2009 Pontiac Vibe Steering Problems

The contact called on behalf of her sister who owns a 2009 Pontiac Vibe. The contact stated that while her sister was driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle was making an abnormal noise and the steering wheel was shaking abnormally. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the steering rack needed to be replaced. The contact was notified of an unknown recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact drove the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 64,000.

NHTSA ID

11618100

Incident

Sep 9, 2024

Mileage

64,000 mi

The steering rack and intermediate shaft in the steering wheel Go bad and what happens is it makes having an alignment impossible Not only that but the vehicle clunks with every turn [XXX] Being a Pontiac it was a joint venture between Toyota And GM Thus Affecting many Toyota Corolla Prius and matrix As Toyota got a recall Pontiac did not INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11535337

Incident

Jul 30, 2023

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 PONTIAC VIBE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL SOUND COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED SHE CONTINUED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO ED SCHMIDT GMC (26875 N DIXIE HWY, PERRYSBURG, OH 43551) WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A POWER STEERING FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 30,000. *BF *AS

NHTSA ID

11337174

Incident

Jul 2, 2020

Mileage

30,000 mi

RATTLE FROM STEERING COLUMN WHEN BRAKING FROM HIGH SPEEDS OR DRIVING OVER SLIGHTLY UNEVEN PAVEMENT.

NHTSA ID

11180082

Incident

Jan 1, 2019

STEERING - MY 2009 PONTIAC VIBE HAS SERIOUS MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT STEERING ISSUES THAT MAKSE IT FEEL VERY UNSAFE TO DRIVE. EVEN AT LOW SPEEDS THERE IS A RATTLE THAT COMES FROM THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT, IT RATTLES FEELS LOOSE, AND GIVES AN UNCONTROLLED FEELING. MY 2009 HAS ONLY 59,300 MILES ON IT. (APROX. 6,500 A YEAR) THIS CAR HAS NOT BEEN DRIVEN HARD, ALL ROUTINE MAINTENANCE HAS BEEN DONE ON THE CAR. THERE IS SOMETHING GOING ON WHEN THERE ARE SO MANY COMPLAINTS. THEY CLAIM ITS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE. ARE THEY WAITING TILL PEOPLE DIE FROM THE ISSUE? IT MOST DEFINITELY FEELS UNSAFE, WHEN IT FEELS LOOSE IT DOES CAUSE STEERING AND SAFELY ISSUES AT ALL SPEEDS.

NHTSA ID

11153971

Incident

Nov 26, 2018

Mileage

59,300 mi

LOUD RATTLING ON FRONT DRIVER SIDE WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS OR BRAKING. RATTLING SEEMS TO GET WORSER EACH DAY. SOUNDS SEEMS TO HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH SUSPENSION OR STEERING COLUMN ACCORDING TO LOCAL MECHANICS. MECHANIC RECOMMENDED TO REPORT THIS ISSUE AS IT IS VERY COMMON UPON 2009 PONTIAC VIBES AND ITS COUSIN THE TOYOTA MATRIX. I FEEL UNSAFE, IT SOUNDS AS IF SOMETHING IS GETTING LOOSENED AS IT PROGRESS TO RATTLE LOUDER EACH DAY.

NHTSA ID

11123976

Incident

May 1, 2018

STEERING COLUMN RATTLES ON MOST ROADS

NHTSA ID

11112501

Incident

Jul 19, 2018

I HAVE A OPEN RECALL ON MY VIBE FOR THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG. IT HAS BEEN OVER A YEAR SINCE I WAS FIRST NOTIFIED ABOUT THE RECALL AND I STILL DO NOT KNOW WHEN I WILL GET A REPLACEMENT. I HAVE CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND GM ABOUT THIS AND THEY CAN'T TELL ANYTHING EITHER. I NEED SOMEONE TO HELP ME FIX THIS PROBLEM. I LIVE IN THE SOUTHEAST OF VIRGINIA. WE HAVE VERY HIGH HUMIDITY AND HEAT. THESE TWO FACTORS ARE THE PRIME ISSUES CAUSING THESE AIR BAG PROBLEMS. WHEN CAN I EXPECT TO RECEIVE INFORMATION ON A FIX FOR THIS. ALSO, I JUST RECEIVED A NOTICE THAT TK HOLDINGS HAS FILED FOR CHAPTER 11 BANKRUPTCY. IS THIS GOING TO CAUSE ME NOT TO GET A AIR BAG REPLACEMENT?

