2008 Pontiac Vibe Airbag Problems

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  113%
• 25k–50k
  113%
• 50k–75k
  113%
• 75k–100k
  338%
• 100k–150k
  225%
• 150k+
  00%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Pontiac Vibe owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

Tl contact owns a 2008 Pontiac Vibe. While driving 50 MPH, the contact was involved in a head on crash with a semi truck. The air bags failed to deploy. Prior to the crash, the vehicle was taken to the dealer on four occasions regarding the ABS. When the vehicle was retrieved, the contact heard a squeaky noise and took the vehicle back to the dealer. New brakes pads were placed on the vehicle at that time. After the crash, the vehicle was towed and taken in for a diagnostic. A police report was filed. The contact sustained major injuries to the knees and head, including a broken wrist and back pains. The failure and current mileages were 50,000.

Tl contact owns a 2008 Pontiac Vibe. On April 22, 2008, while driving 35 MPH, the contact's vehicle was struck on the front passenger door by another vehicle. The driver's side seat belt failed to restrain the contact, causing her to strike and injure her head against the dashboard. The passenger received injuries to her legs. The insurance company investigation discovered that the driver's side seat belt bolt failed, which caused the seat belt to fail. The insurance company declared the vehicle to be destroyed. The front driver and passenger side air bags failed to deploy. The failure mileage was 2,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Pontiac Vibe. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 19V627000(air bags) however, the parts to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Schukei Chevrolet inc located at (721 s monroe ave, mason city, ia 50401) was contacted and confirmed parts not available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact experienced the air bag warning light being illuminated briefly. The failure mileage was 99,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Takata recall. I received a recall for my airbag. Neither the dealer or GM can even give me an estimate as to when repair parts will be received. On top of that, the recall states that ""until the repair is performed, the front passenger seat should not be occupied ". I regularly use this vehicle to carpool with four adults. This renders my car as unusable! Neither the dealer or GM had even a temporary solution. I am at a loss as what to do next.

Received letter from Pontiac dated oct 2019 that front passenger airbag is defective and might not inflate and could injure person in a car crash. Repair parts were not ready in oct 2019. It is now seven months later. Are the parts still not ready? When will they be ready? Nothing has happened yet, but this is worrisome. I received the letter 10/21/2019. The dealer has no repair parts. It is seven months later.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Pontiac Vibe. While operating the vehicle, the air bag warning indicator remained illuminated. The cause of the failure was not determined. Sheldon Buick (855 rochester rd, rochester hills, mi) and the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 125,000.

I received a safety recall letter from Pontiac in milwaukee, wisconsin dated October 2019 stating that the front passenger air bag assembly containing an inflator is defective. The air bag May not unfold as designed during inflation during high temperature conditions .what could happen is that a portion of the air bag material could be torn during deployment, or the bag plate could be damaged. Such damage during deployment could cause the air bag not to properly inflate, and this could increase the risk of occupant injury in the event of a crash. The letter further states that parts are not currently available. A recent call to the Pontiac customer assistance center confirmed that the parts are still not available to repair this vehicle. …

Takata recall: my Pontiac Vibe is part of the airbag recall through GM. My first appointment with king o'rourke in smithtown, ny, was July 28, 2016. After waiting 90 minutes, I was told they did not have the right part. I do not know why they did not know this when they made the appointment or when I checked in (the king o'rourke check-in process can take up to 20 minutes). They said they would order the part and call me when it was available. They never called me. I called them in early November 2016 and they said they had the part and set up an appointment for nov. 30, 2016. I arrived at 7:45 a.m. And went through check-in and was told at 8:45 that they did not have the part. Again, I don't know why they would not know this when they made the appointment or when I first checked in. …

Takata recall - I received a recall notice from Pontiac. When I contacted them about the recall I was told they had no idea when parts would be available to fix it and that until the repair is performed, the front passenger seat should not be occupied. This is impossible given the size of my family not to use the front passenger seat. When I asked about a resolution to this situation they said it was not their problem and refused to direct my concern to a supervisor or manager. I requested the email address of the vp of global vehicle safety ([redacted] ) who sent me the letter and they informed me that it was not available. So GM is telling me that I can't safely use the car for what I purchased for. This is unacceptable and I want to know what recourse I have in this situation. Thank you for your assistance with this matter.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Pontiac Vibe. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 19V627000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that her air bag warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact took the vehicle to wuerflein Chevrolet Buick GMC (2527 bridge ave, albert lea, mn 56007) to be repaired under the recall. Upon return of the vehicle, the contact discovered that the air bag warning light remained illuminated despite the repair. The contact called the same dealer back and was informed she had to pay a diagnostic fee to have the vehicle diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

Related recalls

NHTSA investigations

Airbag complaints in other Vibe years