I don't think you're in for any "issues", and that you ARE being paranoid. Since you asked :-)
If you read the post before yours carefully, you'll find the Corolla/Matrix starting failure explained. "[..] Vibe does not have the engine imoblizer like the Matrix so the TSB does not apply. "
IOW, worry not. Any car may have problems, but a Vibe is fairly safe. FWIW, I think the car is much better served with a stick shift for performance and gas mileage, and snow tires do fine for winter weather. But that's a matter of personal taste as much as anything.
Thanks for the reply. Yes, I now see the vast majority of starting issues is w/ the Matrix. Now, I just have train my wife to not open the moonroof till she is sure all the spruce needs are cleaned off. I liked the get go power of the FWD. But the AWD I need in my area. Steep hills to get to my house and a driveway from hell. The 4 wheel indepd. susp makes the ride better for sure. We tested them back to back. And since the AWD is a bit slower, my wife and I won't be getting any tickets...I hope. Our old 200+hp. sedan was too easy to go fast. I see others have had the radio crap out prematurely. If that happens to us out of warranty...hopefilly there is an aftermarket replacement. Thanks again...
Did anyone tint their Vibe? I want to tint mine to block some sun and match the black color of my car. So the darker film the better. The guy told me that I can tint my FRONT window %35 film and BACK and REAR windows to 15% film because my car is belong to SUV. After I did a little bit research, I found that Alabama law only allow %35 film in FROND, BACK and REAR windows if your vehicle is category to “CAR”. But if your vehicle is category to MPV (such as a recreation vehicle TRUCK, SUV) which you can tint “ANY %” of film in the BACK and REAR windows. I know the Vibe is category to wagon in any car related web side. I don’t think I can tint the BACK and REAR windows less than 35% film. If you have been tinted your Vibe, please let me know what the % of film you have been use in your BACK and REAR windows and which state you are live in. Thanks in advance!!
Has anybody had a problem with their radio reception. My radio plays FM at first and then after a while it just goes nuts and mixes all reception. In the meantime AM works just fine.
I have a 2004 Vibe with 22,000 miles. Since the car was new it has used a small amount of coolant (lost about 3 1/2 inches in the the coolant tank). The serivce manager says this is a normal amount to lose. I say it should NOT use any. Also our drivers and passenger side windows rattle and cluck when partially down. Sometimes you thing the things are going to break when you close the door! I would appreciate any feedback anyone might have with these problems ( going to meet with a GM rep. next week about these and some other issues. Thanks, Dalefan
Ours is a 2003 AWD Matrix with about 28,000 miles. Still the original coolant, and still full. If your car is running a bit too hot, some of the coolant could have evaporated. That happened to me once with a Honda because a mechanic working on something else had crimped a wire to the electric cooling fan, but in that case I lost a lot of coolant and there was steam coming from under the hood.
Some of the early Matrixes and Vibes had an issue with front interior window gaskets coming loose. A friend of mine had it fixed under warranty on her Matrix, but I don't know if there was a TSB on that problem or not. In ours we haven't had the problem yet. Hopefully it's not because we don't roll down the windows enough!
I agree, I think the dealer is giving you a line about the fluid. I have owned several new and use cars and if your are losing any fluid their is definitely a problem. With respect to the the windows I have a 2005 vibe and I have seen threads in other websites (genvibe) about owners of older model vibes complaints about windows that rattle, however I have not experienced this in mine. Could check to see if their is a TSB for this problem. Good luck
I don't think you mean the Vibe I think you mean the Matrix starting issues, I have a 2005 Vibe and it starts first time every time. If your having a starting problem with yours, definitely take it in to the dealer. Starting problems at 6000 miles can only get worse. If you take it in at least you have it on record with them.
goodvibrations: Reading way back in the posts (near the beginning of production), there were some people posting about starting problems with the Vibe that were present with the Corolla and the Matrix also. It's a warm engine restart issue, not at all related to the encoded key issue. Mine did it again just last night, and I've noticed it takes even longer to crank if the fuel is low. I wonder if fuel pump pressure might have something to do with it? Anyhow, I am going to mention it to the dealer when I take the car in for an oil change next week. It shouldn't be a problem recreating it, since it is "slower" to start on every warm engine restart. It has always started - it's just you crank it more before it does, and it doesn't fire up right away.
The warm engine restart and the ECU problem are one and the same. For some reason the ECU always recognizes the key at a cold start. I don't know the logic behind this. I am just stating the way it is.
