2009 SATURN OUTLOOK Complaints

ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, WE HAVE LOST THE POWER STEERING WHILE TURNING THE VEHICLE. IT IS MOST PREVALENT WITH DEEPER TURNS, SO IT HAPPENS MOST OFTEN AT LOW SPEEDS, SUCH AS U-TURNS AND IN PARKING LOTS. THE LOST OF THE POWER STEERING GIVES THE DRIVER THE SENSATION OF A COMPLETE LOST OF STEERING. A LOCAL MECHANIC CONTACTED A DEALERSHIP TECHNICIAN WHO TOLD HIM THAT THEY HAD NOT HAD ANY COMPLAINTS OF THIS ON SATURN OUTLOOKS, BUT HAVE HAD SEVERAL BUICK ENCLAVES WITH A SIMILAR PROBLEM. THEY RECOMMENDED CHANGED THE TYPE OF POWER STEERING FLUID, AND IF THAT DID NOT WORK THEN WE MAY NEED TO CHANGE THE TYPE OF POWER STEERING PUMP ON THE VEHICLE. SO FAR WE HAVE CHANGED THE FLUID, BUT IT HAS NOT BEEN A SUCCESSFUL SOLUTION AS THE PROBLEM IS STILL OCCURRING. *TR

DRIVING ON HIGHWAY WHEN WARNING APPEARED "TRACTION CONTROL OFFLINE" "SERVICE STABILITRAK". MY HUSBAND HAD RECEIVED THE SAME WARNING TWO DAYS EARLIER. SO WE TOOK IT TO THE SATURN DEALERSHIP. THE TECH ASKED US IF WE DROVE "TWO FOOTED" IE BRAKING AND ACCELERATING AT THE SAME TIME. WE DO NOT DO THAT. WE WERE THEN ADVISED THAT THE SENSORS FOR THE POSITION OF THE BRAKE PEDAL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED THE PART WAS ONLY $11.40 BUT WE WERE CHARGED FOR 2 HOURS OF LABOR! *TR

BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE USED IN NOVEMBER OF 2012. NOTICED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL IS NOISY (A SQUEAKY NOISE). EVENTUALLY WHEN I DO U-TURNS THE STEERING WHEEL GETS STIFF BUT STILL MANAGEABLE TO STEER THE VEHICLE ALTHOUGH IT'S TOTALLY STIFF TO TURN. THEN LATELY MOST OF THE TIME WHEN GOING IN AND OUT OF A PARKING LOT IT SEEMS I TOTALLY LOST THE POWER STEERING OR PERHAPS THE POWER STEERING LOCKS UP BECAUSE IT'S REALLY HARD TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL. BROUGHT IT TO A FORMER SATURN DEALER AND THEY SAID THE POWER STEERING PUMP AND RACK IS BUSTED AND NEEDS TO GET REPAIRED. THEIR QUOTE TO REPLACE THE PARTS AND LABOR IS ABOUT $1,500. *TR

MY DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT HAS BURNT OUT THREE TIMES. I'VE HAD THE BULB REPLACED TWICE AND NOW AM TOLD THAT THE WIRE HARNESS IS BURNT AND MELTED, CAUSING THE SHORTS/BURNT BULBS. LABOR TO REPLACE THIS IS EXCESSIVE, DUE TO THE POOR ACCESS TO THE HEADLIGHT COMPARTMENT. *TR

WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS THE POWER STEERING FAILS AND IT IS EXTREMELY CHALLENGING TO COMPLETE TURNS. AS THIS OCCURS RANDOMLY, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PREDICT WHEN THIS WILL OCCUR. NUMEROUS CUSTOMER FORUMS WITH SATURN OUTLOOKS/GMC ACADIA AND BUICK ENCORE INDICATE A PROBLEM WITH EITHER POWER STEERING FLUID, POWER STEERING PUMP OR STEERING RACK. THIS COULD BE EXTREMELY PROBLEMATIC ON WINDING ROADS WITH HAIRPIN CURVES. *TR

VEHICLE STUTTERS AND HESITATES AT RANDOM TIMES. MORE AT HIGH SPEEDS AROUND 60-65 MPH. TROUBLE SHIFTING INTO GEARS AT TIMES. *TR

