2003 Pontiac Vibe problems
Owners have filed 340 complaints about the 2003 Pontiac Vibe with NHTSA. Visibility accounts for 22.9% of them, narrowly the most common, ahead of air bags at 19.4%.
Complaints340
Crashes35
Fires0
Injuries50
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Visibility 22.9% · 78
Air bags 19.4% · 66
Power train 14.7% · 50
Structure 7.1% · 24
Electrical system 6.8% · 23
Exterior lighting 4.1% · 14
Vehicle speed control 3.8% · 13
Engine and engine cooling 2.6% · 9
Severity
Of those complaints, 35 describe a crash and 50 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 6 model years of the Pontiac Vibe in this data, 2003 ranks 2nd by complaint volume; 2009 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 4 in the last three years against 14 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 60,000 miles.
In owners' own words
Windshield is very easily cracked by small stones. Traveling 50mph a small stone was thrown causing a spider crack. Planned to go and have it filled that afternoon but it progressed into a 13in crack. Obtained another stone crack 3 days later in a 35mph zone. The windshield is far too thin and should not crack under small point loads. I hate to see what will happed if -god forbid- the passenger airbag goes off. Visibility · reported at 28,975 miles
While driving, I pressed the button to roll the driver's side window down. Window started to roll down and then "exploded", showering me (driver) with glass. I immediately stopped my vehicle on the side of the road. I was cut on my hands while clearing glass from inside my shirt and off my clothing. At this time, shattered glass is inside my door and will need to be cleared out when I have the window replaced. Visibility · reported at 40,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Pontiac Vibe. The contact heard an unfamiliar noise while rolling down the front driver side window. The noise sounded like metal rubbing against glass, as if the window was off track. A dealer has not diagnosed the failure, however, it is related to nhtsa action number pe07049. The vehicle does not have antilock brakes. The failure mileage was 38,000 and current mileage was 41,000. Visibility · reported at 38,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…