2007 SATURN OUTLOOK Complaints

MY 2007 SATURN OUTLOOK SUFFERED COMPLETE TRANSMISSION FAILURE AT ONLY 59,700 MILES. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING ACROSS TOWN AT A RATE OF 25 MPH. CAR HAS BEEN BABIED SINCE WE GOT IT. BASICALLY AN ALL-WHEEL DRIVE MINI-VAN. NO OFF-ROAD ACTIVITIES. DID NOT USE IT TO PULL ANY TRAILERS OR OTHER VEHICLES. WAS A GREAT CAR UNTIL THIS OCCURRED. WARRANTY EXPIRED IN SEPT. OF 2012. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO SAID THAT THE "WAVE PLATES" HAD BROKEN AND CAUSED THE TRANSMISSION TO FAIL. I AM NOT A MECHANIC AND DO NOT KNOW MUCH ABOUT CARS, BUT I CONTACTED GM AND WAS TOLD THAT I HAD TO HAVE THE VEHICLE INSPECTED BY A CERTIFIED GM REPAIR SPECIALIST. SO, I HAD IT TOWED AGAIN TO A GM REPAIR SHOP AND THEY CONFIRMED THAT IT WAS THE WAVE PLATES THAT HAD FAILED. THEY ALSO INFORMED ME THAT THE WAVE PLATES WERE A UNIVERSAL PROBLEM FOR THIS MAKE AND MODEL OF CAR - THEY HAD REPAIRED NUMEROUS VEHICLES WITH THE SAME ISSUE... ALL TRANSMISSION FAILURES AT OR BEFORE 75,000 MILES. IN THEIR OPINION THIS WAS A DEFECTIVE PART AND THEY THOUGHT GM SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL. NO CAR SHOULD HAVE A COMPLETED TRANSMISSION FAILURE ON A VEHICLE THAT EARLY! GM CONTACTED THE REPAIR SHOP I WAS WORKING WITH AND INFORMED THEM THAT BECAUSE MY WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED, THE BEST THEY COULD DO WAS TO OFFER ME A "CO-PAYMENT" OF $1500 TO "REPAIR" THE TRANSMISSION. IF I WANTED TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION I WOULD HAVE TO PAY THE FULL COST OF $4500 OUT OF POCKET. I OPTED TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION REPAIRED FOR $1500. I FELT IT WAS MY ONLY OPTION. CASH IS TIGHT AND $4500 OUT OF POCKET IS WAY TOO MUCH FOR WHAT IS OBVIOUSLY A DEFECTIVE PART. I DID NOT FEEL I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY ANYTHING AT ALL - GM BUILT A BAD VEHICLE. THESE VEHICLES SHOULD ALL BE RECALLED AND THE WAVE PLATES SHOULD ALL BE REPLACED - AND ALL OF IT SHOULD BE ON GM'S TAB. SO, NHTSB, DO YOUR JOB ... PUT PRESSURE ON GM AND GET THE RECALL IN PLACE. *TR

PASSENGER SIDE LOW BEAM BULB WAS OUT. BOUGHT REPLACEMENT BULBS BUT NONE OF THEM WORKED. INSPECTED HARNESS AND IT APPEARS THAT THE CONNECTOR IS MELTED/DAMAGED SOMEHOW. *TR

I WAS DRIVING HOME ON HIGHWAY WITH KIDS AND WENT TO ACCELERATE AND SUV WOULD NOT GO FASTER. LUCKILY, I WAS CLOSE TO EXIT AND ABLE TO GET OFF RIGHT AWAY. THE SUV WOULD NOT GO FASTER THAN 25MPH SO I WAS ABLE TO LIMP HOME THE FINAL 3 MILES. ONCE HOME THE SUV WOULD NOT GO INTO REVERSE OR ANY HIGH GEARS. ONLY WORKS IN FIRST GEAR AT 25MPH AND RPMS AT 4000. THE CHECK EMISSION SYMBOL IS LIT ON THE DASH. RESEARCHING THIS ON INTERNET SEEMS MAJOR PROBLEM WITH WAVE PLATE BROKE AND REQUIRES NEW TRANSMISSION. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 SATURN OUTLOOK. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH WHEN A NOISED EMITTED FROM OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE WITH A HEAVY VIBRATION. THE CONTACT MANEUVERED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE THE TECHNICIAN ADVISED THAT THE DRIVE SHAFT FRONT BOLTS WERE LOOSE AND THE DRIVE SHAFT WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THERE WERE TWO TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FAILURE UNDER NHTSA ACTION NUMBERS: 10024227 (POWER TRAIN ) AND 10042291 (POWER TRAIN ) BUT NO RECALLS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,170.

