YearToAvoid

2010 Pontiac Vibe Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls

Caution The 2010 Pontiac Vibe carries a Caution verdict, ranking 5th of 7 model years with a complaint index of 33. It has 58 complaints and 8 recall campaigns, mostly tied to airbags, which capped its verdict despite a moderate complaint index.

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

YearToAvoid Scorecard

Complaint Index
33/100
#5 of 7 Vibe years
Verdict
Caution
vs. other years of this model
Complaints
58
unique NHTSA reports
Recalls
8
distinct NHTSA campaigns
Crashes
5
reported in complaints
Fires
0
Injuries
5
Top issue
Airbags
Best nearby year
2008
rated Good
NHTSA overall rating
Not rated
EPA combined MPG
24
21 city / 29 hwy
Injuries / deaths
5 / 0

Top 2010 Pontiac Vibe problems

Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Airbags31 (53%)
  2. Engine12 (21%)
  3. Brakes8 (14%)
  4. Steering4 (7%)
  5. Other3 (5%)
  6. Transmission & Powertrain3 (5%)
  7. Visibility & Wipers2 (3%)
  8. Electrical System1 (2%)
  9. Fuel System1 (2%)
  10. Seat Belts1 (2%)

A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.

What owners report

  • Airbags, including side curtain and seat airbags, sometimes failed to deploy in low-speed side and rear collisions, occasionally causing injuries.
  • Some owners reported waiting years for Takata airbag inflator recall parts, with dealers unable to complete the repair.
  • Brakes sometimes did not engage immediately when the pedal was pressed, and one owner described the vehicle jerking violently to the right while braking around a curve.
  • Steering sometimes pulled sharply to one side at highway speed without warning, making it hard to hold a lane.
  • Windshield wipers occasionally stopped moving mid-drive in rain and stayed stuck for extended periods before working again.
  • Owners flagged confusion and delays around the accelerator pedal recall, including unremoved floor mats and missing notifications.
2010 Pontiac Vibe complaints: complaints filed per month5Feb 2010Mar 2011Feb 2012Mar 2015Nov 2016Jun 2017Aug 2018
58 complaints filed with NHTSA from Feb 2010 to Aug 2022; peak Feb 2017 (5).

2010 Pontiac Vibe recalls

8 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 18V025000Jan 9, 2018Airbags116,126 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    On January 9, 2018, Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) notified NHTSA that they are recalling 14,585 model year 2010-2012 Yaris vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. As of January 30, 2018, Toyota is additionally recalling 3,347 model year 2010 Pontiac Vibe vehicles located in states listed above. Also included in this recall filing is 98,194 model year 2003-2008 Toyota Corolla Matrix vehicles, located throughout the U.S., that previously received a “like-for-like” interim air bag inflator replacement. 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 owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag assemblies with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began on January 29, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are G0R (Zone B), and H0A (Zone C), J0A (Matrix Zone A), J0A (Matrix Zone A), J0A (Matrix Zone A).

  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 8 recalls for the 2010 Pontiac Vibe →

2010 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.

2010 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
2008Good1763428
2009Avoid100527924
2010Caution3358824
2014No verdict010—

All Pontiac Vibe years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2010 Pontiac Vibe reliable?
NHTSA data shows a Caution verdict for the 2010 Vibe, with 58 complaints and a complaint index of 33, ranking 5th out of 7 model years. Its verdict was capped because of 8 recall campaigns.
What is the biggest problem with the 2010 Pontiac Vibe?
Airbags are the top complaint area, accounting for 31 of 58 complaints (53%), including reports of airbags failing to deploy in crashes.
Does the 2010 Pontiac Vibe have a Takata airbag recall?
Yes, NHTSA lists multiple airbag-related recall campaigns tied to the 2010 Vibe, and owner complaints describe long waits for Takata inflator replacement parts.
How does the 2010 Vibe compare to other Vibe model years?
The 2010 Vibe's complaint index of 33 is lower than 2005 (83), 2007 (67), 2006 (50), and 2009 (100), but higher than 2008's index of 17, which earned a Good verdict.
Was the 2010 Pontiac Vibe part of the accelerator pedal recall?
Yes, NHTSA recalls 10V024000 and 10V018000 cover accelerator pedal issues on 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe vehicles, addressing pedals that could get stuck or operate roughly.

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.