2008 SATURN OUTLOOK Complaints

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY GOING 70 MILES/HR AND THE CHIME WENT OFF AND ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED AND SERVICE STABILITRAK TRACTION CONTROL OFF FLASHED ON MY DISPLAY AS WELL AS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. I STARTED TO LOSE POWER AND CARS WERE SWERVING AROUND ME WITH THE SUDDEN LOSS OF SPEED AND I WAS LUCKY I WAS NOT HIT BY ANOTHER CAR. BY THE TIME I GOT OVER TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD I WAS GOING 40 MILES/HR WITH THE GAS PEDAL PUSHED ALL THE WAY DOWN. THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED BY A GM DEALERSHIP AS A TIMING CHAIN ISSUE. WHEN I LOOKED ONLINE IT SEEMS MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE SAME ISSUE. GM HAS INFORMED ME THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THE 2007 SATURN OUTLOOK AND THE 2009 SATURN OUTLOOK BUT MY 2008 SATURN OUTLOOK WAS NOT UNDER THE SAME RECALL EVEN THOUGH NOTHING IS DIFFERENT IN THE 2008 FROM THE 2007 OR 2009, IT HAS THE SAME ENGINE AND THE SAME TIMING CHAIN THAT QUALIFIED THE OTHER YEARS RECALLS. *TR

APRIL 2010, PASSENGER LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT WENT OUT. WAS PULLED OVER AND TOLD TO GET IT FIXED. WENT IN TO CHANGE THE LIGHT, BUT FOUND THE HARNESS WAS MELTED AND WIRES WERE FRAYED AND SHOWED SIGNS OF ARCING. I REPLACED THE HARNESS AND BULB. JAN 2014, TAKE CAR TO GET SAFETY INSPECTED AND GET TOLD THAT PASSENGER SIDE LOW BEAM IS OUT AND FAILED INSPECTION. FOUND EXACT SAME PROBLEM AS IN APRIL 2010, FRAYED WIRES AND SIGNS OF ELECTRICAL ARCING. *TR

VEHICLE WOULD SUDDENLY LOSE POWER, TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD COME ON, THEN LIGHT WOULD SAY ENGINE POWER REDUCED. ONGOING PROBLEM SINCE 2011. BECOMING MORE FREQUENT. TODAY COMPLETE POWER LOSS, TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT RESPOND AGAIN. 85000 MILES NOW. THIS HAS HAPPENED FROM EVERY SPEED FROM 1 MPH TO 60 MPH. *TR

TRANSMISSION WENT BAD RIGHT AFTER 100000 MILES, REVERSE AND 3RD GEAR IS NOT WORKING. I AM ASKING TO GMC TO REPLACE IT SINCE THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF CASES WITH THE SAME SITUATION. *TR

VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT GEARS PROPERLY. DROVE IT DIRECTLY (LESS THAN 5 MILES) TO A LOCAL AUTO SHOP. DIAGNOSTICS IDENTIFIED TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. VEHICLE IS 5 MONTHS OUT OF WARRANTY. TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED. *TR

TRANSMISSION WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING. STUTTERING, SHAKING, AND THEN NO POWER AT ALL. THIS HAPPENED IN BUSY TRAFFIC AND ALL I COULD DO WAS COAST TO A STOP. HAD TO PUSH IT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AFTER TRAFFIC WAS STOPPED. *TR

DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT STOPPED WORKING. GOT PULLED OVER AND WAS GIVEN A FIX IT TICKET. REPLACING THE BULB DIDN'T FIX IT. I'VE READ THIS IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE WITH THE WIRING HARNESS DUE TO MANUFACTURER DEFECT OR FAULTY EQUIPMENT WHICH SHOULDN'T BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE OWNER TO PAY TO FIX. DRIVING IN THE DARK WITHOUT A WORKING DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT IS VERY DANGEROUS, ESPECIALLY IN THE WINTER WHICH IS WHEN THIS HAPPENED TO ME. THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL BECAUSE THIS CAUSES A BIG SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

3 WEEKS AGO THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED MY ECM BECAUSE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE VEHICLE WAS STALLING. ON MONDAY, MY HUSBAND TALKED TO THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE IT STARTED NOT SHIFTING PROPERLY. THEY SAID DUE TO THE HOLIDAY THEY COULDN'T SEE US UNTIL THURSDAY. WITHIN MINUTES IF THE CONVERSATION, THE VEHICLE STOPPED SHIFTING ALL TOGETHER...NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT; NOTHING. USING ONSTAR, WE HAVE IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. TUESADY WE RECEIVE A CALL AND ARE TOLD IT IS $1600 TO REPLACE A "BALL" IN THE TRANSMISSION. OOPS, THEY FORGOT THE TAX IN THE FIRST QUOTE; NOW $1800! WE GET A LOAN TO HAVE IT FIXED. THURSDAY WE RECEIVE A CALL AND NOW THERE ARE METAL SHAVINGS IN OUR FLUID THEY DIDN'T SEE BEFORE AND IT IS GOING TO BE $4300 FOR A RE-MANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION. THE SERVICE AGENT AT ONE POINT LAUGHED AT ME AND SAID TO DO THE MINIMU REPAIR AND TRADE IT IN FOR A NEW VEHICLE!! OUR WARRANTY JUST EXPIRED IN JUNE, THE VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 60,000 AND THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IN LESS THAN 30 DAYS IT HAS BEEN IN! AS ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY, WE CANNOT AFFORD $4300 TO FIX IT BUT ALSO CANNOT BE WITHOUT A VEHICLE!! *TR

VEHICLE LOST SPEED ON FREEWAY AND DRIVER CONTROL PANEL LITE UP WITH ERROR MESSAGES (STABILITRAK, TRACTION CONTROL, ENGINE REDUCED POWER, AND EMISSION CONTROL WARNINGS). ONSTAR RAN DIAGNOSTIC WITH MULTILPE ERROR CODES AND HAD TO HAVE VEHICLE TOWED TO DELARSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP STATED THAT THE VALVE COVERS WERE LEAKING AND OIL WAS ALL OVER THE THROTTLE BODY. EXTENDED WARRANTY WILL ONLY OVER THROTTLE BODY AND NOT VALVE COVER SINCE GM RE-DESIGNED THE VALVE COVERS! OBVIOUSLY GM KNOWS THE VALVE COVVERS FAIL!! MY PORTION OF REPAIR IS $1100. AGAIN JUST OUTSIDE OF 5 YEAR POWERTRAIN WARRANTY. *TR

WHILE DRIVING THE TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING AND HAD GONE COMPLETELY OUT. THE COST TO REPAIR THIS WILL BE AROUND 3500 DOLLARS. THIS IS ABSURD CONSIDERING HOW NEW THE CAR IS. *TR