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New Vibe Owners - Give Us Your Report

66 messages,  Last post on Nov 06, 2009 at 4:47 PM

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What is this discussion about? Pontiac Vibe, Car Buying, Wagon

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#55 of 66 Re: 09 Pontiac Vibe AWD [vibeguy37] by gmloyal60 Nov 18, 2008 (10:28 am)
I have 2,000 miles on my new 2009 AWD Vibe and I'm getting the EPA estimates of 20 and 26. I also own a 2006 FWD Vibe and get great mileage on it. I was hoping my conservative driving habits might yield somewhat better mpg on the '09AWD but I guess I was forewarned. My son has a 2003 AWD Vibe and still loves it. I drove it the other day and quickly noticed how much more "free wheeling" the older AWD model was. I don't know why there is this difference but my '09 has a lot more drag on it. It even will slow down on a level surface or a slight downgrade with my foot off of the accelerator! Is this the experience of others? I'd be interested in knowing. Replies to this message: maxx4me (Nov 18, 2008 12:29 pm)
#56 of 66 Re: 09 Pontiac Vibe AWD [gmloyal60] by maxx4me Nov 18, 2008 (12:29 pm)
Replying to: gmloyal60 (Nov 18, 2008 10:28 am) yep, you are right....it feels like a brake assist function, although I'm sure it is not. Sorry about your low mpg on the AWD. I knew that going in which is why I went (again) with the Corolla Vibe instead of the Camry Vibe. I have been getting 29 mpg in 90% city driving with my 09 automatic. Nice huh? I have been reading on genvibe.com about many '03 owners having tranny problems. I have 107,000 miles on mine, and have not had any major problems yet (a lot of minor problems to include mysteriously disappearing oil). As for the '09 Corolla Vibe, I had to replace the battery already. I got a higher cold cranking amp (550) Delco battery to replace the small Japanese 350 cca batteries they put in these Vibes. Other than that, the only design flaw I have found in the '09 is that the passenger side seat belt anchor rattles against the center console. You need to take a piece of female velcro and place it on the back side to act as a cushion when there isn't an occupant in the seat. I'm amazed how much more refined this latest version is over our 03. If the old one goes, I know what I'm buying next, that's for sure.
#57 of 66 2009 AWD by bills350 Feb 08, 2009 (10:07 am)
We purchased a red AWD in December. Excellent car!! Drives well in the bad western PA ice and snow.   GM needs to add a remote start option to the Vibe.
#58 of 66 09 Troubles by bossman141 Mar 26, 2009 (1:26 pm)
From what I can gather this seems to only be happening to my Vibe as neither the dealership service dept nor pontiac engineers can diagnose the problem.   When coming to a full stop, I can feel the car downshift and when the car finally comes to a full stop the tranny then drops into first and physically jerks the car. This is a 2.4 Auto BTW. No one can figure out the problem and have been told to basically drive the car till the engineers can figure out a fix.   I already have a call in to Pontiac and they have taken a report.   Just wondering if anyone else out there has experienced this. Dealer swears it's not the transmission but it sure feels like it to me.   Otherwise its a great car. Replies to this message: maxx4me (Mar 27, 2009 12:47 am) bossman141 (Mar 30, 2009 9:26 am) maxx4me (Mar 30, 2009 2:20 pm)
#59 of 66 Re: 09 Troubles [bossman141] by maxx4me Mar 27, 2009 (12:47 am)
Replying to: bossman141 (Mar 26, 2009 1:26 pm) Unless they are lying, I think everyone is experiencing the same thing. I have the '09 1.8 liter Corolla engine. I'm unsure whether the tranny is any different for the "Camry-Vibe" as it is the "Corolla-Vibe." You won't get any good answers out of your Pontiac dealer since they have been clueless about this car since the first Corolla-Vibe was built in 2002 (2003 model year). Either way, it is almost like a brake assist function, but is definitely the tranny downshifting. You should also feel it when you are giong around 50mph down a hill and tap your brakes. The tranny likes to downshift to help slow the car down. Good luck getting an answer from GM. I think they'd rather go out of business than help their loyal owners. I wish them well in that regard, which is why I own two Vibes (which means I own two Corollas). I can always get service and parts from Toyota should GM's "fantastic" business model finally drag them out of business where they belong. Replies to this message: bossman141 (Mar 30, 2009 9:26 am) maxx4me (Mar 30, 2009 2:20 pm)
#60 of 66 Re: 09 Troubles [maxx4me] by bossman141 Mar 30, 2009 (9:26 am)
Replying to: maxx4me (Mar 27, 2009 12:47 am) Thanks so much for the reply. So, you have the same problem? Have you taken the car in to the service dept. for the problem?   They basically just threw their hands up and left me hanging.   Is this normal on the vibes and corolla/camrys? I have a 2004 sienna and it does not down shift like this.   any further info would be appreciated.   Thanks Replies to this message: maxx4me (Mar 30, 2009 2:20 pm)
#61 of 66 Re: 09 Troubles [bossman141] by maxx4me Mar 30, 2009 (2:20 pm)
Replying to: bossman141 (Mar 30, 2009 9:26 am) No, I have not taken it in because I have heard the same story reported over and over on genvibe.com. It is a bit annoying to tap on your brakes while going downhill at 40 mph+ and have the tranny automatically assume you want some brake assist while it throws it into 3rd gear. As for my "service department", I'd rather trust my car to a chop shop in the slums of Calcutta before I'd every take my car to the dealer for service.
#62 of 66 Re: 09 Pontiac Vibe AWD [vibeguy37] by snackbar May 19, 2009 (5:31 pm)
Replying to: vibeguy37 (Oct 06, 2008 7:52 am) Hello Vibeguy.   What RPM is the engine running at around 60 mph (or 100kmh) ?   Shocking as it may seem, I took an AWD out for a test run, and the engine was running about 4000 RPM at 60 mph (100K) in the shift position the dealer told us to use. We figured out the shifter has to be in the location to the right of D3 to let the tranny shift to 4th. Revs then dropped to 2400 or so.   Sales says this often happens , silly as it may sound. Makes a big difference to your mileage.
#63 of 66 AWD MPG by amphibious_one Nov 05, 2009 (10:49 pm)
i own a 2010 2.4 lit. AWD and i get 28 mpg all the time driving rural/highway....is this that uncommon? love my Vibe btw... Replies to this message: maxx4me (Nov 06, 2009 1:02 pm) laserblue (Nov 06, 2009 3:41 pm) maxx4me (Nov 06, 2009 4:47 pm)
#64 of 66 Re: AWD MPG [amphibious_one] by maxx4me Nov 06, 2009 (1:02 pm)
Replying to: amphibious_one (Nov 05, 2009 10:49 pm) that is pretty high gas mileage for a Camry Vibe. You must be doing a whole lot of highway driving. I get 30 mpg overall in suburban city driving with my Corolla Vibe. I chose the smaller engine for the gas mileage, and I'm still glad I did. Replies to this message: laserblue (Nov 06, 2009 3:41 pm) maxx4me (Nov 06, 2009 4:47 pm)

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