GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

John: What type of evidence do you have regarding the Toyota Matrix having the some odometer issue as the Vibe. If Toyota has issued a service bulletin and recall on their Matrix for the same exact issue the Vibe has that would be proof positive that it was an inherent design flaw.

John: I just got done reading this article that was posted by Canadian Matrix customers who ran into the same issue regarding the odometer topping out at 2999,999. Note the link:http://www.wheels.ca/article/32130That article really got me fired up! I'm not going to stop, until GM replaces my odometer at GM's cost.

The problem would obviously be much larger where, as in Canada, the odometer reads in kilometers. A lot more vehicles are going to hit 299,999 km (186,000 miles) than 299,999 miles. Again. one wonders what Toyota genius decided to build these odometers to max out at 299,999 instead of 999,999, particularly since I think I have seen some Toyota ads featuring owners whose cars are still running despite extremely high mileage (e.g. 500,000 miles) - sort of like the 100 years olds appearing in Yogurt ads.

You got that right. Some egg head engineer in Japan really messed up the parameters of the odometer put into the Vibes and Matrix.

. . . and Corollas as well?

I haven't heard of Corollas having this issue. I owned a Corolla before I bought my 03' Vibe, but never experienced the odometer issue with the Corolla.

A quick Google search shows that Corollas are also affected.http://www.corolland.com/forum...99999/Makes sense as I am sure they use the same odometer part.

My '03 Vibe just hit the 299999 mile mark tonight. I was pretty baffled for a while, because I was pretty sure I had gone more than a mile without it flipping to 300000, before I realized that it wasn't going to happen. Have to use TripB to track it from now on, I guess. The car is still running great, still on the original clutch, water pump, and alternator. I'm starting to get nervous, wondering how much longer it will last. Seems like the manufacturer didn't expect it would get this far!

Quote, originally posted by jjcote »My '03 Vibe just hit the 299999 mile mark tonight. I was pretty baffled for a while, because I was pretty sure I had gone more than a mile without it flipping to 300000, before I realized that it wasn't going to happen. Have to use TripB to track it from now on, I guess. The car is still running great, still on the original clutch, water pump, and alternator. I'm starting to get nervous, wondering how much longer it will last. Seems like the manufacturer didn't expect it would get this far!Congratulations on turning over 300,000 !I wouldn't worry about how much longer it will last. It sounds like you have taken very good care of it. There are other owners here with 300,000+. Heck, there's even at least one member who's well over 400,000!

This just happened to our Vibe. Did you ever get this resolved with Pontiac? We are having difficulties dealing with GM on this.

I doubt that GM will provide too much input on this. I just say use the tripometer as the odometer plus the 299,999. Or pick up a different gauge cluster and use that one until it reaches 299,999 But hey, congrats on hitting 300,000!!!

nice to know that the vibe could potentially go very freaking far. good luck to those dealing with GM & the odometer issue!

Round and round the mullberry bush . . . While I don't understand why Toyota would not have designed the odometer to go to 999,999 instead of 299,999, some of us here (me included) think this is much ado about nothing, and that owners who have reached that 299,999 limit ought to be grateful. Of course that is only about 165,000 miles for an odometer measuring km's so the Canadians have a better basis to gripe.

just to throw this out there...Would the scangauge be a "solution" to this issue?I mean, does it count mileage? If so, with all the other extras it comes with, would it be a good value for a solution.OrWhen the odo stops counting, does the ecu stop counting as well?

Hobug1776, The ECU does not keep track of the mileage. The odometer is the only way to tell the mileage. I don't have a scangauge, so I can't comment on that.

...EVERBODY should be sending their complaints to this guy (I did):http://www.nhtsa.gov/Vehicle+S...ation

I shot off an email to GM for the heck of it, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to give that guy an email.

