2005 Pontiac VIBE problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
301 owner complaints analyzed
5 distinct recall campaigns
82,805 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2005 model year. Data snapshot: . 147 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Air Bags is the most frequently named component, appearing in 170 of 301 complaints (56.5%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Transmission and shifting | 33 | 11.0% |
| Engine operation | 20 | 6.6% |
| Braking behavior | 15 | 5.0% |
| Steering behavior | 10 | 3.3% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 5 | 1.7% |
| Fuel system concerns | 5 | 1.7% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Air Bags | 170 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 24 |
| Electrical System | 13 |
| Power Train | 13 |
| Power Train:Automatic Transmission | 13 |
| Engine | 11 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine | 8 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 8 |
Air Bags: 170; Engine And Engine Cooling: 24; Electrical System: 13; Power Train: 13; Power Train:Automatic Transmission: 13; Engine: 11; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 8; Vehicle Speed Control: 8
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 25 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 17 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 20 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 28 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 25 |
| 150,000 and above | 32 |
Under 25,000: 25; 25,000 to 49,999: 17; 50,000 to 74,999: 20; 75,000 to 99,999: 28; 100,000 to 149,999: 25; 150,000 and above: 32
150,000 and above miles has the most reports with usable mileage (32). 154 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2005 | 10 |
| 2006 | 8 |
| 2007 | 9 |
| 2008 | 15 |
| 2009 | 6 |
| 2010 | 31 |
| 2011 | 20 |
| 2012 | 3 |
| 2013 | 3 |
| 2014 | 12 |
| 2015 | 87 |
| 2016 | 30 |
| 2017 | 9 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 22 |
| 2020 | 24 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 3 |
| 2025 | 1 |
2005: 10; 2006: 8; 2007: 9; 2008: 15; 2009: 6; 2010: 31; 2011: 20; 2012: 3; 2013: 3; 2014: 12; 2015: 87; 2016: 30; 2017: 9; 2018: 4; 2019: 22; 2020: 24; 2021: 2; 2022: 1; 2023: 1; 2024: 3; 2025: 1
Pattern summary
Air Bags leads the component reports. Transmission and shifting appears in 33 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 20 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 15 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Complaint evidence
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 10137934 · 2005-09-28 (September 28, 2005)
I PURCHASED A NEW 2005 PONTIAC VIBE 1.8 L, AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, ON 8/02/05. IT HAS CONSISTENTLY HAD EPISODES OF SERIOUS HESITATION AND STALLING WHILE DRIVING. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN FOR ME. I HAD IT INTO THE DEALER BUT I GOT THE "COULD NOT REPRODUCE FAILURE" RESPONSE. IT SEEMS THAT IF THERE IS NO FAILURE CODE THAT THE CAR DEALERS ASSUME THERE IS NO PROBLEM. *JB
Owner-reported narrative. 40 miles reported. Look up ODI 10137934 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10231583 · 2008-06-19 (June 19, 2008)
I HAVE OWNED MY 2005 PONTIAC VIBE (AUTO TRANSMISSION)FOR 3+ YEARS. DURING THIS TIME PERIOD, ON 4 SEPARATE OCCASIONS, I HAVE EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL SIMILAR TO THOSE OF OTHER CONSUMERS (SEE COMPLAINT # 10117784 FOR 2005 VIBE & #10207504 FOR 2006 VIBE). WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES AND ALMOST AT A COMPLETE STOP, THE ENGINE SPEED (RPM) OF THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY ACCELERATED CAUSING THE CAR TO LURCH FORWARD. THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED TWICE WHILE I WAS STOPPING AT A 4-WAY STOP INTERSECTION AND TWICE AS I WAS …
Owner-reported narrative. 14,088 miles reported. Look up ODI 10231583 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10332156 · 2010-05-25 (May 25, 2010)
THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND THE CAR STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION. I PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND RESTARTED IT. SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE CAR STALLED AGAIN WHILE I WAS DRIVING BUT I WAS ABLE TO MAKE A TURN INTO A PARKING LOT. ALSO, THE TRANSMISSION WILL SLIP OUT OF GEAR WHILE DRIVING THE FAILURE OCCURS RANDOMLY WHILE DRIVING. WAS DIAGNOSED AS COMPUTER PERFORMANCE PROBLEM WITH PO607 ENGINE CODE. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 81,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10332156 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10117784 · 2005-04-12 (April 12, 2005)
WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES TO STOP VEHICLE SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY ACCELERATED AND LURCHED FORWARD. CONSUMER HAD TO SLAM ON THE BRAKES TO GET THE VEHICLE TO STOP. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO COULD NOT LOCATE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM.*AK
Owner-reported narrative. 150 miles reported. Look up ODI 10117784 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10134140 · 2005-08-24 (August 24, 2005)
SEVERAL ONGOING EVENTS VERSUS ONE FAILURE, CONSTANT PULLING EITHER TO THE LEFT OR TO THE RIGHT, PULLING INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC/OTHER LANES WHEN BRAKING OR ACCELERATING, NOT ABLE TO KEEP THE VIBE ON THE SMOOTH/ROUGH ROADS. WHEN CORNERING IN DRY CONDITIONS ON A SMOOTH ROAD, THE VIBE PULLED ME RIGHT OVER ON THE SHOULDER AND THE STEERING WHEEL SPUN SO I STOPPED UNCERTAIN WHAT HAD TAKEN PLACE. I WAS ABLE TO GET INTO DEALER AND 4 ALIGNMENTS, 4+ TIRE ROTATIONS, CAMBER BOLTS REPLACED, AND A 3RD OPINION FROM A SEPARATE GM DEALER UNAWARE OF THE SITUATI…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10134140 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10132583 · 2005-08-12 (August 12, 2005)
DT: THE CONTACT STATED THE POWER STEERING WAS DEFECTIVE. IT WAS DIFFICULT TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL, AND THERE WAS A SQUEAKING NOISE COMING FROM THE STEERING. THE SERVICE DEALER PUT IN POWER STEERING FLUID ON THE FIRST OCCURRENCE, THE SECOND TIME THEY REPLACED THE O-RING AND HOSE, THE THIRD TIME THEY REPLACED THE POWER STEERING PUMP, AND THE FOURTH TIME THEY REPLACED THE POWER STEERING GEAR. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER; THEY HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THE SERVICE DEALER. THE CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU T…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10132583 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10335320 · 2010-06-08 (June 8, 2010)
DRIVING 2005 PONTIAC VIBE AND IN AFTERNOON OF 2/14/2010 SHIFTING BECAME HARD. TOOK TO BE DIAGNOSED AND CODE THAT CAME UP IS P2716; PRESSURE CONTROL SOLENOID; ELECTRICAL FAULT. TOOK TO HAVE DIAGNOSED AT SEVERAL LOCATIONS, AND SAME CODE ARISES. FOUND OUT WILL HAVE TO REPLACE COMPUTER ON A 5 YR OLD VEHICLE. WAS TOLD BY MY MECHANIC THAT THIS WAS AN ISSUE THAT GMC TRIED TO COVER UP, BUT KNOWING THAT MY CAR HAS A TOYOTA ENGINE, HE CONTACTED TOYOTA AND FOUND THEY HAD THE SAME ISSUE FOR THEIR MATRIX & COROLLA FOR THAT SAME YEAR. TOYOTA CORRECTED THE IS…
Owner-reported narrative. 101,800 miles reported. Look up ODI 10335320 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10349454 · 2010-08-15 (August 15, 2010)
2005 PONTIAC VIBE- PCM UNIT GOES BAD, LEADING TO AUTO TRANSMISSION ERROR CODE P2716, FIRST REPLACED BATTERY THEN ALTERNATOR WITH DELCO/GMC PART NOW ELECTRICAL SYSTEM ERRORS AND TRANS PROBLEMS DUE TO FAULTY PCM - SOLENOID D FAILURE. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 56,955 miles reported. Look up ODI 10349454 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10124645 · 2005-06-09 (June 9, 2005)
AFTER WARM UP AND DRIVING ON HIGHWAY OR IN TOWN, VEHICLE IS SHUT OFF TO GAS UP OR ENTER A STORE FOR A FEW MINUTES AND HAVING TROUBLE STARTING AGAIN. THE VEHICLE WILL CRANK OVER AND OVER SOMETIMES ABOUT 30 SECONDS OR LONGER BEFORE IT WILL FINALLY START. NOT SURE IF IT IS VAPOR LOCK OR SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE FUEL PUMP? I HAVE TAKEN IT IN TO THE DEALER A COUPLE OF TIMES AND OF COURSE IT DOES NOT ACT UP FOR THEM. I DOES HAPPEN QUITE FREQUENTLY. I HAVE ALSO READ ONLINE ABOUT THIS SAME PROBLEM HAPPENING TO OTHER VIBE OWNERS FROM 2003-05. I AM…
Owner-reported narrative. 20 miles reported. Look up ODI 10124645 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10349693 · 2010-08-16 (August 16, 2010)
CAR IDLED LOW AND HARD SINCE I PURCHASED IT AND DEALERSHIPS KEPT SAYING THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO BECAUSE IT WAS SO RANDOM, THEY COULD NEVER GET IT TO ACT THAT WAY FOR THEM. I WENT ON VACATION RECENTLY, CAME HOME AND WENT TO TURN ON CAR, IT STARTED, I STARTED TO DRIVE AND IT STALLED. LIGHTS STAYED ON, BUT COULD NOT RESTART ENGINE. TOWED IT TO A SHOP AND THEY SAID THAT IT IS THE COMPUTER CONTROL SOMETHING OR OTHER AND THAT ONE OF THE SIGNALS TO AN INJECTOR IS NOT MAKING IT. THEY SAID ALL THE HARD IDLING I EXPERIENCED WAS A SIGN THAT THERE …
Owner-reported narrative. 114,245 miles reported. Look up ODI 10349693 at NHTSA ↗