The 2006 Pontiac Vibe has 5 recalls, the most serious being a passenger-side front airbag inflator that can rupture in a crash and send metal fragments into the cabin, posing a risk of serious injury or death.
This airbag defect spans several overlapping recalls, including one that specifically targets vehicles originally sold or registered in high-humidity coastal areas such as Florida, the Gulf Coast, Hawaii, and U.S. territories, where moisture accelerates the risk. There is also a related recall for vehicles where a prior airbag repair was performed: the replacement inflator may not unfold correctly in high heat, leaving the airbag underinflated in a crash and reducing the protection it provides. The remaining recall affects vehicles with the 1.8-liter two-wheel-drive engine, where the engine control module can develop internal faults that produce a range of engine warnings and performance consequences.