2008 Pontiac Vibe Problems

What owners report

Nearly all the sampled complaints for this model year are Takata front-passenger air bag recall notices rather than new failures — owners describe long waits, dealers without parts, and advice not to use the front passenger seat in the meantime. A smaller but consistent group describes unintended acceleration or high idle with the brake applied, mostly at low mileage and sometimes paired with a check engine light. The remaining reports are scattered and single-instance.

1. 1
   Air bags

   Passenger air bag recall parts long unavailable

   • 35 complaints (56%)
   • median 109,000 mi at 8.5 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2016–2020

   Owners write in that their vehicle is covered by the Takata passenger-inflator campaigns but that the replacement part is not in stock. Complaints describe being told by the dealer or the manufacturer that parts are on back order with no estimated date, scheduled appointments that could not be completed, and letters saying parts were available when they were not. Several note being advised not to let anyone sit in the front passenger seat until the repair is done, and ask about loaner or interim options. Not mileage-dependent in the sample — reports cluster in 2016 through 2020 filings following the recall mailings.

   Recall 16V127000Recall 16V128000Recall 19V6270002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask for the recall completion paperwork or a VIN-based check at a dealer to confirm the passenger inflator has actually been replaced, and confirm which of the campaigns apply to the specific vehicle.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Takata recall. I received a recall for my airbag. Neither the dealer or GM can even give me an estimate as to when repair parts will be received. On top of that, the recall states that until the repair is performed, the front passenger seat should not be occupied . I regularly use this vehicle to carpool with four adults. This renders my car as unusable! Neither the dealer or GM had even a temporary solution. I am at a loss as what to do next.”

   NHTSA complaint #10860655, filed 2016-04, 82,000 miles

   “Takata recall - received recall notice about 3 months ago. Several weeks ago received letter that parts were in and to call local dealership for repair. I did this and the dealership (strosnider chevrolet) scheduled an appointment for the recall repair. When I showed up at the dealership they had no parts for the recall repair and could not explain why they scheduled the repair for me.”

   NHTSA complaint #10884466, filed 2016-07
2. 2
   Air bags

   Air bag warning light stays on

   • 6 complaints (10%)
   • median 99,000 mi at 9.5 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2013–2020

   Owners describe the air bag warning light illuminating with no crash or impact and staying on. One complaint reports a dealer attributing it to a sensor linked to the seat and quoting a substantial cost for the seat assembly; another describes the light returning even after a recall-related visit. Owners note uncertainty about whether the bags would work in a collision. Reported from around 40,000 to 125,000 miles in the sample.

   Recall 16V127000Recall 16V128000Recall 19V627000

   What to check: With the key on, confirm the air bag lamp goes out after the bulb-check sequence; if it stays lit, have the stored codes read and ask whether the seat sensor or a recall-related connector is involved.

   An excerpt from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2008 Pontiac VIBE. While operating the vehicle, the air bag warning indicator remained illuminated. The cause of the failure was not determined. Sheldon buick (855 rochester rd, rochester hills, mi) and the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 125,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11190954, filed 2019-03, 125,000 miles
3. 3
   Vehicle speed control

   Unintended acceleration or high idle

   • 6 complaints (10%)
   • median 29,250 mi at 2.9 yrs old (4 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2008–2017

   Complaints describe the car accelerating on its own or holding a high idle — around 3,000 rpm in one report — while the brake is applied, in a few cases with no foot on the accelerator at all. Some say the condition cleared after shutting the car off and restarting, or was accompanied by a check engine light; one owner reported the vehicle climbing a low wall. Owners describe being turned away or told the car was not covered by the acceleration campaign. Reported from roughly 2,000 to 160,000 miles, with several under 50,000 miles; some incidents described in cold weather around 35°F.

   What to check: On a test drive, let the car idle in gear with the brake held and watch the tachometer for an abnormally high or creeping idle, and ask whether the throttle body and pedal sensor have been cleaned, checked, or replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Description of malfunction: engine accelerated when brake was applied. This condition occurred once, but could have cause an accident. On saturday 3/29/08 (no rain; temp 35 deg f) , I was driving on a winding rural road and going around 30 MPH. The cruise control was off. I started braking since I was going down a slight grade and getting close to a red traffic light. Suddenly the car started speeding up, even with my foot on the brake. I noticed that the idle was around 3,000 RPM. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10223277, filed 2008-04, 3,000 miles

   “Feb 3, 2011 was the first occurrence. I put the car in reverse then pulled forward, turning the wheel to the right to give myself room to back up and turn my car so I could pull out onto a busy street going forward rather than backing out into traffic. I was going very slowly and applied the brakes when the car suddenly accelerated very fast. It ran up an 18 rock wall, pushing the brake did nothing, I turned the wheel to the right to avoid a tree while still trying to brake. The brake finally held. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10381175, filed 2011-02, 40,000 miles

Buying note. Check the open-recall status by VIN before buying, since most of this model year's complaint history revolves around air bag campaigns that owners report waiting on for months. Also budget time for a test drive that includes idling in gear and highway-speed driving to watch for high idle, stalling, or warning lights.

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.