GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Just picked up a 2009 Vibe this past weekend.....So far I really like it...I think I got a great deal, mainly because it's a 'Pontiac' & most people don't realize it's really a Toyota (w/Toyota reliability)in disguise.

I didn't play with the stereo enough on the test drive (making sure it was mechanically sound was a little more important )....anyway, wasn't until the next day I noticed the right, adjustment knob was wonky.....Then tonight on the way home from work, the power/volume knob crapped out....

To my surprise, when I went to see if I could just pull the knob off, it was 'captured' by the front plate! Seriously GM/Toyota....you have to remove the entire head unit to replace a $6 knob?!? If anyone has the address for the design engineer who thought this was a brilliant idea, let me know....I've got a few choice words for that SOB.

Anyway, it was surprisingly easy to get to the radio (just a little tug on the dash plastic) & then after finding this post, it was a piece of cake getting everything apart. The whole job (not really expecting to do it tonight) took me about an hour.....and that was using the old 'hold the small flashlight in your mouth' technique, to get it out of the car while working in the dark driveway.

I realize it might seem daunting to some people on the surface, but it really wasn't that bad. I appreciate how one of you guys just decided to leave the head unit in the dash and cut out the knobs, but I'd have to wager that that technique probably took longer, was more dangerous (in terms of damaging/marring the dash), and was a heck of lot messier. Again, I appreciate the technique, but I honestly think someone would be better off just taking the radio head unit out....It's pretty darn simple.


That aside, I believe I'm going to go with the 'shave the knob down' technique so that it will clear the plate & slide on/off without having to remove everything when it will most likely break again. I think I'm going to also find some clear epoxy & pour it down in the knob to shore up the mount in the middle. I just seriously can't believe this terrible design flaw.....It's crazy.....all this nonsense for a knob?! And hey, if you're gonna make it that way, at least put some quality knobs on there....it's just totally unacceptable (it's the little things like this that eventually kill the consumer's confidence in a brand) .

Well, the knobs are on order....the radio is back in the car, working (sans knobs for now)......Guess we'll go from there. Love the Vibe so far....one of the better looking hatches out there....peppy & fun to drive.....I dig it (except for the cheap radio knobs...ha!) Hopefully this will be the biggest problem it has for a long time & many miles to come.

BTW, Viber09....I might be interested in your old unit for sale....I'd message you, but since we're both new to the board, neither of us can send/receive emails/personal messages apparently...

That being said, does anyone have an MP3 capable unit for sale? Just wondering.....

Hi Rogue 1313. I have the unit listed on kijiji as well:
http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell ... Z444983376" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

To both of you newer members. I wish I had seen this post earlier because I have several brand new radio knobs for 2009-10 Vibes and they were given to me by a former GenVibe member. If I knew your location (hint ... hint ... Update it in your profile please) I could have made arrangements to get them to you. Anyways I hope your repairs go smoothly and post pics of your Vibe & any mods/repairs soon

Thanks for the offer 'tpollauf'....appreciate it.

Well, got a couple new knobs today ($9.40 each at dealership).....Decided to just remove the 'lip' on each of them.....shaved them down with a Dremel griding wheel bit....10 minutes later, they're installed. Might be a little light let through, but to tell ya the truth, I didn't really notice if there was light or not before....Insignificant as far as I'm concerned.

Actually bought 4 knobs total, for the inevidable.....Decided to not reiforce the insides with epoxy for the time being....if the new knobs don't last very long, then I'll shore up the next batch....but as far as I'm concerned, we're good to go now.

It still baffles me why they would make the knobs 'caputured' in the first place....It's not a terribly difficult job to remove the stereor & take it apart, but you shouldn't have to do that just to replace a knob....oh well. And again, while I appreciate that someone just decided to cut them out, I fear that a small slip with a saw or whatver, could really damage the dash.....It's an easy enough procedure, I would just recommend setting aside an hour or so and removing the radio....safer in my opinion.

Well, hopefully this'll be the worst of it for a while...Still diggin the Vibe so far.....glad I picked it up (fingers crossed, ) Thanks agian for the offer 'tpollauf'....BTW, I'm in San Diego, Ca.

So I'm tryng fix the broken control knob on my radio and I'm stuck on the 12 screws on the circuit board. What size are they? I've tried a 3mm, too small, a 4mm, too big, and a 1/8, too small, a 5/32, too big. I've never seen a 3.5mm or 9/64. What size are they?!

