2006 Pontiac Vibe problems
Owners have filed 199 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 Pontiac Vibe. Air bags is the most reported problem area, at 60% of complaints. After that come engine (15%) and electrical system (6%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 199 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 60% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 10 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 7 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 82,000 miles 80 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 | 6 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 9 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 14 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 4 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 16 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 4 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 10 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 8 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 3 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 4 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Among the 80 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 82,000 miles. For air bags specifically, the median reported mileage is about 128,000 miles (24 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 10 complaints mention a crash; 7 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2006 ranks 6th most-complained-about out of 8 model years of the Pontiac Vibe with enough data (51 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.
Tl* the contact owned a 2006 pontiac vibe. The contact was driving 15 MPH and attempting a left turn when the vehicle stalled without warning. Another vehicle crashed into the front of the contact's vehicle. A passenger sustained a pulled muscle. A police report was available. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact stated the vehicle had stalled once before the crash ,but was not taken for diagnostic testing or repairs. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 78,000.
Tl* the contact owned a 2006 pontiac vibe. While driving approximately 20 MPH on a wet road down a hill, the contact hit a wet patch of road. The contact lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a guardrail. As a result, the front of the vehicle was damaged and the front driver's side seat rail was fractured. The air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained injuries to the head and bruises that required medical attention. A police report was filed.
Dt*: the contact stated after hearing a rattling noise from the left rear seatbelt buckle and the buckle assembly not locking, the vehicle was taken to a dealer. The service department discovered there were missing bolts in the buckle assembly and without those bolts; the buckle assembly would not lock. Although the vehicle was seen by a dealer, the buckle assembly was not repaired.
My 2006 pontiac vibe began shifting harshly and the check engine light came on. This occurred beginning before thanksgiving. I received a recall notice on the vehicle earlier in november, stating these were 2 of the signs of the defective part. I called the 800 number on the recall notice and the pontiac representative told me the repair work had not begun on the recall, the representative also told me my car was not one being recalled.