2009 PONTIAC VIBE Recalls — Canada & USA

The 2009 Pontiac Vibe has 10 recalls, the most serious being a combination of airbag and accelerator hazards: the passenger airbag inflator can degrade over time and deploy with excessive force, potentially sending fragments into the cabin, while the accelerator pedal can stick or become fully trapped, making the vehicle difficult to slow or stop. The accelerator concern appears in several forms across multiple recalls. The pedal mechanism can wear or bind internally, becoming hard to press or slow to return to idle. Separately, an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat can trap the pedal at full throttle, allowing the vehicle to reach very high speeds with little ability to brake. On the driver airbag side, damaged electrical circuitry in the steering wheel assembly can prevent the airbag from deploying in a crash, leaving the driver without that protection. Two electrical recalls involve the driver's power window master switch. Inconsistent lubrication during manufacturing can cause the switch to stick or fail, and if the switch is later lubricated incorrectly, it can overheat, melt, and produce smoke or fire inside the door. In cold weather, there is also a brake concern: condensation from the crankcase ventilation system can freeze and block the intake port that provides vacuum to the brake booster, reducing braking effectiveness.