"How reliable is the 2005 Pontiac Vibe?"

"Based on 337 NHTSA complaints, the 2005 Pontiac Vibe has a median complaint mileage of 86928 miles. The most common issue is AIR BAGS."

"What are common problems with the 2005 Pontiac Vibe?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2005 Pontiac Vibe is AIR BAGS, accounting for a significant portion of the 337 total complaints filed."

2005 Pontiac Vibe: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 337 complaints

337

Total Complaints

86,928mi

Median Mileage

AIR BAGS

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

41,000 25th Percentile

86,928 Median Mileage

137,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS

170

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

POWER TRAIN

ENGINE

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"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"

"2005 PONTIAC VIBE IS UNSAFE. THE DESIGN MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE CARS APPROACHING FROM THE REAR IN 4 TO 6 LANES WITH ON & OFF RAMPS & THEY TRAVEL 60 TO 80 MPH. I WANT TO REPORT THIS BEFORE THERE A LOT OF DEATHS. WE ARE FORTUNATE TO BE ALIVE ONLY BECAUSE I AM EXPERIENCED WITH QUICK REFLEXES & REA..."

"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 ..."

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