2009 PONTIAC VIBE Complaints

WHEN TRAVELING AT LOW SPEEDS (LESS THAN 35), THERE IS A NOTICEABLE SHAKING / VIBRATION / RATTLING NOISE COMING FROM EITHER THE STEERING COLUMN OR FRONT SHOCKS, ESPECIALLY NOTICEABLE WHEN DRIVING OVER ROUGH SURFACES OR BUMPS. SEEMS TO BE MORE DRIVERS SIDE. LOOKS LIKE OTHERS HAVE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS AS WELL AS TOYOTA MATRIX (BUILT ON SAME LINE WITH SAME COMPONENTS) I HAVE NOT YET HAD THE DEALER INSPECT THE ISSUE. SEEMS AS IF SOME COMPONENT HAS COME LOOSE. *TR

AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND LOCAL SPEEDS THE CAR PULLS TO THE LEFT INTERMITTENTLY. WHEN AN ATTEMPT IS MADE TO CORRECT THIS THE CAR OVER CORRECTS AND PULLS TO THE RIGHT. FREQUENTLY WHEN COMING TO A STOP (ESPECIALLY ON AN UNEVEN ROAD) THE CAR PULLS SEVERELY TO THE RIGHT OR LEFT (ALMOST 90 DEGREES). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 PONTIAC VIBE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE UNEXPECTEDLY ACCELERATED WHEN SHE REMOVED HER FOOT FROM THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN BY SHIFTING INTO NEUTRAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 33,500. UPDATED 5/16/12 *CN THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO FIND ANYTHING WRONG. UPDATED 05/23/12

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 PONTIAC VIBE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DENIED ANY ASSISTANCE WITH REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 89,000.

AIR BAG LIGHT CAM ON CODE 1801 THE AIR BAGS MAY NOT WORK OR MAY DEPLOY UNEXPECTEDLY. INSTALLED SOP CLOCK SPRING FOR AIR BAG. *TR

AT SPEEDS BELOW 25 MPH, A RATTLING IS HEARD AND FELT THROUGH THE STEERING WHEEL. THE DEALER REPLACED THE UPPER AND LOWER STEERING COLUMN BUT THIS DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. THE DEALER CLAIMS THERE IS NO FIX FOR THIS PROBLEM, PER GM. THE CAR STILL MAKES THE NOISE AND VIBRATION... AND IS GETTING WORSE. A SEARCH OF THIS PROBLEM REVEALED MANY COMPLAINTS FOR THE SAME THING. THERE IS NO WAY THAT I COULD SELL OR TRADE THIS VEHICLE WITH THIS PROBLEM. *TR

I OWN A 2009 VIBE . RECALL HAS BEEN COMPLETED RE: SUDDEN ACCELERATION. THEY REMOVED DRIVERS FLOOR MAT OVER A YEAR AGO. I HAD FIRST EPISODE TODAY. FORTUNATELY IT WAS AT ABOUT 10MPH. WHEN I ENGAGED THE BRAKE THE ENGINE REVVED AND THE BRAKE PULSATED LIKE THE ANTI-LOCK FEATURE HAD BEEN ACTIVATED. THE ENGINE REVVED FOR 3 TO 4 SECONDS THE CAR ACCELERATED. WHEN THE ENGINE REVVING STOPPED THE BRAKE ENGAGED PROPERLY AND THE CAR STOPPED. FORTUNATELY I WAS ON A STREET WHERE THE SPEED LIMIT WAS 25 MPH AND I HAD COASTED DOWN TO ABOUT 10-15 MPH APPROACHING THE STOP SIGN. HAD THIS BEEN A HIGH SPEED OR EMERGENCY STOP THE RESULTS COULD HAVE BEEN DEADLY. PLEASE CONTACT ME ABOUT THIS AS THIS VEHICLE IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE. I WILL ALSO BE CONTACTING THE NHTSA. THE ABOVE IS A COPY OF INFORMATION I SENT TO GENERAL MOTORS VIA THEIR PONTIAC WEB SITE. *TR

