2008 SATURN OUTLOOK Complaints

WATER IS ENTERING THE CABIN WHEN IT RAINS, SATURATING THE CEILING TO THE POINT OF DRIPPING. ALSO, THE CARPETING, AND FLOOR MATS ARE SOAKED. I ALSO NOTICED WATER IN THE MOTOR BLOWER AREA. MAY BE LEAKING FROM SEVERAL AREAS. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME, SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE THAT IT HAS BEEN LEFT OUT IN THE RAIN OVER NIGHT. I'VE WASHED THE VEHICLE, DRIVEN IN RAIN, AND NEVER NOTICED ANYTHING WRONG. THE TIME OF EXPOSURE MUST HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH HOW MUCH WATER GETS IN (OBVIOUSLY). *TR

VEHICLE WAS ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE ONTO INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO SLIP AND BUCK CAUSING THE CAR TO LOOSE POWER DANGEROUSLY IN TRAFFIC. TURNS OUT THIS IS KNOWN PROBLEM WITH TRANSMISSION 3-5-R WAVE PLATE BREAKING AND OCCURS ALMOST ALWAYS AROUND 70-100K MILEAGE. BASED ON MY RESEARCH THE WAVE PLATE BREAKAGE IS NOT A QUESTION OF IF BUT WHEN? I CANNOT FATHOM WHY GM WOULD NOT GET AHEAD OF THIS PROBLEM. I CANT BELIEVE ISSUES LIKE IGNITION GET NATIONAL ATTENTION BUT AN ISSUE LIKE THE TRANSMISSION IS OVERLOOKED. *TR

WENT TO MAKE A U-TURN AND THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP. JERKED ON IT TO GET IT WORKING AGAIN. ON AROUND 10 OCCASIONS IN THE 18 MONTHS WE'VE OWNED THIS VEHICLE, THE STEERING WHEEL HAS LOCKED UP FOR NO REASON. *TR

DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT LOW SPEED COMING TO A STOP, BUT THE VEHICLE WAVE PLATE IN TRANSMISSION BROKE CAUSING THE VEHICLE STOP COULD NOT MOVE IT. HAD TO GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE TO PUSH IT OFF THE ROAD. GM HAS INSTALLED A BAD WAVE PLATE IN THE TRANSMISSIONS FOR SATURN, GMC AND CHEVY SUV. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE WAVE PLATE THAT HAVE FAILED. ONCE THE PLATE BREAKS THE VEHICLE WILL NOT MOVE, WHICH COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. *TR

APPROXIMATELY APRIL OF 2014 WE HAD THE FIRST INCIDENT: WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, AT SPEED, THE TRANSMISSION SEEMED TO "POP" INTO NEUTRAL (NO CHANGE OF GEARSHIFT LEVER, JUST ENGINE REVVED). AS THE TRUCK NO LONGER HAD POWER, WE MANAGED (THANK GOODNESS) TO GET THE TRUCK TO THE SHOULDER AVOIDING HIGHWAY TRAFFIC. MOVED GEARSHIFT LEVER TO PARK AND THEN BACK TO DRIVE WITH NO CHANGE - ENGINE JUST REVVED AS IN NEUTRAL. TURNED THE TRUCK OFF AND CALLED FOR A TOW. WHILE WAITING FOR SAME, WE TURNED THE TRUCK BACK ON, AND TRANSMISSION SEEMED TO FUNCTION NORMALLY. BROUGHT THE TRUCK TO BOTH WIND GAP CHEVROLET (PLACE OF PURCHASE) AS WELL AS AN INDEPENDENT AAMCO - VERDICT WAS THE SAME: BROKEN "WAVE PLATE" AND A NEW TRANSMISSION WAS NEEDED AT A COST OF OVER $3000.00. PROBLEM CONTINUES TO THIS DATE. WHEN WE REFERENCED THE ENDLESS ONLINE COMPLAINTS OF SAME, GM WAS UNMOVED, ALTHOUGH THE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY WAS STILL IN EFFECT. VERY DANGEROUS - LOSE POWER AT HIGHWAY SPEED WITH MULTIPLE CLOSE CALLS!!!! HEADLIGHTS: HEADLIGHTS, BOTH LOW AND HIGH BEAM, CONTINUALLY BURN ANYWHERE FROM MINUTES TO DAYS AFTER BEING REPLACED. SWITCH ASSEMBLIES HAVE BEEN REPLACED, CANNOT GET LOW BEAMS TO ILLUMINATE AT TIMES, THEN NO HEADLIGHTS AT TIMES. VERY DANGEROUS. AGAIN, ENDLESS ONLINE COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME ISSUE. SUNROOF: ENDLESS ISSUES WITH THE SUNROOF LEAKING AND SOAKING THE FLOORBOARDS ON BOTH DRIVERS AND PASSENGER SIDES. TAKEN TO WIND GAP CHEVROLET, TOLD WE NEED TO HAVE SUNROOF REPLACED. AGAIN, ENDLESS ONLINE COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME ISSUE. BASED ONLINE AND ON THIS NHTSA SITE: IT SEEMS THAT THESE ARE SERIOUS AND DANGEROUS ISSUES WITH THIS VEHICLE!!!!! RECENT HEADLIGHT RECALL ON SIMILAR VEHICLES FOR THE SAME ISSUE. WHY IS THIS VEHICLE NOT RECALLED FOR TRANSMISSION/POWER TRAIN AND HEADLIGHT ISSUES!?!? *TR

