2007 SATURN AURA Complaints

SOMETIME IN NOVEMBER I STARTED EXPERIENCING AN EXTENDED CRANK WHERE IT TOOK MY CAR A FEW SECONDS LONGER TO START UP. BY DECEMBER THIS WAS STILL HAPPENING BUT NOW I WAS STARTING TO SMELL GASOLINE IN AND AROUND MY VEHICLE. A FRIEND OF MINE WAS A MECHANIC FOR SATURN FOR 17 YEARS AND NOW WORKS FOR ANOTHER DEALER. HE CHECKED THE CAR AND DETERMINED THIS WAS A PROBLEM IN THE FUEL LINE. FURTHER INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THIS ISSUE MATCHES A RECALL ISSUE FOR THE 2007 SATURN ION. I CONTACTED GM AT 800-521-7300 TO ASK IF THERE WERE ANY RECALLS FOR THE AURA FOR THIS ISSUE THAT IS IDENTICAL TO THE ION RECALL AND WAS TOLD THERE ARE NO RECALLS FOR MY VEHICLE. THIS ISSUE SEEMS LIKE IT SHOULD WARRANT A RECALL AS THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND POSES THE SAME RISK FOR FIRE. MY VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 50, 000 MILES ON IT. I DON'T WANT TO RISK A VEHICLE FIRE WHILE FIGHTING TO GET A RECALL ISSUED SO I WILL END UP PAYING OUT OF POCKET TO FIX THIS DEFECT. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ALONG W/CRUISE CONTROL ON IT SUDDENLY SHUTS OFF, AND MY BRAKE LIGHTS COME ON WITHOUT APPLYING MY BRAKES, THE BRAKE LIGHTS STAY ON UNTIL I APPLY MY BRAKES THEN WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE THE LIGHTS GO OFF I TAKE MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE & THE BRAKE LIGHTS GO ON & STAY ON UNTIL I APPLY THE BRAKES AGAIN & THE CRUISE WILL NOT WORK WHEN THE BRAKE LIGHT ARE ON & WHEN I FIRST START THE CAR I HAVE TO PUSH REAL HARD ON THE BRAKE PEDAL TO GET THE CAR OUT OF PARK. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING ALMOST EVERYDAY FOR MONTHS NOW. I'VE HAD MECHANICS CHECK IT OUT THEY REPLACED STOP LIGHT SWITCH & CLEANED CONTACTS & RESET COMPUTER BUT NOTHING WORKS, GENERAL MOTORS SHOULD HAVE TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM BEFORE SOMEBODY GETS IN A BAD ACCIDENT. *TR

I WAS IN THE PROCESS OF PARKING MY VEHICLE AT THE GROCERY STORE WITH MY 1 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER. I WENT TO PUT MY CAR IN PARK AND IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO DO SO. I THOUGHT THAT SOMETHING MAY HAVE OCCLUDED THE GEAR SHIFT, SO I TOOK THE CAR OUT OF PARK AND ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT INTO THE DIFFERENT GEARS AND IT EVENTUALLY BECAME IMPOSSIBLE TO SHIFT ANY FURTHER AND MY CAR WAS STUCK IN DRIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO OUR USUAL MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION GEAR SHIFT CABLE WAS "ALL BUT SEPARATED". I RESEARCHED A BIT ON THE INTERNET WHERE AROUND 400,000 OTHER VEHICLES (PONTIACS, CHEVROLET MALIBUS, SATURN AURAS) HAD THE SAME ISSUE THAT I WAS HAVING AND SAW A BULLETIN ISSUED FOR SEPTEMBER 18, 2012 WARNING OF THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE OF THE GEAR SHIFT CABLE BECOMING SEPARATED AND THAT INDIVIDUALS MAY THINK THE CAR IS IN PARK WHEN THE VEHICLE MAY REALLY BE IN A DIFFERENT GEAR AND THE VEHICLE MAY ROLL AWAY. I CALLED THE GENERAL MOTORS HEADQUARTERS REGARDING THIS SITUATION, THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD HAVE TO BE DIAGNOSED AT A GENERAL MOTORS DEALERSHIP BEFORE ANYTHING REGARDING COMPENSATION COULD BE DISCUSSED. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO SUPERIOR CHEVROLET IN CONWAY, AR WHERE THE SAME THING WAS SAID ABOUT THE GEAR SHIFT CABLE. CALLED GM HEADQUARTERS AGAIN, THE STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL REGARDING MY ISSUE, AND IF I WANTED TO BE RECONSIDERED FOR COMPENSATION, THE REPAIR WOULD HAVE TO BE COMPLETED AT THE DEALERSHIP. THE CAR WAS REPAIRED AT THE DEALERSHIP COSTING $625 INCLUDING THE TOW BILL. GM STILL MAINTAINED THAT THE REPAIR WAS NOT UNDER A SAFETY RECALL, I WOULD NOT BE COMPENSATED AND FOR MY TROUBLES AT $100 CASH LETTER GOOD AT ANY GM DEALERSHIP. SPOKE WITH LARRY WITH NHTSA ABOUT THIS SITUATION AND I WAS ASKED TO PROVIDE MY STATEMENT. UPDATED 01/10/13*LJ UPDATED 1/11/2013 *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 SATURN AURA. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH DOWNHILL IN SNOWY WEATHER WHEN THE WHEELS SEIZED AND THE TIRES WOULD NO LONGER MOVE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE BRAKE SYSTEM WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 99,500.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 SATURN AURA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF, PARKED AND THE KEY WAS REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION, HE WAS STILL ABLE TO ERRONEOUSLY MOVE THE GEAR SHIFTER FROM PARK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD NEVER ROLLED AWAY BECAUSE HE CONSTANTLY USED THE EMERGENCY PARKING BRAKE. THE CONTACT WAS TOLD BY THE AUTO PARTS STORE THERE WAS A NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 12V4600000 (POWER TRAIN: AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION: GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL) FOR THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT CABLE, BUT WHEN THEY SPOKE WITH THE MANUFACTURER, THEY WERE TOLD THEIR VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN, BUT THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 55,000.

