GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

"Toyota is recalling about 191,000 Corolla and Matrix cars to fix airbags that replaced defective Takata airbags but may have been damaged.

The Japanese automaker announced Wednesday that it would recall certain 2003 through 2008 model-year Corolla cars and 2005 through 2008 model-year Matrix cars.

The recall involves about 135,000 vehicles in the U.S. that already had their defective Takata airbags replaced.

The problem with these cars is that their front-passenger-seat replacement airbags may not perform correctly.

"If one of these airbags deploys, there is a possibility that it could be damaged," Toyota said in a statement. "Such damage could cause the airbag to not properly inflate, and this could increase the risk of occupant injury in the event of a crash.""

Full story here. -----> https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/ca ... 139192001/

Thanks for sharing this. And ugh!

So this is for our non-Takata "permanent fix" air bags?

No recalls for our VIN yet, but I'll definitely keep an eye out.

Video segment I pulled off of the CBS Evening News on Aug. 28, 2019. Note the interesting way he enunciates the name Matrix.

[youtube]https://youtu.be/P8YMDpW5eXg[/youtube]

Edit:
Seriously, what's the point of having a youtube button if it doesn't even work?

ColonelPanic wrote: ↑Wed Aug 28, 2019 3:09 pm Thanks for sharing this. And ugh!

So this is for our non-Takata "permanent fix" air bags?

No recalls for our VIN yet, but I'll definitely keep an eye out.

Yeah, this should be the non-Takata replacement, which is hopefully the end of this saga.

GREAT !!!....another chance the dealer will screw up my car AGAIN !!! I still havent fixed the panels down by the shifter linkage from that last "fix" Also they couldnt fix it in a couple of hours, so I had to go to work and it cost me 75 bux to rent a car...

cptnsolo77 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 29, 2019 7:36 am GREAT !!!....another chance the dealer will screw up my car AGAIN !!! I still havent fixed the panels down by the shifter linkage from that last "fix" Also they couldnt fix it in a couple of hours, so I had to go to work and it cost me 75 bux to rent a car...

Why didn't you force them to give you a loaner? or take it back after the panels were screwed up?

yeah, I shared this photo in an earlier post where I got the notice also on my 2004 Vibe Gt. Found it interesting that when the first recall was done, they KNEW it was temporary until a better fix arrives

Makes me glad I sat on mine until 2017-18

Ok. A bit off topic here .... BUT is there a way to find out which dealerships performed the MOST airbag replacement jobs? I've yet to take any of my Vibes in for such recalls for two reasons: Don't trust the workmanship of most dealers (sloppy, careless, hurry up and get it done, etc...) and that I'm NEVER the passenger Now the wife (yeah I still have one of those ) has been on my A S S to get it done years ago.

If/when I really make an appointment for this work, I'd like it to be at a dealership where they are experienced at the job, performed hundreds of these, and hopefully have a good reputation. None of them locally where I live meet this criteria. I'm thinking Sellers up in Michigan? I'm willing to travel up to 4 hours or so and have it done if it makes a difference. Thanks .............................. Tim

I hate losing a day to take the car to a dealer for a recall.

I also have had a recurring problem since the first airtbag recall. To do the recall, they have to take off the dash cover, which requires taking off the A pillar trims. Each time after I've been in for an airbag recall, the car has had either the left or right A pillar trim pop off at random when driving. I've had to replace a number of those white plastic retainer pins. By itself it's not a big deal, but when that trim disengages with the A pillar, the bottom of the trim stays in place and the trim pivots down, effectively becoming a rigid plastic spear that points directly at the face of the driver or passenger, depending on which trim dislodges.

I've seen a number of those "Final Destination" movies, this is exactly the kind of death set up they use. Needless to say, I've put a lot of miles on my Vibe with one or the other A-pillar trim tossed into the back seat

I'm not to happy about this either because I thought we had this issue taken care of a few years ago. I just checked and found the following on my 2005 Base:

Toyota has notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about an upcoming safety recall that involves 2005-2008 model year Pontiac Vibe vehicles. According to Toyota, the subject vehicles are equipped with a front passenger air bag assembly containing an inflator, manufactured by an alternative supplier, installed as a replacement under a prior recall. There is a possibility that the air bag may not unfold as designed during inflation under high temperature conditions, resulting in air bag internal pressure rising differently than expected.

