GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hey guys, my '03 AWD Vibe ran into its first major issue today. I drove to pick my brother up from college about 60 or so miles away and as I was about 2 miles from his school, the Vibe started to act a bit funny. It was seeming to brake itself as I let off the accelerator as I approached a light. Stopped at the light and as I was pulling away, the car felt sluggish, and "BOOM" you could hear a bang noise from the front end of the car and the front tires locked up completely and I skidded to a stop right in the middle of the intersection. Car just seemed to rev with no effort made to move. Park, Reverse, Neutral, Drive and low gears all produced the same result. Shut the car off and restarted, no difference. No brake lights. Car continued to run just fine but wouldnt move. Car was in neutral but front wheels just slid onto the flatbed when the towtruck driver came. Anyone ever have an issue like this?? There were no warning signs until I made that last stop. First thought is that for some reason the parking pawl may have engaged and is stuck engaged? I dont have a whole lot of knowledge on transmissions and cant seem to find a whole lot on issues like this online. Another thought was a Torque converter issue. Car is currently parked at a shop 60-some miles away but I will be bringing it home tomorrow to look into it further. If anyone has any ideas, Im open to suggestions or troubleshooting advice. Trans fluid is full and clean and there were no Trans issues before today.

Not familiar with the AWD version. Is it possible something seized up in the transfer case? When you have it up on jacks are you able to spin any of the wheels, if one spins does it turn any of the other wheels? Although unlikely, does the linkage between the shifter and transmission work ok?
I hate to think that a shaft or part of the banding came apart. If you have it up in the air, after checking what you can mechanically see, CV shafts, rear drive shaft, bearings. Check the transfer case oil
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The lack of brake lights may indicate an electrical issue, since they should work regardless what gear the Vibe is in. Possibly electrical harness issue, where the speed sensor etc is not getting signal causing transmission issues? Do the other electrical items work fine, all gauges, windows, door locks, interior and exterior lights?

Ill get a better look when I get it on the lift, maybe as soon as tomorrow.

I meant the Brake and ABS diagnostic lights on the dash! All electrical accessories work correctly including the external rear brake lights!

Sounds like something in the drive-line broke and locked the differential, just my guess. Time for a new-used transaxle?

Looks like something broke inside the tranny and locked things up. My dad rocked the car back and forth in Neutral and got it freed up. Was able to drive it right in the shop no problem. Car acted normally in the air, although I didnt let it out of 1st gear. Ill be taking out the tranny sometime next week and if there is not too much damage from whatever went wrong, Ill be rebuilding this one. I was looking into a used tranny but the cost of rebuilding will only be a fraction of what I could find, especially for low mileage ones. Will post back when I have a chance to start tearing the car apart. I bought a '98 Grand Marquis with 105k miles for the time being so theres no rush on the Vibe at the moment.

Really? I thought it was only like a $250 trans used, if it's the 4-speed auto. Makes me laugh a lot because the manuals are $800+.