Quote, originally posted by KITT222 »I just say use the tripometer as the odometer plus the 299,999. Or pick up a different gauge cluster and use that one until it reaches 299,999 That became my master plan when I first heard of the odometer's limit since the mileage is stored in the instrument panel and not the computer. Unfortunately, things got screwed up earlier this year when I had a vehicle speed sensor issue. My odometer is now off by 5,228 miles (best possible estimate using trip on GPS). Those are miles driven but not recorded.Replacing the instrument only takes 5-10 minutes. All you really need is a phillips head screwdriver to remove 1 screw, and maybe a smaller flathead screwdriver to pop 2 clips.I'm probably the guy J_TO_ENVY mentioned..."I did it...I DID IT! I HIT THE 400,000 MILE MARK ON MY 2004 VIBE!!!"http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=40222As joatmon mentioned, SPECMO (specmo.com) in Madison Heights, MI offers calibration/repair services. They have a second location in Burton (near Flint). Assuming I make it that far, I may call upon them in a year or so to create an actual-mileage odometer when I lock up instrument panel #2. But I have another 83k to think aboot it. (That's right, kids! Do the math and you'll note I'm overdue to post the half million mile thread.)

Quote, originally posted by joejoev »(That's right, kids! Do the math and you'll note I'm overdue to post the half million mile thread.)So awesome ! Keep racking up those miles !

Evening All!Just want to add to the conversation that I just sent a query to GM's customer assistance email hoping something comes from asking for assistance in the odometer issue. I am past the 300K mark by 38,000, thus far and could not be happier with this car. My stats are - 2003 Vibe, bought new in Nov of 2002. Base model, standard tranny, only option - upgraded stereo. The only work done on it, 1 full tune up in 2008. I had the serpentine belt replaced, 1st brake job at 165,000! Working on third set of pads and rotors for the front, 4th set of summer tires, just had driver side front caliper replaced - sticking issue that led to premature brake pad wear and a noticeable vibration when braking. (Also did a number on a set of tires from this problem)

GM will just email you back asking for your name, address, and VIN so they can send you stuff telling you to trade in your Vibe. When I asked them that's all they did to me.

300,000 mi on any car - it's like a human turning 90. Who's counting anymore!

Quote, originally posted by alohaza »Evening All!Just want to add to the conversation that I just sent a query to GM's customer assistance email hoping something comes from asking for assistance in the odometer issue. I am past the 300K mark by 38,000, thus far and could not be happier with this car. My stats are - 2003 Vibe, bought new in Nov of 2002. Base model, standard tranny, only option - upgraded stereo. The only work done on it, 1 full tune up in 2008. I had the serpentine belt replaced, 1st brake job at 165,000! Working on third set of pads and rotors for the front, 4th set of summer tires, just had driver side front caliper replaced - sticking issue that led to premature brake pad wear and a noticeable vibration when braking. (Also did a number on a set of tires from this problem)Congratulations on the 300,000 + miles ! I doubt you'll hear anything of importance from GM, but best of luck nonetheless.

Any further words on ripping into the instrument panel to "recalibrate" or "reset" the odometer?And before somebody goes nuts, Yes, I'm fully aware that undisclosed odometer changes are against the law.I've been toying with an odometer substitute that would more or less permanently plug into the OBD2 port with an externally mounted display. Main problem is that you just can't do it cheap, figure about $50 in raw pieces/parts alone, a few chips, a small display (7 segment or LCD, or whatever), PCB, cables, box, etc. It would be nice hack into the instrument and redisplay the corrected reading right back where it should be displayed though.I've already modified the software in my own scanner hardware design to do nothing but the odometer function and it works well. Accurate enough considering the OBD spec only gives you speed output in whole kilometers-per-hour, no fractions. As with anything, the error builds up over time, but it does stay within a fairly tight percentage of the total miles traveled, at least 2% if not better depending mainly on how fast a person normally travels.Other than that, I'm wondering if somebody out there has a wrecked or fried instrument panel. I want to tear into it, dig into the chip (whether it's an MCU or a simple flash or eeprom chip) and see if I can find those odometer numbers.

The best info here on the set up of the EEPROM that holds the odometer reading is from our Russian brotherssee sektor's posts in http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=32956

I thought mine was getting up there at 247,000 miles. Has anyone been successful getting this fixed, either at GM's or their own cost?I plan on hanging on to my Vibe for quite some time.

