YearToAvoid

2009 Pontiac Vibe Problems, Recalls & Reliability

Verdict

Avoid

Complaint Index

100/100

#1 most-complained of 7 Vibe years

Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology

The 2009 Pontiac Vibe has 527 owner complaints and 9 safety recalls on file with NHTSA. Its Complaint Index is 100 out of 100 — the highest of 7 Vibe model years (verdict: Avoid). The most reported problem area is airbags (352 complaints, 67% of the total). Complaints report 23 crashes, 2 fires, and 10 injuries.

Complaints
527
Recalls
9
Crashes / fires
23 / 2
Injuries / deaths
10 / 0
NHTSA overall rating
Not rated
EPA combined MPG
24
21 city / 29 hwy

Top 2009 Pontiac Vibe problems

NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Airbags352 (67%)
  2. Engine92 (17%)
  3. Steering35 (7%)
  4. Brakes29 (6%)
  5. Electrical System18 (3%)
  6. Visibility & Wipers13 (2%)
  7. Other12 (2%)
  8. Suspension, Wheels & Tires12 (2%)
  9. Transmission & Powertrain12 (2%)
  10. Fuel System6 (1%)
2009 Pontiac Vibe complaints: complaints filed per quarter1032008 Q42010 Q42013 Q12015 Q22017 Q12018 Q42020 Q32024 Q4
588 complaints filed with NHTSA from 2008 Q4 to 2025 Q1; peak 2017 Q4 (103).

2009 Pontiac Vibe recalls

9 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. NHTSA 18V024000Jan 9, 2018Airbags628,018 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2013 Scion xB, Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sienna, 4Runner, Lexus IS250, IS350, IS250C, IS350C, IS-F, and GX460 vehicles sold, ever registered, in the states of AL, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, SC, TX, PR, AS, GU, the MP (Saipan), and the U.S. VI or "Zone A." Toyota is also recalling certain 2010 Scion xB, Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Yaris, 4Runner, Lexus IS250, IS350, IS250C, IS350C, ES350, IS-F, GX460, and Pontiac Vibe vehicles sold, ever registered, in the states of AZ, AR, DE, DC, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, and WV or "Zone B." Toyota is also recalling certain 2009 Scion xB, Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Yaris, Lexus IS250, IS350, ES350, IS-F, and Pontiac Vibe vehicles ever registered in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." 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 occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

    Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: Toyota will notify the Toyota, Scion and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, or replace the air bag assembly. The recall began on January 29, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331, or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Toyota's numbers for this recall are "Zone A" Toyota: G0P, Lexus: GLG; "Zone B" Toyota: G0R, Lexus GLH; "Zone C" Toyota: H0A, and Lexus: HLA.

  2. NHTSA 17V006000Jan 9, 2017Airbags577,875 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2012 Toyota 4Runner, Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sienna, Yaris, Scion xB, Lexus ES350, GX460, IS-F, IS250, IS350, IS250C, IS350C, and Lexus LFA vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Toyota is recalling certain 2009 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Yaris, Yaris HB, Scion xB, Pontiac Vibe, Lexus, ES350, IS250, IS350, and IS-F vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Toyota is recalling certain 2006-2008 Lexus IS250 and IS350, 2007-2008 Lexus ES350, Toyota Yaris, Yaris HB, and 2008 Lexus IS-F and Scion xB vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. 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 rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

    Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: Toyota will notify the Toyota, Scion and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the model, dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator or the air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on February 1, 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331, or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Toyota's numbers for final remedy for this campaign are G0P (Toyota Zone A), G0R (Toyota Zone B), H0A (Toyota Zone C), GLG (Lexus Zone A), GLH (Lexus Zone B) and HLA (Lexus Zone C).

  3. NHTSA 16V340000May 23, 2016Airbags1,754,517 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Scion xB and Lexus IS F, 2009-2011 Toyota Corolla and Corolla Matrix, 2006-2011 Toyota Yaris, Lexus IS250 and Lexus IS350, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, Lexus IS250C, Lexus IS350C and Lexus GX460, 2011 Sienna, 2007-2011 Lexus ES350, and 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 Scion xB and Lexus IS F, 2007-2008 Toyota Yaris, 2006-2008 Lexus IS250 and Lexus IS350 and 2007-2008 Lexus ES350 vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Vehicles of these model years and models that were not originally sold or ever registered in either Zones A or B are not subject to this safety recall. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

    Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: Toyota will notify the Toyota and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the model, dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator or the air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on December 6, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for interim notification for this campaign are G1P (Toyota Zone A), G1R (Toyota Zone B), G2G (Lexus Zone A), and G2H (Lexus Zone B). Toyota's numbers for final remedy for this campaign are G0P (Toyota Zone A), G0R (Toyota Zone B), GLG (Lexus Zone A), and GLH (Lexus Zone B).

See all 9 recalls for the 2009 Pontiac Vibe →

2009 Pontiac Vibe fuel economy and fuel cost

City
21 MPG
Highway
29 MPG
Combined
24 MPG
Annual fuel cost (EPA)
$2,700
15,000 mi/yr
Fuel
Regular
Current regular gas
$4.32/gal
national avg.

EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.

2009 compared with other Vibe years

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)02550751002005200620072008200920102014
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2007Caution67170528
2008Best1763428
2009Avoid100527924
2010Good3358824
2014No verdict010—

All Pontiac Vibe years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2009 Pontiac Vibe a reliable year?
Judged by NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, the 2009 Pontiac Vibe ranks worst among Vibe model years (Complaint Index 100/100, verdict: Avoid). It has 527 complaints and 9 recalls on file. This reflects reported safety-related problems, not an overall reliability rating.
What are the most common problems with the 2009 Pontiac Vibe?
The most reported problem areas are airbags (352 complaints), engine (92 complaints), and steering (35 complaints). The median mileage at the time of failure in complaints that report it is 55,500 miles.
Does the 2009 Pontiac Vibe have any recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 9 recall campaigns for the 2009 Pontiac Vibe, most recently reported 2018, covering airbags, visibility & wipers, engine, and brakes.
What is the fuel economy of the 2009 Pontiac Vibe?
EPA rates the 2009 Pontiac Vibe at 24 MPG combined (21 city / 29 highway), with an estimated annual fuel cost of $2,700. Where several configurations exist, the median is shown.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.