GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Was curious to see if others had the same qualms about the Vibe's quirks that I do. I've got three of them in particular:1) left food dead pedal/foot rest. I find it positioned too close to the seat, forcing my leg to bend more than I would like it too.2) rear wiper wash. Bugs me that from the off position, when you squirt some fluid, the rear wiper doesn't automatically sweep (as the front wipers do). 3) Gear shift. Blocks the HVAC controls.How bout the rest of you?

None of those really bug me. The steering wheel / pedal positions did at first, but now I'm used to it.The dash lighting was too monochromatic for me, but I fixed that (somewhat) on my own.My major remaining "bug me's" are1) that the HVAC turns on AC when you select one of the defrost vent settings, but doesn't light the AC button so you know. I might not even know this without Genvibe!2) no confirming "beeps" with the factory keyless entry. (Working on fixing when I get time)3) door locks don't unlock when you pull the inside handle, like most Toyotas.'course, these are all minor and I my Vibe!!

i hate how easy the cladding on the bottom of the doors comes off. i have had to get mine fixed 2 times and its coming off the on corner again!!! (front passenger door)all it takes is one slight scrape against the ground and the (removed) comes off.

That rear-window wash bugs me too. It should automatically run the wiper a couple of times rather than just running a trickle down and you having to turn the wiper on yourself.The other thing that bugs me is the fact that the climate control panel is mostly a sticker, which dents/scratches very easily. And now mine is crooked because I made the dealership replace it after they messed it up.

Weak acceleration. Low stock HP/Torque. No auto GT. GM SC costs so freakin' much!!! Black vice color matched mirrors ?!!? Rear window washer dribble. Little aftermarket support (i.e. performance parts, euro lights, body kits, parts other than GM, etc...). Rear windows don't go all the way down. Sunroof stops 1/2-way when closing. Limited visibility out the rear. Stupid little door under shifter pops open at random. Guess that's all. MOstly minor stuff, nothing too major. Nothing that would cause me to dislike my Vibe!

1.The door/storage compartment under the shifter, what the hell would I put in there?2. No V6 or V8 option, I would like to see at least 250HP.

how far do your back windows roll down? mine only have a tiny portion of the window that doesn't go down. much farther down than most 4 doors.

Quote, originally posted by drunkenvibe »how far do your back windows roll down? mine only have a tiny portion of the window that doesn't go down. much farther down than most 4 doors.Yeah, but I want them to go ALL the way down!

Quote, originally posted by PhillyVibeGT »1.The door/storage compartment under the shifter, what the hell would I put in there?I use it quite a bit to store my iPod. The connector cable to my FM modulator also comes out into that compartment, so I can just wind it up and stick it in there, and voila, completely out of sight.

Quote, originally posted by Kari »I use it quite a bit to store my iPod. The connector cable to my FM modulator also comes out into that compartment, so I can just wind it up and stick it in there, and voila, completely out of sight. Until it pops open and shoots out at you like a snake in a jar!

Quote, originally posted by PhillyVibeGT »1.The door/storage compartment under the shifter, what the hell would I put in there?see attachment on this first post:http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=6017

Quote, originally posted by damronjr »Until it pops open and shoots out at you like a snake in a jar!Mine doesn't pop open and never has, and if yours won't stay shut, you can easily fix it by sticking a small piece of felt to the bottom to allow it to latch more securely

what bothers me the most is the buzzy sounds that eminate from the vibe in various places....

Quote, originally posted by drunkenvibe »how far do your back windows roll down? mine only have a tiny portion of the window that doesn't go down. much farther down than most 4 doors.It's supposed to be an ashtray I think. We've found plenty uses for it as a storage compartment.

Quote, originally posted by damronjr »Weak acceleration. Low stock HP/Torque. . Sunroof stops 1/2-way when closing. Limited visibility out the rear. I agree with all that. I've been wondering about the moonroof also, I'm glad it's not just mine. I guess it's a safety feature?

The under dash fuse block is a pain to get to.I didn't use to like that the center console power outlet and 115 VAC inverter only work when the key in the ignition/run position, there's no way to turn off headlights, the moonroof stops halfway on close, you don't get map lights in rear view mirror if you get a moonroof, and there was no option for CD/cassette HU, but I took care of those I wish the roof rack extended further forward on the roof, as it is the cross rails don't provide a wide enough base to keep my canoe stable, and if I use them to set the pitch of the canoe on the roof, it gives the canoe a slightly higher front, which makes for one hell of a parachute at highway speeds.For what it's worth, this kind of topic has been covered here before, so if anyone is interested in prior lists of what people had to say, check outPet Peeve? and What would You Have GM Change on Future Vibes?