Sadly, I had the same experience with the corporation and the dealership, in a round robin circle jerk for over 1 year. My problem was much different on an Avalon, but the corporate jerk around, with incompetent customer service sounds very much the same, which is why I am writing. I had two jobs at the time, and just lived with it, until I excluded things to come up with the diagnosis myself, brought it to a competent mechanic who would listen and fixed it, albeit for $1000 or so.
I will think twice about buying a Toyota again, although the Avalon runs great now, with 73K on it and I expect to get many years out of it. Just to let you know, that the corporate customer guy, took a drive with me, felt the vibration problem and had no idea what it was. After thier enough "good will" they had no more room on the car to give up, although they gave me alloy wheels which did not fix the problem. It was a "out of round", bad front axle/CV joint, a defective part that was not picked up.
If I had to do it over again, which I will not, I would go exactly by the rules in your state, for lemon laws, and then I would go for their throats, unless you like the corporate jerk around. Or else, they will use their delay tactics until the warranty is up. They really do not know their cars, and the corporation is too big to take care of your problem. As important as it is.
My avalon did not have one either, and one very stormy night with high winds sent a shopping cart right into my side of my Avalon, first hitting the door and then ripping off the mirror, as I watched in horror.
Anyway, we got through our psychotherapy OK(Just kiddin) and I bought a new mirror and put it on myself. $200 or so for the mirror and about 1.5 hours for my time. Figure $300 for the thing if you do not do it yourself. It is not that hard to do if you have the time and some patience.
This will likely be over many people's heads...BUT... is the valve lash on the 130hp Vibe/Matrix a hydraulic item(no maint) or set using shims as in the older 1.6 litre engine. I do not see in the owner's Manual service schedule as "engine valve lash adjustment" interval. I know from experience this is a critical item every 30k or so, when shim type is used. Please, no guessing here...
Jason, I don't know the exact answer to your question, but: - At least until recently, the Corolla 4cyl engines had solid (non-hydraulic) lifters that required checking eveyr 30k. - On alt.autos.toyota, the question was asked how often the service was needed. The answer from a master mechanic was: "check every 30k; adjust - never." Apparently, Toyota has the material science down pat and the lifters/cam lobes are so hard that they do not wear significantly.
You say "recent Corolla" engines. So that must be the same animal as we use... My brother's old Corolla had them checked twice in 120k. I believe a few were out of spec. As far as hardness, BMW cycles using the same design have gone 100k without significant change in the clearances. Same for one of my Yamahas. Hopefully our cams don't need to be yanked out like many motorcycle engines with the same design. I believe our engines have a big timing chain? no belt drive cams here...?
I believe that all engines run coolant through the intake manifold(from the head). This keeps all items at a constant temperature. BUT there are gaskets and o-rings that can fail causing a small amout of coolant to get sucked in. This is common on all GM V-6 engines with plastic upper intake plenums. These 4 cylinders also use a plastic intake, but the issue is less common. But it only takes minutes to disassemble this part of the engine to trace the loss. The lazy bumm dealer should know this....carry a side arm next time you visit. Maybe he'll get someone to really check things out.
I was wondering if anyone has had their Matrix starting issues resolved? I have the 2005 XR, and just had the computer replaced but am still having the same warm starting problems. My dealership says that's all they know to do at this time. Anyone had any better luck?
I believe I read in one of the forums that (once the engine is warm)(such as you are stateing is your problem for the hard start) that if you turn the key to "On" (but don't turn it further to crank the engine) and wait a second or two and then crank the engine (that this enables the fuel pump or whatever to get the gas to the proper area for combustion. Give it a try and see what happens. This is not a garuntee, just something i read somewhere along the line.
nortsr1: Thanks for this tip. I'm going to give it a try. Although everyone keeps saying this is a Matrix issue, I have this issue with my Vibe. I actually thought it maybe wasn't going to start for me at the gas station the other night, but it did eventually catch and start up. I've repeated this before, but no one seems to have any clue about it - there is a distinct "clunking" sound - almost like an old sewing machine tredle would make - right after a "warm start." This comes from the engine compartment, and sounds almost like a bad rod would sound, but I know it's not a bad rod, since as soon as you pull away, it stops and you don't hear it any other time. Any ideas? From what I understand, the Matrix issue has to do with a security chip in the key. The Vibe doesn't have this feature, so it must be a fuel pump/emissions/fuel delivery issue.