UPDATE: I got them off! What I did was file down the 1/8 nut driver until it fit the screws. No it fits fine; well at least on most of the screws. Some seem to be a little bigger than others.

I ended up using a small pair of needle nose vice-grips to grab the circuitboard screw heads.....Just took it slow & it worked fine. And again, I decided to just take a Dremel grinding bit to shave down the new knobs so they could be slid on/off without having to take the whole thing apart again....just eyeballed it & worked out fine....can't tell when they are installed.

tpollauf wrote:To both of you newer members. I wish I had seen this post earlier because I have several brand new radio knobs for 2009-10 Vibes and they were given to me by a former GenVibe member. If I knew your location (hint ... hint ... Update it in your profile please) I could have made arrangements to get them to you. Anyways I hope your repairs go smoothly and post pics of your Vibe & any mods/repairs soon

Actually I think it was me that gave you those knobs when I sent that USA-Spec iPod adapter to your son. So it was not a former Genvibe member(I am still here) just a former Vibe radio owner I got a aftermarket system put in and got rid of the factory radio. I got a great deal on the knobs so I stock piled a bit to say the least

rogue1313 wrote:Thanks for the offer 'tpollauf'....appreciate it.

Well, got a couple new knobs today ($9.40 each at dealership).....Decided to just remove the 'lip' on each of them.....shaved them down with a Dremel griding wheel bit....10 minutes later, they're installed. Might be a little light let through, but to tell ya the truth, I didn't really notice if there was light or not before....Insignificant as far as I'm concerned.

Actually bought 4 knobs total, for the inevidable.....Decided to not reiforce the insides with epoxy for the time being....if the new knobs don't last very long, then I'll shore up the next batch....but as far as I'm concerned, we're good to go now.

It still baffles me why they would make the knobs 'caputured' in the first place....It's not a terribly difficult job to remove the stereor & take it apart, but you shouldn't have to do that just to replace a knob....oh well. And again, while I appreciate that someone just decided to cut them out, I fear that a small slip with a saw or whatver, could really damage the dash.....It's an easy enough procedure, I would just recommend setting aside an hour or so and removing the radio....safer in my opinion.

Well, hopefully this'll be the worst of it for a while...Still diggin the Vibe so far.....glad I picked it up (fingers crossed, ) Thanks agian for the offer 'tpollauf'....BTW, I'm in San Diego, Ca.

In the late 1980's-1990's GM had a problem with knobs that cracked where they attached to the posts and they would fall off and get lost so they decided to "secure them" better.

Anyway the reason they break is because somebody in GM(or Toyota(since the Matrix of those years had a knob set up like the GM one even though the radio is different) ) decided that even with all the lights on the radio that somebody probably could not see the volume/tuning knobs and decided to hollow them out and put clear plastic in them to allow the knob to have light.

Now you mentioned a MP3 player set up for the radio. I assume you mean for an iPod/iPhone? If so then USA Spec makes one called the PA20GM that can be bought for $140-$170
Here is it from Crutchfield

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_581PA20GM/ ... tml?tp=120" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It allows you to control everything from the radio

There is two ways to install it. The first way is harder(or more time consuming at least) then the 2nd way. If you have XM installed and want to keep XM then you have to remove all the paneling from the passenger side of the trunk to the passenger side kick panel so as to run the wire to the XM radio(which is located in the storage compartment on the right side(passenger))

If you don't have the XM radio(like our Canadian friends) or don't use it then you have to buy a extra cable and remove the radio to plug it in and then you are good to go.

The brain box needs to be put somewhere(I hid mine under the center console) and the iPod connector routed somewhere where you can get at it to plug in your device.

I mounted my connector in the glove box(I drilled a hole in the cubby hole above the glove box and ran the wire through it and used a PCV valve grommet to prevent wire chafing. The cubby hole is hidden by the glove box door

Heres what mine looks like in the cubby hole





Good luck

I fixed my radio today. The volume knob has been bad for a while but it recently quit working at all. When I took it apart I found the right knob was cracked so I was glad I purchased two new knobs.

I filled the new knobs with epoxy to the top of the stem. First I stuffed a little cotton in the shaft hole. After pouring the epoxy to the full depth of the stem, I pulled the cotton out. Using any less epoxy would be a waste because it wouldn't be in the right place to work. The knob starts to split/crack at the very end of the stem.

