Owner-reported complaints naming the transmission system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2003 Pontiac Vibe submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 39 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 39, in the owner's own words
2003 PONTIAC VIBE 5-SPEED. TRANSMISSION BEARINGS FAILED, CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION TO GRIND ITSELF UP AND STRAND THE CAR. FLUID CHANGED EVERY 30K MILES. FIRST TRANSMISSION DIED AT 70K MILES AND THE SECOND ONE NOW DIED AT 110K MILES. THIRD TRANSMISSION GETTING INSTALLED TO CORRECT A FAULTY DESIGN. BUYING A BRAND NEW ONE THIS TIME AND IT HAS COST ME THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS SO FAR. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 PONTIAC VIBE. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH WHEN THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO SLIP OUT OF GEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE DRIVING AT A LOW SPEED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NEED REPLACING. THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING REPAIRS. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 75,000. UPDATED 12/01/10. *LJ UPDATED 12/13/10
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 PONTIAC VIBE. WHILE STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, THE CONTACT NOTICED A RATTLING SOUND FROM UNDER THE VEHICLE. SECONDS LATER, THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE FORWARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 49,000.
2003 PONTIAC VIBE. HAS A TOYOTA ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION. MY WIFE AND CHILD WERE TRAVELING DOWN THE ROAD WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY QUIT PULLING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROADWAY,WITH NO WARNING. THE COMPLETE FAILURE LEFT THEM STRANDED IN A HEAVY TRAFFIC FLOW LOCATION WHERE A COLLISION WAS PROBABLE. NEITHER WERE INJURED AND A COLLISION WAS AVOIDED. AFTER RESEARCH ON THE WEB I FOUND A LOT OF SIMILAR STORIES REPORTED IN REGARD TO THIS PROBLEM WITH THE TOYOTA TRANSMISSIONS. *TR
GRINDING NOISE BEGAN TO OCCUR UNDER VEHICLE. UPON INVESTIGATION IN ONLINE FORUMS, MANY OTHER TOYOTA MATRIX AND PONTIAC VIBE OWNERS HAD THE EXACT SAME EXPERIENCE RESULTING IN TOTAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE CAUSED BY A DEFECTIVE MAIN SHAFT BEARING. *TR
A SLIGHT NOISE WAS DETECTED IN THE VEHICLE. THE NOISE WORSENED OVER THE COURSE OF A 800-MILE TRIP. THE NOSE WAS A RHYTHMIC SOUND THAT WAS DETECTABLE WHEN THE TRANSMISSION WAS IN GEAR. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A TRANSMISSION REPAIR SHOP FOR DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIR. THE MECHANICS WERE FAMILIAR WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS ON THIS MODEL YEAR CAR WITH THIS TRANSMISSION. UPON INSPECTION, THEY FOUND A CLUSTER SHAFT BEARING WAS DESTROYED. WE WERE LUCKY AND HAD STOPPED DRIVING THE CAR SOON ENOUGH THAT THERE WAS NO COLLATERAL DAMAGE IN THE TRANSMISSION. HAD WE CONTINUED TO DRIVE THE CAR, IT IS LIKELY THE BEARING WOULD HAVE BEEN TOTALLY DESTROYED SENDING BALLS AND FRAGMENTS INTO THE TRANSMISSION. ULTIMATELY, THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO INTERNAL COMPONENTS OF THE TRANSMISSION WHICH, IN A WORST CASE SITUATION, COULD HAVE CAUSED THE TRANSMISSION TO SEIZE. HAD THE TRANSMISSION SEIZED WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, A CRASH WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKELY. ONCE THE DAMAGED CLUSTER SHAFT BEARING WAS FOUND IN OUR TRANSMISSION, IT WAS REPLACED WITH A NEW PART. THE TRANSMISSION WAS REASSEMBLED AND RETURNED TO SERVICE. *TR