(I think they are basically saying is that the air bag is going to explode with so much force (when in the higher temp conditions) that it will probably bust the air bag open - - wonderful)

Recall Status: INCOMPLETE. REMEDY NOT YET AVAILABLE

GM Recall #:
N192273760

NHTSA #
19V627

Date Issued:
Aug 28, 2019

zbyers wrote: ↑Thu Aug 29, 2019 9:07 am

cptnsolo77 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 29, 2019 7:36 am GREAT !!!....another chance the dealer will screw up my car AGAIN !!! I still havent fixed the panels down by the shifter linkage from that last "fix" Also they couldnt fix it in a couple of hours, so I had to go to work and it cost me 75 bux to rent a car...

Why didn't you force them to give you a loaner? or take it back after the panels were screwed up?

They would not budge on a loaner. No way im bringing it back...I know I can do a better job. Its one of those things where its not worth the trouble. Im not going to take it back and risk they screw it up again.

Just disable the air bag yourself. If you don't plan to sell it to another individual, they can't do much. Wear your seat belts properly, and the air bag isn't anything other than a bomb in the face.

I have to wonder if there have been people that put their feet on the dash (passenger side) with broken legs due to that air bag.

Jbenrod wrote: ↑Fri Aug 30, 2019 6:09 pm I'm not to happy about this either because I thought we had this issue taken care of a few years ago. I just checked and found the following on my 2005 Base:

Toyota has notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about an upcoming safety recall that involves 2005-2008 model year Pontiac Vibe vehicles. According to Toyota, the subject vehicles are equipped with a front passenger air bag assembly containing an inflator, manufactured by an alternative supplier, installed as a replacement under a prior recall. There is a possibility that the air bag may not unfold as designed during inflation under high temperature conditions, resulting in air bag internal pressure rising differently than expected.

(I think they are basically saying is that the air bag is going to explode with so much force (when in the higher temp conditions) that it will probably bust the air bag open - - wonderful)

Recall Status: INCOMPLETE. REMEDY NOT YET AVAILABLE

GM Recall #:
N192273760

NHTSA #
19V627

Date Issued:
Aug 28, 2019

So this re-recall does cover the Vibe as well? The CBS news segment I posted (https://youtu.be/P8YMDpW5eXg) doesn't mention the Vibe, only Corollas and the Matrix. I'll update the subject line if I'm able...

tpollauf wrote: ↑Fri Aug 30, 2019 6:47 am Ok. A bit off topic here .... BUT is there a way to find out which dealerships performed the MOST airbag replacement jobs? I've yet to take any of my Vibes in for such recalls for two reasons: Don't trust the workmanship of most dealers (sloppy, careless, hurry up and get it done, etc...) and that I'm NEVER the passenger

Don't know for sure, but I will say my assumption that a high volume Buick/GMC/ex-Pontiac/ex-Saturn dealership would have a higher quality of workmanship was an incorrect one. This was during the height of the GM ignition switch fiasco, not to mention the first round of Takata air bag replacements. The guy who did the repairs clearly just grabbed a screwdriver went to town prying anything and everything. Scratched up trim, broken tabs, you name it. I had to replace all of that.

The second round was done by my Chevy dealer. I had re-installed the broken trim prior to bringing it in, but there were no new blemishes on the trim once they were done. She left the shop being the same old rattle trap she was when going in. No better, no worse. If you're worried about damage like that, perhaps you can seek out the cheapest dash trim pieces you can and swap them before going in.

Good luck on your quest to find a good dealer to do the repairs!

Bookworm wrote: ↑Fri Aug 30, 2019 6:19 pm I have to wonder if there have been people that put their feet on the dash (passenger side) with broken legs due to that air bag.

Happens all the time. We actually had a member here many, many years ago who crashed his Vibe and his friend was injured in that manner.

It should be a relatively simple job to replace this airbag as you can see in the video below. There should not be significant scratches on the console or dash. I took out my glove box before dropping the car off as that eliminates one step. It's also a good time to clean or replace the cabin filter when it is returned.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3YFvZjFDYA

1st gen is a piece of cake to replace the air bag. 2nd gen, not so much since there is no opening in the dash for the air bag. It just splits open the top of the dash cover when it deploys. Sure, it looks so much better not having that unsightly thing up top but that comes at a price when things have to be replaced and the entire dash has to come out.

The majority of the damage on ours was done from where they had to replace the sensing & diagnostic module for an unrelated recall (radio bezel, shifter bezel and shifter console all had to come out.) They did manage to nick the dash a bit around the air bag opening when they took the air bag itself out for that recall repair.