Quote, originally posted by rAERRK »It's supposed to be an ashtray I think. We've found plenty uses for it as a storage compartment.If you're talking about the center storage compartment under the shifter...no, it's not an ashtray. The one to the left of the steering wheel even has a little sticker in it letting you know it's not an ashtray. The reason for this, I'm sure, is because they're plastic and could melt or be damaged. The ashtray for the Vibe is part of a free option package that includes the cigarette lighter instead of just a port in the dash and a little ashtray with a flip down lid that goes in the cupholder. The dealership ordered the smoker's package on mine, but I don't smoke, so I use the ashtray for spare change and drive-thru money.

in no particular order...1. the wind noise when the sunroof is open.2. the little compartment under the shifter doesn't open very easily (i have to push the button while at the same time wedging my finger in the side to get it to pop open. and i keep my tire gauge and some spare money in there for emergencies. don't tell anyone!)3. the top of the center console, where i rest my arm, gets very staticy.4. the electrical outlet is positioned in a bad place 'cuz it won't accept large plugs like those with the huge inverter (i.e. cell phone chargers)5. the stupid coin holder on the console. all it does it collect dust & crumbs.6. CRUISE CONTROL... when i go up a hill with cruise on, and my speed drops just slightly, it accelerates as if i just put the pedal to the floor to get back up to speed, rather than accelerate gradually back up to speed. sometimes it only needs to do it for 2 seconds, so it's like i stomped it and then let off. people next to me probably think i want to race them. and now that i think about it, it also does this when i resume cruise... say i tapped my brakes to disengage cruise and got down to 65, then i hit resume... instead of a gradual acceleration, it floors it to get back to 75. just seems like the cruise could be a little smarter.7. stereo should have an aux input on the face (all new stereos should have this, but then they wouldnt be able to sell all those rf transmitters)

Quote, originally posted by Kari »The ashtray for the Vibe is part of a free option package that includes the cigarette lighter instead of just a port in the dash and a little ashtray with a flip down lid that goes in the cupholder. The dealership ordered the smoker's package on mine, but I don't smoke, so I use the ashtray for spare change and drive-thru money.Actually, they charge for that now...$50 I think.

Quote, originally posted by joatmon »The under dash fuse block is a pain to get to.I second that...

Quote, originally posted by blake31 »in no particular order...3. the top of the center console, where i rest my arm, gets very staticy.GOOD CALL!! I hate that.

The only beefs I have are the "soft windshield"(easily scratched), and the rattle of the upper dash, that the dealership couldn't hear!!

the fact that i can spin the front left or right wheel when turning and accelerating slightly harder than an average grandmother.my friend said it had to do with the rear suspension..the number of times i've had to make quick right on to a 2 lane road so that i could build up speed quickly before i get rear ended, only to have the right front wheel go into a major spin which gets me nowhere quick!

Not enough power and torque from the engine (Yeah I know I chose the base Vibe but I can still complain)And the rear washer fluid funtions... what is the point of pouring washer fluid down the window? Now there is a funtion that will dump fluid and move the wiper but still.Uh... thats it. Other then my overall dissatisfaction towards GM's very LAME stance towards performance parts at affordable prices to the average public...

[QUOTE=Mavrik]Not enough power and torque from the engine (Yeah I know I chose the base Vibe but I can still complain)QUOTE]For what the base 4-banger is, I think it's pretty impressive. My previous 4-banger was 95hp, and despite the Vibe weighing more I now get 130hp with better mileage!(Previous was Isuzu Impulse / Geo Storm. And a bit of trivia on that car's engine: Lotus had a hand in it's design. They were shopping for a good 4-banger for the Elan M100. Toyota wouldn't let them co-design, so they came across Isuzu's, which was still in development. So it became a codevelopment effort and a variant of the Storm / Impulse RS engine was used in the Lotus Elan M100.)

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik »Not enough power and torque from the engine (Yeah I know I chose the base Vibe but I can still complain)And the rear washer fluid funtions... what is the point of pouring washer fluid down the window? Now there is a funtion that will dump fluid and move the wiper but still.Uh... thats it. Other then my overall dissatisfaction towards GM's very LAME stance towards performance parts at affordable prices to the average public...I guess in general this begs a question I've had for some time: Seems many people (not just Mavrik) are interested in performance mods for the Vibe.I view this car as an inexpensive, economy wagon with a "sporty" look to appeal to younger buyers. I bought it for the first 2 reasons & because I saw it as best in class.If performance is important to someone, why would they buy a Vibe?When I was looking for reviews, I found it's not even on the radar screen of "enthusiast" magazines. Among those, all I managed to find were a few terse overviews of the GT.

