2008 SATURN OUTLOOK Complaints

TRANSMISSION FAILURE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT GO INTO REVERSE, DRIVE, AND WAS SHIFTING HARD. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH FOUND NUMEROUS LIKE FAILURES FOR SATURN OUTLOOK, GMC ACADIA. BIG SAFETY ISSUE. I WAS FORTUNATE IT DIDN'T HAPPEN WHILE I WAS DRIVING. PLEASE REVIEW FAILURE RATES AND PROPOSE GM RECALL TRANSMISSIONS FOR FAILURES. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING ON THE INTERSTATE ON A RAINY DAY WITH THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS ON, WATER ENTERED THE VEHICLE FROM THE WINDSHIELD ON BOTH SIDES. WATER WAS ALSO DRIPPING FROM THE SIDE AIR BAG LOCATION. *TR

THE DAY BEFORE WHEN MY WIFE WAS PULLING OUT OF THE GARAGE, WE HEARD A POPPING SOUND. WE JUST KIND OF GAVE EACH OTHER A LOOK, NOT SURE WHAT IT WAS. SHE NOTICED SOME HESITATION IN ACCELERATION THAT DAY. 2 DAYS LATER, WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING THE KIDS TO SCHOOL, THE CAR STARTED TO MAKE A REVVING SOUND, LIKE WHAT KIDS WOULD MAKE WHILE PRETENDING TO DRIVE. THEN WHEN SHE TURNED AND TRIED TO ACCELERATE, THE ENGINE RPM'S WOULD GO UP BUT THE CAR WOULDN'T MOVE. SHE TURNED IT OFF AND THEN BACK ON AND LIMPED HOME. TRIED TO REVERSE INTO GARAGE BUT THE CAR WOULDN'T GO IN REVERSE. NOW IT'S SITTING ON THE STREET IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE. *TR

I HAVE A 2008 SATURN OUTLOOK AWD VEHICLE, I BEGAN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY VEHICLE'S ENGINE LIGHT BEING ON (AFTER REPLACING MY FACTORY SUPPLIED GAS CAP WHICH HAD BROKEN WITH A GENERIC ONE) AND THE VEHICLE'S ACCELERATION BECAME SLUGGISH AND SLOW IN RESPONSE. ON 22 JAN 2015 I DROVE MY VEHICLE (VEH) ABOUT 1/2 MILE, STOPPED AT A STORE, PULLED INTO A PARKING SPOT, RETURNED TO MY VEH STARTING IT UP AND TRYING TO PLACE THE VEH IN REVERSE TO NO AVAIL. I PLACED THE GEAR SHIFTER IN PARK, TRIED REVERSE AGAIN AND NOTHING. EACH TIME I TRIED TO PLACE THE VEH IN REVERSE AND APPLY THE GAS I WOULD ONLY HEAR THE REVVING OF THE VEH'S ENGINE. I COULD PUT THE VEH IN DRIVE AND MOVE FORWARD HOWEVER, MY VEH'S TIRES WERE AGAINST THE SIDEWALK (CURB). I WAS ABLE TO ROCK THE VEH TO AN ANGLE, DRIVE OVER THE SIDEWALK AND DRIVE TO MY HOUSE AND PARK THE VEHICLE. AFTER HAVING THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE REPAIR SHOP, I LEARNED THAT A PART KNOWN AS THE: 3, 5, REVERSE WAVE PLATE HAD GONE BAD AND IT WOULD COST $2500 TO REPAIR (NOT INCLUDING THE PARTS). AS I SEARCHED ON-LINE (GMC, NHTSA.GOV, AND OTHER INTERNET FORUMS) I LEARNED THAT THIS WAS NOT AN ISOLATED EVENT. I READ REPORTS OF OTHER 2007, 2008, OUTLOOK, ACADIA, AND TRAVERSE VEHICLES (ALL GMC) ALL HAVING EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. TIME AFTER TIME THE MALFUNCTION INVOLVED NO NEGLIGENCE ON BEHALF OF THE VEH DRIVER, MERELY DRIVING OF THE VEHICLE. IN MOST OF THESE INCIDENTS, THE VEH OWNER INFORMED GMC ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND WAS OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE WITH THIS ISSUE. I HAVE LEARNED THAT THIS PART COSTING APPROX. $20 HAS DONE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN DAMAGE TO COUNTLESS VEH. THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING THAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT THIS ISSUE, THERE ARE TOO MANY CONSUMERS AFFECTED BY THIS FAULTY $20 PART THAT BREAKS APART AND DAMAGES YOUR TRANSMISSION. PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO LOOK INTO THIS MATTER AND TRY AND GET SOME MONETARY RELIEF FOR THESE AFFECTED CONSUMERS. *TR

