Model year record

2003 Pontiac Vibe

8 recall campaigns on file for this model year. 342 owner complaints on file.

Recalls

Recall campaignNHTSA 20V039000

Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module

Component: Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
Manufacturer: General Motors LLC
Vehicles affected: 554
Reported to NHTSA: 2020-01-23
Owners notified: 2020-02-19

Defect description

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.

Safety risk

An air bag that does not inflate properly increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Manufacturer remedy

GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the passenger air bag module, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began February 19, 2020. Owners may contact Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. GM's number for this recall is N192278940.

Recall campaignNHTSA 18V883000

Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module

Component: Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing
Vehicles affected: 168,993
Reported to NHTSA: 2018-12-12
Owners notified: 2019-01-23

Defect description

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.

Safety risk

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

Manufacturer remedy

Toyota will notify the Toyota and Lexus owners. General Motors will notify the Pontiac Vibe owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, or replace the air bag assembly that includes an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 23, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371, Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987 or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Toyota's numbers for these recalls are J0A (Zone A Toyota), J0B (Zone B Toyota), J0C (Zone C Toyota), JLI (Zone A Lexus), JLJ (Zone B Lexus), and JLK (Zone C Lexus). Note: This recall includes vehicles that have had their air bag previously replaced under an earlier air bag campaign.

Recall campaignNHTSA 15V285000

Air bags

Component: Air bags
Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing
Vehicles affected: 1,973,468
Reported to NHTSA: 2015-05-13
Owners notified: 2015-07-13

Defect description

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.

Safety risk

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

Manufacturer remedy

2003-2004 Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles that are recalled under both 15V-043 and 15V-285 are under a Do Not Drive advisory. Owners of these vehicles are advised not to drive their vehicles until the recall remedy has been completed. Toyota will notify their owners. Pontiac Vibe owners will be notified by GM. Dealers will replace the front passenger air bag. The recall began on July 13, 2015. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Pontiac owners may call 1-800-762-2737. NOTE: This recall supersedes recall 14V-312 in its entirety.

Recall campaignNHTSA 15V286000

Air bags

Component: Air bags
Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing
Vehicles affected: 1,069,055
Reported to NHTSA: 2015-05-13
Owners notified: 2015-07-13

Defect description

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.

Safety risk

Manufacturer remedy

2003-2004 Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles that are recalled under both 15V-043 and 15V-286 are under a Do Not Drive advisory. Owners of these vehicles are advised not to drive their vehicles until the recall remedy has been completed. Toyota will notify their owners. Pontiac Vibe owners will be notified by GM. Dealers will replace the passenger side front air bag, free of charge. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota began the recall on July 13, 2015. Pontiac Vibe owners may contact GM at 1-800-762-2737. GM began the recall on June 29, 2015. NOTE: This recacll supersedes recall 14V-655 in its entirety. For vehicles located in the U.S. states not listed above, please see Toyota recall 15V-285 which covers all other U.S. states.

Recall campaignNHTSA 15V043000

Air bags: frontal

Component: Air bags: frontal
Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing
Vehicles affected: 1,006,849
Reported to NHTSA: 2015-01-28
Owners notified: 2015-08-24

Defect description

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.

Safety risk

Inadvertent deployment of the air bags or the seat belt pretensioners increases the risk of an injury or crash.

Manufacturer remedy

Toyota will notify their owners. Pontiac Vibe owners will be notified by GM. Dealers will replace the air bag control module, free of charge. The recall began on August 24, 2015. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. GM issued an interim notification to owners on March 27, 2015. The recall began on August 24, 2015. Pontiac owners may call 1-800-620-7668. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 13V-029 and 14V-147. Vehicles that had a noise filter installed as the remedy for one of those campaigns need to have the air bag control module replaced under this campaign.

Recall campaignNHTSA 13V029000

Air bags

Component: Air bags
Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing
Vehicles affected: 887,709
Reported to NHTSA: 2013-01-30
Owners notified: 2013-03-13

Defect description

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.

Safety risk

Inadvertent deployment of the airbags or the seat belt pretensioners may increase the risk of injury and the possibility of a vehicle crash.

Manufacturer remedy

Toyota will re-notify their owners who have already had their vehicles repaired with a noise filter, but did not receive a new airbag control module, and General Motors will re-notify theirs. Dealers previously installed a supplemental harness containing an electrical filter between the airbag control module and its wire harness, free of charge. Dealers will replace the airbag control module, free of charge. The recall began on March 13, 2013. The manufacturer has not yet provided a schedule for second notices. For more information, Toyota owners may call 1-800-331-4331 and Pontiac owners may call 1-800-620-7668.

Recall campaignNHTSA 08V162000

Visibility: glass, side/rear

Component: Visibility: glass, side/rear
Manufacturer: TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.
Vehicles affected: 662,178
Reported to NHTSA: 2008-04-10
Owners notified: 2008-04-16

Defect description

TOYOTA IS RECALLING 662,178 MY 2003-2004 COROLLA, COROLLA MATRIX AND PONTIAC VIBE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH POWER WINDOWS. THE DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGER DOOR GLASS BOLTS MAY LOOSEN AND COME OFF, CAUSING THE DOOR GLASS TO SEPARATE FROM THE WINDOW REGULATOR. DUE TO THE COMPONENTS BECOMING LOOSE AND POSSIBLY RATTLING, AN ABNORMAL NOISE MAY BE HEARD FROM THE DRIVER AND /OR FRONT PASSENGER DOOR WHEN OPERATING THE POWER WINDOWS.

