2003 Vibe Clutch Needs Replacement -- GM Refuses to Pay - HELP!

[EGlickman]

My Vibe GT has 30,000 miles on it and the clutch just started to go. Of course I received the same response regarding coverage (that its NOT) ... Plus they want me to agree to pay $750 to "disassemble" and inspect further (the entire job would cost me over $1400 in LA) --- I am currently battling with GM, as I don't think that is right since clearly its a problem with their product rather than my driving - given the fact that so many people have noted this problem on the site. Also, I have a Toytoa with over 100,000 miles and I JUST relpaced the clutch last year.Please post if you have had this problem as I am currently building a case with GMAC regarding coverage. PLEASE contact GMAC (800-762-2737) and complain. I love my vibe but this is really disheartening!

[AKLGT]

if you do a search, you will find several threads regarding this issue with the GT/XRS clutches. a few have had it replaced, but generally up to the dealership as it's a wear item and NOT (unfortunately) covered under warranty. however, if you do replace your clutch, i would suggest getting a more durable one than the OEM as you'll end up most likely needing to replace it at 60K miles.

[EGlickman]

Thanks .. I saw other postings on this issue/problem. What would be a good alternative to the OEM? Is it a part that I can get via GM? Or will I need to get it from another supplier.Thanks so much!

[AKLGT]

there are some better performance clutches such as the TRD clutch and also there is another, i forget which brand. the problem (from my limited understanding ) is the clutch used in the 2zz engines is the same one used in the celica gts. nothing wrong with that except it weighs a good 500lb + less than the vibe. so the poor little clutch isn't able to handle all the wear and tear like a little more heavier duty racing (or just better) clutch. you can look online for the TRD clutch, even E-bay. you want a performance clutch and a good shop (i would never recommend any dealership for non-warranty work) or mechanic that you know. i'll have to see if i can find a link to the place i used to buy all my TRD parts from, i think it was connicelli toyota. great prices and good to work with.

[Storm]

If you get the trd clutch get the japanese spec one for the celica gts. It's a MUCH better quality cluthc than the american trd one. If you go to martixowners.com and search there you'll find plenty of info about aftermarket clutches

[Storm]

here are the best prices I've found for TRD USA stuffhttp://www.geocities.com/green....html

[AKLGT]

conicelli trd parts has the TRD clutch listed at $319 but when i put it in the cart it was $299.http://www.partznet.com/toyota....html

[joatmon]

The GT/XRS do seem to have a clutch problem. It is understandable that the dealers wouldn't cover the cost of the clutch under warranty though. There are people who do not know how to drive stick well, and there are a lot of people who drive cars like these as if there were in Fast and Furious twelve. I bet dealers see a lot more bad clutches from people misusing or abusing them than they do from design defects. I' also bet that most people who abuse their clutch and try to get it replaced under warranty claim that they drive it gently. Beat the crap out of it and try to get the big corporation to clean up after them for free. it's cool to get one over on the man. No wonder service departments are skeptical of legitimate claims.Has anyone heard if Toyota is doing anything to address the flaw in their design?Still, $750 diagnostic, and $1400 for a clutch replacement sounds way high. is that a symptom of being in LA? Cost me $400 to pay for a tranny swap here in MD. Clutch kit would be extra, but I can't imagine dropping a $1000 clutch kit in one of these cars.

[ToolGuy]

I am sorry to hear about your luck, but unfortunately like others said the clutch is not the greatest. Plus clutch wear is subject to the drivers driving style. Not saying you abused yours but the dlr has no way to tell how one drives their car.Also calling GMAC the finance company will not help. You need to call The GM Customer Assistance Center and they will start a case with your complaint. Keep calling to complain and do not get upset and raise your voice (they will most likely document it if your voice is raised and it wil take that much longer to get help). Throw in key words like GM loyalty and repurchases down the road. Also ask to meet with the zone rep at the dlr. It will take time and that I am not sure how much you have to invest in all of this. If worst comes to worst you will have to pay and get all your parts back from the dlr and than pursue GM.

[EGlickman]

Thanks to everyone who responded with advice and suggestions ... I am contacting GM today to discuss the fact that so many people are having problems at the 26,000 - 30,000 mile mark and to see if this is something that they have addressed. As for the SUPER high cost - I think that its the cost of labor in LA that is making it so expensive. I took the car back from the dealer and shopping around to other dealers to see if I can get a better price and if they can get one of the clutches that some of you have suggested. Again, I really appreciate ecevyone's help - as you can image I was pretty freaked out this week

[ragingfish]

Keep in mind that the clutch is not GM's fault. It's a Toyota design and Toyota part, and Toyota unfortunately has the upper hand with many Vibe-related issues since they used a Toyota powertrain on it.

[EGlickman]

This is very true and I do appreciate you pointing this out - however the car is covered under the GM warrenty and is in a fact a GM car, so while I understand that Toyota is the primary part maker (which was one of the main selling points for me when I purchased the car) I believe that GM is still responsible for standing behind their product. Nor do I think that I am being unreasonable to except this from GM. I have owned GM cars before and have always found them to be a good company and very concerned about customer needs - In this case however, given that this is problem that many GT owners are experiencing I feel my frustration is vaild and hope that GM will agree. Or at the very least I can do everything that I can to make my case. Thanks!

