GM has issued a “DO NOT DRIVE” advisory for certain 2003 to 2004 Pontiac Vibe models. The cars in question were produced with a defective front passenger airbag inflator. This could increase the chance of injury to vehicle occupants in the event of a crash.
In addition to advising owners of the affected 2003 to 2004 Pontiac Vibe cars to avoid driving the vehicle, GM stresses that a free repair is available in conjunction with this recall. The General recommends that owners of the cars involved get the repair completed at the dealership as soon as possible.
The affected Pontiac Vibe models are marked as “Open” on their Investigate Vehicle History screen. The dealership can verify a specific car’s involvement in this safety recall, do not drive advisory, and free repair program using the GM Global Warranty Management system.
Once the dealership has confirmed the advisory covers your car, it should replace the existing front passenger-side airbag module with a new one. The removed, defective airbag module should not be discarded or destroyed. Instead, it’s shipped back to TK Holdings Incorporated via XPO Logistics using the box in which the new module arrived.
This repair is offered free of charge to the Pontiac Vibe owner. The dealership must be careful not to replace the 2003 to 2004 Vibe airbag module with a 2005 to 2008 module. This part is visually identical but will malfunction if installed in the wrong model year. Part numbers must be verified before installation.
The Pontiac Vibe has been subject to several other safety bulletins and recalls related to airbags in the past. Last month, GM warned drivers not to drive any of the roughly 11,000 Vibe units equipped with a Takata airbag inflator. Defective units notoriously risk showering the interior with potentially fatal shrapnel. A previous recall for the 2003 to 2004 model years was issued in 2020.
Earlier, certain 2009 to 2010 Pontiac Vibe cars were recalled over rupturing airbag inflators. These could launch metal fragments capable of causing injury or death into the interior. They could rupture in response to repeated temperature and humidity changes over time. They didn’t even require an impact to explode dangerously into the cabin.
As far back as 2015, the 2009 to 2010 Pontiac Vibe was recalled for a different issue found in 2 million Toyota vehicles. The Vibe was a joint venture with Toyota and is mechanically similar to the Toyota Matrix. Since this Pontiac is essentially a Toyota, it was affected by the recall. In that case, a defective power window master switch could potentially cause a vehicle fire. Although Pontiac is no more, owners should have no problem getting this service performed at a Chevy dealer.
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Comments
Don’t drive your 20 YEAR OLD car! That’s vey helpful. Yes, the repair is free, but how many owners will actually get it done? I would imagine a very miniscule number of ’03-’04 Vibes that are still on the road ever see a dealer service center. There’s a pretty clean ’03 Vibe for sale at an independent dealer in a neighboring town. It has almost 200,000 miles on it as well as a clean Carfax [which shows an open recall.] It’s a good bet it isn’t going to get the recall done before being sold to the next owner. The owner of that lot certainly isn’t going to want that car off the lot getting fixed for fear of missing out on a potential sale.
Vibe owners have known about these recalls for quite some time. It’s part of the Takara airbag recalls from the 2010s. Chances are good the previous owner(s) took that ‘03 in for the repair/replacement about six years ago.
my vibe is still as great as ever at 320k+ miles, rough estimate as I got the 299,999k glitch. Will they be sending a letter if my car is effected by this? I did get some other recall replaced last year.
Hello! My vibe is closing in on 299,999 within the next month, possibly 2, if I had to guess.
I noticed you mentioned a “glitch” around that time. Would you mind letting me know what that entailed? I’m assuming a few things needed to be replaced, as would make sense. I just replaced my starter and another battery, fingers crossed! And I wish you many more miles with your vibe!!
nothing happened! the mileage counter just didn’t turn over to 300 000. she runs great! I’ve only had to do basic upkeep since getting it 3 years ago – brakes, tires, etc. she’s a real trooper!
Pull the airbag fuse, take your chances and drive it?
A mi no me a llegado ninguna carta de la compañía GM. Necesito hacer algún reporte en algún sitio?
En el internet busca la pagina NHTSA Y pon el numero de VIN de su carro y aga click para entrar el numero y le respondera para atras si tiene el recall oh no. Suerte.
My 03 Vibe has simply been an amazing car!! It’s not the sleekest car anymore but it has never left this girl stranded …except for a blown out tire which was my own fault anyways. It’s great on gas too still even after over 200,000 + miles!! Very satisfied with its total performance!👍🏻