There are 3 stored owner reports matching the brakes leading-label group for the 2006 Pontiac Vibe in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 3 of 3 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)SUMMARY: COULD NOT STOP CAR USING BRAKE PEDAL. NEEDED TO USE PARK BRAKE TO STOP CAR. LATER DISCOVERED LEAK IN L. REAR BRAKE PIPE, NEAR END OF IT. HOWEVER, MY CAR HAS A SPLIT SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM. (ONE HYDRAULIC CIRCUIT FOR BRAKES IN L. REAR AND R. FRONT; AND, ANOTHER CIRCUIT FOR BRAKES IN R. REAR AND L. FRONT.) SO, MY CAR HAD ONE FAILED CIRCUIT, DUE TO LEAK IN L. REAR BRAKE PIPE; AND, ONE GOOD CIRCUIT FOR BRAKES IN R. REAR AND L. FRONT. BUT, GOOD HYDRAULIC CIRCUIT FAILED TO STOP CAR. THEREFORE, CAR FAILED TO PERFORM AS SPECIFIED BY THE ELECTRONIC CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS, TITLE 49, CHAPTER V, PART 571, SECTION 571.135, PARAGRAPH S7.10, HYDRAULIC CIRCUIT FAILURE. DIAGNOSTIC NOTES: (A) MASTER CYLINDER, BOTH FRONT CALIPERS, AND BOTH REAR WHEEL CYLINDERS APPEAR TO WORK CORRECTLY, (B) NO FLUID LEAKS ANYWHERE EXCEPT IN L. REAR BRAKE PIPE, AND (C) BRAKES IN GOOD HYDRAULIC CIRCUIT ARE WITHIN SPECIFICATION LIMITS. REFER TO ATTACHED PHOTOS AND DOCUMENTS.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 PONTIAC VIBE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MERGE INTO TRAFFIC SHE ENGAGED THE BRAKES BUT IT FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT SHE HAD TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL IN ORDER TO MAINTAINED CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 41,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 43,075.
I WAS DRIVING MY 2006 PONTIAC VIBE SOUTH ON INTERSTATE 79 IN RURAL PENNSLVANIA WHEN THE BRAKES SOUNDLY FAILED TO RESPOND. I STEPPED ON THE PEDDLE BUT THE CAR FAILED TO SLOW, AND THE CRUISE CONTROL FAILED TO DISENGAGE. TO AVOID AN HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME, I SWERVED INTO THE SHOULDER, CONTINUING TO APPLY THE BRAKES. AS I TRIED TO SLOW, THE CAR FISHTAILED AND I SKIDDED INTO THE INTERSTATE AGAIN AND HIT THE OPPOSITE GUARDRAIL. ANTILOCK BRAKES DID NOT ENGAGE. FINALLY, WHEN I CRASHED, THE CAR'S AIRBAG FAILED TO DEPLOY, DESPITE THE ENTIRE FRONT END OF THE CAR CAVING IN (RESULTING IN A TOTAL LOSS OF THE CAR). FORTUNATELY, I WAS WEARING MY SEAT BELT AND DID NOT STRIKE ANOTHER VEHICLE, SO NONE ONE WAS HURT, BUT THE CAR WAS A TOTAL LOSS. *TR
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Apr 28, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.