NHTSA Complaint #10303868 — 2003 PONTIAC VIBE

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