2008 SATURN AURA Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SATURN AURA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE THE STEERING WHEEL BEGAN TO INDEPENDENTLY MOVE FROM SIDE TO SIDE. THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD SHAKE WHEN DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING MOTOR AND MODULE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 38,147. UPDATED 9/4/13 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO TRAVEL LEFT AND RIGHT, WHILE THE STEERING WHEEL WAS HELD STRAIGHT. THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING MODULE WAS REPLACED.

WHILE DRIVING MY 2008 SATURN AURA ABS LIGHT, TRACTION CONTROL, AND ESC LIGHT COMES ON. CAR STARTS. TRANSMISSION ON ROUTE 95 SOUTH IN FLORIDA WENT FROM SPEED LIMIT OF 70 TO 20 WITH NO WARNING. GOT OFF THE HIGHWAY CAR WOULD NOT GO ANY FASTER. ALSO COULD NOT PUT CAR INTO REVERSE. *TR

THE VEHICLE DOES NOT GO INTO PARK. WHEN PLACED IN PARK IT ROLLS FOWARD OR BACKWARD AND I MUST USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO TURN OFF THE CAR AND REMOVE THE KEY. IT ONLY ALLOWS ME TO START MY CAR IN NEUTRAL. IT HAS SHIFTED FROM DRIVE TO NEUTRAL AS I AM DRIVING. THERE HAS BEEN OVER 421, 000 OF THESE RECALLED BUT I AM BEING TOLD MINE IS NOT ON THE LIST AND I MUST PAY FOR IT ALL OUT OF POCKET FROM FALICIA, THE DISTRICT SPECIALIST FOR SATURN. MY BIGGEST CONCERN IS WHO WOULD THE BLAME BE ON IF MY CAR WERE TO ROLL INTO ANOTHER CAR OR BUILDING? I WANT AND NEED TO GET THIS FIXES ASAP BUT DO NOT HAVE ANY MONEY FOR OT AND DO NOT BELIEVE I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR IT WHEN ALL THE OTHERS WERE FIXED FOR FREE DUE TO IT BEING A DEFECT. *TR

DRIVERS SEAT BROKE DOWN ON RIGHT SIDE, CAUSING IT TO SLUMP TOWARDS THE CONSOLE. UPON TAKING IT TO THE DEALER TO SEEK REPAIR, WAS TOLD THAT THE WELDING OF THE SEAT UNIT HAD BROKEN. THE ENTIRE SEAT AND THE HOUSING BASE REQUIRE REPLACEMENT OVER $1000 TO FIX. WHILE IT DOESN'T REQUIRE FIXING TO OPERATE CAR, THE DANGER IS IN A CRASH, HAVING THE SEAT CATAPULT OUT ENTIRELY BEING AS IT IS NOT AFFIXED TO THE VEHICLE ANY MORE. YOU CAN WIGGLE IT UP AND DOWN FREELY, THIS COULD ALSO ALLOW THE SEAT TO THROW SOMEONE INTO THE AIR BAGS AS THEY DEPLOY, CAUSING INJURIES BECAUSE IT IS NOT FASTENED DOWN. AFTER RESEARCHING ONLINE, THIS VEHICLE MAKE AND MODEL IS PRONE TO THIS PROBLEM FOR THE FEW SHORT YEARS IT WAS MADE. WE FEEL THAT GM NEEDS TO UPDATE THIS SEAT PROBLEM, AND WHILE NOT SURE, THEY USE CHEV MALIBU REPLACEMENT PARTS FOR IT, SO THAT MODEL MAY ALSO BE EXPERIENCING THE PROBLEM FOR MORE DATA. A SEAT SHOULD BE INTACT, ATTACHED SAFELY TO THE VEHICLE WE WOULD THINK. NEVER HEARD OF SEATS BEING FREE OF THE BODY OF THE CAR WHILE DRIVING.

I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK WHEN I SAW MY HIGH MOUNT BRAKE LIGHT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS NOT BEING PUSHED. THEN WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS LIGHTLY PUSHED THE BRAKE LIGHTS WOULD TURN OFF. THE PROBLEM ONLY OCCURS SOMETIMES. *TR