NHTSA ID

11041071

Incident

Aug 2, 2016

STEERING COLUMN RATTLES WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS AND BRAKING. AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS IT RATTLES AND SHAKES CONTINUALLY.

NHTSA ID

11020094

Incident

Aug 28, 2017

Mileage

76,700 mi

RATTLING DURING LOW SPEEDS, FEELS LOOSE AND UNCORTABLE, REPORTED TO DEALER AFTER FIRT YEAR OF OWNERSHIP, PURCHASED NEW, SEEMS TO BE GETTING WORSE AND FEELING UNSAFE. EACH TIME REPORTED WAS TOLD NOT A SAFETY PROBLEM JUST NOISY, COULD REPLACE COLUMN AT MY COST BUT NOISE WOULD PEOBABLY RETURN, NOW FEELING UNSAFE

NHTSA ID

10983444

Incident

Oct 1, 2010

Mileage

8,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 PONTIAC VIBE. WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH, THE POWER STEERING FAILED AND THE POWER STEERING WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE HOME. WHEN SHE TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE, IT OPERATED NORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,400. UPDATED 01/04/17*LJ UPDATED 01/17/17.*JB

NHTSA ID

10928652

Incident

Nov 28, 2016

Mileage

30,400 mi

SOMETIMES WHEN ACCELERATING, IT'S SLOW TO MOVE, THEN A SUDDEN JERK HAPPENS IF I PUT PRESSURE ON THE GAS PEDAL. THIS HAPPENS WHEN DRIVING AT LOWER SPEEDS, I CAN BE ENTERING MY GARAGE OR ACCELERATING AFTER A STOP LIGHT OR SIGN. CAN BE SCARY WHEN IT JERKS DURING ACCELERATION. THE STEERING COLUMN IS BEGINNING TO RATTLE AND SHAKE AT ABOUT 45 MILES SOMETIME AT LOWER SPEEDS AS WELL,A VERY ROUGH RIDE ON SMOOTH PAVEMENT,FEELS LIKE IT'S FALLING APART. THE THIRD ISSUE HAS TO DO WITH THE AIRBAG INDICATOR LIGHT STAYING ON IN BOTH DRIVERS AND PASSENGER SIDES WHILE DRIVING. WHEN I WENT TO DEALER FOR AN APPOINTMENT IT DIDN'T HAPPEN BUT GETTING A DIAGNOSTIC TOMORROW FOR THAT. BOUGHT THE CAR USED LAST YEAR WITH ABOUT 37,000 MILES,ALWAYS SERVICED AT THE DEALER WHERE I PURCHASED IT. I NOW HAVE A LITTLE OVER 53,000 MILES ON IT AT THIS TIME,JUST LOCAL DIVING.