Quote, originally posted by GMJAP »If performance is important to someone, why would they buy a Vibe?1) It was cheap, 2) Good gas mileage, 3) Lots of interior space for me, a wife, a new baby, and storage, and 4) Looks sporty stock with lots of potential for more. That's why I bought, but some of us aren't just content with what a dealer gives us. We want to personalize our cars and mold them into a reflection of our personalities. Power and appearance are the 2 things a person would modify to do that. I liked the Vibe when I bought it a year ago, but since then I have dropped it, changed the exhaust, put 19" wheels on it, tinted the windows (for looks and for purpose), put a mid-gate spoiler on it, bought a body kit, a carbon fiber hood, a CAI, STB, RSB, added grills, changed out the entire audio system, and have much more planned to include a turbo or supercharger system for more power. I bought the Vibe b/c I could afford it and would get approved on a loan for it and b/c I wanted to make it more of what I wanted. What GM gave me was just a template!

1. Sulphur smell of exhaust (yeah, yeah, I know there's a TSB.)2. Lack of significant aftermarket interest in the vehicle more than THREE YEARS after its introduction!How many threads HAVE we had about body kits and altezza lights?. I read today in another thread about the total number of Vibes sold since introduction... Over 150,000 SOLD! Come ON manufacturers! This IS a significant vehicle AND regarding accessories, "If you make it, (we) they will come" and BUY!

I agree with Blake on the cruise control issue! Just took a trip up to the Twin Cities and I hated that my cruise seemed like I punched it instead of gradually accelerating. My last car was a 95 Sunfire, but for a cheap car the cruise control was wonderful--I never noticed the acceleration and deceleration. The other things I don't like are the same things others have mentioned--the center console lid keeps flapping open, but I saw another thread on how to fix that. Also I have a very annoying rattle up by the heat vent on the dash that drives me NUTS! There are some days I just can't turn my cd up loud enough! And the coin holder (ie. lint holder) in the center is a pet peeve of mine also. But other than that I love my little Stella!

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik »Not enough power and torque from the engine (Yeah I know I chose the base Vibe but I can still complain)And the rear washer fluid funtions... what is the point of pouring washer fluid down the window? Now there is a funtion that will dump fluid and move the wiper but still.Uh... thats it. Other then my overall dissatisfaction towards GM's very LAME stance towards performance parts at affordable prices to the average public...no, you bought the base when there was a more "performance" driven engine available, so the only thing you can really complain about is perhaps buying the WRONG one! lol and i don't think GM or Toyota would ever come out with reasonably priced performance parts. Look at Toyota and their TRD labeled parts, you'll always pay much higher for the name. what i'm more disappointed in is the lack of interest from the aftermarket giants! where's our projector headlamps? sure because of some of the MEMBERS here, we'll be getting a pretty sweet body kit, but for the most part, they don't seem to be interested in this market! but, since i grow more and more displeased at the "performance" of my GT almost every day it snows, (and no i didn't want the awd because of it's lack of any kind of performance what so ever) that i continue my plans to replace it with (most likely) a more performance minded vehicle with awd=subaru.i'm sure i'll still enjoy my unichip and all that this summer, but hopefully by october, it'll be gone and i'll have my awd FAST car (with decent gas mileage!).