HAD A CODE P0770 SHOW UP. NEEDS NEW SHIFTER SOLENOID. COST IS VARIABLE BUT UPWARDS OF $2,000. HAVE DONE RESEARCH ON INTERNET, LOTS OF OTHERS WITH SAME PROBLEMS ON THE '03 VIBE. *TR
CATASTROPHIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE ON 2003 PONTIAC VIBE (5 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION) RESULTED IN DIFFICULT VEHICLE CONTROL WHILE PULLING TO THE SIDE OF I-95. MECHANIC DIAGNOSED AS DUE TO FAULTY BEARING IN TRANSMISSION. CORRELATES WITH MANY REPORTS IN ONLINE FORUMS OF SAME VEHICLE HAVING TRANSMISSION FAILURE AT APPROXIMATELY 100,00 +/- 20,000 MILES. *TR
PONTIAC VIBE WITH ABOUT 80,000 MILES. I WAS DRIVING AT ABOUT 35 MPH WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SEIZED CAUSING THE FRONT WHEELS TO LOCK AND THE CAR TO LOOSE CONTROL TEMPORARILY. LUCKILY NO INJURIES DUE TO LACK OF SPEED AND TRAFFIC SITUATION. I MADE SEVERAL COMPLAINTS TO GENERAL MOTORS, AND THEY MADE NO OFFER TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THE LOCAL GM DEALER WANTED $3500 TO DO THE REPAIR. I DID NOT HAVE THAT MONEY, SO I OPTED TO BY A USED TRANSMISSION AND HAVE A LOCAL SHOP INSTALL IT FOR A TOTAL OF $1300. I DO NOT HAVE THE BROKEN TRANSMISSION ANYMORE. I NOW HAVE ABOUT 140,000 MILES ON THE CAR AND THE TRANSMISSION IS SEIZED AGAIN. I HAVE NOT REPAIRED THE VEHICLE. MY CONCERN IS THAT SOMEONE IS GOING TO BE KILLED AS A RESULT OF ON OF THESE TRANSMISSIONS SEIZING AND CAUSING THE CAR TO LOOSE CONTROL INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I HAVE HEARD OF MANY OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME ISSUES. PLEASE ACT BEFORE SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY HURT. *TR
WHILE DRIVING MY 2003 PONTIAC VIBE ON THE FREEWAY THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION FROZE UP CAUSING SUDDEN DECELERATION AND THE ENGINE TO DIE. I BRIEFLY LOSS CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND NARROWLY AVOIDED AN ACCIDENT BEFORE GETTING THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE DEALER INSPECTED THE TRANSMISSION AND DESCRIBED IT AS A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION. THIS TRANSMISSION FAILURE ISSUE IS APPARENTLY A KNOWN ISSUE WITH 2003 TRANSMISSIONS MADE BY TOYOTA IN PONTIAC VIBES AND MATRIX. *TR
TRANSMISSION FAILURE. VEHICLE JUST STOPPED RUNNING IN MIDDLE OF ROAD. BY SEARCHING THE WEB THERE APPEARS TO BE A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF THESE TRANSMISSION FAILURES 2003 PONTIAC VIBE, AWD. *TR
TRANS WENT OUT AGAIN, THIS TIME AFTER 55,000 MILES. CURRENTLY 158,000 MILES ON CAR AND HAVE TO REPLACE WITH A 3RD TRANS. *TR
2003 5 SPEED TRANS WENT OUT AT 103,000 MILES AFTER I WAS TOLD WAS DUE TO FAULTY BEARINGS. *TR
WITH NO ADVANCE WARNING, MANUAL TRANSMISSION CATASTROPHICALLY FAILED ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. VEHICLE JERKED TO STOP AND WAS UNABLE TO BE DRIVEN. MECHANIC FOUND A BROKEN TRANSMISSION DRUM REQUIRING COMPLETE TRANSMISSION REPAIR. *TR
