2003 PONTIAC VIBE Electrical System Problems

BLOWER MOTOR NOT CLOSING OR OPENING ALL THE WAY MAKES NOISE GOES AWAY WHEN RECIRCULATION IS ENGAUGED COMES RIGHT BACK WHEN TURNED OFF

I RECENTLY FOUND OUT FROM OTHER PONTIAC VIBE AND TOYOTA MATRIX OWNERS THAT THE ODOMETER STOPS RECORDING AT 299,999 MILES...THIS WAS A FACTORY GOOF AND QUITE A FEW PEOPLE HAVE TRIED TO GET WITH THEIR MANUFACTURER ABOUT IT AND SAID THAT IT WAS THE OWNERS RESPONSIBILITY TO HAVE THE PROBLEM FIXED/ODOMETER REFLASHED AT OWNERS EXPENSE...WE KNOW THAT THE OTHER VEHICLES THAT ARE BEING DRIVEN TODAY, THEIR ODOMETER CAN MAX OUT AT 999,999 MILES...IN MOST TO ALL STATES, IT IS ILLEGAL TO ALTER THE ODOMETER IN ANY WAY AND SHOULD HAVE CORRECT MILEAGE STATED EVERY TIME WE RENEW OUR REGISTRATION, BUT HOW CAN WE WHEN THEIR IS STILL ALOT OF THESE VEHICLES ON THE ROAD, BUT CANNOT TRULY ADDRESS THEIR CORRECT MILEAGE BECAUSE THE MANUFACTURER PROGRAMMED THE ODOMETER INCORRECTLY....PLEASE OPEN A CASE AND CONSIDER A RECALL TO HAVE THE MANUFACTURER FIX THEIR PROBLEM....THANK YOU

ON NOVEMBER 28, 2015 MY CAR DIED ON ME WHILE I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM THE STORE. AFTER GOING THROUGH TWO MECHANICS, THE GM DEALER ENDED UP REPLACING MY ENTIRE FUSE PANEL. THE ROOT CAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED WAS NEVER DETERMINED.

I HAD BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH ACCELERATION ON MY 2003 PONTIAC VIBE AND I WAS LEAVING MY PLACE OF BUSINESS A FEW DAYS AFTER THE PROBLEM STARTED AND MY RPMS DROPPED TO 0 WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35MPH AND THEN IT SEEMED TO OF "CAUGHT" AND I DROVE TO WHERE I NEEDED TO GO, I TOOK MY CAR TO THE SHOP AND ONCE IT TURNED OFF IT WOULDN'T RESTART. THEY SEEMED TO THINK IT WAS THE FUEL PUMP AND RECOMMENDED I TAKE IT BACK TO WHERE I ORIGINALLY GOT THE VEHICLE 6 MONTHS AGO SINCE IT WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, SO I DID AND THEY AGREED IT WAS THE FUEL PUMP THEY CHANGED THE FUEL PUMP AND WAS STILL HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH NOT STARTING THEY TOOK IT TO A DEALER AND AFTER IT SAT THERE FOR 3 WEEKS LEAVING ME WITHOUT A CAR , I WAS THEN TOLD IT...

MY CAR CURRENTLY HAS 225,000 MILES ON IT. 3 TIMES AT APPROXIMATELY 70,000, 140,000, AND 215,000 MILES, MY CAR STALLED WHILE DRIVING. THE FIRST TIME WAS ON A MOUNTAIN ROAD GOING DOWNHILL AT 40MPH. THE SECOND TIME I HAD JUST MADE A RIGHT HAND TURN AT @ 20MPH TO GET ON THE FREEWAY, THE THIRD TIME I WAS GOING STRAIGHT DOWN A CITY STREET AT 10MPH. IN EACH CASE, THE CAR JUST STOPS WHILE DRIVING AND I LOSE CONTROL OF THE CAR AND STEERING WHEEL. THE CAR CAN BE STARTED UP AFTER WITHOUT A PROBLEM. MY MECHANIC BELIEVES IT IS A COMPUTER ISSUE, OUTSIDE OF THAT, HE CAN'T COME UP WITH ANYTHING ELSE. NO ERROR GETS LOGGED ON THE COMPUTER SYSTEM IN THE CAR. THIS CAR HAS A MANUAL TRANSMISSION AND HAS BEEN MAINTAINED OVER THE YEARS VERY WELL. I AM CONCERNED BECAUSE I DRIVE A LOT OF FREEWAY MILES...

