2010 Pontiac Vibe Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often write about the airbag inflator recall, where they describe waiting a long time for replacement parts. Other frequent reports involve surging or unintended acceleration linked to floor mats and the accelerator pedal, mostly under 30,000 miles where mileage is given. Brake concerns and sudden stalling or power loss also appear, with mileage reports spread over a wider range.

1. 1
   Air bags

   Takata airbag recall: repair parts unavailable

   • 25 complaints (43%)
   • median 51,000 mi at 7.3 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2016–2018

   Owners describe receiving a recall notice for airbag inflators, but the dealer had no replacement parts and could not give a repair date. Many complaints say the manufacturer also could not provide an estimated date, and some owners say they were promised a call when parts arrived that never came. Some owners describe waiting many months and asking for a loaner or rental car, according to the complaints. An owner says the recall notice advised against seating a passenger in the front seat until the repair is done, and many of these complaints say the vehicle had not failed. Many complaints do not list mileage; where it is given, it ranges from about 36,000 to 100,000 miles.

   Recall 16V3400002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check the VIN on the NHTSA recall lookup or with a dealer to see whether campaign 16V340000 is still open and whether parts are now available. Ask whether a loaner or rental is offered while the repair is pending.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Takata recall. Company is not doing enough for customers to remedy the situation. Recall letter is july 2016, this has been 4 months without the use of my front seat. I've called both my local dealership as well as GM corporate and they are unwilling to provide a rental or loaner while I wait. They are literally robbing me of full use of my car. They are also unwilling to provide any kind of time table as to when parts will be ready. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10917924, filed 2016-10, 100,000 miles

   “Takata recall I first received my safety recall notice in july 2016 and my second notice in may 2017. Both times I was informed that I would receive a call when the parts came in but the call never came and the repair never done. Yesterday I went beyond the dealership and spoke to a GM representative who also couldn't find any dealership in my area with the parts to complete the work. Of course at this point I asked for a loaner car since I haven't been able to safely put a passenger in the front seat for eleven months! …”

   NHTSA complaint #11000410, filed 2017-06, 51,000 miles
2. 2
   Vehicle speed control

   Unintended acceleration linked to floor mat or pedal

   • 10 complaints (17%)
   • median 21,500 mi at 1.6 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2010–2012

   Owners describe surging or unintended acceleration, including when starting from idle, at low speed, while braking, and when coming to a stop. Several complaints link the problem to a driver's floor mat that could trap the accelerator pedal, and an owner says the dealer removed the mat without providing a replacement. Dealers often could not reproduce the problem on a test drive, and some owners say they did not receive recall notification or that the remedy took too long. Mostly reported under 30,000 miles, often at low speed, when starting from a stop, or while slowing down.

   Recall 10V024000Recall 10V018000

   What to check: Confirm the driver's floor mat is the correct type for the vehicle and is secured, and ask whether recall 10V024000 has been completed for the VIN. If a floor mat was removed during a recall repair, ask whether a replacement was provided.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Engine speed accelerated when coming to a stop. Had to jam on break and throw transmission into park. This occurred multiple times in future months . Car is only driven may thru jan. Car went to dealer 4 times for this problem including toyota recalls. Last occurrence 11/9/11. Problem never solved. (multiple times means 7+).”

   NHTSA complaint #10435650, filed 2011-11, 14,000 miles

   “2010 Pontiac VIBE. S10 appropriate handling- letter from regarding toyota problems the consumer stated when starting out from idle, if he barely touches the accelerator it starts out very slowly or not at all if the vehicle is in reverse from a downhill position. Then if he press slightly more, the engine drops into a lower gear and the vehicle surges. On a wet street, the wheels spin and the vehicle almost goes out of control. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10363329, filed 2010-10
3. 3
   Air bags

   Airbag warning light or no deployment in crashes

   • 6 complaints (10%)
   • median 93,000 mi at 4.5 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2011–2019

   Some owners report the airbag warning light turning on while driving, and in one case the dealer found a faulty steering wheel coil module and said no recall covered it. Other complaints describe crashes in which the airbags did not deploy, including a rollover and a side impact. An owner says the airbag inflator was replaced under an earlier recall after a crash. Mileage given ranges from about 56,000 to 136,000 miles, and reports come from both crashes and everyday driving.

