The defect
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.
The 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.
The 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.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Pontiac Vibe | 2003 |
Components: POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pontiac Vibe | 2003 | 298 | 8 |
Other power train recalls in 2002
23 of the 434 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2002 concerned the power train; GENERAL MOTORS CORP. filed 1,195 campaigns in all.
| 02V336000 13 Dec 2002 | FREIGHTLINER CORPORATION |
| 02V319000 27 Nov 2002 | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE |
| 02V313000 21 Nov 2002 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY |
| 02V282000 30 Oct 2002 | SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC. |
| 02V272000 3 Oct 2002 | HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY |
| 02V261000 23 Sept 2002 | KAWASAKI MOTORS CORP. |
| 02V201000 25 Jul 2002 | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE |
| 02V192000 23 Jul 2002 | CHANCE COACH, INC. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2002