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2009 Pontiac Vibe Safety Review

October 30, 2008

SAFETY | 9 out of 10

Expert Quotes:

Five stars, frontal impact and driver side impact; four stars, passenger side impact
NHTSA

StabiliTrak works in harmony with anti-lock brakes
Road & Track

Safety: excellent
Detroit News

One major selling point with family-oriented vehicles, a category that definitely includes hatchback/wagons such as the 2009 Pontiac Vibe, is their safety record. In this regard, the 2009 Pontiac Vibe has a leg up on nearly all its competitors, as its safety features and crash ratings are well above average.

While the IIHS has not yet had a chance to test the 2009 Pontiac Vibe, the government has conducted its full battery of crash tests and issued a glowing endorsement of this 2009 Pontiac. The NHTSA reports that the Pontiac Vibe earned a perfect five-star rating in both front impact tests, as well as five stars for the driver side-impact test. The only blemish on this 2009 Pontiac's record is in the passenger side-impact category, where it still earned a respectable four out of five stars.

In addition to the crash-test ratings from the NHTSA, the Detroit News rates this 2009 Pontiac's safety features as "excellent," and other reviews read by TheCarConnection.com agree. According to Cars.com, these features include "antilock brakes, side-impact airbags for the front seats, side curtain airbags, an electronic stability system, and active head restraints for the front seats." Road & Track gives two thumbs-up to Pontiac's decision to add "traction control and steering inputs to help keep the driver in control in adverse road conditions like rain or ice" to the 2009 Pontiac Vibe. Furthermore, Kelley Blue Book notes that the standard safety equipment includes OnStar and a "tire-pressure monitoring system."

So far this section may seem like a pretty rousing endorsement of the Pontiac Vibe 2009's safety rating, and while there's a lot to praise on this vehicle, there is also one drawback worth noting. What prevents this 2009 Pontiac from achieving a perfect safety score is its shape, which compromises rearward visibility. In particular, ConsumerGuide reports that visibility is "generally good, but view aft [is] compromised by thick pillars." Unfortunately, Pontiac doesn't offer any sort of parking or rearview assistance system to help mitigate this problem.

Conclusion

Despite the visibility issue, the 2009 Pontiac Vibe is one of the safest vehicles in its class.

SAFETY | 9 out of 10Expert Quotes:Five stars, frontal impact and driver side impact; four stars, passenger side impactNHTSAStabiliTrak works in harmony with anti-lock brakesRoad & TrackSafety: excellentDetroit News One major selling point with family-oriented vehicles, a category that definitely includes hatchback/wagons such as the 2009 Pontiac Vibe, is their safety record. In this regard, the 2009 Pontiac Vibe has a leg up on nearly all its competitors, as its safety features and crash ratings are well above average. While the IIHS has not yet had a chance to test the 2009 Pontiac Vibe, the government has conducted its full battery of crash tests and issued a glowing endorsement of this 2009 Pontiac. The NHTSA reports that the Pontiac Vibe earned a perfect five-star rating in both front impact tests, as well as five stars for the driver side-impact test. The only blemish on this 2009 Pontiac's record is in the passenger side-impact category, where it still earned a respectable four out of five stars. In addition to the crash-test ratings from the NHTSA, the Detroit News rates this 2009 Pontiac's safety features as "excellent," and other reviews read by TheCarConnection.com agree. According to Cars.com, these features include "antilock brakes, side-impact airbags for the front seats, side curtain airbags, an electronic stability system, and active head restraints for the front seats." Road & Track gives two thumbs-up to Pontiac's decision to add "traction control and steering inputs to help keep the driver in control in adverse road conditions like rain or ice" to the 2009 Pontiac Vibe. Furthermore, Kelley Blue Book notes that the standard safety equipment includes OnStar and a "tire-pressure monitoring system." So far this section may seem like a pretty rousing endorsement of the Pontiac Vibe 2009's safety rating, and while there's a lot to praise on this vehicle, there is also one drawback worth noting. What prevents this 2009 Pontiac from achieving a perfect safety score is its shape, which compromises rearward visibility. In particular, ConsumerGuide reports that visibility is "generally good, but view aft [is] compromised by thick pillars." Unfortunately, Pontiac doesn't offer any sort of parking or rearview assistance system to help mitigate this problem. ConclusionDespite the visibility issue, the 2009 Pontiac Vibe is one of the safest vehicles in its class. 2009 PONTIAC VIBE STYLING | [8 OUT OF 10] Edmunds: "Sporty styling...cool looking interior" Detroit News: "Fresh and invigorating" Car and Driver: "More conventional roofline—yet still appears sporty" A smooth, clean look coupled with sleek lines clearly makes the sporty 2009 Pontiac ...

Read More of this Review:

  1. styling
  2. performance
  3. quality
  4. safety
  5. features

Other Choices:

The Toyota Matrix is very similar to the Pontiac Vibe. The Mazda 3 has a stiffer ride, and its cabin allows more road noise. The Kia Spectra5 is a bit perkier and more fun to drive, but like the Mazda 3, it doesn't have available all-wheel drive. AWD is standard on the Subaru Impreza, which is more expensive and isn't as roomy or fuel-efficient. However, the Impreza has an attractive interior design for the hatchback and a torquey horizontally opposed engine, along with better safety ratings (the Impreza is an IIHS Top Safety Pick). Electronic stability control is standard on the Matrix, but not available on any of these other models.

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See the Pontiac Vibe in Other Years:

2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003

Comments (3 total)

  1. By winifred hottot #1, Posted: 6/6/2009

    i would not recomend the pontiac vibe 2009 awd for reasons of rusting after owning it for a total of four whole months i think thats the worst i have ever owned i have had cars five years old and not a rust mark on it

  2. By CMJ #2, Posted: 9/17/2009

    GM has a 6 year 100,000 mile corosion warrenty on all there vehicles. Were you not aware of that?
    Did you sell the Vibe?

  3. By Vibe owner #3, Posted: 10/19/2009

    I bought a 2009 all white and I found little rust marks coming through the paint after the first winter however they do come off with a good soap and water washing.

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