2009 PONTIAC VIBE Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 PONTIAC VIVE. WHILE DRIVING INTO A PARKING SPACE ATTEMPTING TO PARK THE VEHICLE AT 5 MPH WHEN THE GAS PEDAL WAS ENGAGED, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO A FENCE. SHE RECEIVED A TICKET FOR CARELESS DRIVING. THE INSURANCE COMPANY TOWED THE VEHICLE TO THE BODY SHOP. THE VEHICLE WILL BE REPAIRED. SHE SUSTAINED FRACTURED BONES AND THE PASSENGER RECEIVED INJURIES TO THEIR CHEST, RIBS AND KNEE. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WERE 3,000. UPDATED 3/16/10 *CN THE CONSUMER ATTEMPTED TO STOP THE VEHICLE, HOWEVER THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY DURING THE ACCIDENT. UPDATED 05/11/10.*JB

WANDERING STEERING AT HIGHWAY SPEED OF MY 2009 PONTIAC VIBE VERSUS STABLE STEERING OF MY 2006 PONTIAC VIBE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 PONTIAC VIBE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 10 TO 15 MPH, SHE DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND IT FELT AS IF THE ABS ENGAGED. IT TOOK EXTRA EFFORT FOR THE VEHICLE TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. SHE WAS ALMOST IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION BEFORE THE VEHICLE STOPPED COMPLETELY. SHE CITED THE WEATHER AS COLD AND RAINY. ANOTHER DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE ALSO CONFIRMED THAT THEY PREVIOUSLY EXPERIENCED THE IDENTICAL FAILURE. SHE HAD NOT TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP OR SPOKEN WITH THE MANUFACTURER TO DATE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED WHEN THE COMPLAINT WAS FILED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 18,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 17,800.

PRIOR TO THE CURRENT RECALL CAMPAIGN FOR STICKY ACCELERATOR PEDAL, I HAVE EXPERIENCED THREE OCCURRENCES OF THAT PROBLEM. ALL THREE TIMES, THE CAR HAS CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE, WHILE I AM BRAKING AT A STOP SIGN. ALL THREE TIMES, THE PEDAL HAS SUCCESSFULLY RELEASED. THE RECALL LETTER CAME FEB. 13, AND THE REPAIR CAN BE SCHEDULED AFTER FEBRUARY 22, 2010, SO NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE YET TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THE MAIN REASON FOR MY COMPLAINT, (ALSO BASED ON EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE WITH CARS), IS THAT THE CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH MY CAR HAS MALFUNCTIONED, ARE NOT THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL LETTER. THE LETTER SAYS "OVER TIME, THE INTERNAL MECHANISMS IN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL MAY BECOME WORN. AS A RESULT OF THIS WEAR, COMBINED WITH CERTAIN OPERATING AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS, FRICTION IN THE MECHANISM MAY INCREASE AND INTERMITTENTLY RESULT IN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BEING HARD TO DEPRESS AND/OR SLOW TO RETURN...." ONE OCCURRENCE WAS IN THE FIRST 300 MILES OR SO OF OWNERSHIP, AND WAS IN WARM DRY WEATHER. AT LEAST ONE OF THE OTHER TWO OCCURRENCES WAS BEFORE WINTER HIT. MY CAR ALSO HAS ONLY 4600 TOTAL MILES ON IT, HAS BEEN PARKED IN THE GARAGE FOR WEEKS, AND WILL NOT BE DRIVEN UNTIL I THINK TOYOTA OR PONTIAC HAVE ACTUALLY SOLVED THE PROBLEM. IN OTHER WORDS, MY CAR DOES NOT HAVE THE MILES ON IT TO CAUSE "WEAR," ESPECIALLY FOR THE FIRST OCCURRENCE OF THE PROBLEM, NOR HAS IT MALFUNCTIONED IN THE COLD MOIST CONDITIONS THAT I HAVE READ ARE THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL LETTER. THEREFORE, IT IS MY STRONG OPINION THAT THE "STICKY ACCELERATOR PEDAL" CONDITION IS NOT DUE TO WHAT THE RECALL ADDRESSES. A MORE POSSIBLE CAUSE, IS AS I HAVE READ FROM SOME OWNERS, ONE OF THE COMPUTERS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 PONTIAC VIBE PURCHASED NEW. HE STATED WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 50 MPH ON A CLOUDY DAY, A DEER RAN OUT INTO THE HIGHWAY IN FRONT OF HIS VEHICLE. HE DEPRESSED THE BRAKES BUT THE BRAKES WOULD NOT ENGAGE. THE CONTACT STRUCK THE DEER, KILLING IT INSTANTLY. THE POLICE WERE CALLED TO THE SCENE AND A REPORT WAS FILED. THERE WAS MODERATE DAMAGE TO THE FRONT-END OF THE VEHICLE. THERE WAS A RECALL CAMPAIGN ON THE SERVICE BRAKES (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 09V392000; COMPONENT: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:VACUUM), HOWEVER HIS VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE TO DATE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1700 AND THE CURRENT WAS 12,812. THE VIN WAS NOT ACCEPTED.

