2009 PONTIAC VIBE Complaints

INSIDE DOOR HANDLE BREAKS OFF EASILY. WHEN TAKEN FOR REPAIR, REPAIRMAN LAUGHED, STATING THIS IS THE CAR THIS MONTH WITH BROKEN INTERIOR HANDLES. PART IS ON BACKORDER. SAFETY ISSUE, AS MUST OPEN WINDOW TO OPEN DOOR TO EXIT VEHICLE. IN EMERGENCY, THIS COULD PROVE TO BE FATAL IF UNABLE TO EXIT VEHICLE QUICKLY. *LN

WHEN DRIVING AT SPEEDS GREATER THAN 35 MPH THE VEHICLE'S STEERING BECOMES UNPREDICTABLE. INITIALLY WHILE ATTEMPTING TO CORRECT THE WANDERING DIRECTION OF THE CAR NOTHING WILL HAPPEN. WHEN CORRECTING FURTHER THE VEHICLE WILL CATCH ITSELF AND OVER-CORRECT. IT FEELS AS IF YOU ARE DRIVING THROUGH A WIND TUNNEL OR GETTING PASSED BY LARGE TRUCKS EVEN IF THERE IS NO WIND AND NO OTHER VEHICLE AROUND. WHEN THE WIND IS BLOWING IT FEELS AS IF YOU ARE DRIVING ON ICE. THIS BECAME AN EVEN BIGGER PROBLEM WHEN WINTER WEATHER HIT AND ROADS ACTUALLY BECAME ICY OR SNOWY. ALSO, WHEN COMING TO A STOP THE STEERING WHEEL WILL OCCASIONALLY AND UNPREDICTABLY TURN AT LEAST 45-90 DEGREES IN EITHER DIRECTION RESULTING IN THE VEHICLE "WANDERING" INTO AN ADJACENT LANE.

I WAS ABLE TO DETECT THIS BEFORE ANY ACCIDENT OCCURRED. WHILE CHECKING THE REAR BRAKES I NOTICED THAT THERE IS UNEVEN WEAR OF REAR BRAKE PADS. PASSENGER SIDE OUTER PAD IS POSITIONED IN AN ANGLE WHICH CAUSES PREMATURE WEAR OF THAT PAD WHILE ALL OTHER PADS ARE WEARING EVENLY. SUCH DEFECT (CALIPER POSITION) CAUSES ROTOR DAMAGE AND POSSIBLE WHEEL LOCK. THIS IS A SECOND VIBE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM THAT I'VE SEEN. THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR CALIPER NEEDS TO BE ADJUSTED AND REPOSITIONED.

THE POWER STEERING FAILED COMPLETELY AND WITHOUT WARNING. THE STEERING WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH. STEERING SUDDENLY BECAME VERY DIFFICULT, PRESENTING A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. AFTER STOPPING, ALL FUSES WERE CHECKED AND FOUND OKAY. SHUTTING OFF/RESTARTING CAR DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. STEERING REMAINS DISABLED. NO OTHER SYMPTOMS OR PROBLEMS. CAR IS BEING TOWED TO DEALER FOR REPAIR. *TR

2009 PONTIAC VIBE. CONSUMER ASSERTS POSSIBLE MANUFACTURING DEFECT CONCERNING ACCELERATOR PEDAL PROBLEMS *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED AS HE WAS PREPARING TO STOP, TO DISCHARGE A PASSENGER, HE REMOVED HIS FOOT FROM THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TO APPLY THE BRAKE, THE VEHICLE KEPT MOVING FORWARD AND TRAVELED APPROXIMATELY 1 1/2 CAR LENGTHS INTO SOME BUSHED AND A BUILDING. *JB

2009 PONTIAC VIBE I HAD GAS PEDAL AND FLOOR MATS RECALL DONE TO MY VIBE YET IT STILL ACCELERATED ON ME UP OVER 2000RPM'S AND 70 KM AN HOUR WITHOUT TOUCHING GAS PEDAL. CAR WOULDN'T STOP DOING IT SO GM CAME AND PICKED IT UP. THEY HAVE HAD MY CAR FOR OVER A MONTH NOW.SERVICE ADVISOR SAID THEY WERE CHANGING THE COMPUTER IN CAR. I DON'T FEEL SAFE TO DRIVE THIS CAR AGAIN IF IT WAS A FAULTY COMPUTER WILL THEY REPLACE IT WITH THE SAME. GM COSTUMER SERVICE WILL NOT RETURN ANY OF MY CALLS. *TR

2009 VIBE HAD RECALLS DONE TO MY CAR YET IT STILL ACCELERATED UP OVER 2000 RPM AND 70 KM WITHOUT TOUCHING GAS PEDAL ALSO THE TRACTION CONTROL AND ABS LIGHTS CAME ON AT SAME TIME. IN MY OPINION IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH GAS PEDAL OR FLOOR MATS..THE DEALER CAME AND PICKED IT UP AS IT WOULDN'T STOP DOING IT. THEY CHANGED CAM SENSOR IT DIDN'T WORK .THEN THEY TOLD ME THEY WERE PUTTING IN NEW COMP. SYSTEM. ITS WILL BE A MONTH THIS WED. AND CAR IS STILL AT DEALERS. *TR

