DETROIT -- The Pontiac Vibe is safe to drive, despite being part of Toyota Motor Corp.'s sticking pedal recall, General Motors Co. said.
Toyota's recall of 2.3 million vehicles includes 2009-2010 Vibes, since they are sister vehicles with the Toyota Matrix produced at GM and Toyota's former joint venture plant in Fremont, Calif.
Before the recall, no Vibe drivers had filed complaints about stuck accelerators, GM said late Friday in a statement.
“Based on GM's experience, the Vibe is safe to drive,” GM said.
But since the recall, GM has received several complaints about stuck accelerators. The automaker said it is investigating the complaints and said it believes none of those instances resulted in a crash.
Any Vibe owner who has problems with an accelerator should park the vehicle and have it towed to a GM dealer, GM said.
GM spokesman Alan Adler has said the Detroit automaker believes Toyota is responsible for the recall. Toyota designed, engineered and manufactured the Vibe, he said earlier this week.
But Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said GM was responsible for Pontiac Vibe recalls, since GM had sourced pedals from supplier CTS to build the Vibe as part of the joint venture, called New United Motor Manufacturing Inc., or NUMMI.
Adler took issue with Toyota's stance.
"We have no supplier relationship with CTS whatsoever," Adler said. He said GM expects Toyota to pay for fixing Vibes.
Lyons did not respond to a request to respond further.
Either way, GM has said it will communicate with Vibe owners about getting the vehicles fixed at Buick-GMC dealerships once Toyota prescribes a remedy for the problem.
Toyota also added 2009-2010 Vibes last week to its additional recall of vehicles whose floor mats could cause pedals to become stuck.
Overall, GM has viewed Toyota's recall problems, which have resulted in suspended sales of affected vehicles, as an opportunity. On Wednesday, GM launched incentives aimed at Toyota and Lexus owners who buy a Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac. The offers, which are valid through February, range from $1,000 off a purchase to 0 percent financing for up to 60 months.
