GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Last night I was looking under the hood of our new 2003 vibe, when the plastic piece that holds the hood bar to the right front fender broke and the hood fell and hit me in the head.It was cold, 35 deg, so I am thinking the plastic part was brittle and the weight of the hood caused it to break.I was lucky to escape with only a cut and bump the size of a fist on my forehead. I think if I was lower in the engine compartment, the extra momentium of the hood falling could have really done some damage.Has anyone else had this problem?If not, please becareful, and don't trust the crappy hood bar to hold the hood up while you are under it.UPDATE:Today I took the car back to the dealer and explained what happened. The service manager said it must have been windy, and "the repair would not be covered under warranty since I broke it". I explained that the car was inside a garage with the doors closed at the time. The service manager said he would think it over and give me a call on Monday. (Don't have to guess what the answer will be.)WOW, I get far better service at Wallmart for less than 1% the profit margin that this dealer made on this purchase less than a week ago.So much for the 3year/36,000 mile warranty.I will go to the local Toyota dealer and get the parts, and repair it myself, like many of you have done.It looks like Toyota is building a loyal customer base using former GM customers.
[Modified by tedmortl, 1:03 PM 12/1/2002]

nope...no trouble here!

Well.....did your head damage the hood? Just kidding. Glad it wasn't worse. Thanks for the "heads up" so the rest of us can watch for it. I can't remember which car it was, but it was windy one day and it blew the hood up far enough for the prop rod to come out and the hood slammed down. Luckily I was under the car at the time. (sure scared me though)

Sounds like another mod waiting to happen. When I first saw the little rod that held up the hood, my thought was "Cute". It didn't look all that sturdy, especialy since it does not "hook" into the hood well. I was thinking of installing the same kind of mechanism that holds the hatch up, for the hood. Kind of involved, but I think it has promise Sorry to hear of your incident. Gotta love GM customer service.....

contact pontiac they usually do what they can to make you happy even force the dealer to fix it? next time

your dealer is a cheap (removed) ediot!! the prob rod broke during nomal wear and tear. i would have left it borken and the next time your at the dealer when they change your oil..... broken prob rod lol that would be a nightmare for working on an engine!! lol

Go to the dealer ---Hand them you attorney's card and tell them if they do not fix this --You will sue for the reoccuring headaches you have been having .

It's always the stupid things that go wrong. (no offense with the hitting on the head thing)