TRANSMISSION STOPPED SHIFTING, COULD NOT GET ANY GEAR. MECHANIC SAYS IT IS THE TYPICAL 3-5-R WAVE PLATE ISSUE. *TR

I PURCHASED AND 08 AURA ABOUT 1.5 YEARS AGO FOR MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER. OTHER THAN A FEW MINOR PROBLEMS THE CAR WAS FINE. A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO SHE EXPERIENCED A DEAD BATTERY AND WAS ABLE TO HAVE A FRIEND "JUMP START" THE CAR AND AS FOR THE BATTERY, IT HAS BEEN FINE SINCE. THE PROBLEM WAS THAT THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR SYSTEM (TPMS) WAS INOPERATIVE AND WOULD NOT RESET MANUALLY. THESE TPMS, I BELIEVE, CAME ABOUT DUE TO THE INABILITY TO BE ABLE TO VISUALLY SEE THAT A TIRE IS "LOW" WITH TODAYS "RUN FLAT', LOW PROFILE, AND STIFFER SIDEWALL, TIRES AND THAT THE MAJORITY OF DRIVERS DO NOT KNOW HOW TO CHECK TIRE PRESSURE ANYWAY. I WAS THEREFORE CONCERNED ABOUT MY DAUGHTERS SAFETY AS WELL AS OTHER THAT COULD BE INVOLVED IN A CRASH THAT RESULTED FROM POOR HANDLING OR WORSE, AN OVERHEATED TIRE AND BLOWOUT. I DID SOME SEARCHING AND DISCOVERED THAT GM HAD ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (TSB) EXPLAINING THAT THE TPMS FAILURE WAS DUE TO A "LOW VOLTAGE" INCIDENT THAT CAUSES THE CONTROL MODULE TO LOSE MEMORY. THE FIX, ACCORDING TO THE TSB, WAS TO REPROGRAM THE MODULE WITH UPDATED SOFTWARE. THIS BEING A KNOWN CONDITION AND SAFETY CONCERN, I DID NOT EXPECT TO HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR. I CONTACTED GM WHO REFUSED TO COVER THE REPAIR AND I ULTIMATELY PAID ABOUT $60. MY CONCERN IS THAT THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN ON MULTIPLE VEHICLES FROM GM INCLUDING MOST OF THE 08 SATURN LINE AS WELL AS THE PONTIAC G5 AND G6, AND CHEVY COBALT. I ALSO FOUND THAT NHTSA FOUND REASON FOR RECALL ON SOME GM SUV'S A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO DUE TO A PROGRAMMING ERROR ON THE TPMS WHICH IS WHAT THIS IS. AS THESE 08 CARS AGE THEY ARE NOW REACHING THE EXPECTED LIFE OF THEIR BATTERY AND REPLACING THEM WHICH IS CAUSING THE TPMS SYSTEM TO BE INOPERATIVE. I BELIEVE THAT GM SHOULD FOR SAKE OF THE SAFETY OF THEIR CUSTOMERS RECALL THESE AFFECTED CARS AND PREVENT FUTURE ACCIDENTS. SOME MAY HAVE ALREADY HAPPENED. *TR

NOTICED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHTS STAY ILLUMINATED ALL THE TIME REGARDLESS OF BRAKE PEDAL POSITION. *TR

ALL OF A SUDDEN MY STEERING WHEEL BECAME HARD TO TURN. I HAVE TO MANUALLY TURN MY WHEEL BACK STRAIGHT AFTER MAKING A TURN. I HAD MY USUAL OIL CHANGE COMPANY CHECK TO SEE IF IT WAS ANY POWER STEERING FLUID AND THERE WAS. *TR

TRANSMISSION FAILURE SUDDENLY IN MY 08 SATURN AURA XE 6 SPEED AUTO/PADDLE SEDAN SYMPTOMS INCLUDE WITH OUT WARNING: SLIPPING IN FORWARD GEARS, NOT WORKING IN REVERSE AT ALL AND FINALLY NOT ENGAGING AT ALL WITH ENGINE REVVING IN TRAFFIC CAUSING A MAJOR TRAFFIC SAFETY PROBLEM AND NARROWLY AVOIDING AN ACCIDENT ALL IN ONE DAY WHILE ATTEMPTING TO REACH TRANSMISSION REPAIR SHOP. MY CAR HAS 99850 MILES ON IT AND THE 5 YEARS ELAPSED IN JANUARY OF THIS YEAR. ALTHOUGH THE CAR HAS BEEN VIGOROUSLY MAINTAINED WITH OIL CHANGES EVERY 3K, TRANSMISSION, BRAKE, AND ANTIFREEZE FLUIDS CHANGED ON SCHEDULE THIS FAILURE OCCURRED LIKE MANY OTHER HORRIFIED OWNERS ABOUT AS CLOSE AFTER EXPIRATION DATE AND MILEAGE AS ONE COULD POSSIBLE IMAGINE. I ASSUMED THAT MY AURA WOULD BE PERFORMING WELL UNTIL AT LEAST THE CAR WAS PAID FOR. NOW WITH BLUE BOOK FOR VALUE AND SUBTRACTING WHAT I STILL OWE AND ESTIMATED $4000 REPAIR THE OPTIONS ARE DISMAL. RESEARCHING ON LINE REVEALED A HOST OF PEOPLE PLAGUED BY THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH THEIR 6 SPEED AUTO/PADDLE TRANSMISSION IN 07-2010 SATURNS. CAN THE NHTSA BE OF ANY RELIEF VIA INTERCEDING WITH GENERAL MOTORS TO DO A RECALL OR PROVIDE DISPENSATION DUE TO THE EXTREME SAFETY HAZARD FOR SATURN DRIVERS BUT THE GENERAL PUBLIC AS WELL? *TR