Muscle Memory havoc in my new 2006 Vibe ...

[206wheels]

I've been driving Ford cars for the last 20 years. My cars always had the brake release on the left bottom dash, and the gear lever on the right of the steering column. So for the first few days of owning my Vibe, I would start the engine, pop the hood, and start the wipers in order to drive somewhere. Shut off the wipers, get out and close the hood, then remember it's a different car!

[Mark]

That's pretty funny.

If I drive my Dodge truck for a few days and then get back in the Vibe I tend to turn the key to "On" and wait for a nonexistent "wait to start" light to go out before I turn it to start. And then I try to rip the wiper control arm off shifting out of park.

Then I get in the truck again and wave my hand over the console for a few seconds before it occurs to me that the shift lever is on the column.

The hood release/parking break thing cracks me up though.

[ehoff121]

Force of habit is a powerful thing.

When on vacation, we take the Toyota Highlander- everything is in the same place EXCEPT the parking brake, which is a foot pedal instead of our console lever.

The first couple of times back in my Vibe, I will stomp on the foot rest trying to apply the parking brake. Weird feeling when you try to step on a pedal that's not there...

[trb]

Force of habit is a powerful thing.

Weird feeling when you try to step on a pedal that's not there...

I do this in my wife's Equinox, looking for the clutch pedal to start it!

[runningslow]

My wife and I drive very similar cars, she drives a 5spd Corolla and myself an auto Vibe. Very similar cockpits, only stand out difference is the gauge clusters in each. When jumping over to my wife's Corolla, I'll forget to hold down the clutch to start it and occasionally I'll forget to clutch when braking. When I come back to the Vibe, I'll try to shift and accidentally hit the brake pedal when trying to clutch.

[vibenvy]

So for the first few days of owning my Vibe, I would start the engine, pop the hood, and start the wipers in order to drive somewhere.

My mom and I drive identical 2009 Vibe GTs. The only difference between them is the exterior colors. Even the mileage on them is very close since we switch off which one we take when ever we go somewhere. We often experience what we like to refer to as "vibe-nesia". We will think we're in one Vibe, when we're really in the other !

[lannvouivre]

When I drove the Vibe after driving loads of tundras at the local Toyota (while I was a lube tech), I once went to shift by slamming my knuckles into the dash trim trying to reach for the column shifter. I have also done this in the Impala reaching for the floor shifter (of the Vibe).

[206wheels]

I've had the Vibe for about a month now, still popping the hood! And after driving the VW bug, I'm trying to shift and feeling for the clutch. Sounds like I'm blaming the equipment....

[kumquat]

On my Subaru, the windshield wiper switch and door lock switch are reversed from how they were in the Vibe.

It's been like 5 months and I *still* push them the wrong way sometimes.

[lannvouivre]

On my Subaru, the windshield wiper switch and door lock switch are reversed from how they were in the Vibe.

It's been like 5 months and I *still* push them the wrong way sometimes.

Can you show a picture of this dark Subaru wizardry?

[kumquat]

On my Subaru, the windshield wiper switch and door lock switch are reversed from how they were in the Vibe.

It's been like 5 months and I *still* push them the wrong way sometimes.

Can you show a picture of this dark Subaru wizardry?

The controls are in the same spot, they just operate opposite! The windshield wiper switch is pushed *up* to turn on the wipers, and down to mist. The Vibe is down to turn them on and up for mist.

[ImUrOBGYN]

That's hilarious, OP.

My biggest issue which has been already mentioned, it going from a manual to an auto. I never forget anything in the manual cars, but getting in the autos always ends with me slamming on the brakes trying to push the clutch in. Luckily, I've never done that being tailgated.

[lannvouivre]

The controls are in the same spot, they just operate opposite! The windshield wiper switch is pushed *up* to turn on the wipers, and down to mist. The Vibe is down to turn them on and up for mist.

Oh, I understand now. I was thinking that the wiper controls were where the window controls were or something and was horrified.

[ColonelPanic]

On my Subaru, the windshield wiper switch and door lock switch are reversed from how they were in the Vibe.

It's been like 5 months and I *still* push them the wrong way sometimes.

Can you show a picture of this dark Subaru wizardry?

The controls are in the same spot, they just operate opposite! The windshield wiper switch is pushed *up* to turn on the wipers, and down to mist. The Vibe is down to turn them on and up for mist.

I fight this battle every day as I rotate between the Vibe and the Sonic. Wiper controls in the same place but they work in the opposite directions. Even the intermittent setting works the opposite. To add to the confusion the triangle legend on the stalk for the delay time is the same in both cars, but it doesn't mean the same thing.

Then there are occasional problems like the inability to find the power door lock switch or the mirror controls.

Today takes the cake, and this is what made me think of this thread. GM's using the switchblade keys now. Here I am pressing on the top left of the Vibe's keyfob trying to get the ignition key to pop out of the thing. I'm losing it.