2008 SATURN AURA Complaints

TOOK MY AURA INTO SATURN ON 12/21/09 FOR CLICKING NOISE, SATURN SERVICE REPOSITIONED INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT PER TECHNICAL BULLETIN. NOW HAVE THE SAME PROB GOING ON AGAIN BUT I FOUND ANOTHER SERVICE BULLETIN 06-02-32-002D DATED 06/17/2010 ALSO ANOTHER FOR FRONT END CLUNK/RATTLE/KNOCKS 06-02-32-007G DATED 04/05/2010. I AM CURRENTLY OUT OF WARRANTY WITH THE STEERING PROB AND NOISE FROM THE FRONT END. I HAVE CONTACTED SATURN CUSTOMER SERVICE, THEY ARE NOT VERY HELPFUL. ALL THEY WANT ME TO DO IS TAKE IT IN TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT DIAGNOSE THEN WE WILL GO FROM THERE. TODAY I FOUND OUT THE NOISE PROBLEM IN THE FROM END, IT IS THE STRUTS, BOTH HAVE TO BE REPLACED, BIG BUCKS. *TR

I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT I HAD TO HAVE THE STEERING GEAR ASSEMBLY REPLACED 3/7/11 AND THEN ON 11/15/11 I HAD TO HAVE THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT REPLACED IN THE SAME YEAR. CAN SOMEONE TELL ME IF A RECALL WAS MADE ON THESE PARTS? *TR

I CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP, THE CAR WAS IN DRIVE. I ACCELERATED AND MY CAR DROVE BACKWARDS, IN REVERSE. I WAS FRIGHTENED AND DEEPLY CONCERNED. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR, NO REPAIR WAS DONE ON THIS SERIOUS PROBLEM. THE WORK ORDER STATES, THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE CONCERN. *TR

I PULLED INTO A PARKING SPACE, PUT MY CAR INTO PARK(2008 SATURN AURA)TURNED THE KEY OFF TOOK THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION AND EXITED THE VEHICLE, THE CAR STARTED ROLLING BACKWARDS AS I HAD PARKED ON A SLIGHT HILL, THE CAR ROLLED BACKWARDS AND ALMOST KNOCKED ME DOWN AS I HAD NOT CLOSED THE DOOR YET. THE CAR ROLLED APPROX 15-20 FEET BEFORE I COULD RE-ENTERED THE VEHICLE AND APPLY THE PARKING BRAKE. I TRIED TO RESTART THE CAR AS IT WAS NOW PART WAY INTO THE STREET AND BLOCKING THE SIDEWALK. THE CAR WOULD NOT RESTART, THE SHIFT LEVER WAS IN THE PARK POSITION. WHEN I SHIFTED THE SHIFT LEVER FROM PARK DOWN TO DRIVE AND BACK TO PARK IT FELT LIKE IT WAS NOT ENGAGING ALL THE WAY INTO THE PARK POSITION, JUST BEFORE THE LEVER GOT TO THE PARK POSITION THERE WAS A LITTLE RESISTANCE AND IT FELT LIKE SOMETHING WAS MAKING IT NOT GO ALL THE WAY INTO PARK EVEN THOUGH THE SELECTOR WAS AT THE PARK POINT IN THE COLUMN. I OPENED THE HOOD AND LOOKED AROUND & NOTICED THE SHIFT CABLE CASING JUST BEFORE THE MOUNTING BRACKET WAS BROKEN. I WAS ABLE TO PUSH THE ROD BY THE MOUNTING BRACKET WHERE IT CONNECTS TO THE TRANSMISSION SLIGHTLY AND HEARD A CLICK NOISE. I RE-ENTERED THE VEHICLE AND IT STARTED IT AS IT WAS NOW ENGAGED FULLY INTO PARK. I PUT THE CAR INTO DRIVE AND DROVE IT 4 BLOCKS TO MY HOUSE AND PARKED IT IN MY DRIVEWAY WHERE I SHUT IT OFF, APPLIED THE PARKING BRAKE, OPENED THE HOOK AND MANUALLY PUSHED THE ROD INTO THE PARK POSITION. I FEEL THAT THE 2008 SATURN AURA SHOULD BE RECALLED AS THIS IS A HIGHLY DANGEROUS CONDITION AND I'VE BEEN READING THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN HAVING THIS EXACT SAME PROBLEM WITH MANY DIFFERENT YEAR SATURN AURA'S. I HAVE FOUND THE 2009 AURA'S HAVE A RECALL. WHY NOT 2008? I FEEL THAT EVERY SATURN WITH THIS STYLE SHIFT CABLE SHOULD BE RECALLED AND CABLE REPLACED ! NOT TO MENTION, THERE SHOULD BE A REDESIGNING OF THIS CABLE SO THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN. *TR

