Just leaving for a trip from michigan to tenn. Driving 70 MPH on I-75 south when coming down a steep over pass, I heard rattling in my engine and thumping. This is a very dangerous spot on I-75 with many trucks traveling at high speed coming down from this overpass. My first thought was, it was a flat tire. When I barely coasted to a semi-safe spot my daughter got out and said the tire is not flat. I shifted my manual transmission 6 speed vibe gt into 1st gear let off the clutch only to find it didn't respond. Upset because I had just become unemployed 3 mos prior and voluntarily returned my 2012 chevy sonic back to the credit union. Withdrew what I had in my 401k to purchase this vehicle to ensure transportation that was paid in full only 6 weeks ago. I have seen many complaints regarding transmission failure with this year pontiac vibe. I believe this needs to be investigated instead of allowing the consumer to absorb the cost of this repair which is an obvious flaw at the manufacturer level.
2003 Pontiac Vibe: complete transmission failure
8 of the 298 complaints about the 2003 Pontiac Vibe describe complete transmission failure.
- owner complaints
- 8
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- typical mileage
- 110,000
- recalls
- 1
Complete transmission failure by model year
- 20091
- 20071
- 20061
- 20057
- 20042
- 20038
What owners say
2003 pontiac vibe 5-speed. Transmission bearings failed, causing the transmission to grind itself up and strand the car. Fluid changed every 30k miles. First transmission died at 70k miles and the second one now died at 110k miles. Third transmission getting installed to correct a faulty design. Buying a brand new one this time and it has cost me thousands of dollars so far.
Grinding noise began to occur under vehicle. Upon investigation in online forums, many other toyota matrix and pontiac vibe owners had the exact same experience resulting in total transmission failure caused by a defective main shaft bearing.
Catastrophic transmission failure on 2003 pontiac vibe (5 speed manual transmission) resulted in difficult vehicle control while pulling to the side of I-95. Mechanic diagnosed as due to faulty bearing in transmission. Correlates with many reports in online forums of same vehicle having transmission failure at approximately 100,00 +/- 20,000 miles.
While driving my 2003 pontiac vibe on the freeway the manual transmission froze up causing sudden deceleration and the engine to die. I briefly loss control of the vehicle and narrowly avoided an accident before getting the car to the side of the road. The dealer inspected the transmission and described it as a catastrophic failure of the transmission. This transmission failure issue is apparently a known issue with 2003 transmissions made by toyota in pontiac vibes and matrix.
Transmission failure. Vehicle just stopped running in middle of road. By searching the web there appears to be a substantial amount of these transmission failures 2003 pontiac vibe, awd.
2003 pontiac vibe with manual transmission failure. Consumer stated that the transmission failed in the middle of the intersection. She would like reimbursement because a used transmission will cost her about $2,000.
My 2003 pontiac vibe manual transmission failed at 58,000 miles. The car started making a clunking noise. Two blocks later it came to a dead stop in the middle of an intersection and could not be pushed out of the way. This is a potentially fatal problem if this had happened on a highway. Pontiac will not acknowledge a problem. This is the same car as a toyota matrix. There are many, many incidents of both matrixes and vibes with manual transmission failures at low mileage.
Service bulletins that may apply
- This service bulletin provides information on OEM and Remanufactured Engine and Automatic...
- Power train
- OEM and Remanufactured Engine and Automatic Transmission/Transaxle Identification
- This informational bulletin provides technicians with information regarding automatic transmission oil...
- MU4 MU5 automatic transmission fluid color
- MU4 MU5 automatic transmission fluid color
- MU4 MU5 transmission characteristic upshift or downshift on grades
- FWD snap click clunk noise when shifting into reverse or drive
Related recalls
Power train: axle assembly
- What is wrong
- On certain two-wheel drive (2wd) passenger vehicles, it is possible for the bolts that join the rear brake and hub assembly to the rear axle carrier to be loose due to insufficient tightening during the assembly process.
- Risk
- If the vehicle is operated in this condition, one or more of the four bolts could come loose, causing an abnormal noise from the rear axle area. In the event that all four bolts loosen completely, separation of the rear brake and hub assembly from the rear axle carrier could occur, which could lead to a loss of vehicle control.
- Remedy
- Dealers will properly tighten the bolts. Owner notification began march 12, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact pontiac at 1‑800‑762‑2737.
Recall number 02V074002 · Recall details
Questions about the 2003 Pontiac Vibe transmission failure
Is complete transmission failure a common problem on the 2003 Pontiac Vibe?
8 of 298 owner complaints about the 2003 Pontiac Vibe (3%) mention complete transmission failure. The model year with the most reports is 2003.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Pontiac Vibe?
There is 1 recall and 14 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Pontiac Vibe
Headlights 14Power windows 14No deployment 13Airbag light 11Grinding brakes 9Slipping 6Sudden acceleration 5
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2003 Pontiac Vibe?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history