GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hi There all.

I got this vibe used about 5 months ago.. First day of snow and I thought I would lock up the wheels to test the feel of the ABS. When the ABS SHOULD'VE kicked in, the Check Engine, Battery and Oil lights all came on and the wheels locked with no ABS coming on... Let off the breaks and the lights went out. Tried it a couple times with the same results. Any ideas ??

Cheers!
Matt.

Sounds like what usually happens when a car stalls out, all the dashboard lights come on.
Are you sure it has ABS? Do you see an ABS light when the car first starts up?

no.. i'm not sure it has ABS.... I just assumed. haha Was that an option on some? Mine is a fairly basic model. no power locks/windows, no cruise.

doing a quick search, looks like it's an option. so good chance I don't have ABS. But why would those lights come on when the tires lock ? The engine didn't stall.

cheers!

My 06 Vibe does not have ABS or Traction Control, when the wheels lock up the electronics have no reaction at all.

You might have an electrical issue. Maybe one of the ABS sensors?
Does your car have an automatic or manual transmission? If you have a manual, when you stood on the brakes, did you also stand on the clutch?
Does the car start and run correctly? If not have the battery and alternator checked.

yup.. starts a runs correctly. it's manual. Can't recall if I stepped on the clutch or not... if I didn't, I guess that might explain it.. though it didn't stall.

Did you get the PCM swapped? It was under recall for that year and if failed it would do all kinds of bizarre things.

Dollars to donuts has me believing that you locked up the drive wheels without fully depressing the clutch and briefly stalled the motor which then refired when you let off the brake.

dollars to donuts you are right hahaha.

I experimented on my way home and did the same thing, but actually stalled .. hahahahahahahah. thanks for your help though guys. hahahah.

I'll check out that recall thanks.

passenger1147 wrote:dollars to donuts you are right hahaha.

I experimented on my way home and did the same thing, but actually stalled .. hahahahahahahah. thanks for your help though guys. hahahah.

I'll check out that recall thanks.

Yea make sure it was done ASAP! That was a major recall and I'm not sure if there is a time limit on those things.

appt booked! thanks!

star_deceiver wrote:Dollars to donuts has me believing that you locked up the drive wheels without fully depressing the clutch and briefly stalled the motor which then refired when you let off the brake.

I still agree with Star. You locked up the wheels without the use of the clutch, stalled during a roll, and jump started the car when you dumped the clutch again. If you are not sure if you had the clutch fully depressed, then you definitely need to double check if it is "operator error" before a mechanic charges you.

definitely operator error . The appt is to check the recall on the TCM or whatever it is. cheers!