I STARTED HEARING A SQUEALING NOISE WHEN I TURNED MY STEERING WHEEL. AT TIMES, THERE WAS ALSO A POPPING SOUND. I TOOK IT TO GM DEALER ON 11-1-11 AND WAS TOLD THE STEERING GEAR WAS BAD AND LEAKING POWER STEERING FLUID. IT WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED FOR $988.00. WARRANTY RAN OUT IN MAY OF 2011. *TR

HAD MY OIL CHANGED AT THE DEALERSHIP. I WENT HOME AND NOTICED A FEW DAYS LATER THAT I WAS LEAKING OIL. I RETURNED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND HE LOCATED A OIL GASKET UP BY THE TIMING BELT AREA WAS LEAKING. JUST A FEW DAYS AGO MY WIFE DRIVES THE SAME CAR AND HER VEHICLE IS LEAKING OIL FROM THE SAME AREA. THIS CAN'T BE A COINCIDENT. SHE DRIVES HER CAR LESS AND BOTH VEHICLE ARE SERVICED AS REQUIRED. I WAS INFORMED THAT IT WOULD BE 800.00 DOLLARS OR MORE TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM DUE TO THE LOCATION OF THE LEAK. *TR

SATURN AURA 2008 XE 4CYL. FRONT END CLUNK FELT IN STEERING WHEEL AND FEET AT LOW SPEED, ESPECIALLY WHEN DOING SLIGHT TURNS WITH BRAKING. REPAIR SHOP SAID STRUTS WERE NO GOOD (AT 17,500 MILES). REPLACED STRUTS AT OVER $700. CLUNKING CONTINUED. REPAIR SHOP NOW SAYS RUBBER BUSHINGS IN POWER STEERING RACK ARE NO GOOD. REPLACEMENT BUSHING ARE NOT AVAILABLE ANYWHERE AS FAR AS WE CAN TELL - EVEN CHECKED ON MALIBU AND PONTIAC G? - NO LUCK. CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY. REPAIR SHOP WAS TOLD THAT ENTIRE STEERING RACK HAD TO BE REPLACED (HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS) BECAUSE THERE IS NO SOURCE TO GET $3 BUSHINGS. REPAIR SHOP SAID SAFE TO DRIVE, SO CAR WAS NOT REPAIRED AND CLUNKING WILL NOT GET FIXED. SHOULDA BOUGHT A JAPANESE CAR. *TR

VEHICLE: 2008 SATURN AURA XE WITH 45,000 MILES. PROBLEM: TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE. THE BRAIDED BRAKE LINE SEGMENT UNDERNEATH THE MASTER CYLINDER RUPTURED ALLOWING THE BRAKE FLUID TO LEAK ALL OVER THE ENGINE BAY. THE STEEL BRAID WAS COMPROMISE BY WHAT LOOKED LIKE A CHEMICAL CORROSIVE. THE ACTUAL HOLE WAS LESS THAN ONE EIGHTH INCH IN DIAMETER. THE BLUE PLASTIC BRAKE HOSE RUPTURED/BUBBLED LIKE AN ANEURYSM. TOTAL BREAK FAILURE RESULTED WITHIN A FEW BRAKE PUMPS. REPAIR: THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE GM DEALERSHIP. THE BRAKE LINES (2) WERE REPAIRED UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY. BOTH LINES HAD SEVERAL SIGNS OF CORROSIVE ACTIVITY ON THE STEEL BRAID. CONCLUSION: I WAS VERY LUCKY TO NOT HAVE HAD AN ACCIDENT. *TR

DRIVING INTO GAS STATION CAR WOULD NOT GO INTO ANY GEAR... TOWED IT TO HOUSE.....FOUND OUT THAT THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT CABLE BROKEN...SATURN CUSTOMER SERVICE VERY HELPFUL...CAR STILL UNDER POWER TRAIN WARRANTY. HOPE THEY CAN GET IT FIXED. SEEMS TO BE HAPPENING TO EVERYONE WITH A 2007-2009 SATURN AURA. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SATURN AURA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE GEAR SELECTOR WAS SHIFTED INTO THE PARK POSITION AND THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF. WHEN THE CONTACT EXITED THE VEHICLE, IT BEGAN TO ROLL. THE CONTACT REENTERED THE VEHICLE WITH CAUTION AND ENGAGED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP THE IT. THE ENGINE FAILED TO RESTART UNTIL THE GEAR WAS SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL, WHERE IT WAS STARTED AND RESUMED AS NORMAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO STATED THAT THE SHIFT LINKAGE WAS FAULTY. THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE 2009 MODEL YEAR ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 09V073000 (POWER TRAIN: AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION: LEVER AND LINKAGE: COLUMN SHIFT). THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED A SIMILAR FAILURE AS MENTIONED IN THE RECALL. THE REPAIR WAS NOT COVERED IN THE SERVICE WARRANTY AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 71,000.