10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
34,727 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2009 Pontiac Vibe:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #19

Jul 092010

Vibe

  • 29,630 miles
My fiance and I have experienced the sudden acceleration problem in her 2009 Pontiac Vibe both before and after the factory retrofit a shim in the throttle. Both times we were going slowly (<20 mph) as we approached a stop sign and releasing pressure on the throttle did not cause the engine to slow. Each time the problem persisted for 2-3 seconds. Case I: clear day in February 2010 with good road conditions on level ground. The engine did not throttle back when linda took her foot off the gas and put it on the brake. For perhaps 2 seconds the engine raced. I had time to look at the tachometer and saw it was about 2500 RPM, with the gas pedal released and her foot firmly on the brake. Perhaps two seconds after she released pressure from the gas pedal and applied the brake, the RPM dropped and the car came to a speedy halt. This pushed the car about 3 feet past the white intersection demarcation line before it stopped. The day before this happened, linda and I had removed the driver side floor mat. Linda promptly took the car to her dealer and had the warranty repair to the throttle mechanism completed within a few days. Case II: Friday July 9, 2010, was a clear day in July, much warmer, with excellent road conditions on a newly paved road. This time the transmission did not "gear down" as one would expect under normal operation, which I believe, kept the engine from racing. Again as in the first case, for perhaps 2-3 seconds after linda had taken her foot off the gas and applied the brake, the vehicle resisted her attempt to make it slow smoothly. Then the engine sound diminished suddenly, as the transmission executed a "hard shift" down and the vehicle came to a controlled stop, also several feet past the intersection demarcation line, but not really out into the intersection. Last week, Pontiac replaced the throttle assembly.

- Algonquin, IL, USA

problem #18

May 242010

Vibe

  • 30,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Pontiac Vibe. The contact stated while entering a parking space and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle abnormally accelerated. The vehicle jumped a curb and crashed into a concrete telephone pole yet the driver was not injured. The vehicle sustained extensive front end damage and the police responded to the scene where a police report was filed accordingly. The vehicle was towed to a local repair shop and the contacts insurance company had not yet confirmed if the vehicle was repairable. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

- Espillfork, AL, USA

problem #17

Apr 282010

Vibe

  • 30,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Pontiac Vibe. While attempting to shift into the drive gear the vehicle suddenly accelerated without warning, causing the contact to crash into a nearby pole. The contact suffered minor injuries yet a police report was not filed for the incident. The vehicle was not diagnosed and there were no prior warnings. The VIN was not available. The current and failure mileages were 30,000.

- Niangua, MO, USA

problem #16

Apr 202010

Vibe

  • 18,500 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Pontiac Vibe. The contact was driving 2 mph when he applied the brakes and the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The contact was forced to drive the vehicle off of the road in order to slow it down. He shifted the vehicle into park and was able to stop the vehicle from accelerating. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer. The dealer called the manufacturer who stated that they would send an investigator to inspect the vehicle; the investigator had not inspected the vehicle when the complaint was filed. The dealer stated that they could order a new accelerator pedal to repair the vehicle. The contact did not want to drive the vehicle due to the safety risk. The current and failure mileages were approximately 18,500. Updated 11/03/10.

- Lowber , PA, USA

problem #15

Mar 102010

Vibe

  • 23,456 miles
Over sensitive accelerator pedal. Recall fix has made my accelerator pedal much too sensitive. It has become difficult to maintain a constant speed and to accelerate smoothly. The Toyota fix is totally unsatisfactory.

- Marietta, GA, USA

problem #14

Apr 222010

Vibe

  • 3,062 miles
Today I had the "gas-pedal" recall performed on my 2009 Pontiac Vibe. I immediately noticed it requires much less effort to depress the pedal - so much less, in fact, that I consider it dangerous. I got out of my car and complained to a service manager about this. He said they had done the repair exactly as the instructions called for and there was nothing more they could do. I feel that Pontiac dealerships should replace the entire pedal assembly for those of us complaining about this, just as is being done by Toyota dealerships with the matrix. After all, it's essentially the same car.

- Swartz Creek, MI, USA

problem #13

Feb 262010

Vibe

  • miles
Recall # 10038 floor mat interference and accelerator pedal I received this recall notice for my 2009 Pontiac Vibe back in February 2010. It instructs me to remove my floor mat until further notice due to the possibility of interfering with the accelerator pedal leading to crash, serious injury, or death. I have yet to be notified by G.M. of any remedy that is available. I would certainly like to be able to have the use of a driver side floor mat! when will this be resolved?