I knew before doing the epoxy that I would have to cut down the clear plastic seen in the picture below where the right knob is missing. The clear part comes up through the white plastic piece. The stem of the knob protrudes into the clear part. I am fairly confident that I won't have to be doing this again.

You can still see light shine through the knob like before. The epoxy may diminish it a small amount but the difference isn't noticeable.

DuluthVibe2009 wrote:photo 6
Attached files

I took TRB's approach to this problem.

1.) I started by sanding down the flare on the back of the knob. Did this with an electric sander just holding it flat on the flare side - it sanded it off pretty fast.

2.) Then I taped off the area around the knob and cut off the top of the old knob using a Dremel like tool.

3.) Next I cut a couple of slots into the side of the knob to help make it easier to break off.

4.) Using a flat blade screwdriver and pointed pliers, I pried, twisted and broke apart the old knob and removed it.

5.) Then I used to pointed pliers to remove the metal ring from the shaft.

5.) Lastly, I slid on the new, sanded knob.

Can't seem to figure out how to load full pictures, if someone wants them, let me know.

Bob

My radio knob just broke...for the second time. This time Im not under warranty for a free fix. It looks like its not too easy to beef up the stock knob with epoxy without filing down the radio also. Im thinking ill break up the broken knob and remove it in pieces. Maybe try to crush it with vice grip pliers before trying to cut it with a dremel. I may try to find a suitable replacement knob at radio shack or something.

I actually discovered that my volume knob had already been replaced with a filed-down version before I got it. When I was cleaning the shift boot I found a piece of plastic that was very obviously part of the front of a knob so I looked closer at the knobs that were on the radio and sure enough I could pull the volume knob right off. I have a feeling the used car lot I bought it from probably performed the mod to fix a broken knob after looking it up on here.

RTPBob wrote:I took TRB's approach to this problem.

1.) I started by sanding down the flare on the back of the knob. Did this with an electric sander just holding it flat on the flare side - it sanded it off pretty fast.

2.) Then I taped off the area around the knob and cut off the top of the old knob using a Dremel like tool.

3.) Next I cut a couple of slots into the side of the knob to help make it easier to break off.

4.) Using a flat blade screwdriver and pointed pliers, I pried, twisted and broke apart the old knob and removed it.

5.) Then I used to pointed pliers to remove the metal ring from the shaft.

5.) Lastly, I slid on the new, sanded knob.

I basically did this too. I carefully cut the flange off the new knob with a razor knife. Sure its impossible to get it even and smooth but you dont see that part. I got a big pair of vice grips and smashed the old knob. I dont think I recommend doing it this way. Let me tell you, the only thing designed to break on the old knob is the shaft. The rest of the knob has some fight in it. Once it was crushed, I cut it with some wire pliers and then broke it down with some small needle nose pliers. Once the old knob was out (in about 50 pieces) I slid the new one on. The radio face has some minor dings where I wrestled the old knob out, but its barely noticeable. I saved the metal sleeve from the old one and im going to try to get a different knob at radio shack or maybe order a delco knob from another vehicle and try to slide it on.

I just used trb's method and it worked great. A couple of small additions. I put duct tape over the radio so I wouldn't scratch it all up. I used a multi-tool to quickly and easily cut the top off the knob. I also made a few cuts down to make twisting it out easier. The knob came out with just a little persuasion from a needle nosed pliers. Before installing the new knob I just sanded off the flange on a piece of 100 grit sandpaper. It took about three minutes. And that was that. 15 minutes in total. I'm grinning ear to ear. Thanks

Thank you trb. I am very glad I found your post. I am a do it yourself 'woman' that tries to find a simple solution to any task. It took me maybe 20 minutes total to get it done. I used a nail grinder (the type used on to trim dog/cat nails) to get the flared edge off the new knob, there are some nicks on the knob but when the knob was put on they cannot be seen. Now if the knob breaks again and can easily replace it. This was a much simpler way than removing the dash and radio and messing with all the little screws. Again, thank you. DJE

http://www.newgmparts.com/parts/index.c ... eid=213815

Reading this artical helped me out, so I hope can help someone else out. Thanks.