CAME HOME AND ATTEMPTED TO PARK IN DRIVEWAY. UPON ATTEMPTING TO PARK, CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT ALL THE WAY INTO PARK INITIALLY. I ATTEMPTED TO PUT THE CAR INTO PARK. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS CAR SEEMED TO BE IN PARK. AT THIS POINT I EXITED THE VEHICLE. UPON RETURNING TO MY DRIVE WAY I FOUND THE CAR HAD DRIFTED INTO MY GARAGE CAUSING DAMAGE TO MY BUMPER AND MY RIGHT PASSENGER SIDE. CAR WILL NOT START UNLESS ITS IN NEUTRAL. GEAR SHIFT WILL MOVE TO PARK BUT THE CAR IS NOT IN PARK. SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON NHTSA. SPOKE WITH GM AND THEY'RE NOT TAKING ANY ACTION UNTIL A RECALL IS ISSUED. SO I HAVE TO PAY FOR DAMAGES NOT CAUSED BY DRIVING, BUT BY GM'S DEFECT AS WELL AS PAY GM TO HAVE CAR FIXED SINCE THE CAR STILL WILL NOT STAY IN PARK CAUSING A DRIVING HAZARD. *TR

WHILE ADJUSTING THE POWER SEAT, THERE WAS A LOUD SNAPPING SOUND AND THE SEAT BEGAN TO LIST TO THE RIGHT. UPON INSPECTING THE SEAT, I FOUND THAT THE FORWARD AND REAR RAILS THAT CONNECT PERPENDICULAR TO THE RIGHT SIDE SEAT FRAME ARE SNAPPED OFF AT THE WELDS. THERE ALSO APPEARS TO BE SURFACE RUST ON THE METAL OF THE FRAME THAT SUPPORTS THE SEAT AND ITS MOTORS. *TR

AS I WAS DRIVING OVER A BRIDGE I HEARD A LOUD SNAP/THUNK SOUND FROM UNDER MY SEAT.. ALL OF A SUDDEN MY SEAT STARTED LEANING TO THE RIGHT.. AFTER I PULLED OVER AND LOOKED AT IT I FOUND A WELD ON THE METAL BAR UNDER THE SEAT HAD SNAPPED.. THE CAR IS NOT REALLY SAFE TO DRIVE DUE TO IT LEANING TO THE RIGHT AND EVERYTIME YOU BRAKE OR HIT THE GAS OR TURN YOU CONSTANTLY LEAN AND BOUNCE BACK AND FORTH.. I HAVE NOW SEEN MULTIPLE REPORTS OF THIS HAPPENING. *TR

VEHICLE STARTED TO LUNGE FORWARD IN A STOPPED POSITION. WOULD NOT GO INTO DRIVE OR OTHER GEARS. NO DASH WARNINGS APPEARED. 2 MONTHS OVER THE 5 YEAR WARRANTY UNDER THE 100,000 MILES. *TR

CAR FAILS TO ACCELERATE AT NORMAL RATE AND ENGINE REV'S VERY HIGH WHILE TRYING TO ACCELERATE - IF YOU LET OF GAS CAR ALMOST IMMEDIATELY SLOWS TO A STOP. CAR STARTS JERKING, WON'T REVERSE. EVEN WHEN PUTTING CAR INTO MANUAL MODE THE CAR WILL NOT SHIFT. GETTING CODE P2723 WITH MACHINE FROM AUTO PART STORE. *TR