Research · Small Station Wagons

2010 Pontiac VibeRecalls, problems, MPG & safety

NHTSA lists 8 safety recalls and 58 owner complaints for the 2010 Pontiac Vibe. Most complaints involve air bags (31) and vehicle speed control (7). The EPA rates it 22–28 mpg combined.

Combined MPG
22–28mpg
EPA · 5 versions
NHTSA overall
—
Not rated by NCAP
Safety recalls
8campaigns
Latest Jan 2018
Owner complaints
58
Top: air bags
Fuel cost / yr
$2,200est.
EPA estimate, best version
01 —Recalls

Safety recalls

8 NHTSA campaigns · applies to some vehicles, check your VIN

Air bags: inflator module

Free remedy

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.

Air bagsReported Jan 9, 2018NHTSA 18V024000

Air bags: inflator module

Free remedy

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.

Air bagsReported Jan 9, 2018NHTSA 18V025000

Air bags: inflator module

Remedy pending

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.

Air bagsReported May 23, 2016NHTSA 16V340000
Data from NHTSA Recalls API · synced Nov 10, 2026 · All recall detailsNHTSA vehicle page
02 —Complaints

Owner complaints by component

58 complaints filed with NHTSA · Feb 2010 – Aug 2022
  1. Air bags31
  2. Vehicle speed control7
  3. Steering4
  4. Engine4
  5. Electronic stability control (esc)3
  6. Power train3
  7. Service brakes, hydraulic3
  8. Seat belts1
  9. Service brakes1

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

By model year

Complaints for each Vibe model year we’ve synced.

View as table
Model yearNHTSA complaints
2003311
2004266
2005301
2006177
2007172
200863
2009528
201058
20141
Crashes reported
5
Fires reported
0
Injuries reported
5
Deaths reported
0
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 10, 2026 · Full problem breakdownNHTSA vehicle page
03 —Common problems

What owners report most

Verbatim excerpts from NHTSA complaints, by component

Air bags

31 reports4 crashes
“2010 PONTIAC VIBE STRUCK VEHICLE THAT CROSSED INTO RIGHT OF WAY OF PONTIAC VIBE AT 25 TO 30 MILES PER HOUR. AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AT DASHBOARD NOR DID SEAT BELT LOCK UPON IMPACT. VEHICLE UNDERWENT AIRBAG INFLATOR REPLACEMENT MAY 24TH 2018 PER RECALL #17477 PARTS 77204 AS LISTED ON REPAIR INVOICE.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 2, 2019Air bags, Seat beltsCrash reportedODI 11286297

Vehicle speed control

7 reports
“ENGINE SPEED ACCELERATED WHEN COMING TO A STOP. HAD TO JAM ON BREAK AND THROW TRANSMISSION INTO PARK. THIS OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES IN FUTURE MONTHS . CAR IS ONLY DRIVEN MAY THRU JAN. CAR WENT TO DEALER 4 TIMES FOR THIS PROBLEM INCLUDING TOYOTA RECALLS. LAST OCCURRENCE 11/9/11. PROBLEM NEVER SOLVED. (MULTIPLE TIMES MEANS 7+). *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 15, 2011Power train, Electrical system, Vehicle speed controlODI 10435650

Steering

4 reports1 crash
“THERE IS A PERSISTENT RATTLE COMING FROM DIRECTLY BEHIND THE STEERING WHEEL. ESPECIALLY NOTICEABLE AT SPEEDS <35 MPH AND/OR DRIVING OVER BUMPY PAVEMENT. WHEN THE RATTLE IS OCCURRING, THE STEERING COLUMN FEELS LIKE IT OSCILLATING VERY QUICKLY.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 25, 2017SteeringODI 11010467
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026
04 —Key specs

Engines, transmissions & drive

5 versions rated by the EPA
EPA class
Small Station Wagons
Engines
1.8L 4-cyl · 2.4L 4-cyl
Transmissions
Automatic 4-spd · Manual 5-spd · Automatic (S5)
Drive
Front-Wheel Drive · All-Wheel Drive
Fuel
Regular Gasoline

Towing, payload and dimensions aren’t in the EPA or NHTSA data, so we don’t list them.

