"How reliable is the 2003 Pontiac Vibe?"

"Based on 340 NHTSA complaints, the 2003 Pontiac Vibe has a median complaint mileage of 60000 miles. The most common issue is AIR BAGS."

"What are common problems with the 2003 Pontiac Vibe?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2003 Pontiac Vibe is AIR BAGS, accounting for a significant portion of the 340 total complaints filed."

2003 Pontiac Vibe: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 340 complaints

340

Total Complaints

60,000mi

Median Mileage

AIR BAGS

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

30,000 25th Percentile

60,000 Median Mileage

104,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS

VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR

VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS

POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION

STRUCTURE

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY

VISIBILITY

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

POWER TRAIN

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"REGARDING THE AUTOMATIC HEADLIGHT SENSOR -- THIS SENSOR IS LOCATED ON THE TOP LEFT SIDE OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AT THE BASE OF THE A-PILLAR. ON VERY BRIGHT AND SUNNY DAYS, THE SENSOR TURNS THE HEADLIGHTS ON AND OFF BECAUSE OF SHADING BY THE A-PILLAR OR STATE INSPECTION STICKER. DEPENDING ON THE AN..."

"DURING NORMAL DRIVING, WHEN YOU REMOVE FOOT FROM ACCELERATOR FOR GRADUAL SLOW-DOWN CAR WILL SOMETIMES HAVE SLIGHT TO MODERATE BURST OF SPEED. VEHICLE HAS BEEN RETURNED FOR SERVICE CHECK AND PONTIAC DEALER, BEFORE EVEN LOOKING AT CAR, STATED, THE TYPE OF PROBLEM DESCRIBED WOULD BE VERY HARD TO FIND..."

"CONSUMER RECENTLY RENTED A VEHICLE THAT HAS A GLARING DEFECT IN THE DESIGN OF THE VEHICLE. WITH SUN GLASSES ON, CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO SEE THE INSTRUMENTS ON THE DASHBOARD, THE DISPLAY IS IN RED AND OBSCURED BY THE DARK GLASSES. CONSUMER HAS TO TEMPORARILY LIFT THE SUNGLASSES OR TAKE THEM OFF IN O..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28