Pontiac Vibe vs Tesla Model S

Both cars' complete complaint records, side by side.

Read the totals carefully. NHTSA publishes no sales figures, so the car that sold more collects more complaints regardless of quality. The rows worth weighing are the proportions — the share of complaints that involved harm, and which part dominates.

Measure	Pontiac Vibe	Tesla Model S
Complaints on file	2,133	5,283
Model years covered	2000–2014	2012–2026
Worst model year	2009	2016
Best model year	2008	2024
Crashes reported	138	659
Fires reported	8	94
Injuries reported	114	207
Deaths reported	1	35
Most complained-about part	Airbags	Electrical System
Share of complaints involving harm	12.2%	18.8%

Pontiac Vibe by year

1 1 2 340 315 337 199 202 68 600 67 1

00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 14

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Airbags 1,011 47.4%

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 206 9.7%

Engine & Cooling 168 7.9%

Transmission & Drivetrain 137 6.4%

Acceleration & Cruise Control 118 5.5%

Electrical System 96 4.5%

Body & Structure 63 3.0%

Steering 58 2.7%

Tesla Model S by year

89 677 546 1,057 1,027 673 288 73 123 279 198 162 78 7 6

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Electrical System 1,001 18.9%

Other & Unspecified 863 16.3%

Suspension 730 13.8%

Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance 672 12.7%

Steering 344 6.5%

Acceleration & Cruise Control 273 5.2%

Brakes 208 3.9%

Lights 195 3.7%