I fixed the volume knob in my wife's 2009 Vibe today. She found the knob and fix online, I did the hard part, following the guide at the beginning of this thread. It took me the afternoon to do the fix, if I had to do it again right now it would be less than a half an hour. Here are a few tips to make it easier for you:

1. Before you start the project, get your hands on a GOOD 3 mm x ¼” socket or a legit 3 mm hex driver. It will be your best friend. The best my local NAPA dealer could do was a three dollar 5 piece 3-5 mm set that looked like eyeglasses screw drivers. The cheap 3 mm was too small the 3.5 too big so I massaged the 3.5 with a hammer to flatten it just enough to work. (I miked the screw heads at about 3.0 mm, my 3 mm nut driver miked at about 2.85 mm)
2. Yes, the panel surrounding the radio does just pull off. That was my biggest fear starting the project, once that came off, I knew I could do it.
3. You need a 10 mm socket and extension to pull the four bolts (not screws as stated) holding the radio. I started by trying to remove the four 5 mm hex head screws holding the face plate to the steel radio box. It didn’t take long to realize I was on the wrong track.
4. The light grey wire connector to the hazard flasher pulls out of the dark grey connector. I tried for 10 minutes to pull the dark grey connector out of the hazard button.
5. To remove the antenna wire, just pull on the black connector. No big deal.
6. Once the radio is out, the front panel is removed from the main radio box using a 5 mm socket (a 3/16” works too) on the four hex head screws.
7. Once you remove the twelve circuit board screws using your new 3 mm hex driver or socket, the board doesn’t just fall out as stated. It takes a lot of prying to free it from three positioning lugs.
8. What really killed me was my inability to properly get the new knob to stay in place. I thought I had it on to the point of reinstalling the radio only to find that it was stuck on one station and no buttons or knobs worked. So I had to remove the radio and start from scratch. I fiddled with the board and buttons for an hour trying to get it to work properly by feel. After rereading the thread I saw the tip to remove the tiny steel sleeve left on the shaft from the old, broken knob. I hadn’t done that and paid the price. Even after removing it, it still wouldn’t stay on, as I had forced it too much. I swapped knobs, putting the old channel knob on the volume shaft and all was now well in the knob kingdom. Seldom use the channel knob anyway.
9. I took the board on and off so many times I finally relented and installed the nut driver on my VS drill with the clutch set at the lowest torque setting. It worked great.

If you undertake this operation, I hope my tips serve you well.

Ole Anderson

PVC pipe cutters worked great for me for cutting off the front flat face of the knob, it kind of cracked and split but much easier than using a saw or dremmel and much less messy, just thought this might help

I was looking at at 2009 Vibe to buy for my son, but it had the infamous broken radio knob. Researching the problem, I found this thread (and this forum). Thinking I could handle the fix, I bought the car and negotiated an extra $75 off the purchase price. I found the replacement knob online and for less than $20, I had two new knobs.

I elected to go with fix #2 - not taking the radio out, and just ripping the knob off piece by piece. To my surprise it came off in about 5 seconds - and in one piece! I just used a pair of pliers and bent the knob down a bit. I heard a small snap and the knob was out, flange cracked for easy removal (see pic). I just placed the new filed-down knob on, and the problem was fixed! Thanks to all who contributed to this thread.

Welp, mine just broke tonight. I do, however, have the GM Major Guard extended warranty. It says it covers electronics and audio parts. I'm assuming this falls under that? Will it just break again?

Well, to answer my own question from abiove: yes it is covered under major guard. They replaced the whole radio.

Just another update on this, the EQ knob (on the right) got stuck the other day on the replacement radio. It will still spin, but won't push in, and essentially locks up all the controls. So it's back at the dealership getting another radio.

Just wanted to thank the person who posted this thread, was very helpful in repairing the radio in my Mom's '09 Vibe. I ordered two control knobs from gm partsgiant (just in case I broke one).. The twelve screws on the board were a royal pain, ended up using needlenose pliers...and a lot of patience. Well worth the effort.

Thanks again!

Everyone: In one of the posts on this topic 'trask' showed a picture of a radio faceplate which would allow the installation of a DIN sized aftermarket radio. Does anyone know where I can get this faceplate so that I may upgrade my radio/stereo on my2009 vibe? Thanks,
tahitibluemg

Ugh..... Knob broke again. This is the third time. Had a friend in the car that didn't know to be gentle with it.

Unfortunately the warranty is over.

