GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

FYI for you 09 owners, saw this news story might affect yousorry if a reposthttp://www.lansingstatejournal...ownerQuote »Schneider: New Vibe giving off bad vibes for frustrated ownerAugust 25, 2009 • From Lansing State JournalE. Jane Scandary drives a 2009 Pontiac Vibe; she bought it, brand new, eight months ago.The car performed "adequately," Scandary said, until one day in June, when the key refused to go into the ignition switch."I jiggled and wiggled the steering wheel, and eventually it loosened and I was able to get the key in the ignition and drive the car," Scandary wrote in a letter to me.Scandary, who lives in Lansing, hoped it was a fluke - a one-time hitch that would straighten itself out. No such luck.In her recent letter Scandary wrote:"This has happened five times, and each time the jiggling and wiggling takes longer, and I am late (or nearly late) for my next appointment ..."No problemNaturally the Vibe was still under warranty. Scandary took the car to the dealer who sold it to her - Lansing's Crippen Auto Mall - where, she said, she got a "sad look" from the service manager.That's never a good sign, is it?GM, it seems, was aware of the so-called "problem," but insisted it wasn't really a problem. The solution, according to a service bulletin: "The steering wheel should be moved or 'jiggled' side to side while turning the key."Scandary got a copy of the bulletin and passed it along to me."URGENT," it says. "DISTRIBUTE IMMEDIATELY."The situation it describes - "Ignition Key Sticks in Ignition" - is apparently the other side of Scandary's difficulty in getting the key INTO the ignition switch.The bulletin says: "A number of warranty claims have been submitted for 2009 Pontiac Vibes with a customer concern of not being able to remove the ignition key from the ignition."Attempted repairs range from lubricating the ignition lock assembly to replacing the ignition lock cylinder assembly. In most cases these repairs are unnecessary."Under pressureThe bulletin goes on to say that the Vibe's steering wheel lock mechanism "may put pressure on the ignition lock cylinder if the vehicle is parked on an uneven surface ..."That's where the recommended jerking and jiggling comes in.Said the 85-year-old Scandary: "I jerk and jerk ... I'm not a weakling, but I'm not an 18-wheel truck driver, either."Responding to my inquiry Monday, GM spokesman John McDonald said: "I don't know what the comment (from GM) would be. That sounds like a problem between the customer, dealer and zone manager."In a follow-up e-mail, McDonald added: "The customer needs to escalate her concern from the dealer to the Pontiac zone manager ... If, in fact, there isn't a mechanical fix, they can look at something else."Meanwhile, dealer Jeff Crippen said there are ways to minimize the Vibe's problem, adding that he would direct his service manager to take a closer look at Scandary's car.Said Scandary: "I do not relish the idea that for the rest of my life, or the car's, I shall have to treat it like a temperamental child ..."

My 84 civic wagon did that (steering wheel lock), as did my 81 toyota pu. The Sunfire does it, it has a button to press above the ignition. I've had the vibe do that as well, "jerk and push" - key goes in! But it's nothing I want to bother the dealer with.

my 06 has this issue now and again even happened to my wife when she drove it one day. I simply move the steering wheel so there is no pressure on the steering wheel lock and then the key moves I don't see how this is an issue. But ok