Quote, originally posted by joatmon »The best info here on the set up of the EEPROM that holds the odometer reading is from our Russian brotherssee sektor's posts in http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=32956Sweet. Thanks for the link.If that's all it is for at least the '03-'05, then it'll be a piece of cake. I've got the hardware, including the test clips that you mentioned in that thread, but I'm kinda doubting it would work without pulling the chip, since it's still connected to whatever it's connected to. Might be some pullups/pulldowns that the programmer might not be able to drive, stuff like that. Should be a piece of cake to figure it out. The 93C46 is only a 1Kbit chip. How much info can it possibly hold?Now I'm debating whether or not to go out and take out the instrument panel to get an eeprom dump and start playing...Did you ever get around to "fixing" yours?

I posted this same info on another area of this site. But just wanted you to know that this link also helped.

Ontario Vibe 2006

I had an odometer stuck at 299999 KM

I was able to successsfully reset it with the Russian tools discussed here.

I used additional info from a Lexus User site.

http://translate.google.ca/translate?hl ... CCMQ7gEwAA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Buttons on PR93C56.exe program.
Left to right are. <READ> <BURN> <Clear Buffer> <OPEN FILE> and <SAVE FILE>

I filled in byes 08h to 13h with FF to reset odometer to 0.

I was able to program chip without removal. Good luck!

I did a little more looking into it, and GM's official course of action is to reset the odometer, and put a sticker noting this in the door jam. Toyota I believe has the same idea.

THATS INSANE MILEAGE!!! GZ!!! Be happy it doesn't go any higher.

In both automakers defense unscrupulous people was one of the reasons for the switch to digital odometers to try to cut down on fraud,
For the odo reading to only 299,999 miles or km, maybe both companies felt that this was a hint it was time for a new car. New cars are what keep automakers in business

bongo, that's good news. I'm about 20K miles away from absolutely needing to do this.

Did you try setting the odometer reading at 300000 and see if it would increment from there? If not, don't bother. I have a spare cluster from an 03 to 04 cluster swap I did some years ago. I will try that on the 03 cluster and see what happens. But don't hold your breath until I get around to it

zyzyix wrote:In both automakers defense unscrupulous people was one of the reasons for the switch to digital odometers to try to cut down on fraud,
For the odo reading to only 299,999 miles or km, maybe both companies felt that this was a hint it was time for a new car. New cars are what keep automakers in business

If it's not broke, why fix it.

Wingnut wrote:

zyzyix wrote:In both automakers defense unscrupulous people was one of the reasons for the switch to digital odometers to try to cut down on fraud,
For the odo reading to only 299,999 miles or km, maybe both companies felt that this was a hint it was time for a new car. New cars are what keep automakers in business

If it's not broke, why fix it.

ANALOG odometers weren't "broke" so why did they "fix" them with DIGITAL odometers?

HINT--neutered dogs and cats are "fixed" too!

Anyone able to get past 300K miles on the original odometer?

Nice to find this thread. I contacted Toyota. There is no recall or service bulletin for this issue. In a nutshell, it will probably fall on the owners to pay to have the odometer fixed/replaced, which would necessitate replacing the whole cluster?

VibeTribe wrote:You got that right. Some egg head engineer in Japan really messed up the parameters of the odometer put into the Vibes and Matrix.

Who's to say the Odometers weren't made in US and Canada?

Anyone that gets this mileage should just drive around with 299999 on their dash.

It's a sign of pride that they hit the cars' kill screen.

Found this online, my Vibe is at 260K

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local ... 26891.html

Resurrecting an oldie here - I'm at 255k on an '08, got new tires recently with an 80k warranty. I asked the guy what happens when my odometer stops at 299,999 and he of course had no idea what I was talking about. So, looks like I'll be getting my next set pro-rated since no matter how many miles I put on them, it will show up as 45k.

My car is close to half way to that point. I'll be happy if I'm still driving it at 300k.

Hey there!
I was driving (slowly, in walking traffic) and filming my odometer rolling slowly, and then after 3 miles realizing it wasn't going to hit 300,000 miles. Found this thread today, it's been a long time since I wandered into GenVibe. Happy to see everyone still here!

