2007 PONTIAC VIBE Owners Manual

Towing and Road Service Exclusions
Specically excluded from Roadside Assistance
coverage are towing or services for vehicles
operated on a non-public roadway or highway,
nes, impound towing caused by a violation
of local, Municipal, State, Provincial, or Federal
law, and mounting, dismounting or changing
of snow tires, chains, or other traction devices.
Courtesy Transportation
To enhance your ownership experience, we and
our participating dealers are proud to offer
Courtesy Transportation, a customer support
program for new vehicles.
For warranty repairs during the Bumper-to-Bumper
(U.S.) or Base Warranty Coverage period
(Canada), provided by the New Vehicle Limited
Warranty, interim transportation may be available
under the Courtesy Transportation program.
Several courtesy transportation options are
available to assist in reducing your inconvenience
when warranty repairs are required.Courtesy Transportation is not a part of the New
Vehicle Limited Warranty and is available only
at participating dealers. A separate booklet entitled
“Warranty and Owner Assistance Information”
furnished with each new vehicle provides detailed
warranty coverage information.
Scheduling Service Appointments
When your vehicle requires warranty service,
contact your dealer and request an appointment.
By scheduling a service appointment and
advising your service consultant of your
transportation needs, your dealer can help
minimize your inconvenience.
If your vehicle cannot be scheduled into the
service department immediately, keep driving it
until it can be scheduled for service, unless,
of course, the problem is safety-related. If it is,
please call your dealership, let them know this, and
ask for instructions.
If the dealer requests that you simply drop the
vehicle off for service, you are urged to do so as
early in the work day as possible to allow for
the same day repair.
409

Transportation Options
Warranty service can generally be completed
while you wait. However, if you are unable to wait,
GM helps to minimize your inconvenience by
providing several transportation options.
Depending on the circumstances, your dealer can
offer you one of the following:
Shuttle Service
Shuttle service is the preferred means of offering
Courtesy Transportation and participating
dealers can provide you with shuttle service to get
you to your destination with minimal interruption
of your daily schedule. This includes one-way
or round trip shuttle service within reasonable time
and distance parameters for the dealer’s area.
Public Transportation or Fuel
Reimbursement
If your vehicle requires overnight warranty repairs,
and public transportation is used as ‘shuttle
service,’ the reimbursement is limited to the
associated shuttle allowance and must be
supported by original receipts.In addition, for U.S. customers, should you arrange
transportation through a friend or relative, limited
reimbursement for reasonable fuel expenses may
be available. Claim amounts should reect actual
costs and be supported by original receipts.
Courtesy Rental Vehicle
Your dealer may arrange to provide you with a
courtesy rental vehicle or reimburse you for
a rental vehicle that you obtain if your vehicle is
kept for an overnight warranty repair. Rental
reimbursement will be limited and must be
supported by original receipts. This requires that
you sign and complete a rental agreement
and meet state/provincial, local, and rental vehicle
provider requirements. Requirements vary and
may include minimum age requirements, insurance
coverage, credit card, etc. You are responsible
for fuel usage charges and may also be
responsible for taxes, levies, usage fees,
excessive mileage, or rental usage beyond the
completion of the repair.
Generally it is not possible to provide a like-vehicle
as a courtesy rental.
410