After initially reading this problem like 3 years ago, I knocked on wood since my knobs were going very well and no signs would point that they would fail. I considered myself lucky!
Last week, I left for work and wanted to adjust the bass a little bit and noticed that the right knob was stiff. So I played/wiggled with it a little, spinning it fast so it would become "loose" instead of stiff... (I don't know why it was stiff in the first place... maybe a broken plastic piece was creating the issue...). I rarely use this knob. It's only for time change (twice a year...) and for slight EQ settings, mostly for more or less bass...
So while spinning the knob fast, I noticed the knob was now spinning way too freely... and I said to myself: OH NO, DAMN. I pulled over and looked at the problem closer: the knob was now all wiggly and wouldn't catch 80% of the time when spinning it... I knew what was going on.

So I came back here to look for the thread that was talking about the volume knob and found this tutorial. I read all the steps, so I knew what I was up against. THANKS a lot to DULUTHVIBE2009 for the initial post!
I called my local GM CHEVROLET dealer to ask about the knob... and they had ONE in stock... at the price of 13.95$ (canadian). What a rip-off! It reminded me of the Pontiac center wheel caps that falls off... and buying them at the dealer is something like 35$ a piece!!!
So I told the guy to put it aside for me so I could pick it up during the week-end. In the meantime, I would strip off the radio and see what could be done... and if I could fix it without buying this stupid 15$ knob!

Took it appart, dash is easily removed (snapped), then 4 10mm bolts. The rightmost ones are a little bit scary because I didn't want to lose them in the dash when removing then (my ratchet isn't magnetic). Got the radio out, removed the 2 plugs plus the antenna connector, brought the radio inside.
I then removed the 4 golden hex screws (5/16 if I can recall?). My metric buckets wouldn't do the trick, too loose or too tight.
Then the real challenge came... The 12 tiny hex screws are very, very, VERY small. I had small hex buckets, but not that small. I tried using small long nosed vice-grips, but even if It had a strong grip on the screw, it would kind of slip off and I was too scared to scratch the circuit board and cause a misfunction... (something similar already happened to me). So I decided to look online at Canadian Tire and any other hardware shops so I could find really small buckets and I did find a kit at Canadian Tire... they had like 2.5mm, 3.0mm, 3.5mm, 4.0mm... So I went out and bought it (it was 40$ but 50% rebate, so 20$ isn't a bad deal... 66 bits were included, torx, triangle, etc.). I came back home with the kit, super happy that I would have the proper tool for the job... Took the 3.0mm out: TOO SMALL. Okay, I'll use the 3.5mm then! ... TOO LARGE !?!?!? COME ON! So these screws must be imperial and not metric... just like the 4 golden ones on the sides, they were using the imperial system.
So I had to "grind" the 3.0mm bit... I inserted the nose of small long nosed pliers so I could grind the interior... and it worked! I had grip on the screws now! But as I was advancing in the job, the 3.0mm bit would become more and more loose and worn out... the final 2 screws were a pain in the așș, still managed to take them out. The hard part was done but what about AFTER? When I had to screw them back in!!... Joy joy... JOY.

So I took off the knobs, obviously the right knob was damaged, a plastic piece was missing and wouldn't be found. The left one was good prior to disassembling the radio, but the LEFT konb mut have suffered a trauma since a crack was noticable... after putting it back on the shaft, the plastic cracked and a chip of plastic was hanging... still in place, but 2 cracks appeared and the plastic piece was wiggling. I now had to fix this too!
"KRAGLE", show me your power! (Krazy Glue, The Lego Movie reference (KRAzy GLuE)). So I managed to glue the newly cracked left/volume knob. But I knew it would break again, so like another fellow said on the thread, EPOXY is a great thing and saved me many problems in the past. It's a good way to bond and solidify things. BUT, instead of gluing the knobs to the radio metal shafts, I decided to just give the knobs more strength. I coated the exterior of the broken plastic cavity, all around, to create a palstic-like coating that would strengthen this cheap plastic. The metal pre-shaped black metal ring that sits on the metal shaft, I inserted it in the plastic cavity so I'd be sure it would still fit after the fix. I let the epoxy cure overnight. The trick to being able to handle the epoxy well and not have it to drip everywhere, is to mix it (resin and hardener) and wait a little bit for the consistency to become more tacky than runny. If it's too runny (freshly mixed), it will drip down and not stay in place. Most epoxies (in popular hardware stores) are 5 minutes (time it takes for the stuff to become set after being mix). You only have a small window of time to use your mix. So a piece of advice: Mix small batches! Work with small batches, else you will lose your epoxy. Mix a little bit, wait a little for the best handling consistency, and then apply generously all over.

