26th Sep 2006, 17:44

Hi Delbert.

At the time, my vehicle was stationary (waiting to make a left turn), the second vehicle stopped about half a car length behind me (a Suzuki Grand Vitara) as the third vehicle collided into it, propelling it forward into the rear of my Vibe. It doesn't appear as if the third car had braked at all, given the extensive damage to its front (a sizable chunk of the third car's hood was crumpled), the Suzuki faired reasonably well, but was pushed forward into the Vibe. I can't say as to how fast the second car was moving when the collision occurred, but the impact was sufficient to push me forward about two car lengths (even with my foot on the brakes). While I continue to suffer from various soft tissue pains in my back, I would say that the safety cage in the vehicle faired reasonably well, as all the doors still worked properly after the crash. As noted previously, the bulk of the damage related to a crumpled undercarriage rails. The fact that the Vibe rides high seems to have contributed to better protection of the passenger cabin.

6th Jan 2007, 13:16

My 2003 Vibe performs like a trouper. At 151,000 miles I just got the first tune-up! Amazing car. (Yeah, yeah, I hear you, car buffs.) You should have seen those pointy spark plugs! I did change the oil regularly. No damage done; everything else is great!

However, I have never found the "right" replacement tire. I have the standard-type wheels and drive in all conditions, hot to icy. I particularly want good traction as the tires tend to skid on wet pavement, my first car with that problem. I've heard all the explanations about the tires being wider, etc. What tires should I look at?

21st Mar 2007, 08:20

On the topic of Tires...

I found the factory tires on my 2003 Vibe were horrible in winter, worse even than any all-season radial I'd ever used. Obviously only meant for summer driving. Being used in Central Canada as a daily driver, this needed to be resolved quickly. I found the best value to be the Canadian Tire Nordic Track tires. On sale, they cost less than $100 CDN per biscuit (that's about $45 US I think) installed and they work pretty good, considering how wide they are (I went for the original tire size when buying the winter ones)

B.

21st Jul 2007, 18:55

For the person who was going to take their Vibe to the Toyota dealership to see if they could find the problem that the Pontiac dealership could not. Did you end up taking it there? What was the outcome? Thanks.

30th Jul 2007, 15:18

I've owned my 2006 Vibe for almost a year now and for the most part love it. After owning fancy "mom vans" for the last 15 years, I was ready for a sporty, but spacious no nonsense car.

We bought our son a used '03 Vibe first, and after I drove it for awhile I was convinced that this was the car for me, so, I bought a new '06 for myself. I love the outside, inside is okay, but the carpet tends to look a bit fuzzy after a year of constant cleaning and vacuuming, (I still have teenage boys) but the one thing that almost makes me regret purchasing the Vibe are all of the squeaks. The dash squeaks constantly and I now have 2 or 3 that come and go from both sides of the back. I'm just curious if this is a common occurrence with the newer cars as my son's '03 is very quiet.

8th Oct 2007, 09:41

Before I replaced the tires on my vehicle (not a Vibe) I researched the comments on tires at the "Tire Rack" website. I looked for comments by users who had their tires some significant time and had a vehicle of similar size and design. It takes some time, but it is well worth the effort.

3rd Dec 2007, 19:33

I am the proud owner of a 2004 Vibe, purchased with the plastic still on it, right off the truck.

It has served me well. recently My hubcaps on the driver side have rusted, unsightly to look at. Was told that it was brake dust, but it will not come off. Any suggestions out there???. So the vehicle was designed for the young. I guess I am young at heart, because I am now 64 and female. Love it.

.

Silverfox.

13th Oct 2008, 10:38

I have had a 2005 Pontiac Vibe for 3 years now and it is a fantastic car. I have the base model with 2 wheel, front wheel drive automatic and I routinely get 27mpg city and 29-31 mpg on the highway. It does sit slightly higher than a Corolla or normal car, but it is not high enough to be in any danger of tipping whatsoever. I have 45K miles on it, and it continues to purr like new.

The only downsides I can see are minor. Road noise is a bit louder than I'd like, and the factory tires are not good in snow and rain as one reviewer from Canada commented. In spite of that, I have not changed them yet even with 45K on the car; there is plenty of tread left. I may change them for this coming winter though. I don't want to push my luck. All in all, it's a great car. I play in a band and haul all my keyboard stuff, moved my daughters to and from college an apartments. It's versatile, reasonably priced and economical. I will have it until it stops running many hundreds of thousands of miles from now. :-)

10th Feb 2009, 07:41

I've had my 2005 Pontiac Vibe for 3 years and think it's been reliable. Just wanted to share some of my concerns and get feedback if anyone knows what might be wrong.

First complaint would be what I thought was the tires, I've always had a problem with sliding in rain or snow. It only happens when accelerating from a dead stop. It feels like the tires won't grip in coordination with the gas being pressed but since changing my tires multiple times the problem still exist. I've also realized that my car gets picked up by the wind very easily and can be swayed a foot or two. Scary!! Could this be due to the weight all being in the front?

Another problem that could relate to the tires not gripping is a large surge forward whenever a light pressure is put on the gas. I was taught to drive on a five speed so I think I have good control over my gas pressure.

Next problem is a pin that has lodged itself in front of my brakes on the passenger front tire and causes an awful sound. I can't recall the name of the pin/clip? but have had it fixed repeatedly.

Last problem that has happened since 12,000 miles is the car very often won't start/turnover on the first try. Scared me the first few times but now I know it will always start on the second.

Other than that I'm very happy with the gas mileage and the interior comfort. There really are a lot of blind spots though, but I can work around that.