Additional Program Information
All program options, such as shuttle service, may
not be available at every dealer. Please contact
your dealer for specic information about
availability. All Courtesy Transportation
arrangements will be administered by appropriate
dealer personnel.
General Motors reserves the right to unilaterally
modify, change or discontinue Courtesy
Transportation at any time and to resolve all
questions of claim eligibility pursuant to the terms
and conditions described herein at its sole
discretion.
Vehicle Data Collection and Event
Data Recorders
Your vehicle, like other modern motor vehicles, has
a number of sophisticated computer systems that
monitor and control several aspects of the vehicle’s
performance. Your vehicle uses on-board vehicle
computers to monitor emission control components
to optimize fuel economy, to monitor conditions for
airbag deployment and, if so equipped, to provide
anti-lock braking and to help the driver control the
vehicle in difficult driving situations.Some information may be stored during regular
operations to facilitate repair of detected
malfunctions; other information is stored only in a
crash event by computer systems, such as those
commonly called event data recorders (EDR).
In a crash event, computer systems, such as the
Airbag Sensing and Diagnostic Module (SDM) in
your vehicle may record information about safety
belt usage. If your vehicle is equipped with
StabiliTrak
®, steering performance, including yaw
rate, steering wheel angle, and lateral acceleration,
is also recorded. Unlike the data recorders on many
airplanes, these on-board systems do not record
sounds, such as conversation of vehicle occupants.
To read this information, special equipment is
needed and access to the vehicle or the device
that stores the data is required. GM will not access
information about a crash event or share it with
others other than:
with the consent of the vehicle owner or, if the
vehicle is leased, with the consent of the
lessee,
in response to an official request of police or
similar government office,
411

as part of GM’s defense of litigation through
the discovery process, or
as required by law.
In addition, once GM collects or receives data,
GM may:
use the data for GM research needs,
make it available for research where
appropriate condentiality is to be maintained
and need is shown, or
share summary data which is not tied to a
specic vehicle with non-GM organizations
for research purposes.
Others, such as law enforcement, may have
access to the special equipment that can read the
information if they have access to the vehicle
or the device that stores the data.
If your vehicle is equipped with OnStar
®, please
check the OnStar®subscription service agreement
or manual for information on its operations and
data collection.
Collision Damage Repair
If your vehicle is involved in a collision and it is
damaged, have the damage repaired by a qualied
technician using the proper equipment and
quality replacement parts. Poorly performed
collision repairs will diminish your vehicle’s resale
value, and safety performance can be
compromised in subsequent collisions.
Collision Parts
Genuine GM Collision parts are new parts made
with the same materials and construction methods
as the parts with which your vehicle was
originally built. Genuine GM Collision parts are
your best choice to assure that your vehicle’s
designed appearance, durability, and safety are
preserved. The use of Genuine GM parts can help
maintain your GM New Vehicle Warranty.
Recycled original equipment parts may also be
used for repair. These parts are typically removed
from vehicles that were total losses in prior
accidents. In most cases, the parts being recycled
are from undamaged sections of the vehicle.
412

A recycled original equipment GM part, may be an
acceptable choice to maintain your vehicle’s
originally designed appearance and safety
performance, however, the history of these parts
is not known. Such parts are not covered by
your GM New Vehicle Limited Warranty, and any
related failures are not covered by that warranty.
Aftermarket collision parts are also available. These
are made by companies other than GM and may
not have been tested for your vehicle. As a result,
these parts may t poorly, exhibit premature
durability/corrosion problems, and may not perform
properly in subsequent collisions. Aftermarket parts
are not covered by your GM New Vehicle Limited
Warranty, and any vehicle failure related to such
parts are not covered by that warranty.
Repair Facility
GM also recommends that you choose a collision
repair facility that meets your needs before you
ever need collision repairs. Your GM dealer
may have a collision repair center with GM-trained
technicians and state of the art equipment, or
be able to recommend a collision repair center that
has GM-trained technicians and comparable
equipment.
Insuring Your Vehicle
Protect your investment in your GM vehicle with
comprehensive and collision insurance coverage.
There are signicant differences in the quality
of coverage afforded by various insurance policy
terms. Many insurance policies provide reduced
protection to your GM vehicle by limiting
compensation for damage repairs by using
aftermarket collision parts. Some insurance
companies will not specify aftermarket collision
parts. When purchasing insurance, we recommend
that you assure your vehicle will be repaired
with GM original equipment collision parts. If such
insurance coverage is not available from your
current insurance carrier, consider switching
to another insurance carrier.
If your vehicle is leased, the leasing company may
require you to have insurance that assures repairs
with Genuine GM Original Equipment Manufacturer
(OEM) parts or Genuine Manufacturer replacement
parts. Read your lease carefully, as you may be
charged at the end of your lease for poor quality
repairs.
413