NHTSA ID

10894668

Incident

Jul 6, 2016

Mileage

51,000 mi

ON MAY 11, 2016 WHILE DRIVING ON I -81, MY CAR WITH 86,000 MILES ON IT SUDDENLY STARTED TO WEAVE BACK & FORTH ACROSS THE INTERSTATE. I THOUGHT THE TIE ROD HAD BROKEN. I WAS ABLE TO SLOW DOWN AND PULL OFF THE ROAD. THEN I CALLED A TOW TRUCK AND HAD IT TAKEN TO THE NEAREST REPAIR SHOP..NO WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON UNTIL THE GM MECHANIC PLUGGED IN HIS CODE READER. THEN LOTS OF LIGHTS LIT UP. HE SAID THAT THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT WENT HAYWIRE AND CAUSED THE ABS SYSTEM TO FIGHT WITH THE STABILITRAK SYSTEM. ALL I KNOW IS THAT A EXTREMELY DANGEROUS FAILURE HAPPENED. IF WE HAD BEEN IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, OR ON SLICK RAINY OR SNOWY ROADS A SERIOUS ACCIDENT WOULD HAVE OCCURRED THIS FAILURE REMINDS ME OF THE PROBLEM TOYOTA HAD YEARS AGO WITH THEIR VEHICLES SUDDENLY ACCELERATING OUT OF CONTROL.. MY PONTIAC VIBE IS MADE BY TOYOTA. PLEASE INVESTIGATE TOYOTA ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNITS. THE PART THE GM DEALER REPLACED IS PART # 19205576 :SL -N - MODULE. IT'S PRICE IS $1,171.98 WORK WAS DONE AT BACHMAN - BERNARD CHEVROLET BUICK GM CADILLAC INC. 3365 EAST ANDREW JOHNSON HWY GREENEVILLE, TN 37745. PHONE # 423-639-4441. THE MECHANIC'S NAME IS [XXX] . SERVICE ADVISOR IS ..-[XXX]. R/O # 6063277. I DO NOT HAVE A SCANNER TO UPLOAD THE REPAIR INVOICE. IF YOU NEED ANY OTHER INFORMATION PLEASE EMAIL ME AT [XXX] OR CALL [XXX], OR [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ID

10865061

Incident

May 11, 2016

Mileage

86,008 mi

MY 2009 PONTIAC VIBE BASE 1.4L HAS SERIOUS MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT STEERING ISSUES THAT MAKE IT FEEL VERY UNSAFE TO DRIVE. AT AROUND 30 MPH AND THEN AGAIN AT 70 MPH THERE IS A RATTLE THAT COMES FROM THE STEERING MOTOR AND INTERMEDIATE SHAFT (2 SEPARATE ISSUES WHICH ARE EXPENSIVE TO FIX AND NO LONGER COVERED UNDER WARRANTY). CURRENTLY OVER 100,000 AS AN ORIGINAL OWNER.

NHTSA ID

10820480

Incident

Jan 15, 2016

Mileage

100,000 mi

VERY PRONOUNCED STEERING RATTLE AT LOW SPEEDS OVER ROUGH TERRAIN AND ALSO WHEN BRAKING.

NHTSA ID

10808689

Incident

Dec 13, 2013

Mileage

100,000 mi

INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT RATTLES AT ALL TIMES, ESPECIALLY WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS AT A SLOW SPEED.

NHTSA ID

10807270

Incident

Jan 1, 2012

Mileage

30,000 mi

WHEN ATTEMPTING TO STOP, SHAKING AND VIBRATION OF THE STEERING COLUMN AND THE CAR IN GENERAL OCCURS. IT'S FEELS LIKE THE CAR IS GOING TO FALL APART. THIS OCCURS IN SPEEDS OVER 25 MPH.

NHTSA ID

10759244

Incident

Jun 15, 2015

Mileage

58,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 PONTIAC VIBE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THERE WAS A RATTLING NOISE THAT CAME FROM THE STEERING COLUMN WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER AND WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER AND WAS DIAGNOSED THAT A KNUCKLE ON THE LOWER END OF THE STEERING COLUMN WAS UNCHARACTERISTICALLY ENLARGED AND THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 79,500. UPDATED 1/13/16 LN *CN

NHTSA ID

10749695

Incident

Dec 15, 2014

Mileage

79,500 mi

WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND WITHOUT NOTICE MY STEERING HAD NO POWER, REALLY SCARED BECAUSE I COULD BARELY STEER THE CAR, SO GLAD I WAS IN A 45 MILE ZONE. I LOOKED AT MY DASH LIGHTS, THERE WAS SHOWING A RED BATTERY LIGHT, SEVERAL BRAKE SYMBOLS, SOMETHING ABOUT THE TRACTION LOSS. I NEED MY CAR SO BADLY, I DON'T KNOW IF GMC WILL COVER THIS. IF I HAD NOT PULLED OFF ROAD AND CALLED MY HUSBAND I WOULD OF WRECKED BECAUSE OF IT BEING SO HARD TO STEER. HE CAME AND SLOWLY DROVE IT HOME AND I FOLLOWED HIM IN HIS CAR. NO NOTICE AND NO WARNING AT ALL.