WHILE DRIVING HOME AT NIGHT, THE DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT WENT OUT. NEXT DAY I BOUGHT NEW LAMPS AND REPLACED BOTH OF THEM BUT THE DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT STILL DIDN'T TURN ON. I DID NOTICE A BURNING SMELL COMING FROM THE HARNESS AND LAMP SOCKET ON THE DRIVER SIDE. IT SEEMS THAT THE HEADLIGHT HAD OVERHEATED AND MELTED THE WIRING HARNESS AND SOME OF THE SOCKET ASSEMBLY. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH I FOUND THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUE WITH THESE VEHICLES AND BELIEVE THAT THIS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A RECALL FOR SAFETY REASONS. THIS COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE AND ELECTRICAL FIRE OR A SERIOUS TRAFFIC ACCIDENT WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. *TR

MY RIGHT FRONT HEADLIGHT WENT OUT. WENT AND BOUGHT A NEW BULB. THAT DIDN'T WORK. REALIZED THAT THE WIRING HARNESS WAS BURNT AND HAD SHORTED OUT. HAVE NOT REPLACED IT YET, BECAUSE THE LABOR INVOLVED REQUIRES MULTIPLE HOURS OF LABOR TO REPLACE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 SATURN OUTLOOK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A SQUEAKING NOISE COMING FROM THE STEERING WHEEL WHILE TURNING. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY AND WHEN THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. LATER, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR UNRELATED REPAIRS WHEN THE TECHNICIAN ADVISED THAT THERE WAS A STEERING FAILURE AND THE STEERING SYSTEM WOULD HAVE TO BE REPAIRED. THE CONTACT WAS UNAWARE OF THE REPAIRS THAT WERE NECESSARY TO CORRECT THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT CONTINUED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AND ADVISED THAT THE POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,000.

I HAVE A SATURN OUTLOOK, 2009 MODEL YEAR WITH 15,600 MILES ON IT. AFTER I PARKED THE VEHICLE, I NOTICED A FLUID HAD LEAKED OUT ONTO MY DRIVEWAY. I COULD NOT TELL WHERE THE FLUID WAS FROM, ALTHOUGH I KNEW IT WAS NOT OIL. I SUSPECTED POWER STEERING FLUID OR BRAKE FLUID. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A CHEVY DEALER FOR INSPECTION / REPAIR. THE DEALER FOUND THAT THE HOSE WAS LEAKING AT THE CONNECTION TO THE POWER STEERING UNIT. THE DEALER CALLED GENERAL MOTORS AND THEY ( GENERAL MOTORS) AGREED TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR MINUS A $100 DEDUCTIBLE WHICH I HAD TO PAY. I REALLY APPRECIATE THIS GESTURE BY GENERAL MOTORS, HOWEVER, THIS TELLS ME THAT G.M. KNOWS THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THIS POWER STEERING HOSE ON MANY VEHICLES, AND THEY ARE JUST TRYING TO AVOID A RECALL DUE TO THIS PROBLEM. MAYBE I AM WRONG IN MY ASSUMPTION, BUT I THINK IT IS WORTH LOOKING INTO FOR A POSSIBLE DEFECT IN MATERIAL OR DESIGN ON THIS HOSE OR CONNECTION. THE LEAK HAS GOTTEN WORSE DAILY. IT WAS LEAKING MORE THAN JUST A LITTLE SPOT OVERNIGHT. IT WAS LEAKING ENOUGH TO POSSIBLY EMPTY THE POWER STEERING RESERVOIR (SPELLING?) DURING A LONGER TRIP THAN JUST LOCAL ERRANDS. I COULD NOT FIND THE POWER STEERING UNIT TO CHECK THE FLUID LEVEL ON THIS VEHICLE, SO I DO NOT KNOW FOR SURE IF IT WAS NEARLY TOTALLY EMPTY OR NOT WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE CHEVY DEALER FOR THE NEEDED REPAIR. IF IT WERE TO EMPTY OUT WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE COULD HAVE LOST THE CAPABILITY OF POWER STEERING UNEXPECTED TO THE DRIVER. *TR