   Recall 14V168000Recall 16V340000

   What to check: Check whether the airbag warning light is on during the test drive, and ask the dealer to scan for airbag fault codes. Check the VIN on the NHTSA recall lookup for open airbag recalls, including the inflator and steering-column recalls.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Driving in a light rain, I lost control at 75mph and hit the rear of a semi trailer. The car started to slide sideways and I pressed the brakes hard and the car began to skid. The skid continued until my car reached the shoulder, whereupon it began to roll. The car rolled a total of three times and came to rest on its wheels. Even though the roof and all four doors had extensive body damage, none of the airbags deployed. I was restrained by the seat belt but I feel that the airbags should have deployed. The car was totaled and sold for scrap. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10492323, filed 2013-01, 56,000 miles

   “The air bag warning indicator illuminated and the dealer diagnosed the problem as a faulty steering wheel coil module, which also caused failure/short of the fuse block. The dealer stated there was no recall related to these parts. The car was fixed and the air bag warning light is no longer activated.”

   NHTSA complaint #10596781, filed 2014-06, 136,618 miles
4. 4
   Brakes

   Brake malfunction, shaking, and recall coverage

   • 9 complaints (16%)
   • median 29,097 mi at 1.9 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2010–2019

   Owners describe brakes that malfunctioned in bad weather, a skid on the highway after the anti-lock brakes locked, and a case where the brakes did not stop the car during unintended acceleration. Another owner says the front end shook, and the dealer reportedly found no brake fault and replaced the tires before a private mechanic checked the car. Some owners say the car should have been covered by a brake power-assist recall but was not included, and the dealer could not diagnose the braking problem. Mileage given ranges from about 23,000 to 114,000 miles, and a complaint describes problems in inclement weather.

   Recall 09V3920001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask whether brake power-assist recall 09V392000 applies to the VIN, and have the brakes and tires inspected for shaking or pulling before buying. Ask for written results of that inspection and any brake repair history.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “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. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11078498, filed 2018-03, 114,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2010 Pontiac VIBE. The contact stated that when driving during inclement weather, the brakes would malfunction. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic test but the dealer was unable to diagnose the failure. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign I.d. Number: 09v392000 (service brakes, hydraulic:power assist:vacuum) but the vehicle was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 29,500.”

   NHTSA complaint #10445096, filed 2012-01, 29,500 miles
5. 5
   Engine

   Sudden stalling, power loss, or erratic shifting

   Mentioned in 4 of 53 sampled complaints

   Owners describe the engine suddenly shutting off at about 70 mph with no warning, and stalling or refusing to start after erratic shifting in city driving. Another describes rough idling and a sudden downshift with the stability and check-engine lights on, and a mechanic linked it to a computer fault. A manual clutch that slipped at about 45 mph, with the engine revving but little acceleration, is also reported, and in the shutoff case the dealer could not reproduce the failure. Mileage given ranges from about 14,000 to 95,000 miles, with reports from both highway and city driving.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask the dealer to scan for stored codes, including misfire and stall-related codes, and ask whether the rough-idle service bulletin was checked. On a test drive, watch for hesitation, rough idle, unusual shifting, and any check-engine or stability warning light.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The clutch in my 2010 Pontiac VIBE gt failed while driving at 45 MPH. The car would rev but with virtually no acceleration ability. Luckily I was on a rural road and able to pull over. My vehicle has 36k miles on it. I have 31 years of manual transmission driving experience and I have never had to replace a clutch...especially with this little amount of mileage. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10415557, filed 2011-07, 36,899 miles

   “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.”

   NHTSA complaint #11073328, filed 2018-02, 95,000 miles

Buying note. For a used purchase, check the VIN against the NHTSA recall lookup for the airbag inflator recall (16V340000) and the accelerator recall (10V024000), and confirm the dealer has parts or a repair date. Ask whether the vibration and rough-idle service bulletins were reviewed, and test-drive for hesitation, stalling, and warning lights.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 53 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.