Tl* the contact owns a 2003 pontiac vibe. While attempting to lower the front driver's side power window, it sounded like grinding glass. The same noise occurring when raising the window back up. The contact had the window switch disconnected by an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided case number: 9-5058739349. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 208,000.
2003 Pontiac Vibe visibility problems
77 complaints (26% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 59,000.
- owner complaints
- 77
- of this car's complaints
- 26%
- typical mileage
- 59,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
- Glass, side/rear37
- Power window devices and controls24
- Windshield3
- Windshield wiper/washer1
- Defroster/defogger/HVAC system: heater core1
- Defroster/defogger/HVAC system: fan/motor1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Pontiac Vibe visibility problems in other years
Related recalls
Visibility: glass, side/rear
- What is wrong
- Toyota is recalling 662,178 my 2003-2004 corolla, corolla matrix and pontiac vibe vehicles equipped with power windows. The driver and front passenger door glass bolts may loosen and come off, causing the door glass to separate from the window regulator. Due to the components becoming loose and possibly rattling, an abnormal noise may be heard from the driver and /or front passenger door when operating the power windows.
- Risk
- The door glass may separate from the window regulator, bind and shatter during operation of the power windows, causing driver distraction and/or injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the driver and front passenger door glass bolts with newly designed bolts free of charge. The recall began on april 16, 2008 to toyota owners. The recall began on may 21, 2008, for pontiac owners. Owners may contact toyota at 1‑888‑270‑9371 or pontiac at 1‑800‑620‑7668.
Recall number 08V162000 · Recall details
Related investigations
Side front power window shatters
For the subject vehicles, there is a possibility that the retention force of the regulator bolts which attach the front side window glass to the power window regulator may not be sufficient due to an interference of the retention nut and the bolt shoulder radius.in this condition the bolt may become loose, causing a loud noise to be generated when the window is raised or lowered.if the vehicle and the power window are continuously operated in this condition, the bolt may completely separate, causing the glass to become misaligned, and in the worse case, the glass may shatter during operation of the power window.general motors corporation (gm) and toyota north america, inc. (toyota) will conduct a safety recall on the pontiac vibe, toyota corolla and toyota matrix vehicles to replace the regulator bolt with a bolt and washer.gm will recall 122,593 my 2003-2004 pontiac vibe vehicles.odi is aware of a total of 16,045 warranty and goodwill claims, 274 field and consumer reports, and 23 injuries for these vehicles.toyota will recall 415,341 my 2003-2004 toyota corolla vehicles. Odi is aware of a total of 6,601 warranty claims, 150 field and consumer reports, and 11 injuries for these vehicles.toyota will recall 124,244 my 2003-2004 toyota corolla matrix vehicles.odi is aware of a total of 2,198 warranty claims, 113 field and consumer reports, and 6 injuries for these vehicles.odi is aware of a total of 24,843 warranty claims, 537 field and consumer reports, and 40 injuries for 662,178 my 2003-2004 vehicles.the recall is identified by the federal safety agency number 08v‑162.
EA08004
Side front window shatters
The subject vehicle is manufactured by new united motor manufacturing, inc. (nummi) in fremont, california.nummi is a joint venture between general motors and toyota.toyota is responsible for responding to this the federal safety agency investigation.toyota reports that its evaluation is incomplete at this time, however; toyota has identified two issues that can contribute to side window glass breaking.in its january 11, 2008 letter to odi, toyota stated that a majority of the reports included in this response are most likely related to the loosening of the window regulator bolts.the second issue is, less predominantly, the interference of the side window glass with the door check link....odi has received 46 consumer complaints alleging that the driver and/or passenger power front window shattered, and/or the window makes a popping/clicking noise during operation.a loosening of the window regulator bolts may product a popping noise while operating the window.the power window system in the vibe is also used in the toyota corolla and the toyota corolla matrix.toyota identified 203 complaints for model year (my) 2003-2004 pontiac vibe; and, 254 complaints for my 2003-2004 toyota corolla and toyota corolla matrix alleging that the side front power window shattered and/or made a popping/clicking noise during operation.toyota is still monitoring and evaluating this issue.this investigation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea08-004) to further investigate this issue .
