The Pontiac Vibe is a estate built from 2003 to 2010. Most were assembled in the United States — 99.7% of those on record. Engines offered: 4-cyl. Worth buying? It depends heavily on which year you buy at 3.5/5 — and the year you pick matters far more than the badge (best and worst years →).
What the Vibe is
The Pontiac Vibe is a estate that Pontiac built from 2003 to 2010 — 8 model years. It has been offered with 4-cyl power. Its closest siblings in the Pontiac range: Aztek, Bonneville, G3.
Where the Vibe is built
A badge says where the company is registered; the VIN says where the car was bolted together. We counted the first three characters — the manufacturer identifier — across 1,624 Vibes on record.
| Assembled in | Share | VIN starts with | Years seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| the United States | 5Y2 | 2000-2014 |
Check your own: the first three characters of a Pontiac VIN decide which of these 1 lines your Vibe belongs to. What every character in a Vibe VIN means →
Got the full 17 characters? A free VIN check on a Pontiac Vibe adds what the decoder can't see: open recalls, theft and total-loss records, and the safety ratings for that exact build.
Pontiac Vibe tire size, oil type & owner specs
The fitment Vibe owners look up most — tires, wheels, oil and batteries. Exact wheel and tire sizes decode from your VIN or the driver's door-jamb placard; the universal items are listed below.
Exact tire, wheel, oil grade, capacity and battery group are added per trim and model year — decode your VIN above for the factory fitment. Universal items shown as-is.
What engines does the Pontiac Vibe have? Power & range
The Pontiac Vibe is offered with 1 powertrain — 1.8L 4-cyl. Here's the lineup by engine, transmission and drivetrain — 1 for the Pontiac Vibe, against one or two on most rivals.
| Engine | Displacement | Transmission | Drive | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-cyl | 1.8L · 4-cyl | Automatic 4-spd | FWD | Regular |
Horsepower, torque and fuel-tank size decode from your VIN — exact figures vary by engine and trim.
Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov (engines, drivetrain, range, charge time). Horsepower & torque from NHTSA vPIC on VIN decode.
The Vibe by the numbers
What the federal and market records say about the Pontiac Vibe. Each line opens the full breakdown by year.
| Topic | Vibe | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Recalls | 51 campaigns | NHTSA, all years |
| Owner complaints | 1,872 filed | What breaks and when |
| Reliability | 3.5 / 5 | Best and worst years |
| Insurance | $1,314/yr | Estimated full coverage |
| Used value | 198 listings | What it sells for now |
Frequently asked questions
What kind of car is the Pontiac Vibe?
The Vibe is a estate, built from 2003 to 2010. Engines offered: 4-cyl.
Where is the Pontiac Vibe made?
Across 1,624 cars in our records the split is: the United States (99.7%). The first three characters of a VIN identify the plant's manufacturer and country — that is where these shares come from, not from a press release.
What is the Pontiac Vibe warranty?
New models carry 3 years / 36,000 miles basic cover and 5 years / 60,000 miles on the powertrain. Worth knowing: across our complaint records the typical car reaches the halfway point of its faults at five years, so most repairs land after the basic warranty ends.
Is the Vibe reliable?
It scores 3.5/5 in our data. The honest answer depends on the year far more than the model — see the best and worst years, and when this car starts to break.
How do I check a specific Vibe?
This page describes the model; it cannot tell you whether that car has an open recall or a branded title. Run its VIN against the records — free, and matched to the exact production run.
More in Pontiac
| Model | Years | Recalls | Best MPG | ForCar score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pontiac GTO | 2004–2006 | 3 | 19 mpg | 4.0/5 |
| Pontiac Wave | 2005–2006 | — | 26 mpg | 4.5/5 |
| Pontiac Trans Sport | 1990–1999 | 19 | 19 mpg | 3.5/5 |
| Pontiac Torrent | 2006–2009 | 7 | 20 mpg | 4.0/5 |
| Pontiac Sunfire | 1995–2005 | 51 | 27 mpg | 3.5/5 |
| Pontiac Solstice | 2006–2010 | 22 | 23 mpg | 4.0/5 |
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