[Limeliz16]

Yes, please contact GM on this. I am a field engineer for GM and the clutch going out at 30000 miles is not correct Yes it is a wear item, but I have NOT seen one clutch go out on a Vibe under 60k in my zone (OH, MI, IN, PA, IL) Thanks and please let me know!

[03VibeGT6Spd]

Quote, originally posted by Limeliz16 »Yes, please contact GM on this. I am a field engineer for GM and the clutch going out at 30000 miles is not correct Yes it is a wear item, but I have NOT seen one clutch go out on a Vibe under 60k in my zone (OH, MI, IN, PA, IL) Thanks and please let me know!Jeff Strauser. (The previous Vibe Brand Manager) Told many of us here at Genvibe, In person last summer (at Joesph Pontiac In Fenton, MI) that he knew there was a problem with the clutches in the Vibe GT's.........................I'm sorry to tell you, your not on the ball!There are many many clutches going out under 30k miles I have even heard of some going under 10k miles. I would guess most are going between 20k-30k miles. As for me, Mine made it to 50k.Maybe you should contact Monkey Wrench Racing in Commerce Twp, Mi.and ask them how many they have replaced.Yes the parts are made buy Toyota, but Gm is responsible for covering these Junk under engineered parts.The pressure plates are to weak, besides I think the floor Pan's were stamp incorrectly.What we The customers need to do is Organize and make a seperate post forum and list owners names, VIN #, and Mileage. Then when we get all are info together, we need to start a class action lawsuit against GM.So we can get reimburse for all this money we have spent fixing there flaws!

[EGlickman]

Thanks so much for your post ... Now that I have had a chance to get my beloved vibe repaired and written the big check for said repairs I was about to look into doing just thatWhat is most frustrating - even beyond having to lay out more than $1400 - is the fact that GM/Pontiac took NO responisbility or would even consider that this was a faulty product even after I noted how many people I discovered had the same problem at 30,000 miles 9give or take) - I called several people in several departments and got the same answer over an over THERE WAS NOTHING ANYONE AT GM WOULD/COULD DO --

[EGlickman]

I have called GM about 15-20 times and all they tell me is that its a wear and tear issue and therefore NOT covered .... Thanks for advise however

[EGlickman]

One last thing ... the following URL has several people who have complained about their vibe clutches .... perhaps this is a place to start http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/c...s.cfm

[cnyman]

If you are still a field engineer for GM and you have not seen a clutch replacement, the reason is the dealers do not call you to review these.Most dealerships tell the customer that this is a wear item and that is the end of the story. If you really believe that there is not a problem, cross reference the part number for the clutch disc, pressure plate with the model year and how many were built and sold the same year. As a percentage of units in operation, you will find a much larger number of parts sold versus units sold. To tell if this is really a problem, just compare it with a non GT vibe with manual trans. I have gotten this info from South East Toyota and the part sales for the clutch disk for the XRS model is four times higher than for the non XRS manual trans models. Hmm, why is this? Note that the sales of GT and XRS models is less than 20% of production. Let me know. I am a 20 year parts and service director and own an 05 matrix with bad clutch at 5,000 miles. Do some research and let me know.

[ColonelPanic]

Unfortunately, limeliz16 hasn't been around for a long time... But what you just said makes a lot of sense! If the dealers are just making their customers replace this and chalk it up to wear, it won't go past them.The ratio of replacements between models are alarming and I'd love to know what GM is seeing! While I don't own one of the affected cars (but I've had my fair share of problems with everything imaginable breaking on this car, so I know what they're going through) the owners do deserve better than what they have been getting. There are problems somewhere but nothing is being done.

[cieglo]

I just filed my complaint with the NHSTA.39,980 miles. And the clutch is toast.I drove my Neon 78,000 miles (or something like that) without a clutch replacement, my escort for 40k+ miles (after replacing the clutch), my El Camino for 30k miles (after replacing the clutch myself at 125,000 miles) all without replacements.Toyota quality in the Vibe? Oh yeah, good stuff.This is my first problem with this car. I hope I find help.

[mcgusto82]

well, i too think a clutch should last longer than 30k miles.but there really isn't a way for dealers to determine if the clutch was abused or not. and since IT IS A WEAR ITEM, they won't put much effort into it. i understand their reasoning. it doesn't take much of abuse for a clutch to fry itself to death. the one guy whose clutch died pre 10k. he had a friend drive it for a few blocks. the person didn't know how to drive a stick, and that's all it took. he did get his clutch fix under warranty.like hope said, the clutch was designed for a lighter car, yet if GM is being told by the manufacturer, (TOYOTA) that it's rated for however many miles. then GM is going to go with that. toyota needs to admitt to fault, before GM will. or they have to change suppliers.

[Ponyota]

Mine started going out at 25,000 mi. Needless to say I got the same answer as everyone else. Wear and tear, go figure. I now have just over 28,000 mi. and its just about toast. I'll be parking my vibe for a couple of months while I do a good clean up on it and after that I've decided to go with a after market clutch.