Safety risk

THE DOOR GLASS MAY SEPARATE FROM THE WINDOW REGULATOR, BIND AND SHATTER DURING OPERATION OF THE POWER WINDOWS, CAUSING DRIVER DISTRACTION AND/OR INJURY.

Manufacturer remedy

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGER DOOR GLASS BOLTS WITH NEWLY DESIGNED BOLTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 16, 2008 TO TOYOTA OWNERS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 21, 2008, FOR PONTIAC OWNERS. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-888-270-9371 OR PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668.

Recall campaignNHTSA 02V074002

Power train: axle assembly

Component: Power train: axle assembly
Manufacturer: GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
Vehicles affected: 2,701
Reported to NHTSA: 2002-03-11
Owners notified: 2002-03-12

Defect description

ON CERTAIN TWO-WHEEL DRIVE (2WD) PASSENGER VEHICLES, IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THE BOLTS THAT JOIN THE REAR BRAKE AND HUB ASSEMBLY TO THE REAR AXLE CARRIER TO BE LOOSE DUE TO INSUFFICIENT TIGHTENING DURING THE ASSEMBLY PROCESS.

Safety risk

IF THE VEHICLE IS OPERATED IN THIS CONDITION, ONE OR MORE OF THE FOUR BOLTS COULD COME LOOSE, CAUSING AN ABNORMAL NOISE FROM THE REAR AXLE AREA. IN THE EVENT THAT ALL FOUR BOLTS LOOSEN COMPLETELY, SEPARATION OF THE REAR BRAKE AND HUB ASSEMBLY FROM THE REAR AXLE CARRIER COULD OCCUR, WHICH COULD LEAD TO A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL.

Manufacturer remedy

DEALERS WILL PROPERLY TIGHTEN THE BOLTS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MARCH 12, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT PONTIAC AT 1-800-762-2737.

Owner complaints

A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.

Component	Complaints	Median mileage
Air bags	60	125,000 mi
Visibility: glass, side/rear	37	66,000 mi
Visibility: power window devices and controls	24	50,700 mi
Power train: manual transmission	18	82,000 mi
Structure	16	17,700 mi
Electrical system	15	70,000 mi
Power train: clutch assembly	14	29,000 mi
Visibility	11	59,626 mi
Unknown or other	10	104,000 mi
Vehicle speed control	10	30,000 mi
Power train	9	134,567 mi
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel	7	37,000 mi
Exterior lighting	7	34,000 mi
Power train: automatic transmission	7	75,000 mi
Tires	7	9,000 mi
Exterior lighting: headlights	6	—
Seat belts	6	110,000 mi
Structure: body	6	115,000 mi
Suspension	5	120,000 mi
Air bags: frontal	4	40,000 mi
Engine and engine cooling: exhaust system: emission control: catalytic convertor	4	50 mi
Interior lighting	4	200 mi
Latches/locks/linkages	4	117,625 mi
Steering	4	89,000 mi
Engine and engine cooling: engine	3	41,000 mi
Vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal	3	34,000 mi
Visibility/wiper	3	208,000 mi
Visibility: windshield	3	6,100 mi
Air bags: frontal: sensor/control module	2	49,000 mi
Engine	2	120,000 mi
Engine and engine cooling	2	—
Equipment	2	1,600 mi
Seat belts: front	2	30,000 mi
Electrical system: wiring: fuses and circuit breakers	1	—
Equipment: appliance: air conditioner	1	—
Exterior lighting: tail lights	1	900 mi
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings	1	—
Fuel system, gasoline: fuel injection system: fuel rail	1	39,100 mi
Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly	1	49,820 mi
Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly: filler pipe and cap	1	—
Parking brake: conventional: mechanical	1	75,000 mi
Power train: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: column shift	1	—
Power train: axle assembly	1	125,000 mi
Seat belts: rear/other	1	—
Seats	1	—
Service brakes	1	89,000 mi
Service brakes, electric	1	40,000 mi
Service brakes, hydraulic	1	—
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip	1	5,000 mi
Service brakes, hydraulic: pedals and linkages	1	—
Steering: steering wheel/handle bar	1	9,000 mi
Structure: body: door: hinge and attachments	1	—
Structure: body: hatchback/liftgate	1	—
Tires: sidewall	1	—
Visibility: defroster/defogger/hvac system: fan/motor	1	18,000 mi
Visibility: defroster/defogger/hvac system: heater core	1	—
Visibility: windshield wiper/washer	1	3 mi
Wheels: hub	1	—

The 2002 model has 171 times as many complaints as this one. The 2004 model has roughly the same number of complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.

Open investigations

An investigation is not a recall. It indicates that NHTSA is currently evaluating an alleged defect but has not reached a final determination.

EA21002Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module

EA15001Air Bag Inflator Rupture

Air bags: frontal

Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.