WE HAVE A 2003 PONTIAC VIBE WITH THE STANDARD 5-SPEED TRANSMISSION. ROUTINE MAINTENANCE WAS PERFORMED (BY MYSELF, NOT THE DEALER). TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED AT ROUGHLY 82,000 MILES. YES, THIS REALLY RUINED OUR CHRISTMAS IN 2006 AS IT HAPPENED ON CHRISTMAS EVE WITH MY WIFE AND (THEN) 2 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER IN THE CAR. YES, IT REALLY STUNK THAT IT WAS JUST ENOUGH OUT OF WARRANTY TO NOT GIVE US ANY PROTECTION. HERE'S A FUNNY THING, THOUGH, THAT I THOUGHT WAS INTERESTING. WHEN WE WENT TO GET THE CAR AFTER BEING REPAIRED (AT A LITTLE COUNTRY GARAGE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE) THE MECHANIC TOLD US THAT HE HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM THE PREVIOUS MONTH WITH ANOTHER PONTIAC VIBE WITH THE 5 SPEED TRANSMISSION. STRANGE COINCIDENCE IN A TOWN WHERE THE POPULATION IS LESS THAN 2000, I THINK. WHAT ARE THE CHANCES? WE HAD THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED TO THE TUNE OF $3000 AND STILL HAVE THE OLD ONE- THINKING THAT IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF TIME UNTIL A RECALL WAS PLACED ON THIS FAULTY TRANSMISSION. *TR
MY 2003 PONTIAC VIBE (TOYOTA MATRIX SISTER VEHICLE) TRANMISSION FAILED. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM, I DISCOVERED THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM RELATED TO A DEFECTIVE OUTPUT BEARING IN MANY/ALL 2003/2004 VIBE/MATRIX VEHICLES EQUIPED WITH 5 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS. THIS IS NOT IS NOT A HIGH VOLUMN VEHICLE OR COMMON CONFIGURATION BUT DISCUSSIONS ON THE INTERNET LEAD ME TO BELIEVE TOYOTA AND GM ARE IGNORING A MAJOR (EXPENSIVE) VEHICLE RECALL INCIDENT. PLEASE INVESTIGATE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND ASSISTANCE.
WE WERE DRIVING TO MY PARENTS HOME FOR THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY. ON THE INTERSTATE, IN FIFTH GEAR, AT A SPEED OF 65 TO 70 MILES/HR, THE CAR STARTED MAKING A HIGH WHINING SOUND WHICH WAS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY A CLUNK AND GRINDING NOISE. WE PULLED OVER. NOTHING WAS VISIBLE. WE LIMPED TO THE EXIT AND HAD THE CAR TOWED. UPON INSPECTION, THE REAR PINION SHAFT BEARING HAD FAILED IN THE TRANSMISSION, RUINING THE REAR CASE ASSEMBLY, PINION SHAFT AND BOTH FIFTH GEARS. BOTH FIFTH GEARS HAD BROKEN TEETH AND WERE REPLACED. THE INITIAL REPLACEMENT SET OF 5TH GEARS WAS DEFECTIVE AND HAD TO BE REPLACED ( THE TRANSMISSION JUMPED OUT OF 5TH GEAR). THE SECOND REPLACEMENT SET WAS INSTALLED AND FOUND TO BE THE WRONG RATIO AND HAD TO BE REORDERED. THE THIRD SET OF REPLACEMENT FIFTH GEARS WAS INSTALLED ON FEB. 12TH 2008 AND SEEMS TO BE WORKING CORRECTLY AS OF TODAY. THE WHOLE PROCESS TOOK 7 WEEKS TO COMPLETE. *TR
2003 PONTIAC VIBE WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE. CONSUMER STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION. SHE WOULD LIKE REIMBURSEMENT BECAUSE A USED TRANSMISSION WILL COST HER ABOUT $2,000. *KB
MY 2003 PONTIAC VIBE MANUAL TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 58,000 MILES. THE CAR STARTED MAKING A CLUNKING NOISE. TWO BLOCKS LATER IT CAME TO A DEAD STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION AND COULD NOT BE PUSHED OUT OF THE WAY. THIS IS A POTENTIALLY FATAL PROBLEM IF THIS HAD HAPPENED ON A HIGHWAY. PONTIAC WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE A PROBLEM. THIS IS THE SAME CAR AS A TOYOTA MATRIX. THERE ARE MANY, MANY INCIDENTS OF BOTH MATRIXES AND VIBES WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSION FAILURES AT LOW MILEAGE. *TR
CLUTCH ON 2003 PONTIAC VIBE GT BURNED OUT AT 52,000 MILES. PARTS WERE NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. AFTER 2 WEEKS AT DEALER FOR REPAIRS, I PICKED THE CAR UP AND IT WAS NOT SHIFTING PROPERLY. RETURNED CAR TO DEALER. THE SECOND CLUTCH THEY INSTALLED IN CAR WAS DEFECTIVE. THE THIRD CLUTCH WAS OK, BUT CAR IS STILL NOT SHIFTING CORRECTLY. CALLED PONTIAC ABOUT THE PROBLEM. THEY SAID I SHOULD CHECK WITH THE DEALER ABOUT ANY PROBLEMS WITH TRANSMISSIONS. THE DEALER SAID THAT THEY HAD NO FACTORY WARNING ABOUT THE PROBLEM. CLEARLY THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE CLUTCH FLY WHEELS. *JB