My issue is that I drive for Lyft, and for taxes, I do need to have odometer readings to show how much driving I've done, percentage wise, to deduct my maintenance, etc. I'm feeling like this may mean the end of my beloved 6-speed GT, as far as using it for Lyft and the dark side. So there hasn't been any actual solutions from Toyota or GM? Our 1991 Toyota Previa (analog odometer) is well past 300,000 miles, and I'm interested to see what happens when our 1998 Lexus LS400 gets there. Is this an issue with the Prius as well?

Just wandering and hoping someone has better news. I hated dealing with GM regarding the ridiculous early clutch issues.

VibeTribe wrote:True, but like John stated, GM and Toyota should have issued a service bulletin and recall several years ago, and had this technical problem fixed at their cost. They messed up.

(removed) (removed) piece of (removed) cars! The odometer won't even go over 299,999?? What the (removed)? They should refund the $12,000 we paid for them new. (removed) ridiculous.

TrojanGT wrote:Hey there!
I was driving (slowly, in walking traffic) and filming my odometer rolling slowly, and then after 3 miles realizing it wasn't going to hit 300,000 miles. Found this thread today, it's been a long time since I wandered into GenVibe. Happy to see everyone still here!

My issue is that I drive for Lyft, and for taxes, I do need to have odometer readings to show how much driving I've done, percentage wise, to deduct my maintenance, etc. I'm feeling like this may mean the end of my beloved 6-speed GT, as far as using it for Lyft and the dark side. So there hasn't been any actual solutions from Toyota or GM? Our 1991 Toyota Previa (analog odometer) is well past 300,000 miles, and I'm interested to see what happens when our 1998 Lexus LS400 gets there. Is this an issue with the Prius as well?

Just wandering and hoping someone has better news. I hated dealing with GM regarding the ridiculous early clutch issues.

Some of the other members have used the trip odometer to continue to count mileage, or have swapped in a lower mileage example from another Vibe. I also recall seeing some place on the internet that said they could reprogram it to continue, but I don't know about it.

From an accounting perspective, as long as you can substantiate your mileage through documentation, you should be OK. I would continue using the trip odometer, adding 300,000 to it, and if you do swap it out, document the ending and beginning mileage and that should be good. Not like there is no proof there is a problem with these odometers.

Good luck!

It's 2016, and I'm not happy with GM's response, via my local Cadillac dealership. They stated the sticker is simply "Actual Mileage Unknown," and they will NEED TO CHARGE ME FOR IT. This, after I contacted GM and they referred me to the dealership. They won't "reset" the odometer, stating that they simply can't do anything. Toyota has actually been a tad more responsive, but they suddenly backed down, too.

I actually need the readings, since I drive Lyft and Uber, and need mileage readings for my taxes. This isn't cool, since I love being behind the wheel of my manual 6-speed Vibe GT, and I'm grandfathered in for a few more years with this 2003 car. Any new ideas, folks?

Mahalo,
Dawn the Aloha Lyft

A man got busted for using some ODB2 device to roll back digital odometers on cars...

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

In his words, he was just "fixing the odometers". So I can see why the auto makers don't want to open that can of legal worms.

TrojanGT wrote:I'm interested to see what happens when our 1998 Lexus LS400 gets there.

I don't know about he Prius or the Previa, but on the Lexus it will go to 999,999 and stop.
On the Vibe the trip odometer still works, but you're going to need to keep track of it.

My car passed 200k miles recently, and I've keep track of the fuel mileage since it was new. If I still have this car at 300k I plan on continuing the spreadsheet.

It looks like you can get an odometer corrected (or reset) for under $70 on ebay, but would require sending the cluster off and waiting for it to come back. There are also other (likely more reputable) companies, like www.specmo.com who will do it also.

joatmon wrote:It looks like you can get an odometer corrected (or reset) for under $70 on ebay, but would require sending the cluster off and waiting for it to come back. There are also other (likely more reputable) companies, like http://www.specmo.com who will do it also.

Highly illegal. There is no such in thing as legally "correcting" or 'resetting" an odometer.

Read the very first line:
http://www.justice.gov/civil/case/feder ... g-statutes

"Altering the mileage reading on a motor vehicle is a felony."

The problem with the odometer is a display issue. It still counts mileage, but wont display due to a code error. This page gives a bit of an insight on that.

http://socalspeedometer.com/speedometer ... miles-why/