I traded my V-8 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab for a base Pontiac Vibe with manual trans. about six weeks ago, strictly to save money on gas. The Vibe is virtually the same car as the Matrix and I believe they are made in the same plant in California. Here are my impressions so far as they relate to your questions:
1) I average over 30 MPG all around, city and highway. In a recent trip from St. Louis to KC, I was doing about 75-80 all the way, but still got about 30 MPG. I think it would probably get the advertised 36MPG at about 60MPH, but haven't had it long enough to know for sure.
2) I haven't had a single problem so far. I bought a 7year/1000 mile bumper to bumper extended warranty which includes road hazard because it only raised my payment about $22/month.
3) The drivetrain is the same as the Corolla, so service life should be over 200K miles, especially if it is well-maintained and the miles are mostly highway.
4) Unless you live where it snows a lot, I would not recommend the AWD. From the reviews I have read, the AWD is considerably more sluggish and gets worse mileage. I also think you can only get the AWD with an automatic trans. I would recommend the front-wheel drive and the manual tranny, but that's just my preference. I like a stick in a small car.
5) It was very comfortable in our recent trip to KC, but we only did about 500 miles round trip. The longest we went at one time without stopping was about 2.5 hours (have small kids). It's as comfortable as you could expect a small car to be. I'm a big guy, and I think it is more comfortable than the wife's PT Cruiser.
6) I haven't driven much in the rain yet, but it seems to do well. I have had to make one panic stop at 30MPH on dry pavement and it did very well. When the tires wear out I will be replacing them with Michelin HydroEdge tires. That made a world of difference in wet weather over the stock Goodyears on the wife's PT Cruiser, and they wear forever. As far as winter weather, I gues I'll probably find out how it does in the next month or two. I am used to driving trucks, and it is a big change for me, but I do feel safe in the car, which is more that I can say for a lot of other small cars I've been in.
I have the AWD Vibe(2005) and the Auto(which is standard). During test drives the difference in performance was so little when giving it the gas, it was not an issue. We felt the independent rear suspension of the AWD was more noticable in the comfort of ride department. YES, we have much snow in the winter, so AWD is always a consideration when available. Mileage wise I think we are doing 23-25 city and guess close to 30 hwy but it's not even broken in yet.
No, I do not have a clue about the clunking noise and yes, I do believe it is a fuel deivery problem. Try the key "on". ....wait a couple of seconds.... and sometimes you will "hear" the fuel pump (or whatever the heck it is called in this computer age" and then turn to "ignition". Please respond as to whether or not this works.
My thoughts on this are that I TOTALLY agree! When my Vibe was brand new, I took it through a car wash and the paint chipped off of the body side molding! Since it was under warranty, the dealer replaced it, but I have numerous other chips since then. HORRIBLE paint job/clearcoat!
There is a constant knocking coming from behind my glovebox. I took it to the dealer and they said that due to the heat (Phoenix, AZ), one of the "actuators" (the flap doors that open and close in the A/C system) was warped and couldn't close... so it's constantly knocking. The tab to repair is $400-$500 because they apparently have to remove the entire dashboard to fix it. When I open the glovebox, I can actually see and feel something tapping against a piece of foam. So why would they have to remove the entire dashboard to repair? Any ideas on a more cost effecftive approach to a very annoying problem (other than turning up my stereo)? Thanks.
I tried it for the first time this weekend, and yes, it did seem to "fire up" faster. There was still a bit more of a hesitation then when the engine is cold, but not as much as there had been. Interestingly, I don't really "hear" a fuel pump sound (I have heard this in other vehicles), but for right now, it seems to be working. Thanks for the tip!
Yes you are being paranoid. Very few Vibes have the starting problem. I have no exact numbers but I would guess maybe 1 in 100 has the problem. This is just a guess from reading this and other forums. I am sure the dealer will be more informed on correcting the problem by the time you get yours if needed. Some moonroofs do leak, thats why I didn't get one. But it's only a small number and the dealer is capable of fixing the problem. My other 2 cars are Lexus RX300 and Olds Alero. Both have more potential problems than the Vibe.
I've got the same problem with my 2004 Vibe, which I just bought used with 20,000 miles on it. My husband suggested that I ask if anyone else had this problem. I don't know about winter tires, as I live in Florida, but I have plenty of traction in rainy conditions. I just had a tire rotation and alignment done, and there didn't seem to be unusual tire wear. If it is, in fact, the Continental tires, does anyone have any suggestions as to what tires I should replace them with, and will that take care of the roaring?
yep: kill the Continentals; they are awful. I suggest the Firestone Dayton Daytona H rated tires. I have owned two sets on different cars, and will soon buy a third set for my Maxx. Great tire! They are sold at retailers such as Tires Plus. Your friendly Firestone dealer sells a version very similar to the Dayton, but as a different name. Good luck.
