GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

For the last two years, the check engine light on my 2009 Vibe GT would come on and then go back off after a couple days, usually when the weather changed. I didn't do much about it, as the car was running fine otherwise.

Now, the car is experiencing an intermittent "clunking" noise when it slows down after an initial start. I thought maybe is was the breaks, so I took it in to be looked at. GM mechanic figured it was some thrash in the shifting, but nothing to worry about. Well 3-4 weeks later, it started getting worse, and then the check engine light came back on. I also noticed that the car seemed to be having hesitation when going from gears 1-3.

Brought it in a second time, and mechanic said there was damage to the wiring due to mice.

But to make matters worse, they are telling me I need a new PCM module, as the car is throwing up code P0607. Combined repairs are going to be like $2500

But looking online, I see that there was a recall based on a faulty PCM for Vibes and Matrix models 2005-2008. Mine is a 2009.

My warranty JUST ran out 2 months ago for the powertrain, so I am not happy about this at all.

Is it time to get a new car? Could this be part of the recall?

No, the recall is on a totally different PCM from yours. Totally different motor and drivetrain in the 09 GT. They fixed it back in 2008 and some of those in the later cars did not need to be replaced. They failed and the car died completely and would not restart, causing an accident hazard and thus the recall. My son's 06 PCM failed in 08 before the recall, and the one they replaced it with was not part of the recall, so it was not replaced again.

I would certainly get a second opinion on it. If that is from a dealer, they will only deal with brand new parts and they are $$$$$$$$$. Another repair place might be able to fix it cheaper. That code mentions the computer could be bad, or it could just be the power supply that is faulty, possibly due to the wiring issues. Maybe it shorted out from that. If the wiring is bad, I would look to getting a wiring harness from a used car and possibly a PCM from the same car. Should be much cheaper than new parts. Then it might just need to be programmed to work in your particular car, but I'm not sure on that.

Good luck!