Audited US model-year file

2003 PONTIAC Vibe

Exact make, model and year evidence from official US sources. Recall campaigns, ODI investigations, complaint allegations and EPA estimates remain separate.

Model-year evidence is not a VIN check.

A campaign may cover only certain production dates, plants or equipment. A zero result here is not safety clearance. Use NHTSA’s official VIN tool for the individual vehicle.

Official VIN lookup ↗

01 · Safety actions first

8 NHTSA recall campaigns

Exact model-level NHTSA results for 2003 PONTIAC Vibe. Campaign records are official safety actions; applicability to a particular car still requires its VIN.

01
NHTSA Recalls · US · received 2018-12-12

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Campaign 18V883000
Summary

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2002-2005 Lexus SC and Toyota Sequoia, 2003-2005 Toyota Corolla and Tundra, and 2003-2007 Pontiac Vibe vehicles. 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.

Consequence

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy

Toyota will notify the Toyota and Lexus owners. General Motors will notify the Pontiac Vibe owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, or replace the air bag assembly that includes an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 23, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371, Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987 or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Toyota's numbers for these recalls are J0A (Zone A Toyota), J0B (Zone B Toyota), J0C (Zone C Toyota), JLI (Zone A Lexus), JLJ (Zone B Lexus), and JLK (Zone C Lexus). Note: This recall includes vehicles that have had their air bag previously replaced under an earlier air bag campaign.

02
NHTSA Recalls · US · received 2020-01-23

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Campaign 20V039000
Summary

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2003-2004 Pontiac Vibe vehicles equipped with a front passenger air bag assembly replaced under a prior recall. The replacement air bag may not unfold as designed during inflation in high temperature conditions, possibly resulting in the air bag not inflating properly.

Consequence

An air bag that does not inflate properly increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy

GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the passenger air bag module, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began February 19, 2020. Owners may contact Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. GM's number for this recall is N192278940.

03
NHTSA Recalls · US · received 2015-05-13

AIR BAGS

Campaign 15V285000
Summary

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) notified the agency on May 13, 2015 that they are recalling certain model year 2004 Sequoia vehicles manufactured August 18, 2003, to August 19, 2004, and 2003-2004 Tundra vehicles manufactured March 18, 2003, to August 25, 2004. On June 16, 2015, Toyota expanded the recall to include an additional 1,270,468 vehicles, including model year 2002-2003 and 2005-2007 Sequoia, 2005-2006 Tundra, 2003-2007 Corolla, 2003-2007 Corolla Matrix, 2003-2007 Pontiac Vibe and 2002-2007 Lexus SC vehicles. This is to address a safety defect in the passenger side frontal air bag inflator which may produce excessive internal pressure causing the inflator to rupture upon deployment of the air bag. This recall addresses both the passenger side frontal air bags that were originally installed in the vehicles, as well as replacement air bags that may have been installed as replacement service parts. A replacement air bag may have been installed, as one example, if a vehicle had been in a crash necessitating the replacement of the passenger side frontal air bag.

Consequence

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy

2003-2004 Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles that are recalled under both 15V-043 and 15V-285 are under a Do Not Drive advisory. Owners of these vehicles are advised not to drive their vehicles until the recall remedy has been completed. Toyota will notify their owners. Pontiac Vibe owners will be notified by GM. Dealers will replace the front passenger air bag. The recall began on July 13, 2015. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Pontiac owners may call 1-800-762-2737. NOTE: This recall supersedes recall 14V-312 in its entirety.

04
NHTSA Recalls · US · received 2015-05-13

AIR BAGS

Campaign 15V286000
Summary

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) notified the agency on May 13, 2015, that they are recalling 2005-2007 Lexus SC, Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sequoia, and Pontiac Vibe, and 2005-2006 Toyota Tundra vehicles that were originally sold, or ever registered, in Florida, along the Gulf Coast, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Saipan and American Samoa. On June 16, 2015 Toyota expanded the recall to cover an additional 769,055 vehicles, including certain model year 2002-2004 Lexus SC, Toyota Sequoia, 2003-2004 Toyota Corolla Matrix, Toyota Corolla, Pontiac Vibe, and Toyota Tundra vehicles, as well the vehicles covered by the May 13, 2015 notification in the portions of Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas that were not previously included. The inflators in the front passenger air bags are susceptible to rupture in the event of a crash necessitating the deployment of the front passenger air bag.

Consequence

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy

2003-2004 Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles that are recalled under both 15V-043 and 15V-286 are under a Do Not Drive advisory. Owners of these vehicles are advised not to drive their vehicles until the recall remedy has been completed. Toyota will notify their owners. Pontiac Vibe owners will be notified by GM. Dealers will replace the passenger side front air bag, free of charge. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota began the recall on July 13, 2015. Pontiac Vibe owners may contact GM at 1-800-762-2737. GM began the recall on June 29, 2015. NOTE: This recacll supersedes recall 14V-655 in its entirety. For vehicles located in the U.S. states not listed above, please see Toyota recall 15V-285 which covers all other U.S. states.