ON TUES. MORNING, AUG. 31, 2010, AT 6:51 A.M. (PER RECEIPT), I WAS STOPPED AT THE PRECINCT LINE & HWY 183 STARBUCKS DRIVE-THROUGH WINDOW. MY 2009 PONTIAC VIVE WAS IN DRIVE & MY RIGHT FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE AS IT WOULD BE AT A STOP LIGHT. AS MY TRANSACTION PROCEEDED, I HEARD A TERRIFIC, LOUD RACING OF AN ENGINE THAT SOUNDED LIKE A RACE CAR & THEN FELT MY CAR BEGIN TO MOVE FORWARD. I THOUGHT IT WAS THE CAR BEHIND ME DOING SOMETHING WEIRD OR BEING SOMEHOW OUT OF CONTROL. I PUSHED HARDER ON MY BRAKE TO PROTECT MYSELF, BUT MY VIVE STARTED TO SURGE FORWARD. I THEN REALIZED THAT THIS WAS THE "TOYOTA PROBLEM" HAPPENING TO ME & I, THEREFORE, PUT THE CAR IN PARK & TURNED THE ENGINE OFF. AS I PUT THE VIVE IN PARK, THE ENGINE RACED WILDLY & I NOTICED THE TACHOMETER BOUNCING CRAZILY UP THE SCALE. I EXCLAIMED TO THE WORKERS THAT MY CAR WAS DOING THE "TOYOTA THING." THEY JUST STARED AT ME WITH WIDE EYES. I TRIED TURNING THE CAR ON AGAIN, THIS TIME WITH BOTH OF MY FEET ON THE BRAKE; THE ENGINE RACED WILDLY ONCE AGAIN, & THE TACHOMETER BOUNCED WILDLY. MY FEET REMAINED EXTREMELY FIRM ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE BRAKE PEDAL FELT STRANGELY WEAK, AS THOUGH I WAS ABLE TO PUSH IT FURTHER TO THE FLOOR THAN NORMAL. I TURNED THE VIVE OFF A SECOND TIME & TOLD THE STARBUCKS WORKERS THAT I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, IN THAT I WAS IN THEIR DRIVE-THROUGH LANE & I WAS AFRAID TO TURN THE ENGINE ON TO TRY TO MOVE AWAY. I WAS PANICKED; THEY REMAINED WIDE-EYED AND SPEECHLESS AT THE NOISE AND SPECTACLE. I DECIDED TO TRY A THIRD TIME; THIS TIME THE ENGINE ACTED "NORMALLY" BUT SOUNDED AND ACTED WEAK. I WAS VERY SCARED AS I DROVE AWAY & WAS UNSURE OF WHAT THE CAR WOULD DO NEXT. I CALLED MY HUSBAND TO MEET ME AT WORK A FEW MILES AWAY TO PICK UP THE CAR THAT I NO LONGER TRUST TO DRIVE. THE STARBUCKS MANAGER AND DRIVE-THROUGH WINDOW BARISTA WHO WITNESSED THIS EVENT GAVE THEIR NAMES & PHONE NUMBERS TO US & ARE WILLING TO CONFIRM THE EVENT. RECALL 10038 WAS PERFORMED 6 DAYS PRIOR TO THIS OCCURRENCE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 PONTIAC VIBE. THE CONTACT STARTED THE IGNITION; AND WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS ENGAGED, THE VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE WOULD OCCUR SPORADIC. IN ADDITION, THE FAILURE OCCURRED IN THE REVERSE POSITION CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO CRASH INTO THE PROCEEDING VEHICLE. THE FRONT BUMPER WAS DAMAGED, AND THERE WAS NO PERSONAL INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON SIX DIFFERENT OCCASIONS FOR THE SAME FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED UNDER TWO RECALLS ASSOCIATED WITH THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 10V018000 (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: ACCELERATOR PEDAL); AND 10V024000 (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: ACCELERATOR PEDAL). THE REMEDY DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM AND THE ACCELERATION FAILURE CONTINUED AFTER THE RECALL REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE UNABLE TO PROVIDE ANY RESOLUTIONS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN .

I HAVE A 2009 AWD VIBE WHICH WILL, AT TIMES, UPSHIFT AFTER BRAKING CAUSING THE CAR TO LURCH FORWARD FOR A SECOND DUE TO THE UPSHIFT AND UPON TAKING MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE AND THEN APPLYING THE BRAKE AGAIN APPARENTLY DOES THE SAME THING AGAIN. IT ONLY DOES THIS AT ABOUT 30 TO 40 MILES AN HOUR AND MOSTLY WHEN GOING DOWN A MODERATE HILL I COME UPON NO MY WAY HOME FROM WORK. I HAVE ADVISED THE DEALER OF MY CONCERNS BUT THEY SEEM TO BE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO ADDRESS IT. THE PROBLEM IS CONCERNING ENOUGH TO ME THAT I WON'T LET ANYONE ELSE DRIVE THE VEHICLE. I HAVE NOT HAD THE TRANSMISSION REPROGRAMMED AS IT DOESN'T SEEM TO HELP FROM WHAT I HAVE READ ON OTHER COMPLAINTS. I HAVE HAD ALL THE OTHER UNINTENDED ACCELERATION ISSUES ADDRESSED AND IT IS NOT RELATED TO THAT PROBLEM. *TR