If an Accident Occurs
Here is what to do if you are involved in an
accident.
Try to relax and then check to make sure you
are all right. If you are uninjured, make sure
that no one else in your vehicle, or the
other vehicle, is injured.
If there has been an injury, call 911 for help. Do
not leave the scene of an accident until all
matters have been taken care of. Move your
vehicle only if its position puts you in danger or
you are instructed to move it by a police officer.
Give only the necessary and requested
information to police and other parties involved
in the accident. Do not discuss your personal
condition, mental frame of mind, or anything
unrelated to the accident. This will help guard
against post-accident legal action.
If you need roadside assistance, call GM
Roadside Assistance. SeeRoadside
Assistance Program on page 406for more
information.
If your vehicle cannot be driven, know where
the towing service will be taking it. Get a card
from the tow truck operator or write down the
driver’s name, the service’s name, and the
phone number.
Remove any valuables from your vehicle before
it is towed away. Make sure this includes your
insurance information and registration if you
keep these items in your vehicle.
Gather the important information you will need
from the other driver. Things like name,
address, phone number, driver’s license
number, vehicle license plate, vehicle make,
model and model year, Vehicle Identication
Number (VIN), insurance company and policy
number, and a general description of the
damage to the other vehicle.
414

If possible, call your insurance company from
the scene of the accident. They will walk you
through the information they will need. If they
ask for a police report, phone or go to the police
department headquarters the next day and you
can get a copy of the report for a nominal fee. In
some states/provinces with “no fault” insurance
laws, a report may not be necessary. This is
especially true if there are no injuries and both
vehicles are driveable.
Choose a reputable collision repair facility for
your vehicle. Whether you select a GM dealer
or a private collision repair facility to x the
damage, make sure you are comfortable with
them. Remember, you will have to feel
comfortable with their work for a long time.
Once you have an estimate, read it carefully
and make sure you understand what work will
be performed on your vehicle. If you have a
question, ask for an explanation. Reputable
shops welcome this opportunity.
Managing the Vehicle Damage
Repair Process
In the event that your vehicle requires damage
repairs, GM recommends that you take an active
role in its repair. If you have a pre-determined repair
facility of choice, take your vehicle there, or have it
towed there. Specify to the facility that any required
replacement collision parts be original equipment
parts, either new Genuine GM parts or recycled
original GM parts. Remember, recycled parts will
not be covered by your GM vehicle warranty.
Insurance pays the bill for the repair, but you must
live with the repair. Depending on your policy
limits, your insurance company may initially value
the repair using aftermarket parts. Discuss this
with your repair professional, and insist on
Genuine GM parts. Remember if your vehicle is
leased you may be obligated to have the
vehicle repaired with Genuine GM parts, even if
your insurance coverage does not pay the full cost.
415

If another party’s insurance company is paying for
the repairs, you are not obligated to accept a
repair valuation based on that insurance
company’s collision policy repair limits, as you
have no contractual limits with that company. In
such cases, you can have control of the repair and
parts choices as long as cost stays within
reasonable limits.
Reporting Safety Defects
Reporting Safety Defects to the
United States Government
If you believe that your vehicle has a defect which
could cause a crash or could cause injury or
death, you should immediately inform the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
in addition to notifying General Motors.
If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it may open
an investigation, and if it nds that a safety
defect exists in a group of vehicles, it may order a
recall and remedy campaign. However, NHTSA
cannot become involved in individual problems
between you, your dealer, or General Motors.To contact NHTSA, you may call the Vehicle
Safety Hotline toll-free at 1-888-327-4236
(TTY: 1-800-424-9153); go to
http://www.safercar.gov; or write to:
Administrator, NHTSA
400 Seventh Street, SW.
Washington, D.C. 20590
You can also obtain other information about motor
vehicle safety from http://www.safercar.gov.
Reporting Safety Defects to
the Canadian Government
If you live in Canada, and you believe that
your vehicle has a safety defect, you should
immediately notify Transport Canada, in addition
to notifying General Motors of Canada Limited.
You may call them at 1-800-333-0510 or write to:
Transport Canada
Road Safety Branch
2780 Sheffield Road
Ottawa, Ontario K1B 3V9
416