OVER THE PAST COUPLE YEARS, MY BATTERY GOES DEAD WHEN THE TEMPERATURE APPROACHES OR GOES BELOW FREEZING. I REPLACED THE BATTERY ABOUT A YEAR AND HALF AGO BECAUSE I THOUGHT THAT WAS THE PROBLEM. UNFORTUNATELY THE INCIDENTS HAVE CONTINUED. I USED TO KEEP MY CAR IN THE GARAGE AND THE INCIDENTS WERE MORE LIMITED. I NOW KEEP MY CAR OUTSIDE AND THE FREQUENCY HAS INCREASED TO ALMOST EVERY TIME THE TEMPERATURE DROPS BELOW FREEZING. SUCH AN INCIDENT IN JANUARY 2011 CAUSED MY CD PLAYER TO STOP WORKING. DECEMBER 2011 AND JANUARY 2012 THE INCIDENTS CONTINUED. I REMOVED THE STEREO HEAD UNIT IN CASE THAT WAS THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM. THE INCIDENTS OF THE BATTERY GOING DEAD HAVE CONTINUED WHENEVER THE TEMPERATURE IS AROUND OR BELOW FREEZING.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 PONTIAC VIBE. WHILE PARKED, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL GAUGES FAILED AND WOULD NOT PROVIDE A READING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTICS. THE MECHANIC STATED THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO FIND THE PART NEEDED FOR REPAIR. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,400. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

AN OVERLY SENSITIVE AMBIENT LIGHT SENSOR TURNS ON THE HEADLIGHTS AND DIMS THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER DISPLAY ON A BRIGHT SUNSHINE DAY IF THE SHADOW FROM THE A-PILLAR FALLS ACROSS THE SENSOR. THE DIMMING OF THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER DISPLAY LEADS TO AN INABILITY TO READ THE INSTRUMENTS ON A BRIGHT SUNSHINE DAY, THUS CREATING A POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD. FROM MY RESEARCH ON THIS PROBLEM, THIS SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH BOTH THE 2003 PONTIAC VIBE AND ITS SISTER CAR, THE 2003 TOYOTA MATRIX. TOYOTA HAS A TSB ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM (EL007-02), GM DOES NOT HAVE ONE FOR THE VIBE. *TR

WHENEVER THE CAR IS PARKED OUTSIDE OVERNIGHT, AND THE AIR TEMPERATURE DROPS BELOW ABOUT 30 DEGREES F, THE HEADLIGHTS TURN ON WITH THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH IN THE OFF POSITION. THIS LEADS TO A DEAD BATTERY AND AN INABILITY TO START THE CAR THE FOLLOWING MORNING. FROM MY RESEARCH ON THIS PROBLEM, THIS SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH BOTH THE 2003 PONTIAC VIBE AND ITS SISTER CAR, THE 2003 TOYOTA MATRIX. TOYOTA HAS A TSB ON THE PROBLEM FOR THE MATRIX (EL003-03), GM DOES NOT HAVE ONE FOR THE VIBE. *TR

I CAME OUT ONE MORNING TO START UP MY VEHICLE, WHICH IT DID SMOOTHLY AND WITHOUT HESITATION; I THEN NOTICED THAT MY INSTRUMENT PANEL WAS COMPLETELY DEAD. THE BACK LIGHTING WAS OUT, THE INDICATOR NEEDLES ON MY SPEEDOMETER, FUEL METER, ETC... ARE NONE RESPONSIVE. AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT MAY HAVE JUST BEEN A PROBLEM WITH THE FUSE...SO LOOKED UP THE FUSE DIAGRAMS IN MY OWNERS MANUAL AND SWITCHED OUT ALL THE FUSES WHICH COULD POSSIBLY RESULT IN THE ISSUE BUT TO NO SUCCESS. THE CAR RUNS PERFECTLY FINE AND IS A PROBLEM WITH THE ELECTRICAL/COMPUTER SYSTEM SOMEWHERE. HOWEVER, IT IS EXTREMELY UNSAFE TO DRIVE WITHOUT KNOWING HOW FAST YOUR GOING AND HOW MUCH FUEL YOU HAVE. *TR

