Worst 2003 Pontiac Vibe Problems
Top 3 most-reported issues with average mileage at failure.
AIR BAGS
VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
Check the actual VIN — every car is different.
This page shows the model year's reputation. The VIN tells you about this specific car — accidents, title issues, odometer rollbacks. Full report just $4.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).
All Problems by Category
Every NHTSA complaint category for the 2003 Pontiac Vibe.
| Component | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Avg Mileage | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | 60 | 12 | — | 115,613 mi | |
| VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR | 37 | — | — | 65,795 mi | |
| VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS | 24 | — | — | 54,008 mi | |
| POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION | 18 | — | — | 79,325 mi | |
| STRUCTURE | 16 | — | — | 25,672 mi | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 15 | — | — | 65,084 mi | |
| POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY | 14 | — | — | 31,372 mi | |
| VISIBILITY | 11 | — | — | 71,583 mi | |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 10 | 4 | — | 46,605 mi | |
| POWER TRAIN | 9 | — | — | 123,656 mi | |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 8 | 1 | — | 73,575 mi | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL | 7 | — | — | 100,725 mi | |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 7 | — | — | 87,000 mi | |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 7 | 1 | — | 80,895 mi | |
| TIRES | 7 | 1 | — | 14,200 mi | |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS | 6 | — | — | 25,000 mi | |
| SEAT BELTS | 6 | 1 | — | 124,020 mi | |
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 6 | 1 | — | 162,817 mi | |
| SUSPENSION | 5 | — | — | 120,165 mi | |
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 4 | 4 | — | 47,500 mi | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR | 4 | — | — | 50 mi | |
| INTERIOR LIGHTING | 4 | — | — | 8,950 mi | |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 4 | — | — | 123,222 mi | |
| STEERING | 4 | 3 | — | 85,892 mi | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 3 | — | — | 41,000 mi | |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL | 3 | 1 | — | 34,000 mi | |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | 3 | — | — | 194,483 mi | |
| VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD | 3 | — | — | 11,693 mi | |
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE | 2 | — | — | 54,500 mi | |
| ENGINE | 2 | — | — | 132,330 mi |
Recalls for 2003 Pontiac Vibe
6 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting ~5,106,628 vehicles.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2003-2004 Pontiac Vibe vehicles equipped with a front passenger air bag assembly replaced under a prior recall. The replacement air bag may not unfold as designed during inflation in high temperature conditions, possibly resulting in the air bag not inflating properly.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2002-2005 Lexus SC and Toyota Sequoia, 2003-2005 Toyota Corolla and Tundra, and 2003-2007 Pontiac Vibe vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) notified the agency on May 13, 2015 that they are recalling certain model year 2004 Sequoia vehicles manufactured August 18, 2003, to August 19, 2004, and 2003-2004 Tundra vehicles manufactured March 18, 2003, to August 25, 2004. On June 16, 2015, Toyota expanded the recall to include an additional 1,270,468 vehicles, including model year 2002-2003 and 2005-2007 Sequoia, 2005-2006 Tundra, 2003-2007 Corolla, 2003-2007 Corolla Matrix, 2003-2007 Pontiac Vibe and 2002-2007 Lexus SC vehicles. This is to address a safety defect in the passenger side frontal air bag inflator which may produce excessive internal pressure causing the inflator to rupture upon deployment of the air bag. This recall addresses both the passenger side frontal air bags that were originally installed in the vehicles, as well as replacement air bags that may have been installed as replacement service parts. A replacement air bag may have been installed, as one example, if a vehicle had been in a crash necessitating the replacement of the passenger side frontal air bag.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) notified the agency on May 13, 2015, that they are recalling 2005-2007 Lexus SC, Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sequoia, and Pontiac Vibe, and 2005-2006 Toyota Tundra vehicles that were originally sold, or ever registered, in Florida, along the Gulf Coast, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Saipan and American Samoa. On June 16, 2015 Toyota expanded the recall to cover an additional 769,055 vehicles, including certain model year 2002-2004 Lexus SC, Toyota Sequoia, 2003-2004 Toyota Corolla Matrix, Toyota Corolla, Pontiac Vibe, and Toyota Tundra vehicles, as well the vehicles covered by the May 13, 2015 notification in the portions of Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas that were not previously included. The inflators in the front passenger air bags are susceptible to rupture in the event of a crash necessitating the deployment of the front passenger air bag.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Toyota Corolla vehicles manufactured December 28, 2001, to May 2, 2004, 2003-2004 Toyota Corolla Matrix vehicles manufactured January 6, 2002, to April 29, 2004, 2003-2004 Avalon vehicles manufactured June 5, 2002, to December 20, 2004, and 2003-2004 Pontiac Vibe vehicles manufactured January 18, 2002, to April 27, 2004. Due to electrical noise, a component in the air bag control module may fail, causing the front air bags, side air bags, and/or seatbelt pretensioners to deploy inadvertently while the vehicle is being operated.
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles and 2003-2004 Pontiac Vibe vehicles. The supplemental restraint system (SRS) circuits are susceptible to internal shorting. The electrical short may create an abnormal current flow and increased heat which can damage the circuits. This could result in an inadvertent deployment of the front airbags and/or seat belt pretensioners.
Other Pontiac Vibe Years
Wider context: See the full Pontiac Vibe reliability report with year-by-year comparison and generation analysis.
Check Your Specific 2003 Pontiac Vibe
Real owner complaints tell you about the model. The VIN tells you about your specific car — accidents, title issues, odometer fraud.
Check Any VIN — $4.99