2004 Pontiac Vibe Powertrain & Transmission Problems

PREMATURE TRANSMISSION ISSUES, TRANSMISSION STOPPER WORKING AROUND 80K, MULTIPLE REPORTS OF ISSUES FOUND FROM THE SAME VEHICLE MODELS.

WE PURCHASED A USED 2004 PONTIAC VIBE GT WITH A 6-SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION. WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 70MPH, THE GEAR STICK POPPED OUT OF GEAR. WAS ABLE TO PUT IT BACK INTO GEAR BUT ONLY FOR A FEW SECONDS BEFORE THE GEAR STICK POPPED AGAIN. CAR AND TRANSMISSION ONLY HAVE 80,000 MILES ON THEM. READING FORUMS ONLINE, TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS SEEM TO BE THE NORM FOR PONTIAC VIBES. WHAT CAN BE DONE TO CORRECT THE ISSUE?

BOUGHT VEHICLE FROM DEARER CARFAX CLEAR. DRIVING 55 MPH ON ROAD, CAR ENGINE/TRANSMISSION SEIZED UP AND I LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE. TRIED TO PUT IN 1ST GEAR (6 SPEED MANUAL) CLUTCH WOULD NOT ENGAGE, VEHICLE DIED. BATTERY OK, FLUIDS OK, NO PRIOR ISSUES WITH VEHICLE, HAD TOWED TO DEALER. TOLD ENGINE/TRANSMISSION SEIZED UP. TRANSMISSION BEARINGS DEFECTIVE, DEFECTIVE MAIN SHAFT BEARING, DEFECTIVE CLUSTER SHAFT BEARING. THE VEHICLE MADE A GRINDING NOISE SHORTLY BEFORE SEIZING UP AND STOPPING ON THE ROAD AT A HIGH SPEED.

MY 5 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION SUFFERED A CATASTROPHIC BEARING FAILURE AS I WAS PULLING INTO MY DRIVEWAY. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED 10 MINUTES EARLIER, IT WOULD LIKELY HAVE RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT. THIS PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE VERY COMMON WITH THIS VEHICLE, THERE SHOULD BE A SAFETY RECALL. *TR

2004 PONTIAC VIBE. CONSUMER STATES DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION AND RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER POWER WINDOW. CONSUMER ALSO WRITES IN REGARDS TO SLOW SHIFT, CLUNK AND GEARS JAMMING WHEN SHIFTED IN REVERSE AND ACCELERATE *TGW A SERVICE TEAM MECHANIC INFORMED THE CONSUMER THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTED ELECTRONICALLY, AND HE NEEDED TO ACCELERATE GENTLY. IN ADDITION, THE MECHANIC STATED A DIAGNOSTIC SCAN DID NOT INDICATE ANY PROBLEMS. *JB

THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION ON MY 2004 PONTIAC VIBE SEIZED UP AT ABOUT 140,000 MILES. AT FIRST IT MADE A HIGH PITCH WHIRRING NOISE THEN ALMOST IMMEDIATELY FAILED AS I WAS ON THE FREEWAY THUS SLOWING MY SPEED DOWN CONSIDERABLY TO THE POINT WHERE THE WHEELS BECAME LOCKED AT ONE POINT (TRANSMISSION FROZE WHILE ENGAGED). EVEN WHEN I FULLY DEPRESSED THE CLUTCH IT STAYED ENGAGED. I HAVE READ FROM OTHERS (AFTER THIS OCCURRED TO ME) THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAS A FAULTY DESIGN. IT USES A PLASTIC MASTER BALL BEARING THAT CAN SHATTER AND CAUSE THE TRANSMISSION TO SUDDENLY SEIZE. A PLASTIC BALL BEARING IS USED INSTEAD OF USING A MORE DURABLE ONE LIKE A METALLIC BALL BEARING THAT WOULD ONLY COST OF FEW BUCKS MORE. THIS APPARENTLY HAS TO DO WITH MANUFACTURE PROFIT. THIS IS HAPPENED ABOUT A WEEK AFTER CHRISTMAS 2009 AND I HAVE BEEN THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE CAR. THIS IS DANGEROUS FOR MYSELF AND FOR OTHERS ON THE ROAD. FOR THE SAFETY OF OTHERS, A TOTAL RECALL OF THE PONTIAC VIBE'S MANUAL TRANSMISSION SHOULD OCCUR. *TR

1. CLATTERING/GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM 5-SP. MANUAL TRANSMISSION, SLOWLY GROWING LOUDER. SUDDEN CHANGE IN SOUND AND 35 MILES LATER... 2. ... TRANSMISSION LOCKS UP AT INTERSECTION. VEHICLE COULD NOT BE PUSHED; HAD TO BE TOWED. 3. NEW TRANSMISSION AND CLUTCH INSTALLED. OLD PARTS STILL AVAILABLE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 PONTIAC VIBE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN APPLYING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THE VEHICLE WOULD SPORADICALLY BECOME UNRESPONSIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

