GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

My rear window wiper motor has appeared to have burned up. It got so hot that it melted the plastic conduit that encases the wire for the rear window defogger. The motor was so hot you couldn't touch it. Has anyone else experienced this. I have an 03 with 32000 miles on it. This car is really turning into a piece of crap. I'll buy Korean next time around. 10 years or 100K, cant beat it.

First of all it's out of warranty. I've had the cladding replaced, the LED light in the radio burned out, I'm getting a vibrating sound at 2700 to 2800 RPMS (it sounds like a piece of tin vibrating) and now the rear wiper motor burns up. I replaced the radio with a used one from Ebay, I'm just waiting for the light to go out on it next. I see it's a common problem. I've searched for a heat shield that might be vibrating but can't find anything. It's really noticible on a hill or with several people in the car. After the RPMs go past 2800 or it shifts and goes below 2700 the noise goes away. I thought I was getting Toyota quality when I got this car. It seems all I got was the usual GM junk.

Quote, originally posted by bocody » I thought I was getting Toyota quality when I got this car. It seems all I got was the usual GM junk.Please don't get into a habit of GM bashing. We don't appreciate it.

I think we can keep this flowing OK....I have an '03 Vibe as well, but from what I've experienced and read over the past few years, they've really tightened up and corrected alot of the little issues stemming from the first run of production of Vibes at the factory. Take that into consideration before anything else. I have a few issues but mostly relate to being one of the first built Vibes ever.Are you under warranty?Keep us updated.

And why shouldn't I bash GM? I called my dealer to get a price on another wiper motor. A GM motor was over $350.00, a Toyota motor was $159. I ended up getting it online from a dealer for around $125 with shipping. What's going on here? No-one can tell me there's that much difference if any at all between the two. Call this bashing if you will but I can see a new Ford Fusion or Hyundai sitting in my garage soon.

What symptoms were you seeing before the motor quit and everything melted? I'm still trying to piece together what may have happened here... It sounds like the motor overloaded itself but I don't understand why it was able to get all the way to the point where things could begin to melt. I don't know if there are any circuit breakers in the circuit, I would think so but can't say for sure - but it would seem to me that if there were, it would trip the breaker before it drew too much current. There are fuses, those should have blown at the least. If you haven't already, you may want to have the wiring checked out back there in case whatever condition burned up the original motor is still present and can eventually burn up your next one. Good luck to you!I'm sorry you haven't been having good luck. Neither have I. You'll always hear about "those few bad ones" that everybody makes, but it sure can be miserable when you have to write out a check for that bad one every month eh? About the best advice I can give is try to get out of as soon as you can without hurting yourself severely in the process. I haven't found the right time to do so yet, hence the reason I haven't been able to move on, but I will eventually... And good luck with your next car! I see you're considering a Fusion, and since you also mentioned a Hyundai in the same sentence, I can only assume you're talking about the new Sonata since that's a direct competitor to the Ford... If so, that's a great choice if I don't say so myself! Can't wait until I can trade for one.

Quote, originally posted by bocody »And why shouldn't I bash GM? well at least bash Toyota too, as they are the ones who had a hand in the building of your vibe. it was a joint venture between the 2 auto manufacturers not just GM. and your 03 was a first year. did you expect no bugs?it sounds like your wiper motor has a hot short in the motor which was probably built in mexico or japan. take it to the dealer

I also can't understand if that line to the wiper motor is fused why didn't it, the fuse, blow??? The wiper would hardly move at all before it quit all together. The motor got so hot that it started to melt the plastic conduit that encloses the rear window defogger wire. This could have been a disasterous. If I would have left the car in the garage without investigating I may have woke up to something very unpleasant. I disassembled the plastic cover so I could see the motor and disconnected the wires to the wiper motor. I think I need to write to GM about this. This could have been serious. I'm sure my dealer could care less so maybe I'll go to the top. Mechanical failure is one thing, a safety issue like this one is another matter altogether. That Sonata is looking better and better.

again: the windings in the motor itself is where the hot short is, not in the wire to the motor hence no fuse blown. there is no electrical flow to the motor with your ignition off so no fire would have started while it was in your garage, unless you left the key on and the rear wiper turned on. things happen if you buy another car, truck, motorcycle, whatever it is not going to be defect free. even a Huyndai or Fusion (another 1st year car, full of bugs) has defects, parts wear out. if you bought the car new why didn't you get the extended warranty? I'm sure a Hyundai increases the price of the car to cover the "100,000" mile warranty which is probably on the drive train only.seems odd you have a 03 with 32,000 miles and with a 36,000 mile warranty you should be able to go to the dealer and explain it to them. if they refuse to warranty it call the 1-800 pontiac # and open a case. sounds like you have a dealer problem.as for why parts are so expensive:the parts are made by TOYOTA who stocks them and then GM has to order it from TOYOTA who marks it up then GM has to mark it up a little to make some money.

Quote, originally posted by scherry2 »as for why parts are so expensive:the parts are made by TOYOTA who stocks them and then GM has to order it from TOYOTA who marks it up then GM has to mark it up a little to make some money.Yep. I was going to say pretty much that last night. My theory is Toyota is gouging GM on their parts to begin with... Then, GM has the burden of repackaging, getting these parts into their inventory system, getting them out to the warehouses, blah blah blah... In the end, they have to charge significantly more just to make ends meet. Any time you have to buy someone else's junk and put your name on it, you'll never be able to sell it to your customers for the same price that you could sell something that was your own from the start.

I think I've solved the mystery of the wiper motor failure. I replaced it with a new one and found the shaft on the old one to be the victim of road salt. The shaft was rusted and froze so tight I could hardly turn it with Vise Grips. Now to come up with a method to prevent the new one from ending up the same way. I'm thinking of sealing the rubber boot that covers the shaft and nut with silicone. ????

Quote, originally posted by scherry2 » if you bought the car new why didn't you get the extended warranty? I'm sure a Hyundai increases the price of the car to cover the "100,000" mile warranty which is probably on the drive train only.seems odd you have a 03 with 32,000 miles and with a 36,000 mile warranty you should be able to go to the dealer and explain it to them. if they refuse to warranty it call the 1-800 pontiac # and open a case. sounds like you have a dealer problem.1. The Hyundai is 5 year/50,000 bumper to bumper, and 10 year 100,000 on drivetrain.2. I have a '03 with 19,000 miles bought 1-27-03 that is out of warranty. Those warranties ought to be 3 years or 36,000 miles whichever comes LAST.I considered an extended warranty but figured it probably wasn't worth the price since I do not put many miles on the car.I wonder how much it actually would cost to have a standard longer warranty. I suspect mark-up and paperwork is 60% of the cost of the extended warranties that are sold.

Quote, originally posted by jake75 »2. I have a '03 with 19,000 miles bought 1-27-03 that is out of warranty. Those warranties ought to be 3 years or 36,000 miles whichever comes LAST.I was at 98K miles when my three years ran out, so I agree, it ought to be whichever comes last Quote, originally posted by bocody »I think I've solved the mystery of the wiper motor failure. I replaced it with a new one and found the shaft on the old one to be the victim of road salt. The shaft was rusted and froze so tight I could hardly turn it with Vise Grips. Now to come up with a method to prevent the new one from ending up the same way. I'm thinking of sealing the rubber boot that covers the shaft and nut with silicone. ????I can see where a stuck motor could get pretty hot. not sure how to keep the salt out though. I tend to never use my rear wiper, I lke getting it really dirty and then using my finger to carve out a genvibe.com logo on it