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#BS-2004-PONVIB-4C312004 Pontiac Vibe
Based on reports from 314 owners and 7 recalls for this exact model.
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
daytime running lights keeping going out
2 complaints β’ Severity 10/10
transmission failure
1 complaints β’ Severity 8/10
side window exploded
1 complaints β’ Severity 10/10
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Mechanic Inspection Checklist
103 owners reported airbags issues β failures commonly reported around 75K miles.
Failure Timeline by Mileage
Peak failure range: 0β30K miles (40 reports) β’ Median: 75K miles
30,000-Mile Cost Projection
Best Case
Most Likely
Worst Case
Top cost driver: Airbags (103 reports).
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
Where the complaints fall
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
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
Recall History (7 recalls)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Other Pontiac Vibe Model Years
View all Pontiac Vibe years β2004 Pontiac Vibe: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common problem with the 2004 Pontiac Vibe?
Is the 2004 Pontiac Vibe reliable?
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Does the 2004 Pontiac Vibe have any recalls?
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Whatβs in the full report?
How is this different from free NHTSA data?
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Get the Full 2004 Pontiac Vibe Report
10 sections of AI analysis based on 314 owner reports. Know before you buy.