2009 Pontiac Vibe engine problems

Filed Feb 4, 2025 · Engine · ND

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The Toyota 2.4L 2AZ-FE engine in my 2009 Pontiac Vibe GT suffers from excessive oil consumption due to a known piston ring defect. The rapid oil loss between changes puts the engine at risk of failure. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? This issue poses a serious safety risk because: 1.Oil levels drop unpredictably, increasing the risk of sudden engine failure while driving, which could lead to accidents. 2.No dashboard warning appears when oil is low, making it difficult to detect before damage occurs. 3.Toyota acknowledged this defect under Warranty Enhancement ZE7, but Pontiac Vibe owners were excluded, despite having the same Toyota-manufactured engine. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes. Independent mechanics have confirmed the excessive oil consumption, consistent with the known Toyota 2AZ-FE defect. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others? •Toyota acknowledged the issue in their vehicles but refused assistance for the Pontiac Vibe GT. •GM has not inspected the vehicle, even though they marketed and sold it. Were there any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? •No warning lights indicate low oil levels. •Symptoms include rapid oil loss, increased engine noise, and potential knocking if oil is not constantly monitored. Summary for the federal safety agency The Pontiac Vibe GT uses the Toyota 2AZ-FE engine, which Toyota admitted has a piston ring defect. Toyota extended warranties for their vehicles but excluded Pontiac Vibe owners, leaving us with a known defective engine. This creates a safety risk that should be investigated.

Filed Nov 29, 2023 · Engine · ND

TSB 0158-14 IS a Toyota engine that was also used in General Motors Pontiac vibe in 2009 and 2010 The tsb has to do with oil consumption and a tsb was made for Toyota. Not for Pontiac as a result my Pontiac is now consuming oil every 1000kms As they both used the 2Az-FE 2.4 engine

Filed Sep 6, 2023 · Acceleration, Engine · CA

I was driving no warnings lights to shutting down on the road to black smoke came out of the back luckily a guy was going by and helped me move my car

Filed Apr 24, 2023 · Acceleration, Engine · MI

Accelerates on its own from idle or low speeds. Was recalled on 2/8/2010 #2010018..and repaired on 6/21/ 2010. Approx. 2 years ago it started to "take off again". Grand Buick... Grandville MI advised there was no current recall. I'm waiting for GM to advise of a no charge to owner recall.

Filed Apr 6, 2020 · Engine · 80,000 miles · TN

I bought a 2009 pontiac vibe with a 2.4l engine a little over a year ago with around 80k miles. I noticed right away that it was using about a quart of oil around every 1k miles. It now has a little over 90k miles and uses about 1.25 quarts of oil per 1k miles. I found that toyota admitted to a problem with the 2az-fe engines that are in their matrix and camrys, as well as the pontiac vibe, and have offered the ze7 warranty enhancement program to replace the pistons and rings in these products to correct the excessive oil consumption issue. I contacted gm service to see if they were going to offer the same program for these engines since they purchased these defective engines from toyota. They responded by saying that there were no open service programs open for this car. I asked them why gm wouldn't admit to the problem as toyota did, and offer a program similar to the toyota program to resolve the issues with this engine. They responded again by saying that there were no open service issues for this vehicle. I think it's very irresponsible of gm to not acknowledge a problem with these engines and offer the same support for them as did toyota who supplied the engines to gm. I grew up as part of a gm family, but won't plan to buy any future gm products due to their lack of support for their customers with an obvious product quality issue as is found here. If toyota acknowledges a problem with these engines and provides support to their customers, why doesn't gm offer similar support since toyota supplied the identical engines to them? Doesn't make for good customer public relations and doesn't provide any incentive to buy future gm vehicles.

Filed Feb 27, 2020 · Engine · 101,200 miles · PA

Due to a manufacturing defect with the engine, the vehicle burns over a quart of oil every 1000 miles. This means it requires a waiver to pass inspection. The 2009 toyota matrix, which shares the same engine, had a recall issued. The vehicle was in motion on a highway. The check engine light and ABS warning illuminated, distracting the driver. There was no collision, but a near miss.

Filed Jan 29, 2020 · Engine · 140,000 miles · MO

This car has the 2.4l toyota 2az-fe engine, which has a known defect in the piston rings, leading to excessive oil consumption. Those of us with pontiac vibes apparently have no recourse through either toyota or gm.

Filed Jul 22, 2019 · Engine · 150,000 miles · MI

2.4l engine w/ 150000 miles burning excessive amount of oil; appx. 1 qt per 1000 miles

Filed Jun 3, 2019 · Acceleration, Engine · 170,000 miles · NC

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 pontiac vibe. While driving between 45-50 MPH, the contact lost contact of the vehicle because the accelerator pedal traveled to the floorboard. The contact quickly shifted into third gear, but it did not slow the vehicle down. The contact then shifted into neutral and the motor revved up to 7,000 rpms. The contact shifted back into drive, but the vehicle was still accelerating. The contact powered off the engine and coasted the vehicle into a driveway. The vehicle was restarted and the engine revved back up to 7,000 rpms. The contact powered off the vehicle a second time. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000.

Filed Mar 8, 2019 · Engine, Transmission · 88,000 miles · WA

Car shuts off completely while driving. Happens completely at random. After placing in park, removing key, re-inserting key, restarting, all is fine for a while. Probably faulty ECM.