05
NHTSA Recalls · US · received 2015-01-28

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

Campaign 15V043000
Summary

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Toyota Corolla vehicles manufactured December 28, 2001, to May 2, 2004, 2003-2004 Toyota Corolla Matrix vehicles manufactured January 6, 2002, to April 29, 2004, 2003-2004 Avalon vehicles manufactured June 5, 2002, to December 20, 2004, and 2003-2004 Pontiac Vibe vehicles manufactured January 18, 2002, to April 27, 2004. Due to electrical noise, a component in the air bag control module may fail, causing the front air bags, side air bags, and/or seatbelt pretensioners to deploy inadvertently while the vehicle is being operated.

Consequence

Inadvertent deployment of the air bags or the seat belt pretensioners increases the risk of an injury or crash.

Remedy

Toyota will notify their owners. Pontiac Vibe owners will be notified by GM. Dealers will replace the air bag control module, free of charge. The recall began on August 24, 2015. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. GM issued an interim notification to owners on March 27, 2015. The recall began on August 24, 2015. Pontiac owners may call 1-800-620-7668. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 13V-029 and 14V-147. Vehicles that had a noise filter installed as the remedy for one of those campaigns need to have the air bag control module replaced under this campaign.

06
NHTSA Recalls · US · received 2008-04-10

VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR

Campaign 08V162000
Summary

TOYOTA IS RECALLING 662,178 MY 2003-2004 COROLLA, COROLLA MATRIX AND PONTIAC VIBE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH POWER WINDOWS. THE DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGER DOOR GLASS BOLTS MAY LOOSEN AND COME OFF, CAUSING THE DOOR GLASS TO SEPARATE FROM THE WINDOW REGULATOR. DUE TO THE COMPONENTS BECOMING LOOSE AND POSSIBLY RATTLING, AN ABNORMAL NOISE MAY BE HEARD FROM THE DRIVER AND /OR FRONT PASSENGER DOOR WHEN OPERATING THE POWER WINDOWS.

Consequence

THE DOOR GLASS MAY SEPARATE FROM THE WINDOW REGULATOR, BIND AND SHATTER DURING OPERATION OF THE POWER WINDOWS, CAUSING DRIVER DISTRACTION AND/OR INJURY.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGER DOOR GLASS BOLTS WITH NEWLY DESIGNED BOLTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 16, 2008 TO TOYOTA OWNERS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 21, 2008, FOR PONTIAC OWNERS. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-888-270-9371 OR PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668.

07
NHTSA Recalls · US · received 2013-01-30

AIR BAGS

Campaign 13V029000
Summary

Toyota is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles and 2003-2004 Pontiac Vibe vehicles. The supplemental restraint system (SRS) circuits are susceptible to internal shorting. The electrical short may create an abnormal current flow and increased heat which can damage the circuits. This could result in an inadvertent deployment of the front airbags and/or seat belt pretensioners.

Consequence

Inadvertent deployment of the airbags or the seat belt pretensioners may increase the risk of injury and the possibility of a vehicle crash.

Remedy

Toyota will re-notify their owners who have already had their vehicles repaired with a noise filter, but did not receive a new airbag control module, and General Motors will re-notify theirs. Dealers previously installed a supplemental harness containing an electrical filter between the airbag control module and its wire harness, free of charge. Dealers will replace the airbag control module, free of charge. The recall began on March 13, 2013. The manufacturer has not yet provided a schedule for second notices. For more information, Toyota owners may call 1-800-331-4331 and Pontiac owners may call 1-800-620-7668.

08
NHTSA Recalls · US · received 2002-03-11

POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY

Campaign 02V074002
Summary

ON CERTAIN TWO-WHEEL DRIVE (2WD) PASSENGER VEHICLES, IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THE BOLTS THAT JOIN THE REAR BRAKE AND HUB ASSEMBLY TO THE REAR AXLE CARRIER TO BE LOOSE DUE TO INSUFFICIENT TIGHTENING DURING THE ASSEMBLY PROCESS.

Consequence

IF THE VEHICLE IS OPERATED IN THIS CONDITION, ONE OR MORE OF THE FOUR BOLTS COULD COME LOOSE, CAUSING AN ABNORMAL NOISE FROM THE REAR AXLE AREA. IN THE EVENT THAT ALL FOUR BOLTS LOOSEN COMPLETELY, SEPARATION OF THE REAR BRAKE AND HUB ASSEMBLY FROM THE REAR AXLE CARRIER COULD OCCUR, WHICH COULD LEAD TO A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL PROPERLY TIGHTEN THE BOLTS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MARCH 12, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT PONTIAC AT 1-800-762-2737.