Honestly, as long as they don't outright break anything, I don't think many of us can complain about the recall damage. We _are_ driving cars that are no -less- than 10 years old, and in a few cases, they're 17 years old.

Just got my notice today, this will be my 3rd airbag replacement

The Buick dealer I have been taking it to has done a good job with them, the can hardly believe how many miles I have on the car until they say, "well it is a Toyota".

Got two yesterday, for the 2005 and 2008. But it says they parts aren't available at this time and they'll send a notice when they are. So what was the point, really?

I now have a library of recall postcards AND hundreds of voice mails on my home land line Wife is really bugging me to get these done. I think I asked this before here BUT is there any way to find out which dealer has repaired these the most? It's just a matter of time to where I bite the bullet and have mine done and I'd like it to be done by a dealer with LOTS of experience so the odds of damage would be minimal.

tpollauf wrote: ↑Wed Oct 23, 2019 6:07 am I now have a library of recall postcards AND hundreds of voice mails on my home land line Wife is really bugging me to get these done. I think I asked this before here BUT is there any way to find out which dealer has repaired these the most? It's just a matter of time to where I bite the bullet and have mine done and I'd like it to be done by a dealer with LOTS of experience so the odds of damage would be minimal.

honestly, all dealers have done them a lot at this point. it doesn't just affect the vibe/matrix. TONS of cars are involved in this recall. The tech also has to be certified to deal with the airbag activation/deactivation. on all 6-7 of our vibes, we have not had one bad experience with our local dealer.

take some before pics if you feel necessary. on the first gen, if you remove the glove box, the shfiter trim and console there, and the airbag cover on the dash, you've done half the job for them.

2nd gens the whole dash has to come off. shhhhhh. i didn't tell you that.

I just typed my VIN into the GM website and got no returns. Is this latest recall for both first and second generation Vibes? I had all the previous airbag recalls taken care of.

Caretaker wrote: ↑Thu Oct 24, 2019 10:53 am I just typed my VIN into the GM website and got no returns. Is this latest recall for both first and second generation Vibes? I had all the previous airbag recalls taken care of.

from the OP. And although it doesn't specifically mention the Vibe it should also be included for those years.

The Japanese automaker announced Wednesday that it would recall certain 2003 through 2008 model-year Corolla cars and 2005 through 2008 model-year Matrix cars.

thank you. My scroll bar is broken. I also wonder if this is going to be a situation where they rank order priority areas like they did the last time, with high humidity areas getting top bill?

Mark wrote: ↑Tue Oct 22, 2019 4:49 pm Got two yesterday, for the 2005 and 2008. But it says they parts aren't available at this time and they'll send a notice when they are. So what was the point, really?

Just got mine yesterday as well (in Canada), same message. They may as well have waited until the parts are ready before sending this notice, since I can't very well do anything about it until that time, anyway, except worry about my passanger (wife) now.

If you push the dealer about it, they can get the parts in usually. cite the recall itself and that you're concerned for your passengers.

Jesus, will it ever end???

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/toyota-rec ... 020-01-21/

Toyota recalling 2.9 million vehicles for air bag defect

By Anna Gunther

January 21, 2020 / 6:20 PM / CBS News

Toyota is recalling nearly 2.9 million vehicles for a defect impacting air bags and seat belts. The recall covers certain versions of the 2011-2019 Corolla, 2011-2013 Matrix, 2012-2018 Avalon and 2013-2018 Avalon Hybrid.

Toyota said in a statement Tuesday the issue has to do with an electronic control unit designed to get signals from crash sensors, in order to deploy airbags and tighten seat belts. But Toyota said there may not be enough protection against certain "electrical noise that can occur in certain crashes."

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been looking into the issue with several automakers, including Toyota, since April of last year.

The automaker said to fix the issue, most dealers will install a noise filter at no cost. Anyone with a vehicle impacted is expected to be notified by mail by mid-March.

Toyota said owners can see if their vehicle is impacted by the recall on their website, or on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website by entering the Vehicle Identification Number and license plate number.

Yeah, that was part of the initial recall on the Vibes back in the day. They installed a noise filter to keep them from erroneously blowing up. Looks like they need more noise filters.

zbyers wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2020 4:02 am Yeah, that was part of the initial recall on the Vibes back in the day. They installed a noise filter to keep them from erroneously blowing up. Looks like they need more noise filters.