See picture of epoxied knobs:


In the morning, everything was set and hard! The job was a success. I reinstalled the knobs on the radio and everyhing stayed put, no cracks appeared, nothing broke. The knobs were spinning very straight and did their job as new ones would! But they're not new... they're BETTER THAN NEW!
The last problem (that I thought) was about putting back the 12 screws... But it didn't take me 2 minutes and I had a solution: HACK SAW. If HEX wouldn't do it, SLOT would! I took every screws to the workbench and inserted them in the vice and made a little slot in each screws' heads. It worked 100% great! Now I have 12 flat-style screws instead of unscrewable HEX ones

See picture of slotted hex screw:


That was it. My fix had work and the easy part was to put the radio back into the dash. Since I was scared to lose one of the 4 big 10mm bolts hooking the radio to the frame, I decided to use "blue tacky putty" inside my 10mm bucket so the screw would stay attached to my tool. Did the trick. I reconnected every wires, put the dash panel back... start the car and... SURPRISE (ANOTHER problem...). The AIRBAG light would stay lit in the instruments panel... and nothing would light up on the passenger airbag display (AIRBAG ON, AIRBAG OFF...). Uh oh...
I went back inside the house to Google the issue but nothing relevant would come up, except one thread saying that after someone replaced a HEAD UNIT (the radio itself...), the light came on, and then a little while after, it did come off by itself and stayed off. I went back outside, removed the radio to check if a wire was caught and disconnected, but nothing is really close to the radio. So I put back the dash panel and reconnected the passenger AIRBAG display. I started the car again: light still on. I decided that I could "reboot" the computer of the car... by unplugging the 2 very large connectors (under the hood, near the fuse box, on its left). If this wouldn't work, the negative battery connection was the last resort.
When I tried the car again, the AIRBAG LIGHT WAS OFF! Victory! I don't know what happened, it was probably due to the passenger's airbag display being disconnected... I don't know. Now everything works like it did originally. Pfew.

The radio now works very well, and the lighted areas on the knobs are still 100% lighted. My epoxy job isn't as "drastic" as the other I read about. Most epoxy are drying CLEAR, but they will still reduce the light going through. So epoxying the knobs to the radio's metal shaft if very drastic!

I hope my "little" story will add knowledges to this thread, for future fixer-uppers who will try to fix their knobs. Anything can happen when we mess around with things, and nobody mentionned they had troubles with the SRS AIRBAG light so I wanted to share my whole adventure fixing those knobs.
Hoping it helps someone else!

- Bottom line... Don't bother buying a mini-hex-screws tool, especially in metric... they don't work. But if you wish, look for an imperial kit, but good luck.
(At this point, I don't know what's the best way to remove those screws... But if you use vice-grips, be very careful because even if it's well clamped to the screw, it could slide off... and hit a critical part on the circuit board and have a dramatic turn of event. I strongly suggest putting masking tape around the areas of each screws so if a slip occurs, you will have something to tamper the hit with.)
- I strongly suggest hacksawing the screws after their removal so it's easier to reassemble and to disassemble in the future).
- Maybe disconnecting the negative pole on the battery while doing the job would have prevented the AIRBAG light to come ON...?
- Epoxy is a good ally, learn how to use it and discover what it has to offer!

Thanks for reading!

Finally getting around to thank the OP @DuluthVibe2009 for posting this thread. I also want to add, regarding the tool -- there is no need to go and purchase something fancy, I found that a deck screw, even though it has a torx head, fits this screw perfectly and you can use it as a wrench:

https://goo.gl/photos/9LgMRhHCFFJ3fwXv8

Notice I had to grind off the threads -- they are so sharp it is hard to use it as a wrench unless you file them off, or maybe use gloves. Also, the steel used in this deck screws isn't as soft as the steel used in making nails. If you bend it too much, it will break. Probably you can heat it with a torch and get it to bend in a 90 degree angle, so you can use it just like an Allen wrench ... but without heat, you'll snap it. Just be warned.

Next topic:

Back in October or so, when I was still on Facebook (I've since closed my account), I posted a thread there about the knobs I've created and shared on Shapeways. They look pretty cool, have been installed on my dad's '09 Vibe since Nov 2014, so far no issues:

https://goo.gl/photos/Ufsh5Gp3UPUX2ssQA

So far about 18 knobs have been purchased at shapeways, in different colors including black, white, and polished metallic plastic -- however I have no idea WHO is purchasing them as they don't leave any feedback or pictures, so if you by some chance discover this post, please post a picture of your knobs, and whether or not they are working out for you.

