GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I don't know if any fellow vibers have had this issue but I have a 2009 2.4L automatic and sometimes when the humidity is very high and the car has been sitting for half a day in the parking, the car has trouble starting up. The engine coughs and cranks and it takes 5 or 6 seconds of this before the car starts up. RPM are really low for another 2 or 3 seconds and then everything is back to normal.I would expect humidity related problems with an older car but not from a 2½ year old car.It only happens once every 3 months or so but it's enough to have me doubt the car sometimes.

Condensation forming on the MAF sensor? Might just need cleaning.

I remember it happen was the day after I filled up my tank .. like 2 click

here is drier than quebec.. this is the second time it happen.. i park outdoor 365 days a year

I thought that I would share what just happened to me here it might help. 2009 1.8L manual did not like to start in the colder weather. It would start then "stumble" around for a few seconds then return to normal but sometimes she'd start then die and fail to restart only after disconnecting the battery and reconnecting it did the car start without any problems. This problem only happened in the colder weather started great in the summer. The problem was the computer was losing its memory. Solution new ECM. Still waiting for the ECM . I hope this helps

...check with your local GM dealership for a recent Service Repair Bulletin about "hard starting."

I'm no mechanic, but it could be the fuel pump. I had a similar issue (w/hard starting, not related to humidity) with a Mazda3 I used to have. Would take several seconds of cranking for the engine to start if it had been sitting for any length of time. Would start right up otherwise. Had to have the fuel pump replaced twice because of it. Just a thought.

But according to Sandy Blog's symptoms about 09-10 Vibe hard starting. It state after hard start , the check engine light should be on. But in my cases , the check engine light isn't on.Last time it happened, the car was sitting at the driveway for 5 days straight, temperature was -10ish. After I came back from a trip and try to start , it take an unusual long crank and barely turn over the engine.. after that it didn't happen again until this winter.. I am wondering does the matrix might be having the same issue..If it happen again i will bring it to the dealer..However it takes time for GM to come with a good fix. Remember the 05-08 hard starting issue with toyota.. it take them until late 06 to find the solution.. but they has been hushed about it until after pedal recall.I used to work at a Toyota and I saw a lot of Corolla/Trix ecu piled up at storage with warranty tag on and waiting for Toyota Canada to do audit.