Wouldn't it have been easier, and safer, to have just removed the bag and put the horn back in the center of the steering wheel?

Received the "Important Recall Info That MAY Affect Your Vehicle" e-mail from NHTSA today about the Vibe. This one is for the potential for the passenger air bag to not unfold properly, presumably what is referenced in the OP.

The NHTSA notices I get aren't VIN-specific, so I ran the VIN through their site and recalls.gm.com. Not applicable to our VIN yet...

Recall link: https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=20V039

ColonelPanic wrote: ↑Thu Jan 30, 2020 4:01 pm Received the "Important Recall Info That MAY Affect Your Vehicle" e-mail from NHTSA today about the Vibe. This one is for the potential for the passenger air bag to not unfold properly, presumably what is referenced in the OP.

The NHTSA notices I get aren't VIN-specific, so I ran the VIN through their site and recalls.gm.com. Not applicable to our VIN yet...

Recall link: https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=20V039

I did see this one the other day. This one, I guess, affects about 600 Vibes. So it sounds like it's a recall to the recall to the recall to the recall...and so on and so forth.

Thanks for the NHTSA link.
I just ran the VIN of my new to me Vibe and foud 2 incomplete recall notices, one from January 27, 2015, and one from December 12, 2018.
They referenced N1440877 / 15V043 for a 13030/ noise filter and 14877/ airbag control module for the older one,
and N161644424/18V883 for the airbag replacement oon the newer one.
I confirmed it on the GM page it listed after I ran my VIN at NHTSA.
I guess the previous owner never bothered with them.
Funny thing is, I just removed the pasenger airbag earlier this week to replace the blend door actuator.
It was not a difficult task at all.
I don't think the airbag control module replacement would be that difficult either, as I had the shifter console apart for the bulb replacement and O/D switch wire repair. Not sure about the noise filter.
I wonder if they would just give me the parts if I brought in the original units?
OK, I already know the answer to that........
I think I'll wait and drive the car a while as I havn't received a letter yet.
Maybe I could sue GM if they don't notify me, as I am a new owner. $$$

I have been trying to get this recall work done for years and have visited two different local GM dealerships a handful of times. Both say that the parts are STILL not available. What am I missing here? How exactly am I supposed to get this fixed?

Perhaps escalate it to GM themselves if the dealers are unwilling to provide assistance. https://my.gm.com/recalls

They have a contact number for Pontiac vehicles listed at the above link.

Thanks, I’ll give that a try!

How about some updates on how has everyone been doing with getting this last airbag recall completed ?

I talked to a Buick dealership about 10 days ago and they still haven't gotten back with me like they said they were going to do. (Except for some salesman who called back within 2 minutes thinking I was inquiring about purchasing a new car )

I would assume that the parts are readily available now since it's been over 12 months since the recall was announced in August of 2019 ?

Jbenrod wrote: ↑Sat Sep 05, 2020 3:28 pm How about some updates on how has everyone been doing with getting this last airbag recall completed ?

Airbag recall ??? What's that? Can you tell I've been BAD?

A recall for a recall repair!! Unbelievable

Jbenrod wrote: ↑Sat Sep 05, 2020 3:28 pm How about some updates on how has everyone been doing with getting this last airbag recall completed ?

I talked to a Buick dealership about 10 days ago and they still haven't gotten back with me like they said they were going to do. (Except for some salesman who called back within 2 minutes thinking I was inquiring about purchasing a new car )

I would assume that the parts are readily available now since it's been over 12 months since the recall was announced in August of 2019 ?

My 05 and 08 are both scheduled for next week, and the dealership assures me they have the parts on hand this time.

Mark wrote: ↑Thu Sep 10, 2020 5:48 pm

Jbenrod wrote: ↑Sat Sep 05, 2020 3:28 pm How about some updates on how has everyone been doing with getting this last airbag recall completed ?

I talked to a Buick dealership about 10 days ago and they still haven't gotten back with me like they said they were going to do. (Except for some salesman who called back within 2 minutes thinking I was inquiring about purchasing a new car )

I would assume that the parts are readily available now since it's been over 12 months since the recall was announced in August of 2019 ?

My 05 and 08 are both scheduled for next week, and the dealership assures me they have the parts on hand this time.

Got both of them in and done today, woohoo! Hope I'm done with air bag recalls for good now.