I am the second owner of a 2004 Matrix XRS. While travelling on the highway and attempting to pass a slow vehicle, the brakes went stiff and were very hard to depress. This scared us to turn around and head back home. The brakes did this intermittently about 18 times before getting it back home. Toyota found nothing and said the vehicle is safe now. It has been 5 months. Someone recently suggested the ABS actuator might be the cause. Can you fully test this component or is it something you just replace? I'd like to find out if this is it for sure, or not.
rear brakes on my 2003 jaguar are sticking on the anchor plate; this comes up on the tsb # 20604 , does the dealer repair it free of charge? mileage is 20,000 ; I appreciate your help!
I think you posted this question on the WRONG topic.There is probably a Jaguar topic somewhere??? Perhaps the moderator will help you find the right forum.
Since you don't mention what model Jaguar, I'd suggest that you use the Browse by Vehicle search tool in the left sidebar to find discussions about your model.
I have a 2004 Vibe with 24,500 miles on it. One morning as my wife was going to work, the brakes were out. I got it to the dealer and the brake fluid reservoir was very very low - almost completely empty. The dealer called GM and ran a bunch of tests but found no leaks or problems. They topped off the fluid and marked the level on the reservoir. The brakes worked better after this but the brake pedal feels sort of "mushy". I took it back to the dealer this morning and they said that as the brakes wear down, the piston push the calipers out and the fluid fills up the space behind the caliper pistions. This makes sense to me but I cannot believe that it would take all of the fluid in the reservior. Does this make sense to anyone or has anyone else experienced this problem?
I like how they marked the fluid level; there clearly is something wrong, but at this point, just keep an eye on it. What they told you is not right; normally you do not have that much fluid missing due to adjustments. I've had lots of cars, and have only added brake fluid on two or three of them.
Thanks for the reply. I will keep an eye on the fluid level. The dealer is going to replace the master cylinder for me next week to see if that helps. I will post more information when I have it.
I recently bought a 2003 Vibe GT with 14,000 miles, great car! Recently I have had an occasional problem in that the starter (solonoid?) will make a clicking sound, then turn over. Yesterday, I had to push start the car it would not do anything, since then it has started fine a dozen times. The problems seems to occur more when the engine is recently turned off. Could this related to a switch in the clutch pedal or is the starter going? Seems unusual for such low miles.
Twice now I have had to return my base '05 Vibe to the dealer because they have over filled the crankcase with too much oil. The manual calls for 3.9 qts. and they must have been putting in 5 quarts as the dipstick read about 1/2" over the full mark both times. They then drained out the excess to get it to the proper level. Maybe I'm just a nitpicker but the manual warns not to overfill. I'm not sure it would have hurt the engine or not but would rather err on the side of caution just to be on the safe side. I wonder if 4 qts. which would be 1/10th of a qt. overfill would be ok in the future (assuming they do not have the ability to put precisely 3.9 qts. in) or am I just being paranoid? With all the cars I have owned, I have never had this problem with a dealership before. Maybe they are not yet used to the fact that this is a Toyota engine. If this continues I may just take the car to a Toyota dealer for oil changes. Thanks for any input.
Check the November issue of consumer report. They have tested a number of all season and winter tires. For all season tires they rated the Good Year Triple Treads as number one followed by the Michelin X. They might be your best bet. Take a look a the article than decide. They tested for traction, durability, comfort, noise etc. They are usually right. Should help you find what your looking for in tire. Good Luck.
Hi, I have a pontiac vibe 2006 and I had heard the same "knock" sound. I checked the user manual and it states that it is normal to hear a click sound each time in the beginning, it's due to ABS checking itself (I don't know if your car has an ABS).
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Comments
Since you asked :-)
If you read the post before yours carefully, you'll find the Corolla/Matrix starting failure explained. "[..] Vibe does not have the engine imoblizer like the Matrix so the TSB does not apply. "
IOW, worry not. Any car may have problems, but a Vibe is fairly safe. FWIW, I think the car is much better served with a stick shift for performance and gas mileage, and snow tires do fine for winter weather. But that's a matter of personal taste as much as anything.
