Powered byNHTSA|EPA|Community Reports
Your report: 3 of 4 steps complete75%
Car identifiedData collectedBasic analysisFull AI analysis

Free Preview

#BS-2004-PONVIB-4C31

2004 Pontiac Vibe

Based on reports from 314 owners and 7 recalls for this exact model.

Complaints
314
Crashes
21
Fires
1
Recalls
7
TSBs
424
πŸ›‘

Preliminary Verdict

Red Flag

Based on 314 complaints, 21 crashes, 1 fires, and 7 recalls. Complaint rate is 3.4x the class average.

Top reported problems

1

daytime running lights keeping going out

2 complaints β€’ Severity 10/10

$X,XXX
2

transmission failure

1 complaints β€’ Severity 8/10

$X,XXX
3

side window exploded

1 complaints β€’ Severity 10/10

$X,XXX

Preview: What's in your full report

Each card shows a real sample from your report β€” unlock all 10 sections from $1.20

Mechanic Inspection Checklist

!Check the AirbagsHIGH

103 owners reported airbags issues β€” failures commonly reported around 75K miles.

!Inspect the Visibility:power Window Devices And ControlsMED
Look for symptoms of wear and premature failure
+ 6 more items in full checklistUnlock

Failure Timeline by Mileage

40
0–30K
30
30–60K
38
60–90K
25
90–120K
16
120–150K
23
150K+

Peak failure range: 0–30K miles (40 reports) β€’ Median: 75K miles

Full report: which components fail at each mileageUnlock

30,000-Mile Cost Projection

Best Case

$X,XXX

Most Likely

$X,XXX

Worst Case

$X,XXX

Top cost driver: Airbags (103 reports).

Includes fuel costs, common repairs, and recall riskUnlock

Also in your report

Owner Intelligence

AI-synthesized themes from real complaints

Buyer Lot Checklist

Questions, test drive checks, walk-away triggers

Negotiation Talking Points

Data-backed dollar deductions

Buy / Skip Verdict

Final recommendation with conditions

10 sections total in the full reportUnlock all

Where the complaints fall

Airbags103 (33%)
Visibility:power Window Devices And Controls28 (9%)
Visibility:glass, Side/rear25 (8%)
Visibility24 (8%)
Speed Control11 (4%)
Structure:body11 (4%)
Other11 (4%)
Engine10 (3%)

2004 Pontiac Vibe: Known Issues & Problem Areas

Airbags Issues

Airbags complaints account for 33% of all reports filed for the 2004 Pontiac Vibe, with 103 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. The median mileage at time of complaint is 75,000 miles, suggesting issues tend to surface around the 75K-mile mark.

Visibility:power Window Devices And Controls Issues

Visibility:power Window Devices And Controls complaints account for 9% of all reports filed for the 2004 Pontiac Vibe, with 28 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to visibility:power window devices and controls-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Visibility:glass, Side/rear Issues

Visibility:glass, Side/rear complaints account for 8% of all reports filed for the 2004 Pontiac Vibe, with 25 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to visibility:glass, side/rear-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Visibility Issues

Visibility complaints account for 8% of all reports filed for the 2004 Pontiac Vibe, with 24 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to visibility-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Data sourced from NHTSA owner complaints and community reports. The full report analyzes severity, repair costs, and failure patterns for each category.

Complaint trend by year

2
03
13
04
24
05
8
06
22
07
40
08
13
09
14
10
11
11
2
12
7
13
25
14
76
15
18
16
12
17
9
18
11
19
2
20
3
23
2
24

Complaints filed with NHTSA by year for the 2004 Pontiac Vibe. Recent trend: decreasing.

Don't negotiate blind β€” know what this car costs to own

Repair costs β€’ Negotiation scripts β€’ Mechanic checklist β€’ Buy/skip verdict

Get Report β€” From $1.20

Recall History (7 recalls)

08V162000Apr 2008

VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR

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.

13V029000Mar 2013

AIR BAGS

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.

15V043000Aug 2015

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

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.

15V285000Jul 2015

AIR BAGS

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.

15V286000Jul 2015

AIR BAGS

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.

+ 2 more recalls in the full report

Recall severity analysis & seller scripts

The full report rates each recall's severity and gives you scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.

Unlock

The worst model year for the Pontiac Vibe is the 2003 β€” worth knowing if you're cross-shopping years. The biggest problem area is engine.

2004 Pontiac Vibe vs. Class Average (Small Station Wagons)

This vehicle

314

Class avg

93

3.4x the class average β€” significantly more complaints than typical small station wagons vehicles.

Complaint counts correlate with sales volume β€” popular vehicles naturally generate more reports. The full report normalizes for this.

About this data

NHTSA Complaints

Federal database of owner-filed safety complaints. 314 records for this vehicle.

NHTSA Recalls

Manufacturer-issued safety recalls. 7 recalls found for this vehicle.

Repair Cost Data

Real-world repair costs from owner reports and independent databases.

2004 Pontiac Vibe: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common problem with the 2004 Pontiac Vibe?
The most commonly reported issue with the 2004 Pontiac Vibe is related to the airbags, with 103 complaints filed with NHTSA.
Is the 2004 Pontiac Vibe reliable?
The 2004 Pontiac Vibe has 314 complaints, 21 crash reports, and 1 fire reports filed with NHTSA. This is 3.4x the class average β€” higher than typical for its segment.
How much does it cost to fix 2004 Pontiac Vibe problems?
Repair costs vary by issue. The full BumperScan report includes detailed repair cost estimates (low/median/high) for every major issue, plus a 30,000-mile total cost of ownership projection.
Does the 2004 Pontiac Vibe have any recalls?
Yes, the 2004 Pontiac Vibe has 7 recalls on record. The full report includes recall severity analysis and scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.
What mileage do Pontiac Vibe problems start?
Based on 172 complaints with mileage data, the median mileage at time of complaint is 75,000 miles. The highest concentration of reported issues occurs in the 0–30K mile range. The full report breaks down exactly which components fail at each mileage bracket.
What’s in the full report?
10 sections of AI analysis: severity-ranked issues, component scores (0-100), 30K-mile cost projection, failure timeline by mileage, recall details with seller scripts, owner sentiment analysis, mechanic checklist, buyer lot checklist, negotiation ammo with dollar figures, and a buy/skip verdict.
How is this different from free NHTSA data?
NHTSA gives you raw complaint text. BumperScan cross-references 2.1M+ complaints with community repair cost data, EPA fuel data, and recall records β€” then uses AI to synthesize it into actionable advice with dollar figures.
How is this different from Carfax?
Carfax is VIN-specific history ($45/report). BumperScan is model-level reliability intelligence β€” what problems this car is known for, what they cost, and whether you should buy it. Complementary, not competing.
What if the report isn’t useful?
100% money-back guarantee. If the report doesn’t help you make a more informed decision, we’ll refund you β€” no questions asked.
RaccoonEagleRoverCat

Get the Full 2004 Pontiac Vibe Report

10 sections of AI analysis based on 314 owner reports. Know before you buy.

Instant delivery|One-time purchase|No hidden fees