Had my passenger airbag replaced yesterday, hopefully 3rd time is the charm.

If your car still needs this recall done, then push to get it.

Exploding Takata air bag inflator kills another driver

Jbenrod wrote: ↑Sat Sep 05, 2020 3:28 pm I talked to a Buick dealership about 10 days ago and they still haven't gotten back with me like they said they were going to do. (Except for some salesman who called back within 2 minutes thinking I was inquiring about purchasing a new car )

Here is an update how it's gone for me. As you can see from my post from a month ago, I was eventually able to talk with someone at the dealership about ordering the replacement part(s) and scheduled an appointment to get the airbag replaced this past Friday morning. I had also called them again on the prior Monday to confirm they had the part for the upcoming work - which they said they did. I dropped my car off at 8:00 and the service writer took my information and he verified they had the part before I left.

Having not heard anything from the dealership by around 2:30 I called for an update and the service writer asked me to hold while he checked with the assigned technician. He then came back and told me something about the airbag had been ordered but there are some other fasteners or part that also needed to be renewed, along with the airbag, and that they did not have those parts but he would be certain to have them on Monday if I could leave the car until Monday. I reminded him that is why I had called them 3 weeks ago and again on Monday and told him I'd be down to pick up the car within 30 minutes.

I will not be taking the Vibe back to that dealership. As an aside, while I was sitting in the waiting room one of the service writers came in and reminded another waiting customer it was also recommended to get their 15K throttle body cleaning and the gentleman replied to take care of it.

If anyone reading this knows if there are other parts that are going to have to be replaced besides the airbag, I'd welcome knowing what they might be. I'm pretty confident that the dealership employee was blowing smoke. I could have worked with them if he had just told me they had overbooked for service work or even that the technition had a more profitable job to finish up on. But I think he just wasted my day and then made up some story on the fly.

At this point I was glad to get the Vibe back and find that it had not been touched by their incompetent people. They left some paperwork inside about the 5 star service BS and that the Vibe should have a throttle body service done at 190K miles for $90 and a cabin air filter for $85.

I would go to https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls and print the recall information, and take it to the dealer service dept. If they continue to play stupid I'd find another shop to do the repairs and then submit the claim form for reimbursement.

FYI ... my wife just read that article and gave me the most S H I T from her that I haven't had in quite a while According to her, she will be the 18th death out of those 62 million defective airbags! That makes the odds one out of 3.4 million that it will happen to anyone of us (especially her). Although statistically a possibility, in reality ... not very likely. I would not say this to the unfortunate 17 lives that were already lost.

So I now have to seriously start looking into WHICH dealership here in NW Ohio & SE Michigan, to take the Vibe to in order to have this work done. We have TWO 2009 Vibes in our fleet so I'd likely have my son's go first as the guinee pig and then determine if mine would follow. I have a question out there for anyone who either works at a dealership or knows the legalities of recalls at dealerships. Of the THREE recalls on the 2009 Vibe models (gas pedal circumcision, master PW switch, passenger only airbag) can the customer request to only have some of the recalls done OR does the dealership BY LAW, have to perform all of them? My son's Vibe already had the pedal circumcision done so at worst I'll swap pedals when it's my turn to have my car going in. Being a manual tranny AND not having floor mat interference, I feel my pedal can stay put as it. I'm a bitt stubborn on this topic and will have to eventually give in and have the work done.

I wasn't totally clear on what all was involved in replacing the passenger side airbag in the 2003-2008 that is under the GM recall.

Thanks to a Youtube video by tommy tarver, we no longer are at the mercy of some incompetent (or lying) "service writer / advisor" as I experienced and reported earlier in this thread.

Now we can know before going into a dealership what should be happening. There are two 10mm nuts on the sides on the airbag. A single 12mm bolt and then the wiring harness clip. Your plastic dash cover (portion on the airbag) is then removed and transferred over. It appears one has to be a bit careful with the plastic tabs or clips when you are pushing out the old airbag.

Here is the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3YFvZjFDYA

Or search the following within Youtube:

"2003 Pontiac vibe passenger side airbag module replacement"

I think a fair question that I will be asking going in will be: "Will the short airbag wiring harness also be replaced ?" I don't think it's really necessary but would like to know - - and they should know this.

Other than that it is a straight forward job; and there should be no way you end up with damage to your center console or other parts of your Vibe - other than perhaps a slight chance of some very small blemishes that could be possible during the transfer of the dash cover material.