GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

My vibe just stalled ,engine light on,vcs light flashing , power steering gone...Battery low and if boosted car starts but agan show battery, engine,vcs ...And powersteering do not work...What hapened???

Try swapping in a new battery. And make sure your belt is still on.

Quote, originally posted by DiveNut »Try swapping in a new battery. And make sure your belt is still on.Yup! Start here!

A known good battery is the first place to start as has already been suggested.IF this gets you going and all of the weird lights to be gone, you now need to find out WHY your battery died while driving and the car died while driving. This SHOULD NOT happen. The car should generate enough power to maintain itself while in operation. Yes, it needs to have a battery installed while running but it should not depend upon it to operate.My guess is that your charging system is gone. Why? Could be a broken belt, it could be a bad regulator, it could be dirty connections, it could be a bad alternator. A bad battery is a symptom in this case, not the problem.Dave

Well,I did change the battery , with an old one I had in my garage and everything came back on ...If I check the voltage it shows 12V , and when it is running it is the same..By the way the belt is on ...So I think my alternator gone , because I think it should show about 14V...Of course I have 65000 KM on the car so I do not think I have any more waranty ...I will call the dealer tomorrow...I think it sucks if you have no power your power steering goes too..Wonder how much is a new alternator replacement cost...

It sounds like the alternator to me, but also sounds like the belt is off or slipping.

I was able to price a few alternators online for around $110 to $160. Knowing this I wouldnt let the dealer charge me more than say $200 for an alternator not including labor.

I wish members would put all their Vibe info in their signature - year, model, etc. That would be of help in giving advice.