PE07049
What 2003 Pontiac Vibe owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 pontiac vibe. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the front driver side window suddenly dislodged and collapsed inward. While inspecting the vehicle, the contact discovered that the plastic clips used to secure the window failed, which caused the window to become unsecured. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 106,000.
I drove on a main hwy in a more remote location at about 100km when all the sudden I heard a big bang. After collecting myself I realized I could not see forward at all the back mirror was knocked of the windshield and the side mirrors where marginally usable due to too much water and salt on the roads. We barely missed a big truck that was oncoming. I managed to pull partially off the road to then pull down the hood so I could see where I was going after which I pulled over to the shoulder. A nice person pulled over and tied down the hood so we could drive to the next city to call caa and not get stuck on the hwy in the dark, a safer place to be. We made it, but we could have hit the oncoming truck just as easily, we came really close to hitting him head on judging by looking out the side window. This is a possibly deadly flaw in the hood closing mechanism I believe that will some day cost some person there live!! We where lucky. In the end the hood is toast, the windshield is fried and the roof is dented, we also now have a knocking from the engine which was not present before.
Initial recall (#08v162000) for loose window bolts conducted in 2008. Recently noticed driver side front door window again loose and rattling when window is part way down (as before with original recall in 2008). Concern is the window glass could become disengaged from lifting track and shatter resulting in distracting the driver and possible accident.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 pontiac vibe. The contact stated that the front driver's side window failed to open properly. In addition, the window would become stuck and was unable to be closed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that the regulator assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 129,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 pontiac vibe. The contact stated that the driver's side front window glass bolts loosened and separated from its housing causing the window to separate from the manual window regulator. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who informed the contact that the bolts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was also informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 67,000. Updated 2/21/13 updated 6/13/13 *cn the dealer replaced the regulator assembly. Invoice received 06/17/13
I have owned this car since 2003, in 2008 I had failure of the power window on the passenger side, it was fixed by the dealer and I was told to return if problems occurred in the drivers side window. Yesterday I heard the familiar clunk of the window and know it is the same issue as the recall in 2008. I spoke to a representative at gmc (colin) via email and was told this recall is no longer valid. Is this true, I thought recalls were good for 10 years. What to do? Pontiac is out of business?
While driving home on the expressway (during rush hour) at around 65 MPH there was a sudden extremely loud noise. I had no idea what this was and looked around the vehicle and discovered that the sunroof had completely shattered. It being michigan and in the 30's it has been closed the entire season. I was not driving near or under an overpass at the time so I do not believe anything was dropped on it. After searching online I discovered I am not the only one who has had this happened to them. The vehicle was involved in a safety recall (07273) with the driver and passenger windows as they would suddenly break as well. This service was completed. Could this be related?
There was a recall to replace bolts that hold the front windows onto the door window regulator of the 2003 pontiac vibe. I had the bolts replaced at the dealer, so the window would not shatter while driving or fall into the door frame. Well, replacing the bolts does not prevent this from happening. The window still fell into the door frame anyway and can shatter at anytime. The plastic clips that the replacement bolt screws into breaks easily which results in either the window shattering while driving and/or falling into the door frames. Therefore, the recall did not prevent this very unsafe event from happening. Please institute a recall for the plastic clips on the front windows to solve the problem that the initital recall was supposed to have addressed, but did not.
2003 pontiac vibe rear power windows will not roll down. The front side passenger windows makes a loud noise when I roll it down even though I did take it to the dealer when it was recalled.
Questions about the 2003 Pontiac Vibe visibility
Does the 2003 Pontiac Vibe have visibility problems?
Owners have filed 77 complaints about the visibility of the 2003 Pontiac Vibe, 26% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 2003 Pontiac Vibe visibility problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 59,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Pontiac Vibe visibility?
Yes, 1 recall: 08V162000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Pontiac Vibe have the most visibility problems?
The Pontiac Vibe model years with the most visibility complaints are 2003 (77 complaints), 2004 (76 complaints) and 2005 (18 complaints).
Other 2003 Pontiac Vibe problems
Airbags 66Transmission 49Body 24Electrical 23Lights 18Acceleration 13Engine 11Seat belts 9Tires 8Brakes 6Steering 5Suspension 5Fuel system 4Locks 4Seats 1Wheels 1
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