2009 PONTIAC VIBE HAS ISSUE WITH THE GAS PEDAL STICKING. *NJ THE CONSUMER STATED SHE EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM WITH THE PEDAL STICKING WHILE SHE WAS ATTEMPTING TO MERGE INTO TRAFFIC. UPDATED 03/01/10. *JB UPDATED 03/12/10 UPDATED 03/04/10.*JB

RECALL 10018 ACCELERATOR PEDAL STICKING CALLED GM ON 11 FEB AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THIS RECALL DID NOT APPLY TO MY CAR. TODAY, FEB 13, 2010, I GOT A RECALL NOTICE IN THE MAIL. THEY DOWNRIGHT LIED TO ME 2 DAYS AGO. *TR

ACCELERATOR DEFECT/RECALL. IT OCCURRED ONCE IN 2009. I HAD TO PUTTHE CAR IN NEUTRAL BECAUSE THE ENGINE WAS RACING. IT TOOK APPROXIMATELY 30 SECONDS FOR THE ENGINE TO RETURN TO NORMAL. THE FLOOR MATS WERE NOT JAMMED. *CN

UPON APPLYING BRAKE AT STOP LIGHT, CAR ACCELERATED. ANOTHER TIME WHEN WAITING IN DRIVEWAY FOR GARAGEDOOR TO OPEN I APPLIED BRAKES AND THE CAR ACCELERATED. BOTH TIMES NOTHING SERIOUS HAPPENED AS I WAS A SAFE DISTANCE FROM ANYTHING IN FRONT AND THE BRAKE WORKED. BOTH TIMES IN FALL OF 2009; CAR HAD ABOUT 7000 MILES.

EXPERIENCED A MOMENTARY LOSS OF BRAKING WHILE GOING OVER A BUMP AT A MODERATE SPEED. THE SINGLE OCCURRENCE HAPPENED WHEN GOING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION BUMP, ON A VERY COLD AND RAINY DAY. MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE, SLOWING DOWN THROUGH THE INTERSECTION (APPROX. 35 MPH) AND HIT THE BUMP. THE BRAKE PEDAL IMMEDIATELY WENT TO THE FLOOR WITH NO APPARENT BRAKING. I BELIEVE THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE LIGHT TURNED ON DURING THE BRAKE LOSS, BUT IT HAPPENED SO FAST I CAN'T SAY IT DID FOR CERTAIN. A MOMENT LATER I RELEASED THE BRAKE AND PRESSED IT AND THE BRAKES WERE BACK TO NORMAL. THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED APPROXIMATELY 1 YEAR AGO, AND HAS NOT HAPPENED SINCE. I PURCHASED THE CAR NEW ABOUT 20 MONTHS AGO. MAKE PONTIAC MODEL VIBE YEAR 2009 ENGINE 1.8 LITER TRANSMISSION MANUAL. *TR