NHTSA ID

10726393

Incident

Jun 20, 2015

Mileage

132,000 mi

TOOK MY CAR TO [XXX] BECAUSE POWER STEERING CONTROL MODULE WENT OUT THE SAME PART THAT THEY BEEN RECALLING ON THERE OTHER CARS. WHEN I CALLED CHEVROLET THEY SAID THAT THERE IS NO RECALL ON MY CAR AND THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT THEY CAN DO FOR ME BUT WORK WITH THE PRICING. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ID

10705896

Incident

Apr 14, 2015

Mileage

62,000 mi

MY 2009 PONTIAC VIBE BASE 1.4L HAS SERIOUS MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT STEERING ISSUES THAT MAKE IT FEEL VERY UNSAFE TO DRIVE. AT LOW SPEEDS THERE IS A RATTLE THAT COMES FROM THE STEERING MOTOR AND INTERMEDIATE SHAFT (2 SEPARATE ISSUES WHICH ARE EXPENSIVE TO FIX AND NO LONGER COVERED UNDER WARRANTY) WHICH MAKES THE CAR FEEL LIKE IT'S BROKEN AND FALLING APART. AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THE STEERING IS UNPREDICTABLE, IT OVERCORRECTS AND FISHTAILS BACK AND FORTH. THIS CAR FEELS LIKE A DEATH TRAP, I COMPLETELY REGRET MY PURCHASE AND FEEL AS THOUGH IT IS UNSAFE FOR THE LONG TERM. THESE ISSUES ARE DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE TOYOTA MATRIX AS THEY WERE MADE IN THE SAME PLANT WITH THE SAME PARTS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10652934

Incident

Sep 26, 2014

Mileage

65,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 PONTIAC VIBE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED AND THE POWER STEERING WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 96,400.

NHTSA ID

10639229

Incident

Sep 26, 2014

Mileage

96,400 mi

WHEN TRAVELING AT LOW SPEEDS (LESS THAN 35), THERE IS A NOTICEABLE SHAKING / VIBRATION / RATTLING NOISE COMING FROM EITHER THE STEERING COLUMN OR FRONT SHOCKS, ESPECIALLY NOTICEABLE WHEN DRIVING OVER ROUGH SURFACES OR BUMPS. SEEMS TO BE MORE DRIVERS SIDE. LOOKS LIKE OTHERS HAVE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS AS WELL AS TOYOTA MATRIX (BUILT ON SAME LINE WITH SAME COMPONENTS) I HAVE NOT YET HAD THE DEALER INSPECT THE ISSUE. SEEMS AS IF SOME COMPONENT HAS COME LOOSE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10489303

Incident

Oct 3, 2011

Mileage

25,000 mi

AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND LOCAL SPEEDS THE CAR PULLS TO THE LEFT INTERMITTENTLY. WHEN AN ATTEMPT IS MADE TO CORRECT THIS THE CAR OVER CORRECTS AND PULLS TO THE RIGHT. FREQUENTLY WHEN COMING TO A STOP (ESPECIALLY ON AN UNEVEN ROAD) THE CAR PULLS SEVERELY TO THE RIGHT OR LEFT (ALMOST 90 DEGREES). *TR

NHTSA ID

10486398

Incident

Jun 25, 2012

Mileage

22,542 mi

AT SPEEDS BELOW 25 MPH, A RATTLING IS HEARD AND FELT THROUGH THE STEERING WHEEL. THE DEALER REPLACED THE UPPER AND LOWER STEERING COLUMN BUT THIS DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. THE DEALER CLAIMS THERE IS NO FIX FOR THIS PROBLEM, PER GM. THE CAR STILL MAKES THE NOISE AND VIBRATION... AND IS GETTING WORSE. A SEARCH OF THIS PROBLEM REVEALED MANY COMPLAINTS FOR THE SAME THING. THERE IS NO WAY THAT I COULD SELL OR TRADE THIS VEHICLE WITH THIS PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ID

10450116

Incident

Dec 1, 2011

Mileage

25,000 mi