WHEN IT IS REALLY COLD OUTSIDE AND THE WIND IS BLOWING, WHEN I ACCELERATE THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT COMES AND THE IT SAYS POWER WILL BE REDUCED. THE POWER IS REDUCED DOWN TO ABOUT 10 MILES A HOUR. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED I CALLED ONSTAR AND THEY TOLD ME TO TURN THE VEHICLE OFF ABOUT 8 TIMES GIVING TIME IN BETWEEN TO RESET SOMETHING. AT THE TIME OF THIS I WAS ACCELERATING ON TO A DUAL HIGHWAY WITH A INFANT IN THE CAR. SO AT APPOINT I TOOK IT TO POAGE'S IN QUINCY ILL, THEY FLUSHED OUT SOMETHING AND THEN PROCEEDED TO TELL ME THAT THEY COULD PROBABLY FIX IT WITH A COST AROUND $800.00. I ASKED THEM IF THERE WAS ANY OTHERS THAT HAD THE SAME PROBLEM THEY SAID NO. COME TO FIND OUT A FRIEND OF MINE HAS A 2007 OUTLOOK AND HERS IS DOING THE SAME THING. IT ONLY OCCURS WHEN IT IS VERY COLD OUTSIDE AND WIND COULD BE BLOWING. POAGE SAID WHEN IT IS REALLY COLD OUTTHE AIR INTAKE, AIR SEEMS TO BE SUCKING UP AIR UNDER THE FENDER, WHAT THEY WERE GOING TO TRY FIXING IT SO THE AIR WOULD COME OFF OF THE ENGINE, IT WAS LIKE A VAPOR LOCK. THE LAST TIME IT OCCURRED WAS THE FIRST WEEK OF JANUARY I WAS PASSING A CAR, ONCE I ACCELERATED THE POWER WAS REDUCED DOWN TO ABOUT 10 MILES, SAME THING TRACTION CONTROL COMES ON THEN IT STATES POWER WILL BE REDUCED. THERE HAS TO BE A DEFECT SOMEWHERE, I CALLED GMC ALL THE COULD SAY THAT THERE WERE NO COMPLAINTS, BUT IN LOOKING ON THE INTERNET THERE HAVE BEEN OTHERS WITH THE SAME COMPLAINTS. THEN THEY FURTHER SAID WILL IT IS A SALVAGE TITLE, I HAVE HAD MY OUTLOOK SINCE 02/09 HAD NO COMPLAINTS UP UNTIL JANUARY 2013 WHEN THE WEATHER REALLY GOT COLD. I TOLD GMC I WAS GOING TO CONTACT YOU AND NOTHING WAS SAID. ALSO STATED TO THEM THAT IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO ME OR ANYONE ELSE IN MY VEHICLE. THERE WILL BE A LAW SUIT. *TR

PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG, SEAT SWITCH OR WHATEVER INTERMITTENT FOR ALONG WHILE. WORKED MOST OF TIME. NOW HAS 100000 ON IT. TOOK IN JAN. 24, 2015, FOR RECALL ON CONNECTOR DID NOT FIX, NOW DOES NOT WORK AT ALL. AT LEAST BEFORE I TOOK IT IN IT WORKED MOST OF THE TIME. NOW GET MESSAGE SERVICE AIR BAG, AND THE PASSENGER SIDE LIGHT ON MOST OF THE TIME. TALKED TO SATURN CUSTOMER SERVICE, JUST GOT RUN AROUND AND NO HELP. *TR