I started to publish a video with the knobs installed, I didn't finish it yet though.

Thanks again @DuluthVibe2009 for taking the time to make the original post. I had to do this twice -- once to remove them and measure them, then put it back together for my dad to drive, then when I finally designed and printed the knobs, I had to take it apart again and install them. I live > 7 hours from my folks so there was a couple of months between measuring, designing, printing, and installing -- I really only had once chance at it because the car is far away from where I live.

Cheers!

Well, it finally happened... the volume knob on my Vibe broke last weekend . Thank goodness for the steering wheel controls! I will definitely be referencing this thread when I get time to fix it.

vibenvy wrote:Well, it finally happened... the volume knob on my Vibe broke last weekend . Thank goodness for the steering wheel controls! I will definitely be referencing this thread when I get time to fix it.

That's too bad. Not a hard job, but a pain in the (removed) when you actually have to do it
Good luck!

alex_nrv wrote:That's too bad. Not a hard job, but a pain in the (removed) when you actually have to do it
Good luck!

Yeah, that's pretty much what I've been thinking from everyone's posts in this thread. I'm thinking I may just go ahead and do both knobs while I have everything apart. Thanks!

vibenvy wrote:

alex_nrv wrote:That's too bad. Not a hard job, but a pain in the (removed) when you actually have to do it
Good luck!

Yeah, that's pretty much what I've been thinking from everyone's posts in this thread. I'm thinking I may just go ahead and do both knobs while I have everything apart. Thanks!

Just shave off the lip on both knobs when you have it apart. That way if they break again, you can just replace the knob with another shaved down one without taking the whole radio apart.

christ976 wrote:PVC pipe cutters worked great for me for cutting off the front flat face of the knob, it kind of cracked and split but much easier than using a saw or dremmel and much less messy, just thought this might help

That is a great idea! Thanks for sharing it in this thread.

trb wrote:Just shave off the lip on both knobs when you have it apart. That way if they break again, you can just replace the knob with another shaved down one without taking the whole radio apart.

That's exactly what I'm planning on doing !

Well, I finally ordered new knobs a couple weeks ago and replaced the ones in my Vibe today. I ended up running down to my local Ace Hardware and picking up a pair of 4" bent nose hobby pliers to be able to remove the dreaded teeny tiny screws. I didn't see any other tools there that seemed like they would work. I had taken the faceplate with me and was able to try the pliers before I actually bought them. They worked great and were only $12.99. Other than that, everything went really smoothly. The tune knob was about ready to fail, so I'm glad I ordered four knobs (two for each Vibe). I used wire cutters to remove the lip of both knobs for easy replacement should they fail again. I also ended up not removing the radio itself from the dash. I was having a hell of a time trying to get it unplugged, so I just removed the faceplate and left the radio alone for fear of damaging something. All in all, it took less than an hour. Not bad at all. Now I'll know exactly what to expect when replacing the ones in my mom's Vibe in the near future.

Today I finally got around to pulling the radio in my mom's Vibe to replace the knobs. The original knobs showed no signs of cracks or anything, so I trimmed them and re-installed everything. At least I already have new knobs for when they do eventually break and I won't have to take everything apart again.

I found a source for replacement knobs that are 3D printed in a wide array of colors. Perhaps these will be more durable than OEM.

http://www.shapeways.com/product/4MVV6U ... ntiac-vibe

Well, I replaced my volume knob today. It along with the EQ knob had been serviced twice before under my extended warranty, which ended several months ago.

I ordered 2 knobs just go have an extra and glad that I did. I went with the bust apart the old knob method. It took about 20 minutes, but I was able to get it out with only a couple of scuffs.

What took the longest was the replacement knob, which I had trimmed and sanded. For some reason it just would not slide on. (Yes the original metal clip was removed). So I went and grabbed the extra knob and trimmed it up real quick. It installed relatively easy.

Stinks that the other seems to be a dud. And it obviously not returnable now.

We'll see how long it lasts, and I'll have to look into using the epoxy to strengthen it.

jake75 wrote:Six months left on my 3/36 warranty - only 11,700 miles in 2,5 years. If (or when) my knob breaks I think I will opt for a different aftermarket radio. Don't drive that much, and often don't even listen to the radio so maybe I will not face this issue. In the meantime I will try to take it easy on the knobs.