I CHANGED OUT THE FRONT RIGHT HEADLIGHT. AFTER I CHANGED IT OUT, ROUGHLY TWO DAYS LATER THE SAME LIGHT WAS OUT AGAIN. I CHECKED THE LIGHT, LIGHT WAS FINE BUT WIRE HARNESS WAS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. AFTER PLAYING WITH THE PLACEMENT OF THE HARNESS, I WAS ABLE TO GET THE LIGHT TO WORK AGAIN. BUT LIGHT HAS NOT STAYED ON LONGER THAN TWO DAYS WITHOUT ME HAVING TO WORK ON IT IN SOME WAY. *TR

IN MAY, THE VEHICLE BEGAN SHUTTERING AND LOST ALL POWER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THAT THE WAVE PLATE HAD BROKEN. IN DECEMBER 2012, THE TRANSMISSION DISPLAYED AN OVERHEATING WARNING, BUT DEALERSHIP SAID NO PROBLEMS NOTED (APPROX 110000 MILES) THEN IN JAN 2013 (113000) MILES THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF 2ND GEAR. DEALERSHIP SAID THAT IT WAS NOW A BROKEN PRESSURE SWITCH AND NOT COVERED UNDER THE PREVIOUS REPAIR WARRANTY. *TR

AS TAKING AN EXIT RAMP, THE TRACTION CONTROL TURNS OFF, THE DRIVER INSTRUMENT PANEL GIVES A BRAKE WARNING. WE TOOK TO THE MECHANIC WHO ADVISED THAT THE BRAKE FLUID WAS LOW. BRAKE FLUID WAS REFILLED, PROBLEM REPEATS ITSELF EVERY 3 MONTHS, APPEARS TO BE LEAKING FROM THE MASTER CYLINDER. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 SATURN OUTLOOK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT DURING HEAVY RAIN, WATER LEAKED INTO THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE DRAIN WAS CLOGGED AND NEEDED TO BE FIXED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 151,000.

OUR 2007 SATURN OUTLOOK EXPERIENCED COMPLETE SYSTEM FAILURE -IE EVERYTHING TURNED OFF WHILE DRIVING - MORE THAN ONCE. AFTER MANY TRIPS, SOME BY TOW TRUCK, TO THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT, GM FINALLY RESOLVED THE ISSUE BY REPLACING THE CAR'S COMPUTER. THIS WAS AFTER SEVERAL NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCES DRIVING THE CAR AND SUDDENLY BEING WITHOUT BRAKES OR STEERING. NOW THE CAR LEAKS, FILLING THE FLOOR MATS WITH WATER, SPLASHING THE DRIVER WITH WATER AT EVERY CHANGE OF SPEED. THE SEATBELTS HAVE BLACK MOLD, AND STARTING LAST WEEK, THE CAR ISNT STARTING, LIKELY DUE TO WATER IN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. WE BELIEVE THE WATER COMING OUT OF THE AIR BAG HOLES MAY PREVENT THE AIR BAGS FROM FUNCTIONING PROPERLY IN A CRASH. WE ARE NOT ALONE WITH THESE PROBLEMS. PLEASE SEE ' SATURN LEAKING SUNROOF' FORUM ON EDMUNDS.COM FOR MANY MORE CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS JUST LIKE OURS. WE HAVE BEEN IN TOUCH WITH GM BUT EXPECT TO BE TOLD TO 'GO TO THE DEALER'.. AGAIN. THE CHEVY DEALER WE USE DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE, DESPITE IT BEING A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR (ALSO THE OTHER MAKES OF THIS SAME MODEL). WE DO NOT BELIEVE THE CAR IS SAFE. THIS CAR WAS A LEMON FROM THE START, BUT NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE ABOUT IT. *TR

WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY WHEN I WENT TO PASS A CAR THE CAR HESITATED THE ENGINE REVVED UP. TRANSMISSION WENT OUT. WAS ALMOST HIT BY THE TRUCK BEHIND ME. ONCE I GOT IN A SAFE LOCATION DID A LITTLE RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. IT IS JUST A MATTER OF TIME WHEN THIS PROBLEM WILL CAUSE SOMEONE TO GET HURT OR KILLED. *TR