General Motors has tested two Pontiac Vibe small SUVs and found the brakes stop the vehicle in case of unintended acceleration.
The 2009-10 Pontiac Vibe, a sister vehicle of the Toyota Matrix, is included in two Toyota recalls related to unintended acceleration, one for sticking accelerator pedals and one for possible floor mat entrapment. The Vibe was designed, engineered and manufactured by Toyota through August 2009 at New United Motor Manufacturing, which was a GM-Toyota joint venture.
“We ran the Vibe wide open at 60 miles an hour and the brakes were able to bring the vehicle to a safe stop within 169 meters, consistent with our internal requirement for brake performance.” said Martin Hogan, GM director of brake systems.
In the rare case of a sticking throttle, a driver should apply the brakes firmly and steadily until you come to a stop. Do not pump the brakes, which can deplete the available vacuum boost from the brake system.
Any customer who experiences any accelerator pedal issue should immediately park the vehicle, and have it towed to their GM dealer for an inspection.
Toyota has identified a repair for the Vibe, which will be serviced by GM dealers. GM and Toyota are sorting out how soon parts will be available. The Vibe braking tests were conducted by GM engineers on Saturday at the Milford Proving Grounds after several customers complained of sticking accelerator pedals following the Toyota recalls involving the Vibe were announced Jan. 21 and 27.
None of the complaints have resulted in a crash or injury.
Prior to the recall announcements, GM had not received any relevant customer complaints in the 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe. Nor were there any complaints found in a search of U.S. and Canadian databases.
GM will communicate with the approximately 99,000 Vibe owners in the United States and Canada as soon as additional information about the recalls is received from Toyota.
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