ABOUT EVERY 5 MIN BEEPING SOUND WOULD SOUND AND DASHBOARD STATED,SERVICE AIR BAG,SERVICE BRAKES/STABILIZER & WOULD CUTOFF CRUISE CONTROL.HEADLIGHTS VERY DIM AT NIGHT. *TR

IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR I TURNED MY 2008 SATURN OUTLOOK INTO HALEY GMC IN MIDLOTHIAN VA TO FIX A RECALL CONCERNING AN AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT THAT WAS ON IN THE CAR. AIR BAG RECALL 14030 WAS PERFORMED, HOWEVER, THE WARNING LIGHT WAS STILL ON IN THE CABIN. SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT HALEY INFORMED ME THAT THE RECALL WAS PERFORMED PER GM SPECIFICATIONS HOWEVER, THE WARNING LIGHT WAS STILL ON DUE TO A FAULTY PASSENGER PRESENCE MODULE (DIAGNOSTIC CODE: B0081). AT THE TIME OF THIS REPAIR I HAD AN EXTENDED WARRANTY UNDER THE GMPP (GENERAL MOTORS PROTECTION PLAN) WHICH WAS STILL VALID UNTIL AUGUST OF 2014 OR 107,000 MILES WHICH EVER CAME FIRST. I WAS TOLD BY GMPP THAT THIS MODULE WAS NOT COVERED UNDER MY CURRENT WARRANTY. SINCE THIS VISIT I HAVE TAKEN MY COMPLAINT THROUGH NOT ONLY THE DEALERSHIP BUT THROUGH CORPORATE GM ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS PLEADING WITH THEM THAT THIS WAS A SAFETY RELATED ISSUE NOT A WARRANTY ISSUE. GM HAS STATED TO ME THAT THIS IS NOT A SAFETY RELATED ISSUE AND THAT THIS PART IS NO LONGER COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THEY WANT ME TO PAY THEM $900 FOR THIS REPAIR AND I REFUSE TO PAY THEM BECAUSE THIS REPAIR SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER GENERAL MOTORS. THIS SAME ISSUE HAS BEEN REPORTED BY NUMEROUS OTHER GM VEHICLES BESIDES THE SATURN OUTLOOK, INCLUDING THE GMC ACADIA AND SATURN SKY. I WOULD LIKE TO GET ASSISTANCE FROM YOUR DEPARTMENT IN CHALLENGING BACK TO GM TO GET THIS ISSUE ADDRESSED FOR I AM DRIVING AROUND IN AN UNSAFE VEHICLE THAT THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE THAT IF A PASSENGER IS TRAVELING WITH ME IN THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE THAT THE AIR BAG WILL NOT GO OFF IN A FRONTAL COLLISION. *TR

DASHBOARD INFORMATION CENTER WARNINGS OF STABILITRACK AND SERVICE BRAKES WITH AUDIBLE CHIMES DURING DRIVING. WENT TO DEALERSHIP AND FOUND OUT THAT THE MASTER CYLINDER WAS LEAKING INTO BRAKE BOOSTER. NO EVIDENCE OF BRAKE LEAK EVER. SEEMS TO BE ONGOING FAILURE WITH THIS MODEL OF ALL OF GM PRODUCT LINES AND A VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR. *TR

TRANSMISSION FAILURE DUE TO FRACTURED WAVE PLATE 3/5. THE 6T70/75 6-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION MAY EXPERIENCE NO REVERSE AND SLIP/FLARE/HARSH SHIFTS IN 3RD AND/OR 5TH GEAR. CODES P0776 CLUTCH PRESSURE CONTROL (PC) SOLENOID 2 STUCK OFF AND P0842 TRANSMISSION FLUID PRESSURE (TFP) SWITCH 1 CIRCUIT LOW VOLTAGE MAY BE SET. THE 35R CLUTCH WAVE PLATE MAY BE BROKEN, ALLOWING THE PISTON TO OVERSTROKE, CAUSING THE PISTON TO LEAK AND RESULTING IN LOSS OF APPLY ON VEHICLES WITH GREATER THAN 25,000 MILES. DURING THE REPAIR PROCESS IT IS IMPORTANT TO INSTALL THE WAVE PLATE IN THE PROPER ORIENTATION TO PREVENT THE POSSIBILITY FOR THE FAILURE TO RE-OCCUR. INSTALL THE ROUNDED EDGE OF THE NEW WAVE PLATE INTERNAL SPLINES FACING THE 35R PISTON. NOTE: THE SAME TSB APPLIES TO 2007-2009 GMC ACADIA, 2007-2009 PONTIAC G5, 2008-2009 PONTIAC TORRENT, 2008-2009 BUICK ENCLAVE, 2008-2009 CHEVROLET EQUINOX AND MALIBU, AND 2009 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE, EQUIPPED WITH THE 6T70/75 6-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION (RPO MH2, MH4, MH6 AND MY9). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SATURN OUTLOOK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A TURN, A LOUD ABNORMAL SQUEAKY NOISE EMITTED FROM THE STEERING COLUMN AND EXCESSIVE FORCE WAS REQUIRED IN ORDER TO TURN THE WHEEL. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 98,000.