Good luck,
-Mathias
Thanks in advance!!
Some of the early Matrixes and Vibes had an issue with front interior window gaskets coming loose. A friend of mine had it fixed under warranty on her Matrix, but I don't know if there was a TSB on that problem or not. In ours we haven't had the problem yet. Hopefully it's not because we don't roll down the windows enough!
I will think twice about buying a Toyota again, although the Avalon runs great now, with 73K on it and I expect to get many years out of it. Just to let you know, that the corporate customer guy, took a drive with me, felt the vibration problem and had no idea what it was. After thier enough "good will" they had no more room on the car to give up, although they gave me alloy wheels which did not fix the problem. It was a "out of round", bad front axle/CV joint, a defective part that was not picked up.
If I had to do it over again, which I will not, I would go exactly by the rules in your state, for lemon laws, and then I would go for their throats, unless you like the corporate jerk around. Or else, they will use their delay tactics until the warranty is up. They really do not know their cars, and the corporation is too big to take care of your problem. As important as it is.
Good luck.
abfisch
Anyway, we got through our psychotherapy OK(Just kiddin) and I bought a new mirror and put it on myself. $200 or so for the mirror and about 1.5 hours for my time. Figure $300 for the thing if you do not do it yourself. It is not that hard to do if you have the time and some patience.
abfisch
I don't know the exact answer to your question, but:
- At least until recently, the Corolla 4cyl engines had solid (non-hydraulic) lifters that required checking eveyr 30k.
- On alt.autos.toyota, the question was asked how often the service was needed. The answer from a master mechanic was: "check every 30k; adjust - never." Apparently, Toyota has the material science down pat and the lifters/cam lobes are so hard that they do not wear significantly.
-Mathias
My brother's old Corolla had them checked twice in 120k. I believe a few were out of spec. As far as hardness, BMW cycles using the same design have gone 100k without significant change in the clearances. Same for one of my Yamahas. Hopefully our cams don't need to be yanked out like many motorcycle engines with the same design. I believe our engines have a big timing chain?
no belt drive cams here...?
1) I average over 30 MPG all around, city and highway. In a recent trip from St. Louis to KC, I was doing about 75-80 all the way, but still got about 30 MPG. I think it would probably get the advertised 36MPG at about 60MPH, but haven't had it long enough to know for sure.
2) I haven't had a single problem so far. I bought a 7year/1000 mile bumper to bumper extended warranty which includes road hazard because it only raised my payment about $22/month.
3) The drivetrain is the same as the Corolla, so service life should be over 200K miles, especially if it is well-maintained and the miles are mostly highway.
4) Unless you live where it snows a lot, I would not recommend the AWD. From the reviews I have read, the AWD is considerably more sluggish and gets worse mileage. I also think you can only get the AWD with an automatic trans. I would recommend the front-wheel drive and the manual tranny, but that's just my preference. I like a stick in a small car.
5) It was very comfortable in our recent trip to KC, but we only did about 500 miles round trip. The longest we went at one time without stopping was about 2.5 hours (have small kids). It's as comfortable as you could expect a small car to be. I'm a big guy, and I think it is more comfortable than the wife's PT Cruiser.
6) I haven't driven much in the rain yet, but it seems to do well. I have had to make one panic stop at 30MPH on dry pavement and it did very well. When the tires wear out I will be replacing them with Michelin HydroEdge tires. That made a world of difference in wet weather over the stock Goodyears on the wife's PT Cruiser, and they wear forever. As far as winter weather, I gues I'll probably find out how it does in the next month or two. I am used to driving trucks, and it is a big change for me, but I do feel safe in the car, which is more that I can say for a lot of other small cars I've been in.
Hope this helps.
Love the Vibe, love the great gas mileage!
Othre than that, you might also try posting in the Got a Quick, Technical Question? discussion.
What they told you is not right; normally you do not have that much fluid missing due to adjustments. I've had lots of cars, and have only added brake fluid on two or three of them.
-Mathias
Simon
For all season tires they rated the Good Year Triple Treads as number one followed by the Michelin X.
They might be your best bet. Take a look a the article than decide. They tested for traction, durability, comfort, noise etc. They are usually right. Should help you find what your looking for in tire.
Good Luck.
I have a pontiac vibe 2006 and I had heard the same "knock" sound. I checked the user manual and it states that it is normal to hear a click sound each time in the beginning, it's due to ABS checking itself (I don't know if your car has an ABS).