NHTSA Complaint #10439392 — 2009 PONTIAC VIBE

OUR AWD 2009 PONTIAC VIBE CAME WITH FACTORY CHROME WHEELS. AFTER ONE WINTER, THE WHEELS BEGAN TO CORRODE AROUND THE OUTSIDE PERIMETER. GM AGREED TO REPLACE ALL FOUR WHEELS, AND THEY DID. SOON AFTER REPLACEMENT, AS MY WIFE WAS DRIVING INTO OUR GARAGE, ONE WHEEL DELAMINATED (I.E., THE CHROME COVERING SEPARATED COMPLETELY FROM THE ALUMINUM UNDERWHEEL). UPON INSPECTION, IT LOOKED AS IF THE CHROME LAYER HAD BEEN GLUED TO THE UNDERWHEEL. WE WENT BACK TO THE DEALER, CHROME COVERING AND GLUE FRAGMENTS IN HAND. THE DEALER REPLACED THIS DEFECTIVE WHEEL WITH ANOTHER; SOON AFTER (50 MILES?), THE SECOND REPLACEMENT WHEEL DID THE SAME THING. IT HAS NOW BEEN REPLACED. (THE CHROME PARTS ARE STAMPED "TOYOTA.") NOTE THREE THINGS: ONE, THE WHEELS ON THIS CAR ARE NOT INEXPENSIVE STEEL WITH WHEEL COVERS. INSTEAD, THEY ARE ONE-PIECE CHROME WHEELS, RATHER EXPENSIVE IF I SHOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THEM MYSELF. SECOND, WE HAD NOT ABUSED THE CAR. WE DROVE, IN EACH CASE, ABOUT 50 MILES ON GOOD PAVEMENT IN GOOD WEATHER BEFORE FAILURE. FINALLY, THE CHROME COMPONENT DELAMINATED IN A "SAFE" AREA--IN BOTH CASES, AS WE SLOWLY DROVE INTO OUR GARAGE. WHAT IF THIS DELAMINATION HAD HAPPENED WHILE WE DROVE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, AND THE CHROME COMPONENT HAD SPUN OFF INTO A CROWD, OR ANOTHER CAR? THERE IS ONE OTHER PROBLEM YOU SHOULD KNOW. WE HAVE HAD TROUBLE STARTING THIS CAR. IN BRIEF, THE PROBLEM WAS APPARENTLY DIFFICULT FOR THE DEALER TO DIAGNOSE, BUT IT WAS A "CRACKED STEERING LOCK," ALSO A PART STAMPED "TOYOTA." THIS PROBLEM PRECIPITATED SEVERAL PHONE CALLS FOR HELP, PUSHING IT FROM THE SIDE IN AN ATTEMPT TO UNLOCK THE STEERING COLUMN/KEY, AND A VISIT FROM THE TOW TRUCK. WE WERE ABLE TO ROCK THE CAR OURSELVES AND ENABLE STARTING; UNFORTUNATELY, WE DENTED THE FRONT FENDER, WHICH WAS AN UNREIMBURSED BODY REPAIR AT THE DEALER'S ($800). PLEASE PUBLICIZE THESE VIBE PROBLEMS AND DANGERS, AND WORK FOR FIXES. *TR