- Clarkston, MI, USA

problem #12

Mar 052010

Vibe

  • 20,250 miles
We purchased a new 2009 Pontiac Vibe (Toyota, matrix platform) in April 2008. We drove it for nearly two years and accumulated a little over 20K miles. In early March, we returned from a six or seven hour trip and were going through a local car wash when suddenly and unexpectedly, the accelerator depressed under my foot and the engine increased in RPM's and the vehicle launched forward nearly hitting the vehicle ahead of us in the queue. In February, we had received the recall notices from GMC, but the local dealer had not received the repair kits yet and had postponed our repair until early March. We immediately took the vehicle into the dealer and on March 5, they made the repairs. When I asked what were the nature of the repairs and they explained that a shim was installed in the accelerator linkage and some floor matting was removed, I knew that the repairs would not solve the problem we experienced. (as a son of a used car dealer, and former mechanic myself, I knew the nature of the problem was not mechanical, and it was more likely either vacuum or electrical in nature.) therefore, in fear of some potentially disastrous future problem for my wife when she might be driving the vehicle, we immediately traded for a new 2010 Ford Fusion. I also wanted to trade the vehicle before it also became widely known publicly as a Toyota, matrix clone, and the resale value dropped out of the bottom. Sorry, but Toyota, has a ways to go before they will convince me that the problem is strictly floor mats and accelerator linkage shims.

- Greenwood, IN, USA

problem #11

Feb 012010

Vibe

  • miles
Vehicle was purchased in 2008. I own a 2009 Pontiac Vibe which is now included in Toyota's recall. Recall # 10018: Accelerator pedal sticking and recall # 10038: Floor mat interference and accelerator pedal.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #10

Mar 132010

Vibe

  • 42,000 miles
-the contact owns a 2009 Pontiac Vibe. The contact received a recall notification. The NHTSA campaign id number was unknown. The authorized dealer was notified and they stated the vehicle had prior recall repair performed on the vehicle. The contact disputed, stating that the vehicle had not been repaired under the recall. Additionally, the dealer mentioned the vehicle was repaired in a state that was not the residency of the contact. The contact was displeased with the inaccurate information and suggested the dealer inspect the vehicle to verify the repair was not performed. However, the dealer refused to investigate. The current mileage was 42,000.

- Toms River, NJ, USA

problem #9

Mar 072010

Vibe

  • 14,954 miles
The accelerator in our 2009 Pontiac Vibe acted up for the third time this evening. While each episode has been different, all 3 episodes have taken place in virtually the same place. It had the recall performed on it over a week ago. I have already filed a compliant with you. This time the car suddenly attempted to accelerate while I was coming to a stop. As stated before, I had no problem holding the car back with the brakes. This episode was only a few seconds long. I am an automotive technology instructor with master automotive ase and advanced engine performance certifications. I taught electronics at a local college for approximately 10 years before taking this job. I have done advanced rf and communications work. I have had experience with machine language microprocessor programming. This is not a sticking accelerator pedal!!! I have tried to duplicate the situation many times with no luck. The occurrences are very random. My wife has complained in the past of the cruise control seemingly engaging while down town on the I190. I now believe those episode are relate to the same problem. Please contact me!

- East Aurora, NY, USA

problem #8

Feb 072010

Vibe

  • 13,500 miles
I was in the process of pulling into a parking space with my 2009 Pontiac Vibe. I had my foot on the brake pedal, within a foot of coming to a complete stop, the vehicle accelerated suddenly. The sudden acceleration jerked my wife's head and my head back. As the vehicle accelerated I pressed down on the brake pedal as hard as I could. The Vibe came to a stop on top of a snow bank and damage was done to the front of the Vibe. This was the first time the vehicle did this. The second time was also in a paved parking lot. I was pulling into a parking spot, I had my foot on the brake and just before I wanted to stop the Vibe accelerated suddenly, but, not as hard as the first time. I depressed the brake as hard as I could to stop the Vibe. The vehicle did not hit anything this time. This happened on Feb. 13, 2010. No one was injured in either of the occurrences.