THE RED INTERIOR DASHBOARD LIGHTS TURN ON INITIALLY WHEN THE CAR IS STARTED BUT THEN TURN OFF, OCCASIONALLY TURNING BACK ON FOR A FEW SECONDS. WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE OFF THE ODOMETER, GAS GAUGE, AND ALL OTHER DASHBOARD GAUGES CANNOT BE SEEN IN DAYLIGHT OR AT NIGHT. I NOTICED THAT THIS STARTED OCCURRING AFTER I HAD THE CAR WASHED AND THE OIL CHANGED (HAD NOT PREVIOUSLY USED THIS GARAGE). IT APPEARS TO BE POSSIBLY A SENSOR PROBLEM. THE ONLY PROBLEMS THAT IT HAS CAUSED IS NOT KNOWING THE HOW FAST I AM DRIVING AND HOW MUCH GAS I HAVE. THE LIGHT WORKS THAT SHOWS THAT THE GAS IS CLOSE TO EMPTY. HAVE NOT TAKEN IT IN TO THE DEALER YET. *JB

I HAVE OWNED MY VEHICLE 20 MONTHS, IN THAT TIME, THE HEADLIGHTS HAVE FAILED 7 TIMES AT 3-4 MONTH INTERVALS BEGINNING ABOUT 3 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE, USUALLY ALTERNATING BETWEEN RIGHT AND LEFT. THIS WAS NOT LIFE THREATENING BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN DANGEROUS HAD IT OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. *SC *JB

ODOMETER; SPEED;TEMP AND OTHER GAUGES CANNOT BE SEEN IN ANY DAYLIGHT CONDITIONS WITH OR WITHOUT GLASSES. *LA

WHEN THE ENGINE IS STARTED UNDER THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS, THE INTERIOR GEAR LIGHTS DO NOT COME ON. (1) HEADLIGHT SWITCH IS IN THE OFF POSITION. (2) ENGINE IS STARTED IN THE DARK (NO DAYLIGHT) WHEN THE ENGING IS STARTED, THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS ILLUMINATE BUT THE GEAR LIGHTS (P,R,N,D.L) DO NOT. WHEN THE PARKING BRAKE IS RELEASED, THE HEADLIGHTS COME ON (EVEN THOUGH THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH REMAINS IN THE OFF POSITION...THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE AUTOMATIC LIGH SENSOR)BUT THE GEAR LIGHTS DO NOT COME ON RIGHT AWAY. THERE IS A 30-45 SECOND DELAY FOR THE GEAR LIGHTS TO APPEAR. THIS MEANS I AM SITTING IN THE CAR WITH THE OPTION OF PUTTING THE CAR IN GEAR, BUT THE GEAR INDICATOR LIGHTS ARE NOT VISIBLE. WHEN I PURCHASED THE CAR, THE GEAR LIGHTS CAME ON SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THE DASH LIGHTS. NOW, THERE IS AN INCREASING DELAY. I BELIEVE EVENTUALLY THE GEAR LIGHTS...

CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW 40 DAYS AGO. WITH ONLY 613 MILES DRIVEN, CAR FAILED TO START. DRIVEN DURING THE DAY NO SIGNS OF ANY PROBLEM. THE CAR WAS PARKED FOR ONE HOUR AND AFTER THAT TIME COULD NOT START ENGINE. BATTERY, SHIFT INTER-LOCK WIRING LOOKED FINE, BUT STARTER MOTOR HAD NO POWER. TOWED TO DEALER STILL AWAITING SERVICE. SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAID "NEVER HAD ONE NOT START!" *NLM