GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

My name is Tom... and I own a 2009 Pontiac Vibe...

I really like the car but there are a couple of things that are starting to bug me.

I have owned the car 2 1/2 years (Picked it up used at a Toyota dealership).

The gas pedal makes me CRAZY!! On my first test drive, the girly girl sales person was sitting in the back seat (well basically between the two front seats) and when I stepped on the gas... she was thrown into the back seat. The gas pedal is SO "touchy" I still have trouble getting it off the line without driving everyone and everything into the back.

My car came with NO floor mats because someone was convinced that the floor mats were causing the gas pedal to stick... (Ahhhhh NOT!)

The only other complaint I have (other than the $1300 it cost me to fix the "black box" that controls the steering, VSC, and other sorted ABS things) is the automatic transmission does not shift to my liking AT ALL... can I re-program when and how the tranny shifts? It's really starting to become a sore spot with me.

Oh ya... and the radio knob SUCKS!!!!!!!!!

Other than that... it’s a zippy little car and I like it...

Any ideas? Thanx in Advance...

TD

Other than the transmission, those are all pretty much common/known issues. My accelerator is touchy also, and I don't think there's much you can do about that but get used to it. My foot has definitely gotten "lighter" off the line. Mine also didn't come with floor mats (I purchased WeatherTechs). And the radio knobs fail and are hard to replace. You can get replacement knobs reasonably cheap at any dealer but due to the ridge on the back you either have to take the radio out and apart to replace them or get creative with a dremel (cut the old ones off and trim the ridge off the new ones so they push on).

As for the transmission issue.. I can't say I notice it on mine (2.4l 5-speed). Occasionally it may shift at a bit higher RPM than I would have chosen but usually if I let off the accelerator for a second it corrects.

Welcome to GenVibe Tom. My Vibe was purchased new from the Medina auto mall, not far from you but it's home is here in the Toledo area. The gas pedal thing is this: If you purchased it AFTER the recall, then the dealer circumcised it to where it has less pedal surface area & is extremely tighter to where you barely touch it and ZOOOOOM, you're thrown back If the recall was done and you are not happy with it, I believe you can return it to the dealer where they will replace the pedal with a new one which is more sensitive. In my case (the red 09 GT) I refused to have the recall done mainly because I have the manual 5-speed and the car is constantly in neutral, thus it will never "run-a-way"! My son's Blue 09 GT we bought used and the dealer performed their surgery on the pedal, like yours, and it is exactly as you described. We don't like it but my son has gotten used to it and lives with it as is Floor mats, look around there likely is someone selling the OEM ones somewhere BUT don't rule out WeatherTech or other aftermarket ones. Especially that you live in a snowy area of Ohio! Not sure on the transmission shifting issue. I do know on my wife's G8GT they had to make a program change because 1st to 2nd would "grab too hard" & jerk the car sometimes. All other gears were so smooth you couldn't tell they were shifting! Possibly there is a way to program it. From one Ohioan to another ............................... Welcome

THANX gang... I really like my lil car.

The tranny issue is kinda weird. The car I owned before my Vibe was a 2006 Cadillac CTS (with a 6 speed stick)... yes... a stick!

It was awesome... but that is another story for another day.

My Vibe up shifts just fine... the problem that annoys me is when the car is down shifting. I seem to ALWAYS catch the car between gears when I am slowing down and then want to step on it... There is a hesitation that seems like the car does not know what gear to go into... very irritating...

I wonder if there is an upgrade to the transmission or a way to HOT ROD it up?

All in all... it is a little rocket ship and zooms thru traffic every morning with no problems... FUN TO DRIVE (But it ain't my CTS)...

Welcome Tommy!

Welcome! I have a similar complaint about the auto transmission also, probably mostly coming from driving my 5 speed 5.0 Mustang for about 24 years! I do not like the way it shifts either. The hesitation is very annoying. Also, mine feels like the brakes are on whenever I let off the gas. I usually put my manual trans in neutral and coast so I don't like this automatic "coasting". I really wish I had a manual.

Welcome to GenVibe Tom! Give us some more info on your 2009 Vibe i.e. color, transmission, engine, options, etc. and definitely post some pictures of it when you get a chance !

As far as the accelerator pedal goes, as others have already said, check with your local GM dealership to see whether any of the pedal recalls were ever done and if they were, to what extent. First, I had the recall done to both our 2009 GTs that required the installation of a shim in the accelerator pedal assembly. Next, I had the accelerator pedals and floor pans "modified" by the dealer. Last but not least, I had the entire accelerator pedal assemblies replaced with brand new ones. Once the new accelerator pedal assemblies were installed, the accelerator pedals are no longer anywhere near as "touchy" as they were before having any of the recalls done.

Here are a couple threads regarding the various accelerator pedal recalls:
viewtopic.php?f=41&t=34278

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=32996

As far as the transmission goes, there was actually a recall too for the "harsh downshift" some 2009-2010 owners were experiencing.

Here is a thread regarding the harsh downshift on the 2009-2010 5-speed automatic:
viewtopic.php?f=12&t=31299