- Milford, MI, USA

problem #7

Feb 172010

Vibe

  • 13,903 miles
Our 2009 Pontiac Vibe suddenly attempted to accelerate while driving up hill through an intersection. My left foot was firmly on the floor block located next to the driverside kick pan. My right foot was covering the brake pedal. The vehicle was slowing down (approx. 30 mph.)as I rolled up the hill and was idling normally. Shortly before entering the intersection the throttle advanced substantially. The RPM raised to approx. 2500, but the transmission did not down shift. I was easily able to control the vehicle by pressing on the brake pedal. Since there was no traffic near by, I decided to continue allowing the vehicle to continue at approx. 30 miles an hour while controlling the speed with the brake pedal. The vehicle proceeded approx 200 yards when suddenly the engine shut off. I restarted the vehicle without any problem. I can not repeat the conditions because any degree of throttle at that speed will normally cause the transmission to down shift. My wife who has complained that the cruise control has come on by itself while driving on the expressway. Two days latter the vehicle exhibited a different throttle abnormality at the same intersection. I am a master certified ase automotive technician with extensive electrical background. This had nothing to do with a stuck accelerator pedal.

- East Aurora, NY, USA

problem #6

Aug 312009

Vibe

  • 300 miles
Prior to the current recall campaign for sticky accelerator pedal, I have experienced three occurrences of that problem. All three times, the car has continued to accelerate, while I am braking at a stop sign. All three times, the pedal has successfully released. The recall letter came Feb. 13, and the repair can be scheduled after February 22, 2010, so nothing has been done yet to correct the problem. The main reason for my complaint, (also based on extensive experience with cars), is that the conditions under which my car has malfunctioned, are not the conditions described in the recall letter. The letter says "over time, the internal mechanisms in the accelerator pedal may become worn. As a result of this wear, combined with certain operating and environmental conditions, friction in the mechanism may increase and intermittently result in the accelerator pedal being hard to depress and/or slow to return...." one occurrence was in the first 300 miles or so of ownership, and was in warm dry weather. At least one of the other two occurrences was before winter hit. My car also has only 4600 total miles on it, has been parked in the garage for weeks, and will not be driven until I think Toyota or Pontiac have actually solved the problem. In other words, my car does not have the miles on it to cause "wear, " especially for the first occurrence of the problem, nor has it malfunctioned in the cold moist conditions that I have read are the conditions described in the recall letter. Therefore, it is my strong opinion that the "sticky accelerator pedal" condition is not due to what the recall addresses. A more possible cause, is as I have read from some owners, one of the computers.

- Bloomiongton, MN, USA

problem #5

Feb 112010

Vibe

  • 27,000 miles
Recall 10018 accelerator pedal sticking called GM on 11 Feb and they told me that this recall did not apply to my car. Today, Feb 13, 2010, I got a recall notice in the mail. They downright lied to me 2 days ago.

- Cocoa, FL, USA

problem #4

Oct 152009

Vibe

  • 15,000 miles
Accelerator defect/recall. It occurred once in 2009. I had to putthe car in neutral because the engine was racing. It took approximately 30 seconds for the engine to return to normal. The floor mats were not jammed.

- River Edge, NJ, USA

problem #3

Aug 092009

Vibe

  • 6,000 miles
I was stopped in traffic at the entrance to baxter state park in Maine in August 2009. I was driving a 2009 Pontiac Vibe. When the car in front of me advanced a few feet, I touched the gas pedal lightly to move forward. When I then stepped on the brake, the car kept advancing. I pressed harder on the brake but the car kept moving until it struck the car in front. This was at very low speed, as the car had moved only several feet. There was minor damage to the car in front, and only scratched paint on my car.

- York, ME, USA

problem #2

Jan 272010

Vibe

  • 4,800 miles
I have a 2009 Pontiac Vibe with less than 5000 miles on it. After filling it with gas, I was moving it from the pumps to the parking area about 30ft away. Suddenly the engine raced. I stomped the brakes and threw the car into neutral. The engine continued to race until I tapped the gas pedal. The engine then returned to idle. The pedal was not stuck on anything on the inside of the car. I had just gently accelerated to move the car. The engine just suddenly raced independent to anything that I had done.

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #1

Jan 012010

Vibe

  • 1 miles
Part of the Pontiac Vibe is built by Toyota. I am concerned about the recent recall of the Toyota matrix which is basically the same vehicle as the Vibe. Has anyone checked this out?

- Sachse, TX, USA