02 · Owner allegations

311 NHTSA complaints

Counts are not adjusted for sales, vehicle age, mileage, publicity or reporting behavior. They are allegations, not defect findings or a reliability score.

Crash mentions
28
Fire mentions
1
Injuries reported
37
Most-reported component labels
VISIBILITY74
AIR BAGS66
POWER TRAIN49
STRUCTURE27
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM24
EXTERIOR LIGHTING14
Complaints across nearby Pontiac Vibe model years

Totals for the same nameplate, scaled against its highest year here. They are not adjusted for how many were sold, how old they are, how far they are driven, or how much publicity a fault received — an older or better-selling year will usually carry more reports. This shows where the reporting sits, not which year is better.

  1. 3112003
  2. 2662004
  3. 3012005
  4. 1772006
  5. 1702007
  6. 632008

A dash means NHTSA holds no complaint record for that exact year, make and model. See all Vibe years with specs and fuel economy →

03 · Agency review

5 NHTSA ODI investigations

An investigation means ODI reviewed a possible safety issue for this exact model-year identity. Opening one is not a defect finding; closing one does not by itself clear a vehicle.

EA21002
Open in imported snapshot · opened 2021-09-17

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

NHTSA source ↗

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE · No associated recall campaign number was published in this investigation row.

EA15001
Open in imported snapshot · opened 2015-02-24

Air Bag Inflator Rupture

NHTSA source ↗

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL · Associated recall campaign 14V668.

PE14016
Closed 2015-03-02 · opened 2014-06-11

Air Bag Inflator Rupture

NHTSA source ↗

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL · Associated recall campaign 13V172000.

EA08004
Closed 2008-05-01 · opened 2008-02-05

SIDE FRONT POWER WINDOW SHATTERS

NHTSA source ↗

VISIBILITY · Associated recall campaign 08V162000.

PE07049
Closed 2008-02-05 · opened 2007-09-27

SIDE FRONT WINDOW SHATTERS

NHTSA source ↗

VISIBILITY · No associated recall campaign number was published in this investigation row.

04 · EPA configurations

Fuel economy & specifications

FuelEconomy.gov records are summarized as ranges where this model name has multiple engines, drivetrains or trims.

EPA configurations
5
Combined economy
24–28 mpg/MPGe
City / highway
22–25 / 28–33 mpg/MPGe
Engine displacement
1.8 L
Cylinders
4
Fuel type
Premium · Regular
Drive
4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive · Front-Wheel Drive
Vehicle class
Small Station Wagons
Annual fuel-cost estimate
$2300–3300

05 · Evidence strength

Exact identity. Explicit limits.

No opaque score. Evidence strength is expressed through source availability, exact match method, jurisdiction and honest empty states.

exact match

Recall campaigns

8 exact US model-year records in this bounded view.

exact match

Complaints

311 exact US model-year allegations; narratives and VIN fragments are omitted.

exact match

ODI investigations

5 exact US model-year action numbers in the approved import snapshot.

canonical only

Model aliases

Only the exact NHTSA vPIC model name is published; unverified aliases are not merged.

not published

Manufacturer ownership

No rights-reviewed official ownership record is joined to this exact model-year.

PUBLIC EVIDENCE PASSPORT

Identity, freshness and provenance.

The canonical URL is this file’s permanent public identifier. Source IDs and timestamps show exactly what was matched and when; they do not turn the evidence into a verdict.

Permanent public ID
https://modelyearfacts.com/vehicle/2003/pontiac/vibe
NHTSA make ID
536
NHTSA model ID
2807
Match key
2003 · PONTIAC · Vibe · US
Live evidence requested
EPA publication catalogue
Complaint matrix snapshot
Imported safety snapshot
nhtsa-investigations · exact match

NHTSA ODI investigations

Action number, component, subject and open/close dates from the approved bulk import; long summaries omitted.

Open official source ↗
US-market boundary

Only NHTSA vPIC, NHTSA ODI complaints and investigations, NHTSA recalls and FuelEconomy.gov contribute to this vehicle claim. CPSC equipment notices are searched separately and never joined to vehicle fitment. UK MOT, Canadian, New Zealand and European records are not merged into this US claim.

06 · Research paths

Diagnose first. Confirm fitment.

These are transparent searches, not diagnoses or endorsed parts. Recall remedies come before purchases; exact part fitment requires VIN, trim, powertrain, production date and OE number.

Offers status: held

Awin US and R2 affiliate inventory are not published until a US programme, merchant and exact-fitment projection are approved. No offer currently has both merchant approval and exact vehicle fitment, so commercial links never count as evidence.