2005 Pontiac Vibe problems
Owners have filed 337 complaints with NHTSA about the 2005 Pontiac Vibe. Air bags is the most reported problem area, at 52% of complaints. After that come engine (14%) and transmission (6%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 337 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 52% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 12 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 10 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 87,000 miles 175 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 22 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 21 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 17 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 17 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 27 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 14 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 13 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 13 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 10 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 11 |
| 200k+ miles | 10 |
What the data shows
Among the 175 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 87,000 miles. For air bags specifically, the median reported mileage is about 118,000 miles (40 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 12 complaints mention a crash; 2 complaints mention a fire; 10 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2005 ranks 4th most-complained-about out of 8 model years of the Pontiac Vibe with enough data (113 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 5 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
On feb 3 2014 I was in a car accident my air bag did not deploy causing me to have a herniated disk in my neck resulting in surgery to put a plate and screws in my neck I suffer from pain everyday from this.in my police report it states my air bag didnt deployi car was totaled.my car is on the recall.I was at a stop light got rear indeed and slamed it in vehicle in front of me totaling my car.I dont have excess to a scanner to send police report but I do have it if you need it.
Car crash which my vehicle crashed into rear of vehicle in front of me. Speed was above 20MPH. My car is totaled and air bags didnt deploy.
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 pontiac vibe. The contact stated there was an accident which causes $5000 damage to the front of the vehicle and the air bags did not deploy. He was driving at 60MPH when another vehicle crash into his. Everyone was wearing their seat belts ,their was one person injured but they did not go to the hospital until four days after. A police report is available if needed. The vehicle was driven away from the scene.
Have less than 24,000 miles on vehicle and original factory tires are worn out! Hardly any tread on them. Were showing premature wear at about 18,000-20,000 miles. Dealer says "not their problem" and it appears this is more common than not with this brand of tires. Why would GM not do anything about this? Please look into this matter and see how a consumer can get satisfaction . Original tires were goodyear eagle rsa....p205/55r116 89h. This is not listed in the available options in the complaint drop down menu.
Engine light comes on and stays on. Codes: po441 evap emissions purge flow fault p2420 solenoid control circuit high voltage in cold weather 35 degrees f or lower engine idles erratically between 1500 to 2000 RPM and loses power when accelerating. Engine does not reach normal operating temperature for first 5 miles of driving. Heater/defroster works poorly for first 5 miles of driving.