CLUTCH FAILURE AT 39,980 MILES. *AK
2003 PONTIAC VIBE GT - REPLACED CLUTCH ONCE AND DEALERSHIP AFTER 25K MILES THEY TOLD ME IT WAS NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. 10K MILES LATER IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACE AGAIN. *NM
DT: THE CONSUMER OWNS A 2003 PONTIAC VIBE THAT EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION WHEN PLACED IN REVERSE. THE CONSUMER PLACED THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE AND IT ACCELERATED BACKWARDS INTO A TREE. THE CONSUMER DID NOT HAVE HER FOOT ON THE BRAKE OR THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AT THAT TIME. THIS HAS HAPPENED AGAIN WHEN PLACED IN REVERSE WITHOUT HER FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED BACKWARDS. A COLLISION WAS PREVENTED BY TURNING OFF THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP. THE DEALER SAID THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. NO REPAIRS OR CORRECTIONS WERE MADE . THE CONSUMER SPOKE WITH GM, WHO OFFERED NO EXPLANATION. GM HAS NOT RETURNED THE CONSUMER'S CALL AT THIS TIME. THE CONSUMER FELT THAT SHE COULD NOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE WITH CONFIDENCE. NO INJURIES REPORTED. *AK (12/01/05) THE CONSUMER EXPECTS REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE CAR RENTAL. *SC
THE CLUTCH STARTED TO SLIP SO I TOOK IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS INFORMED I WOULD NEED A NEW CLUTCH AND PLATE. ASKED WOULD NOT THIS BE COVERED BY THE WARRANTY BECAUSE I HAVE ONLY 47,000 MILES ON THE CAR. I WAS INFORMED THAT THE CLUTCH IS A WEAR AND TEAR ITEM SO IT WOULD NOT COVER IT, EVEN THOUGH THE CLUTCH SHOULD NOT OF WORN OUT THIS FAST. THE MECHANIC AGREED WITH ME ON THIS ISSUE. IN ORDER FOR THIS TO BE REPAIRED IT COST $1000 FOR THE LABOR, CLUTCH, AND PLATE. *NM
MY CLUTCH HAS BEEN ACTING UP WITH A STRONG BURNING ODOR SINCE JUNE 2004 AROUND 32,000 MILES. IT NOW HAS 53,000 MILES AND IT CONSTANTLEY SLIPPING. ON JUNE 26TH 2004 GENVIBE.COM HAD A MEET AT JOSEPH PONTIAC IN FENTON, MI. JEFF STRAUSSER, THE VIBE BRAND QUALITY MANAGER, CAME TO THE MEET ALONG WITH 7 OTHER GM NUMMI ENGINEERS. I HAVE PHOTOS TO PROVE IT, THERE POSTED AT GENVIBE.COM! JEFF STRAUSSER ADMITTED AT THE MEET GM KNEW THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE CLUTCH FAILING IN THE VIBE GT MODELS AND HE WAS IN CONTACT WITH TOYOTA TRYING TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE. HE ALSO TOLD ME WHEN MY CLUTCH GOES OUT HE WOULD TAKE CARE OF IT. I INFORMED JEFF STRAUSER MY WARRANTY WAS RUNNING OUT, HE STOPPED ME AND SAID DON'T WORRY ABOUT WE KNOWS THERE'S A PROBLEM, I'LL TAKE CARE OF IT. JEFF STRAUSER HAS BEEN RECENTLY PROMOTED TO ANOTHER MODEL, AND NOW GM REFUSES TO ADMIT TO ANY ISSUES, OR TO COVER IT THE REPAIR. BUT THEY'LL FIX IT FOR $1,400.00. MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE OR HAVE HAD IT REPLACED, MANY MORE PEOPLE WILL HAVE THIS SAME ISSUE UNTIL THEY CHANGE THERE FLAWED DESIGNED PARTS. WHY SHOULD THE CONSUMERS HAVE TO PAY TO FIX THERE DEFECTS. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ANYONE IN MY VIBE GT, WE'LL LET A JURY HEARD ABOUT IT. *NM
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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