Quote, originally posted by GMJAP »I view this car as an inexpensive, economy wagon with a "sporty" look to appeal to younger buyers. I bought it for the first 2 reasons & because I saw it as best in class.If performance is important to someone, why would they buy a Vibe?I had to jump in on this one too. First, I bought the GT version of the Vibe so I did not buy an "economy wagon". At least not intentionally. And I don't think that I ever would. Second, why would I, a performance-minded "younger" buyer, purchase a Vibe? Well, several good reasons come to mind. As a former Mustang owner I can offer this insight. The price of the Vibe GT compared to a base Mustang was comperable (Vibe GT was a bit more). Resale/trade-in value of the Vibe is much better. Cops no longer pull me over twice per day or come flying out of parking lots or down from their perches on highway off-ramps to harrass me even when I am obeying all traffic rules (once had a state trooper come flying up beside me in the Mustang and yell at me over his loudspeaker on the highway to slow down--even though I was only doing 58 MPH in a 55 MPH zone). I can drive just as fast as I did in the Mustang, but on a more regular basis with the Vibe because cops don't even notice it (already taken 3 inter-state trips where I would set my cruise control at 100 MPH or above for an extended period of time and just drive like a car was meant to be driven). I've never yet (knock on wood) been stopped by the cops in my Vibe. They don't even notice that my inspection expired 8 months ago and I drive right past them all the time. I think that as a performance minded individual, the Vibe has been wonderful. I feel like I can live (and drive) like a free human being again.Third, I can easily carry my hockey bag and sticks to go play ice hockey. And now I can even take 2 friends and their hockey equipment along with me. I can also go camping without a tent because a twin size aerobed fits perfectly in the back with the rear seats folded down and I can use the car's power outlet to inflate it. Much more comfortable than sleeping on the rocky, hard ground, especially considering that I've had lower back problems since I was 14 years old. I've also been able to pick up my mom's artifical Christmas tree when she bought a new one and the box wouldn't fit in anyone else's car, I've made repeated trips loading up the Vibe with landscaping supplies so I could build a walkway, flower garden, and small pond with a waterfall in my backyard. I wouldn't have even attempted to do any of this with the Mustang.My vehicle purchasing decision is primarily based on the three following criteria, in the order given:1.) does it MOVE2.) does it look good3.) can I afford it right nowI would have really preferred to buy a BMW M5, would have settled for an M3, but both are just a little bit out of my price range right now. I'd like something like a Mustang/Camaro/TransAm/Firebird, as they are within my monetary means, but the price of insurance for them is insane. I currently cannot and will not pay around $5000 per year to insure a car that is only worth $10,000-$15,000. That is flat out financial rape on the part of the insurance companies.The fact that the Vibe gets good gas mileage is merely coincidental to me. It's a nice feature and one that I do enjoy, don't get me wrong, but it is not a primary determining factor in my car buying decisions. I'd happily trade 30%-50% less MPG for 100 more HP for my Vibe. I only drive about 8,000 miles per year in my own vehicle anyway.Different cars are different things to different people, and I like it that way. If some people want to have their "economical" Vibe and they enjoy it for that, then that's great. If others want a "sporty" or "performance" Vibe, then that's great too. I get a little miffed when I hear people whining "why would you do that do a Vibe, that's not what it was meant for". I challenge them to define what it was "meant" for then. If it is "just transportation", then couldn't one argue that that applies to nearly every car and truck ever built? Well then why do we have so many different kinds of cars and trucks, and always have? Because different people want different things from their mode of "transportation". Some people enjoy the challenge of making their car into something that it isn't typically perceived as. I find the workings of that kind of person's mind far more interesting than that of someone who is pacified and placated by some hum-drum little blandmobile that is "just transportation".

Ok, what bugs me most about my Vibe.1. Inferior paint finish quality2. No power seat option and no leather seat option (when I bought mine)3. Several interior squeaks/rattles4. Power moonroof issue with stopping 1/2 way when closing5. OE tires were total garbage (may they now rot in hell forever!)6. For the price, the GT could have more power7. Lower door cladding coming off (just like drunken's, and ironically on the same door)8. Much smaller than I expected aftermarket parts selection9. Grinding/creeking/popping noises from front suspension that have been there since the car had about 700 miles on it (now around 24,000 miles)10. Check engine light that has been on for no apparent reason for almost a year now and I can't pass inspection because the stupid light is on. Will surely take forever and a day for the dealer to fix all this stuff and require a song and dance plus jumping through flaming hoops to get them to notice and correct the problems. I absolutely cannot go that long without the use of a vehicle so one day some important part is going to come flying off on the highway from the front suspension, probably taking a wheel with it, and I'll be dead.I could probably be a senior counsel in Murphy's court since I have near lifelong, direct experience with his law. Well, that's my current Top 10 list of things that just pi$$ me off about the Vibe. But overall, I still really like it to be perfectly honest. So if I die in it, at least I'll probably die happy with it .

37k miles so far on base auto...it has been one of my favorite/best cars I have owned. The true test is when it gets 250k miles, thats when my vehicles start showing signs of weakness.Only problem I have had with the Vibe is the junk Conti tires GM put on it, they were worn out at 13k miles. This size of tire is very expensive, thinking about finding some 15" rims to save on tires in the future.

10 months and 15K miles on mine so far and here are my beefs:1) Poor paint finish, esp. on hood (we're in agreement there, S2V)2) Rattling on left windshield pillar3) DRL sensitivity (but I've taken care of that with a switch)4) Lack of aftermarket selection5) Automatic A/C activation on defrost6) No sound when locking/unlocking with remote.The only one I'm really ticked off about is the paint. I must have two dozen little chips off the hood. I don't know what I'm gonna do about that -- guessing that Pontiac won't be willing to help out there.

what bugs me most....1. interior sqeaks and rattles2. a/c not cool enough3. clutch squeaking4. notchy shifterGT would have been perfect if it has LSD option, sportier seats, more torque, better steering ratio, stiffer suspension, HID, and non of the problems I listed above.Paint was an issue before. I had the same problem with my wrx. I think they made the paint the way so you can easily cover it with touch ups.