2004 PONTIAC VIBE WITH 5 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION FAILED 3 TIMES. FIRST IN THE SUMMER OF 2007 AT ABOUT 65000 MILES. TRANSMISSION SHOP SAID IT WAS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH A BEARING IN THE TRANSMISSION, FOR WHICH THE MANUFACTURER DID NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. THEY ALSO SAID IT WAS DIFFICULT TO GET REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSIONS DUE TO THE ISSUE. I HAD THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED FOR ABOUT $3000 AND, VERY SOON AFTER, HEARD THE TELL-TALE NOISE OF IMMINENT FAILURE AND HAD THE TRANSMISSION SHOP REPLACE IT UNDER THE 6 MONTH/6000 MILE WARRANTY. THAT SECOND REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION FAILED IN FEBRUARY 2014 AT 208000 MILES. I WILL NOT BE REPLACING IT. *TR

AFTER 33700 MILES OF NORMAL DRIVING, MY 2004 PONTIAC VIBE GT NEEDS A CLUTCH REPLACEMENT. I WAS TOLD THIS WAS "NORMAL WEAR" BY THE DEALERSHIP, BUT I HAVE NEVER HAD A CLUTCH FAIL AT SUCH A LOW MILEAGE.*JB

THE TRANSMISSION ON OUR 2004 PONTIAC VIBE WENT OUT. WE HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED AND THEY FOUND THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAD SUCH SEVERE DAMAGE THAT IT COULD NOT BE REBUILT. THE COST $2500.00 ON A CAR THAT WE THOUGHT WE COULD DEPEND ON. OUR 2003 HONDA CIVIC HAS TWICE AS MANY MILES ON IT WITHOUT ANY COSTLY REPAIRS. PONTIAC TOLD US TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO THEM. WHEN WE TOLD THEM THAT IT WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING FIXED THEY BASICALLY TOLD US THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO FOR US BECAUSE WE DID NOT BRING THE VEHICLE TO THEM FIRST. WE IMMEDIATELY HAD THE PROCESS STOPPED, UNTIL WE COULD FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION. WE CONTACTED GM TO REGISTER OUR COMPLAINT. AFTER A FEW MORE CONVERSATIONS WITH GM AND ELHART PONTIAC, HOLLAND MICHIGAN, WE WERE TOLD TO CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH HAVING THE CAR REPAIRED AND TO BRING THE TRANSMISSION OUT TO ELHART. CUSTOMER SERVICE, AT ELHART, FOUND THAT A CLIP OR A BEARING HAD COME LOOSE AND THAT IS WHAT CAUSED THE DAMAGE. THIS IS NOT SUPPOSE TO HAPPEN ON VEHICLES WITH 78,000 MILES ON THEM. WE WERE THEN TOLD THAT WE WOULD HAVE A THREE WAY CONVERSATION WITH GM, ELHART AND OURSELVES TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THEY DISCOVERED AND SEE IF WE WERE ELIGIBLE FOR ANY ASSISTANCE. THIS CONVERSATION NEVER HAPPENED. WE SIMPLY RECEIVED A PHONE CALL SAYING THAT WE WERE DENIED OF ANY ASSISTANCE. THIS DECISION CAME FROM THE DISTRICT MANAGER, WHOSE NAME WE WERE DENIED, AND WE ARE ALSO BEING DENIED ACCESS TO ANY AND ALL OF THE RECORDS THAT GENERAL MOTORS WAS GIVEN. WHEN WE ASKED TO SPEAK WITH SOMEONE HIGHER UP, WE WERE TOLD THAT WE COULD NOT SPEAK WITH ANYONE AND IF WE WANTED TO PROCEED WE NEEDED TO WRITE A LETTER. SO BASICALLY WE BOUGHT A GM CAR AND AFTER WE PURCHASED IT, GENERAL MOTORS COULD CARE LESS ABOUT OUR, THE CUSTOMERS, SATISFACTION OR STANDING BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT. WE SIMPLY FEEL THAT WHEN YOU INVEST IN A VEHICLE, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO EXPECT IT TO NOT INCUR SUCH COSTLY DAMAGES.

HAVE A 2004 PONTIAC VIBE GT AND JUST HAD TO REPLACE THE CLUTCH AT 67 000 KM. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST CAR WE'VE OWNED WITH A STANDARD TRANSMISSION, OUR PREVIOUS CAR WAS A 1996 PONTIAC SUNFIRE WHICH HAD 200 000 KM ON THE ORIGINAL CLUTCH WHEN WE SOLD IT. WE BOUGHT THE 100 000 KM POWERTRAIN WARRANTY, BUT WERE TOLD THAT THE CLUTCH IS NOT COVERED. I HAD TO PAY FOR THE REPLACEMENT MYSELF. WE BOUGHT A NEW CAR SO THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT PERFORMING MAJOR REPAIRS ON IT FOR SEVERAL YEARS. *NM