Data from EPA fueleconomy.gov · synced Nov 10, 2026EPA listing
05 —Fuel economy

EPA fuel economy by version

City / highway / combined, annual fuel cost and CO₂
EPA
VersionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yrCO₂ g/mi
Vibe
Auto 4-spd, 4 cyl, 1.8 L · Front-Wheel Drive
263128$2,200317
Vibe
Man 5-spd, 4 cyl, 1.8 L · Front-Wheel Drive
263228$2,200317
Vibe
Auto (S5), 4 cyl, 2.4 L · Front-Wheel Drive
212924$2,600370
Vibe
Man 5-spd, 4 cyl, 2.4 L · Front-Wheel Drive
212824$2,600370
Vibe
Auto 4-spd, 4 cyl, 2.4 L · All-Wheel Drive
202622$2,850404
  • Vibe
    Auto 4-spd, 4 cyl, 1.8 L
    26 city · 31 hwy · $2,200/yr
    28
    mpg comb.
  • Vibe
    Man 5-spd, 4 cyl, 1.8 L
    26 city · 32 hwy · $2,200/yr
    28
    mpg comb.
  • Vibe
    Auto (S5), 4 cyl, 2.4 L
    21 city · 29 hwy · $2,600/yr
    24
    mpg comb.
  • Vibe
    Man 5-spd, 4 cyl, 2.4 L
    21 city · 28 hwy · $2,600/yr
    24
    mpg comb.
  • Vibe
    Auto 4-spd, 4 cyl, 2.4 L
    20 city · 26 hwy · $2,850/yr
    22
    mpg comb.
Data from EPA fueleconomy.gov · synced Nov 10, 2026 · Fuel cost is EPA’s annual estimate (15,000 mi, 55% city)
06 —Safety

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings

1 tested variant
NHTSA has not published 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2010 Pontiac Vibe as of Nov 10, 2026.
Data from NHTSA NCAP Safety Ratings API · synced Nov 10, 2026Vehicle 5670
07 —Maintenance

Maintenance basics

General guidance, not the OEM schedule. Check your owner’s manual.
General guidance
ItemMilesTimeNote
Engine oil & filter5,000–10,000 mi6–12 monthsFollow the oil-life monitor if fitted
Tire rotation5,000–7,500 miEvery oil changeCheck pressure monthly
Engine air filter15,000–30,000 mi1–2 yearsSooner in dusty areas
Cabin air filter15,000–25,000 mi1–2 years
Brake fluid—2–3 yearsAbsorbs moisture over time
Coolant60,000–100,000 mi5–10 yearsLong-life coolants last longer
Spark plugs60,000–100,000 mi—Iridium/platinum plugs at the long end
12V battery—3–5 yearsHeat shortens battery life
  • Engine oil & filter5,000–10,000 mi
    6–12 months
  • Tire rotation5,000–7,500 mi
    Every oil change
  • Engine air filter15,000–30,000 mi
    1–2 years
  • Cabin air filter15,000–25,000 mi
    1–2 years
  • Brake fluid—
    2–3 years
  • Coolant60,000–100,000 mi
    5–10 years
  • Spark plugs60,000–100,000 mi
    —
  • 12V battery—
    3–5 years
Typical intervals for modern cars. Severe service (towing, short trips, extreme heat or cold) shortens them.
09 —FAQ

2010 Vibe questions

How many recalls does the 2010 Pontiac Vibe have?

8 safety recalls as of Nov 10, 2026, according to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at a dealer. Check your VIN to see whether your car is included and whether the repair was done.

What are the most common 2010 Pontiac Vibe problems?

Owners filed 58 complaints with NHTSA. The most-cited components are air bags (31), vehicle speed control (7), steering (4). Complaints are unverified owner reports and aren't adjusted for how many cars were sold.

What MPG does the 2010 Pontiac Vibe get?

The EPA rates the 2010 Pontiac Vibe at 22–28 mpg combined, depending on engine and drivetrain (5 versions rated).

Data from NHTSA & EPA · synced Nov 10, 2026