WHEN COMING TO A STOP, OCCASIONALLY THE VEHICLE WILL LUNGE FORWARD. I HAVE NOTICED THIS ON MANY, MANY OCCASIONS SINCE PURCHASING THE CAR IN JULY 11. WHEN COMING TO A FAST STOP (SUCH AS WHEN SOMEONE PULLS OUT IN FRONT OF YOU OR SOMEONE SUDDENLY STOPS IN FRONT OF YOU -- ABS IS NOT BEING USED AS THESE ARE NOT PANIC STOPS) THE BRAKES WILL WORK AS THEY SHOULD UNTIL THE CAR IS ALMOST STOPPED AND THEN THE CAR WILL LUNGE FORWARD AND I SUDDENLY NEED TO APPLY MORE FORCE TO THE BRAKES TO MAKE THE CAR STOP. I SUSPECT THAT THE COMPUTER IN THE CAR IS USING ENGINE BRAKING TO ASSIST IN SLOWING DOWN THE CAR AND WHEN THE CAR HITS A CERTAIN SPEED (OR SOME OTHER VARIABLE) THE ENGINE BRAKING IS TURNED OFF WHICH CAUSES THE AMOUNT OF PRESSURE THAT I NEED TO APPLY TO THE BRAKES TO SUDDENLY INCREASE WHICH GIVES THE IMPRESSION THAT THE CAR IS LUNGING FORWARD. REGARDLESS OF WHAT IS CAUSING THIS ISSUE TO OCCUR, IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE. I HAVE GROWN USED TO THIS ISSUE AND NOW CAN COMPENSATE FOR IT, BUT IT IS STILL DISTRESSING WHEN IT OCCURS. I HAVE TALKED TO OTHER VIBE/MATRIX OWNERS AND THEY ALL STATE THAT THEY HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE AS IT COULD EASILY LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT. *TR

MY 2009 PONTIAC VIBE IS EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEMS AS THE 2005-2008 TOYOTA MATRIX IS REGARDING THE STALLING ISSUES. *TR

OUR AWD 2009 PONTIAC VIBE CAME WITH FACTORY CHROME WHEELS. AFTER ONE WINTER, THE WHEELS BEGAN TO CORRODE AROUND THE OUTSIDE PERIMETER. GM AGREED TO REPLACE ALL FOUR WHEELS, AND THEY DID. SOON AFTER REPLACEMENT, AS MY WIFE WAS DRIVING INTO OUR GARAGE, ONE WHEEL DELAMINATED (I.E., THE CHROME COVERING SEPARATED COMPLETELY FROM THE ALUMINUM UNDERWHEEL). UPON INSPECTION, IT LOOKED AS IF THE CHROME LAYER HAD BEEN GLUED TO THE UNDERWHEEL. WE WENT BACK TO THE DEALER, CHROME COVERING AND GLUE FRAGMENTS IN HAND. THE DEALER REPLACED THIS DEFECTIVE WHEEL WITH ANOTHER; SOON AFTER (50 MILES?), THE SECOND REPLACEMENT WHEEL DID THE SAME THING. IT HAS NOW BEEN REPLACED. (THE CHROME PARTS ARE STAMPED "TOYOTA.") NOTE THREE THINGS: ONE, THE WHEELS ON THIS CAR ARE NOT INEXPENSIVE STEEL WITH WHEEL COVERS. INSTEAD, THEY ARE ONE-PIECE CHROME WHEELS, RATHER EXPENSIVE IF I SHOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THEM MYSELF. SECOND, WE HAD NOT ABUSED THE CAR. WE DROVE, IN EACH CASE, ABOUT 50 MILES ON GOOD PAVEMENT IN GOOD WEATHER BEFORE FAILURE. FINALLY, THE CHROME COMPONENT DELAMINATED IN A "SAFE" AREA--IN BOTH CASES, AS WE SLOWLY DROVE INTO OUR GARAGE. WHAT IF THIS DELAMINATION HAD HAPPENED WHILE WE DROVE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, AND THE CHROME COMPONENT HAD SPUN OFF INTO A CROWD, OR ANOTHER CAR? THERE IS ONE OTHER PROBLEM YOU SHOULD KNOW. WE HAVE HAD TROUBLE STARTING THIS CAR. IN BRIEF, THE PROBLEM WAS APPARENTLY DIFFICULT FOR THE DEALER TO DIAGNOSE, BUT IT WAS A "CRACKED STEERING LOCK," ALSO A PART STAMPED "TOYOTA." THIS PROBLEM PRECIPITATED SEVERAL PHONE CALLS FOR HELP, PUSHING IT FROM THE SIDE IN AN ATTEMPT TO UNLOCK THE STEERING COLUMN/KEY, AND A VISIT FROM THE TOW TRUCK. WE WERE ABLE TO ROCK THE CAR OURSELVES AND ENABLE STARTING; UNFORTUNATELY, WE DENTED THE FRONT FENDER, WHICH WAS AN UNREIMBURSED BODY REPAIR AT THE DEALER'S ($800). PLEASE PUBLICIZE THESE VIBE PROBLEMS AND DANGERS, AND WORK FOR FIXES. *TR