2004 PONTIAC VIBE Complaints

WHILE DRIVING ON SUNNY DAYS, CONSUMER CANNOT SEE THE SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE. HOWEVER, IT IS ENCASED IN BLACK, AND THE NEEDLE ITSELF IS VERY DARK RED, WHICH MAKES IT VERY HARD TO SEE HOW FAST CONSUMER IS GOING. *AK *TT

INSULATION BETWEEN ROOF AND HEADLINER COMMING UNGLUED AND LAYING ON HEADLINER. *JB

2004 PONTIAC VIBE BASE,3000 MILES, DRIVERS SEAT HAS BECOME LOOSE TO THE POINT YOU CAN MOVE IT BACK AND FORTH BY HAND,CENTER OF UPPER BACK IS ALSO COLLAPSING, LEAVING LITTLE SUPPORT TO LOWER AND UPPER BACK, HAD TO ADJUST SEAT SEVERAL TIMES ON SHORT TRIPS.DEALER IS GOING TO REPLACE LOWER LEFT SEAT TRACK FIRST TO SEE IF THIS CURES THE PROBLEM,I CAN SEE WHERE THIS MIGHT FIX THE MOVEMENT AND THE POPPING OF THE SEAT AND I DO NOT SEE THIS FIXING THE SEATBACK WEAKENING AND SINKING IN.*AK

NEW CAR HAS VERY BAD PAINT PROBLEMS - CHIPS AND CRAZING - ONLY 12,000 MILES ON ODOMETER. *AK

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS COME ON TWICE IN FIRST 3000 MILES. DEALERS UNABLE TO FIX PROBLEM; COMPUTER CODE INDICATES SOMETHING IN THE EVAP CANISTER AREA. ALL DEALER'S DO IS RESET THE LIGHT.*AK

DURING THE NIGHTTIME BRIGHTNESS OF THE HEADLIGHTS CANNOT BE ADJUSTED. THIS CAUSES POOR VISIBILITY TO THE DRIVER. THE HEADLIGHTS WILL ONLY ADJUST TO THE HIGH BEAMS. DRIVER HAS TO DECREASE SPEED WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT IN ORDER TO SEE THE ROAD. CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER AND STATED THERE WAS NO SOLUTION FOR THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE THIS WAS HOW THE HEADLIGHTS WERE DESIGNED. *AK

THE OEM BATTERY IN MY 2004 PONTIAC VIBE IS OF INSUFFICIENT CAPACITY FOR WINTER STARTUPS. PONTIAC INSTALLED A 310 CCA BATTERY, WHICH IS HAVING DIFFICULTY CRANKING THE ENGINE WHEN ATTEMTPTING TO START IT AT LOW TEMPERATURES (BELOW 15 DEGREES F). I HAD DIFFICULTY STARTING MY CAR AT -5DEGREES F THIS WEEK (IT TOOK 4 ATTEMPTS; I HAD ALL ACCESSORIES TURNED OFF, I.E. RADIO, FAN, LIGHTS. MY CAR IS LESS THAN 2 MONTHS OLD). THERE ARE MULTIPLE REPORTS OF SUCH NEAR FAILURES OF THE 310 CCA BATTERY ON THE 2003/2004 PONTIAC VIBE MODELS, ALONG WITH REPORTS OF COMPLETE BATTERY FAILURE IN COLD WEATHER ON WWW.GENVIBE.COM. IT IS RECOMMENDED TO GET A BATTERY ABOVE 500 CCA FOR COLD CLIMATES FOR A 4 CYLINDER ENGINE LIKE THE VIBE'S 1.8L. THE UNDERPOWERED BATTERY INSTALLED BY PONTIAC ON MY CAR COULD RESULT IN GETTING STRANDED IN COLD WINTER CONDITIONS AND COULD POSE A LIFE THREATENING HAZARD.

AFTER THE CONSUMER REMOVED HIS FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THE VEHICLE SLOWLY DECELERATED. *AK THE ENGINE IDLE WAS SLOW TO RETURN TO NORMAL WHEN THE ACCELERATOR WAS RELEASED. THE PROBLEM COULD CAUSE AND ACCIDENT AND RESULTED IN AN EXTENSIVE USE OF THE BRAKES. THE DEALER ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROBLEM AND STATED THAT IT WAS A DESIGN FEATURE AND NOT A FAILURE. THE DEALER INSTALLED AN EVENT RECORDER ON THE CONSUMER'S VEHICLE. *SCC *JB

ON MY 2004 PONTIAC VIBE, THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER IS LINED WITH A CHROME FINISH THAT REFLECTS INTO THE WINDSHIELD MAKING VISIBILITY REDUCED. RALPH NADER CRITICIZED THIS OVER 30 YEARS AGO WHEN CAR MANUFACTURES WERE USING CHROME FINISHES THAT CAUSED NOTICEABLE GLARE. APPARENTLY, PONTIAC FORGOT DRIVER VISIBILITY WHEN THEY ADDED CHROME AND BRUSHED ALUMINUM TO THEIR INSTRUMENT CLUSTERS. *LA