AFTER A NIGHT OF SUB-ZERO TEMPERATURES, I TURNED MY CAR ON IN THE GARAGE TO WARM UP PRIOR TO LOADING MY CHILDREN IN THE VEHICLE. WHEN WE WERE ALL SET, I PULL OUT OF THE GARAGE AND CONTINUE TO LEAVE THE DRIVEWAY DOWN THE STREET WHEN ALL THE SUDDEN MY CAR BEGINS TO SHAKE AND MY DASHBOARD PANEL STARTS COMMUNICATING MULTIPLE ERRORS, INCLUDING "ENGINE POWERED DOWN", "SERVICE STABILITRACK", "TRACTION CONTROL OFF" AS WELL AS THE ENGINE LIGHT GOING ON. WHILE ALL THIS IS GOING ON, MY CAR STOPS EXCELLING AND LITERALLY STOPS ME ON THE ROAD ONLY ALLOWING ME TO ACCELERATE TO 1 RPM AND MAYBE GOING 5 MILES AT MOST. AFTER SLOWLY MANEUVERING OUT OF TRAFFIC, I TURNED MY CAR ON AND OFF A FEW TIMES WITHOUT ANY LUCK. AFTER TALKING TO A SERVICE TECHNICIAN, I WAS GOING TO GET IT TOWED FOR THEM TO LOOK AT IT. I TURNED THE CAR OFF WHILE I WAS TALKING TO THEN, AND THEN RANDOMLY TURNED IT BACK ON SINCE IT WAS COLD, AND ALL THE ERRORS WENT AWAY AND THE CAR WAS MOVING PROPERLY. AFTER ANOTHER DAY OF DRIVING IT, I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, AND AS I EXITED ON THE RAMP AND CAME TO A STOP LIGHT, THE WHOLE PROCESSED HAPPENED AGAIN. I HAD TO TAKE IT IN AT THIS POINT, SINCE I FELT EXTREMELY UNSAFE IN THE VEHICLE, KNOWING IT COULD STOP OPERATING RANDOMLY WHEN DRIVING. IT TURNS OUT THAT IT GENERATED AN ENGINE POWER DOWN CODE BECAUSE THE THROTTLE WAS AFFECTED. CODE P1516. THERE IS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (TSB) OUT FOR THIS APPARENT ISSUE, BUT I AM UNCERTAIN HOW THIS ISN'T A RECALL FOR THIS VEHICLE AND OTHER MODELS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING IT, CONSIDERING IT LITERALLY STOPS YOUR CAR IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC. WITH MY TWO CHILDREN IN THE CAR, I WAS EXTREMELY SCARED AND DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. IF YOU CAR STOPS OPERATING PROPERLY WHEN DRIVING THAT IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY HAZARD FOR YOU AND YOUR PASSENGERS AS WELL AS OTHER DRIVERS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SATURN OUTLOOK. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND THE TRANSMISSION HOT MESSAGE ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL FAILED TO RESPOND WHEN DEPRESSED AND THERE WAS A SUDDEN INCREASE IN ENGINE RPMS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 105,000.

PASSENGER AIRBAG SEAT SENSOR/MODULE DOESN'T RECOGNIZE A PASSENGER IN NO MATTER THE WEIGHT.DEALERSHIP WANTS $900 FOR NEW PART. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE NOT A WEAR AND TEAR ISSUE AND SHOULD BE RESOLVED BY GM. *TR

I HAD TROUBLE TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL AND THE STEERING MADE SOUNDS WHEN TURNING. THE DEALER FOUND THAT THE STEERING GEAR WAS LEAKING AND IT WAS REPLACED TO THE TUNE OF $1,300. I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM GM IN SEPTEMBER 2014 THAT "...SOME 2008 MODEL YEAR SATURN OUTLOOK VEHICLES MAY DEVELOP A POWER STEERING PUMP WEAR CONDITION THAT CAN CAUSE AN INTERMITTENT DROP OF POWER STEERING HYDRAULIC PRESSURE THAT WILL CAUSE REDUCED OR LOSS OF STEERING ASSIST." THIS SEEMS TO BE THE ISSUE I HAD BUT WHEN I TOOK IT BACK TO THE SAME DEALER TO BE REIMBURSED FOR THE WORK, I WAS TOLD THAT THE ISSUE I HAD WAS A LEAKING STEERING GEAR AND THE ISSUE IN THE LETTER WAS A POWER STEERING PUMP. I AM SURPRISED THAT ONE DOESN'T AFFECT THE OTHER GIVEN THE RESULTING ISSUE IS THE SAME. *TR