2003 Pontiac Vibe Reviewed - 9 years of reliability

[Flip-Side]

I traded in my 2003 Vibe recently and I wanted to give a quick rundown of it's overall reliability. I've been on this forum since the beginning and I always found it extremely helpful over the years, so I may as well make a few posts about my experience.The main reason I gave her up is the plain and simple fact that the automatic transmission went out at 192,000 miles. Not really a bad run, and I hope my new corolla does the same.Things that have broken along the way:1.) Auto Transmission (Very reliably considering the trans fluid was never changed. The dipstick sticker does not lie). It finally grenaded and cost too much to justify replacement since I wanted a brand new car. I travel a ton.2.) Airbag computer (Changed out a few years ago around 170,000 miles). Cost about 600 to have the dealer replace, which I am told is fair. The airbag light was on constantly until replacement.3.) Several fan resistors (kept losing low fan speeds). Fairly cheap to replace yourself.4.) Drivers Window Breakage (Glass broke even after the Recall repair, which I fixed once more).5.) Gas Cap Door (Broke off around 150,000 Miles due to shoddy design). You can replace them with one from a junk yard, a drill, and a hand style rivet gun. That's how I roll.6.) Paint flaking off of the stereo (Started after about 2 years and just got worse)7.) Driver-side window/lock switch panel (Replaced twice and was broke when traded in). They have weak plastic tabs that break off, but can be repaired with epoxy and popsicle sticks.8.) OEM Conti Tires (Evaporated within 15,000 miles. Replaced with BF Goodrich T/As which I loved at the time). Cheaper tires can wear unevenly on these cars. I stuck with mid-high end tires that had stiff sidewalls and noticed much longer service life.9.) Stock Battery. The original battery had an anemic 230 cold cranking amps if memory serves. Year number 1 had me stuck outside, in the snow, with no hope of cranking over a brand new car...with my wife and baby inside. Dealer replaced it with the same weak model. Same problem. I replaced it with a 500 CCA battery. Larger batteries can fit with room to spare and charge perfectly, do not use the oem replacement, in my opinion they are far too weak. Just find one that fits the plate and mount. Bend the battery bracket that secures it if you have to and you will see your cranks go from 6 to 3.10.) Foglights (Both were shattered at trade-in, despite replacements)11.) Catalytic Converter12.) Every O2 sensor13.) A/C compressor (Died around 120,000 miles. The new one was still kicking cold air)Great things that never went wrong:-Engine...and anything else under the hood which excludes the above. I never even replaced the original plugs or wires. Always ran smooth and no engine codes, no joke. I always used synthetic oil until the day of trade.-Suspension. A few alignments is all she got. NO bearings, struts...no nothing. Rode awesome.-Body (Still looked new aside from minor paint chips)

[BlueCrush]

Not a bad run, besides the tranny. Why did you never change the tranny fluid? And the plugs? It would have ran much more efficiently and you could have had it twice as long.

[Flip-Side]

It ran plenty efficient, and I could have dropped in a trans and gone another 100k. I wanted something different, plain and simple. It was not worth repairing, trading in, and purchasing a different vehicle. Not at that mileage.I will not waste money on plugs or wires unless it is needed. Denso iridiums last very long periods of time in the 1zfe, and I was getting the same fuel economy I was getting when the car was brand new. They were checked twice and did not need replacement. The trans fluid was not changed because I did the quick flushes at my oil change place. This is the first auto I have owned that did well, and it is the only one I decided to leave with the original filter.

[star_deceiver]

Glad your car lasted a long time. Now.... tell us more about your new ride!

[tgferg67]

Question about the tranny, did it start slipping or did something break?

[Flip-Side]

Sorry for resurrecting.
Basically I am an idiot for dumping the Vibe and buying other bad choice cars. I should have repaired it and done frequent transmission drains and fills myself. I also never should have let the coolant used be changed over to GM Dexcool, nor let the passenger side water leak fry my airbag computer(according to the dealer). I was poor, in and out of work, and underfunded during it's run and it should have made it longer. It did amazingly considering my wife never took care of it before I got it.

The trans began to delay and hard shift into second gear and the trans solenoid had CEL codes on the cluster.

Turns out the last 2 used vehicles I bought made me much less happy. I came full circle to purchasing a 2003 Matrix XRS just recently. Same car really.

I never understood how roomy and utilitarian the vibe was, with awesome fuel economy. You really can't beat the vibe/matrix for the price, and I love hatchbacks/wagons. I'll never buy a 2 door coup again.

[star_deceiver]

What "bad choice" cars did you get into?

[tpollauf]

Thanks a ton for the history of your Vibe. I'm curious as to how bad (if at all) was the body integrity & more important, the underside metal? Very rusty? mildly rusty? No rust at all??? I'm just to your south and am curious what to expect out of our Vibes with the nasty salty winters we must drive through ..................... Thanks

[Flip-Side]

The only rust my old vibe had was from rock chips in the hood and rust stains running down from the door handles. No bubbles or body damage aside from easily scratched paint from the factory. The front fenders dent easily when leaned on, so a friend leaning on one made a very minimal dent.

Bad choices included a subaru (head gaskets and frame-less windows) and a korean car from the early 2000s, which were nothing like those made now. No undercoat was used but i did wash and wax regularly.