger side air bag recall was done at luther chevrolet. On the way home I noticed the right front corner of the air bag cover appeared to be sticking up a bit. I returned to luther. It was pretty late, they had my car the whole day. (I dropped it off the day before) I told them I would reschedule an appointment at a later date. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11252513, filed 2019-08, 184,537 miles

   “Gm recall #n140491 NHTSA #15v285. 5-13-2015 takata front passenger airbag. Gm recall center's recall status for my VIN says remedy not yet available. My chevy dealer has the parts, but trying to get GM to authorize it. Why, on a 5yr old recall. To discourage consumer compliance and save GM $$.”

   NHTSA complaint #11306448, filed 2020-02, 124,600 miles
3. 3
   Vehicle speed control

   Brief unintended acceleration at low speed

   • 14 complaints (8%)
   • median 17,000 mi at 3.0 yrs old (13 state mileage)
   • filed 2007–2015

   Owners describe the car surging forward for a few seconds when braking at low speeds, such as approaching a light, parking, or moving through a lot, sometimes requiring hard brake pressure or a shift to neutral to stop it. Some report the engine revving on its own while stopped. Owners say dealers could not reproduce the problem, and some were told no fault was found. Reported mostly under 30,000 miles, though some complaints came in between 40,000 and 65,000 miles.

   What to check: During a test drive, try slow stops in a parking lot and note whether engine speed flares with the brake applied. Ask whether the throttle body or pedal sensor has been serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Several times in the last year we have sudden acceleration while traveling at low speeds. It lasts a few seconds and ends by itself. We are have been lucky to avoid an accident since there was no traffic nearby at each time. It happens at random with no known trigger and happens so rarely that the dealer can not repeat the problem. It is not a floor map issue!”

   NHTSA complaint #10566627, filed 2014-03, 28,000 miles

   “My wife was the driver. She had stopped to back up and swing into her normal parking spot. She had been parking in this spot for almost 5 years. The car suddenly accelerated from the stop and though she applied the brakes and parking brake, the car accelerated 40' through our bushes and knocked down the neighbors chain link fence before stopping. It stopped moving because the fwd wheels were off the ground as the knocked over bushes raised the car body up. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10808609, filed 2015-12, 65,000 miles
4. 4
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Hard shifting and transmission codes

   Mentioned in 8 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners report harsh or delayed shifting, sluggish acceleration, and a check engine light with transmission-related codes such as P0741 or P2716, sometimes with dark transmission fluid. Some say repairs were made under warranty and the same code returned; a few were told the transmission needed replacement. In one account the dealer kept the car for a week without producing paperwork. Typically reported between about 25,000 and 100,000 miles, with a few at higher mileage.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test drive both cold and warm, feeling for clunks or harsh downshifts, and check the transmission fluid condition. Have any stored transmission codes read before purchase.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I've had too numerous to mention. But because I would like to sell I don't want to give out too much info here. There are so many times my steering has locked up. If not for the grace of god.... My brakes well, they just have a mind of their own. It doesn't happen often that they go out but I can think of 2 specific incidents if another car was coming through the intersection I would have been history. One thing that I've had it in the shop for many times is that lamp light on my dashboard. I take it in. They fix it. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10576523, filed 2014-04, 17,000 miles

   “I drive a 2007 Pontiac VIBE. About two weeks ago the car stalled out on me at an intersection. The car was running perfectly fine up into in came to the red light. When the arrow turned green my car would not accelerate. It wouldn't even rev . There was no check engine light on but since I could not get my car to move forward (it would work in reverse though the transmission sounded horrible), I had to be towed. Once the tow truck dropped me off, somehow now the car worked!?! I drove it to a different repair shop (closer to my work). …”

   NHTSA complaint #10320618, filed 2010-03, 46,000 miles
5. 5
   Brakes

   Braking instability and loss of control

   • 6 complaints (3%)
   • median 47,155 mi at 4.1 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2007–2015

   Owners describe the vehicle skidding, spinning, or failing to slow as expected during hard braking, in some cases with the engine racing as the brake was applied. A few describe low-speed braking in traffic or with a pedestrian ahead where the car did not stop in the distance expected. Some say the dealer could not or would not diagnose the problem. Reported mostly under 60,000 miles, with several cases at around 20,000 to 40,000 miles.

   What to check: Check tire condition and even wear, ask about brake pad and fluid service history, and try a firm stop from moderate speed on a clear road during the test drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was traveling at approximately 65 miles and hour but traffic came to immediate stop so I hit brakes to miss traffic ahead. Immediately car went into skid and out of control. I tried to avoid hitting median after car began to slide toward the left and it over-corrected to the right and I hit a semi truck's tire and spun 180 degrees.”

   NHTSA complaint #10329749, filed 2010-05, 39,000 miles

   “When approaching a pedestrian crosswalk in a busy downtown area,at approx. 20mph, applied brakes when pedestrian was in crosswalk.(law requires me to stop,when someone is in the crosswalk). The engine seemed to race when I suddenly brake, car barely slowed and I could not stop immediately, and had to continue through crosswalk. Thankfully pedestrian was unhurt, only angry.”

   NHTSA complaint #10436511, filed 2011-11, 55,310 miles

Buying note. Ask for recall completion records for the control module recall and the passenger air bag recalls, and have a shop scan for engine and transmission codes before buying. A thorough test drive with slow, firm stops and a cold-start check will surface most of what owners describe here.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.