OK - here I am 5 years later and 43,000 miles with a "broken knob". I was taking it easy but loaned my car to my 40year old son and failed to warn him. That might or might not have been the problem. I actually don't care that much if I have a radio or not. Not in any hurry to fix/replace. Hard to believe that this issue has been around so long and Toyota never bothered to address it. Must also be an issue with main line Toyota vehicles that I assume use the same radio - e.g. Corolla. A minus point for Toyota when buying my next car.

jake75 wrote:Must also be an issue with main line Toyota vehicles that I assume use the same radio - e.g. Corolla. A minus point for Toyota when buying my next car.

The design of the radio used on the 09 and 10 Vibe/Matrix is unique to those vehicles. In 2011, Toyota continued to make the Matrix but changed the radio and dash bezel to a different style at least twice until ceasing production in 2014. So don't discount Toyota because of a simple radio knob. They still make the most reliable vehicles in the world. http://www.truedelta.com/car-reliability-by-brand

A 1/8" nut driver fits the 12 tiny screws for the board perfect. I just replaced my knobs with some from Shapeways.com and they do go on hard. The Shapeways knob have a rough texture to them and are dull. I ordered black and they are more like a flat black. I seen that they offered some knobs polished. Now to see if they last. If you what the factory color and look, then buy the factory knob. Thanks to those who gave info for this thread.

OK, I am on my third knob. First one was done right, taking the radio out, the second one I did the quick way, grinding off the skirt and busting the old knob, this one I went back to the correct method and removed the radio. I used JB Weld epoxy to completely fill the recess in both the new volume knob and the still-good channel knob, knowing the knobs would no longer be illuminated. A few hiccups though: I pulled the antenna wire out of the socket. Once I removed the radio, I was able to remove the socket and press fit the antenna wire back into the socket with the help of a pair of channel locks. And when they say to remove the faceplate, it is the one that goes from beneath the heater knobs to the top of the dash, just use a thin blade screwdriver to pry at the bottom corners, then the top. And when you are replacing the circuit board-faceplate don't mix up the white and black H shaped pegs that are under the rocker switches, they are different lengths.

Within a week of rolling 100k miles on the speedo!

And here we go again, another knob failure this afternoon...This will be the 4th knob. Last one only lasted 3 years despite being gentle with slow clicks. And just great, looks like all the photos in the original post are gone. Not a happy camper..

My time it came. Power and volume knob for me. I decided to skip the removal of the radio face and cut the sucker out. So I did. Rotary tool with cutter , staying away from the middle. Small needle nose vice grips. Out. Took the lip off an OEM from a GM dealer in about 90 seconds with same tool with a small finish sanding drum mounted. No epoxy because with the skirt off it will take less than a minute to put another on if and when.

Easy.

All I would add to what others taking this Occam's Razor path is lay blue tape on the dash. Lay duct tape or sturdy equivalent on the blue tape. Use a shop vac as you cut the old knob off. I fortunately never hit the tape layers on the dash, but you never know. The shop vac makes the entire exercise clean.

Could anyone post a pic of the radio still installed in the car after the volume knob has been removed?

00fxd wrote: ↑Wed Feb 19, 2020 12:28 pm Could anyone post a pic of the radio still installed in the car after the volume knob has been removed?

If you scroll further up in this thread, there is an image of it.

4mySon wrote: ↑Sat Mar 22, 2014 9:37 am I elected to go with fix #2 - not taking the radio out, and just ripping the knob off piece by piece. To my surprise it came off in about 5 seconds - and in one piece! I just used a pair of pliers and bent the knob down a bit. I heard a small snap and the knob was out, flange cracked for easy removal (see pic). I just placed the new filed-down knob on, and the problem was fixed!

I can second this. Took some needle nose pliers to the knob. Bent it up and down a few times causing the thin flange to break right off. Knob was out in five seconds. I spent considerably more time filing down the flange on the replacacement. Tried for even filing to still have a smooth and round micro flange. Turns out that was a waste of time, as what remains of the flange isn't visible once installed. The whole job can be done in a few minutes.

I can't really tell the difference in amount of backlighting leaking past the knob.

Easy fix!

My replacement is just starting to act up after three years of service. Picking up a couple more OEM knobs from Rock Auto.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/pon ... o+knob,177