2008 SATURN OUTLOOK Complaints

PROMPTED TO SEND THIS COMPLAINT AFTER THE RECENT SUZUKI AIR BAG RECALL: THE "SERVICE AIR BAG" (SIR, FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG) PROMPT APPEARS ON THE DASH FREQUENTLY AND THEN DISAPPEARING OR UNTIL WE GET NOTIFICATION FROM OUR ONSTAR MONTHLY DIAGNOSTIC REPORT THAT THE CONDITION REQUIRES OUR ATTENTION. THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASING THE VEHICLE IN 2011 (PURCHASED CERTIFIED USED), WHICH WE ASSUMED HAD BEEN CORRECTED (HISTORY CODE B0021 OD) BUT CONTINUES TO THIS VERY DAY. WE ADVISED THE DEALER AFTER SUBSEQUENT AND FREQUENT SERVICE CALLS AND WERE FINALLY TOLD BY THE DEALER, AFTER THE DEALER CONSULTED WITH THE FACTORY, THAT THIS CONDITION CAN BE RECTIFIED AT A COST OF APPROXIMATELY $1,500.00 SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS NOW OUTSIDE THE WARRANTY. I WROTE TO GM TO BRING TO THEIR ATTENTION THAT THIS WAS NOT A MECHANICAL ISSUE BUT A SAFETY ISSUE AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD NOT CONSIDER A NO CHARGE FIX UNTIL WE PAID FOR A DIAGNOSTIC SERVICE OF THE AIR BAG SYSTEM. I ALSO INFORMED THE GM REPRESENTATIVE THAT APPARENTLY THIS AIR BAG SYSTEM DEFECT IS NOT AN ISOLATED ONE SINCE I FOUND NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE SIR ALERT ON SEVERAL SATURN BLOGS OFF THE INTERNET. I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW A MANUFACTURER COULD TOTALLY IGNORE A SAFETY ISSUE THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL FOR INJURY OR DEATH IF THERE IS A FAILURE OF THE AIR BAG TO DEPLOY OR EVEN DEPLOY ACCIDENTALLY. *TR

VEHICLE TRANSMISSION FAILED WHILE ON 500 MILE TRIP HOME TO DALLAS. AFTER PULLING OFF THE FREEWAY IN WICHITA FOR DINNER, THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T ACCELERATE AND SLIPPED OUT OF GEAR AT ABOUT 30 MPH. HAD TO TOW IT TO A DEALER. WAS TOLD THE TRANSMISSION HAD "FALLEN APART" AND NEEDED TO BE REBUILT OR REPLACED AT A COST OF ABOUT $3,600. I HAVE DONE SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THIS TO BE A RATHER COMMON PROBLEM. *TR

DURING RAINS, LEAKS IN THE LEFT REAR IN SPARE TIRE COMPARTMENT, AFFECTING THE CARPET, AND FLOODING THE BACK STORAGE COMPARTMENT.

AFTER HAVING 2008 SATURN OUTLOOK ACTING "ODDLY". MY HUSBAND TOOK FOR A RIDE. AT STOP SIGN WENT TO ACCELERATE ONTO ROAD. CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. HAD TO CALL FOR TOW. AND WAVE VEHICLES TO PASS. FIVE DAYS WITHOUT A VEHICLE AND COUNTING. *TR

DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 60MPH WHEN CAR SLOWED DOWN TO 10-15MPH. HAD TO PLACE MY EMERGENCY LIGHTS ON IN ORDER NOT TO GET HIT BY PASSING VEHICLES AND MOVE TO THE EMERGENCY LANE. I HAD TO TURN OFF THE CAR IN ORDER FOR THE ACCELERATOR TO WORK AGAIN. AFTER THE FIRST INCIDENT THE VEHICLE KEPT ON STALLING. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND IT TURNS OUT ITS THE THROTTLE BODY THAT'S MALFUNCTIONING. THE WARRANTY I PURCHASED DOES NOT COVER THIS TYPE OF PART, I DON'T EVEN HAVE A YEAR WITH THIS VEHICLE. IN DOING MY RESEARCH I FIND OUT THAT THERE HAS BEEN AN INVESTIGATION ON THIS VEHICLE ON FORESAID PROBLEM AROUND THE TIME I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. THE INVESTIGATION IS STILL OPENED. INVESTIGATION NUMBER PE13-003. THE FORD DEALERSHIP IS CHARGING ME CLOSE TO $700 IN ORDER TO GET THIS PART FIXED. THEY DID NOT PROVIDE THIS INFORMATION TO ME I HAD TO LOOK IT UP MY SELF. THEY ALSO DID NOT PROVIDE ME WITH A RENTER CAR I HAD TO PURCHASE ONE ON MY OWN. ITS JUST UNFAIR. *TR

ON OUR 08 OUTLOOK, THE POWER STEERING JUST "GAVE OUT", WHENEVER IT FELT LIKE- BE IN THE MIDDLE OF A SHARP TURN, U TURN, OR GOING ON/OFF AN EXIT RAMP. THERE WAS NO WARNING (GROANING, WHINING, ETC. FROM THE PUMP), YOU SUDDENLY WOULD LOSE POWER STEERING. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP- IT APPARENTLY WASN'T COVERED UNDER THE POWER TRAIN (????WHY?). I TRIED ALL OF THEIR "FIXES"- FLUSHING THE FLUID OUT WITH NEW, PUTTING SYNTHETIC IN, FILLING SLIGHTLY ABOVE AS RECOMMENDED. IT FINALLY BOILED DOWN TO A NEW POWER STEERING PUMP. RIDICULOUS! *TR

WE HAVE OWNED THIS 2008 OUTLOOK SINCE IT WAS NEW, WE ARE THE ORIGINAL OWNERS. IT WAS PRINCIPALLY GARAGED UNTIL RECENTLY. AFTER ANY RAIN WATER CAN BE HEARD SLOSHING OVER YOUR HEAD AND THE FLOOR GETS WET. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS ELECTRICAL ISSUES HAVE STARTED HAPPENING. VARIOUS LIGHTS COME ON THE DASH AND THE RADIO WILL TURN ON BY ITSELF. I AM CONCERNED THAT THE WATER LEAKING IN IS CAUSING ELECTRICAL SHORTS WHICH COULD CAUSE A FIRE OR CAUSE THE AIRBAG SYSTEM TO FAIL. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND THIS MUCH WATER ENTERING THE DASH COULD CAUSE A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE RESULTING IN INJURIES. WATER IS ENTERING FROM THE SUNROOF AND DOES NOT DRAIN PROPERLY. GM HAS A TSB THAT SPEAKS OF DRAIN TUBES THAT NEED TO BE EXTENDED. I DO NOT THINK THAT IS THE ISSUE BECAUSE, IF IT WAS, IT WOULD HAVE LEAKED SINCE IT WAS NEW. THIS PROBLEM ONLY STARTED A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO AND THIS CAR HAD BEEN EXPOSED TO RAIN OVER THE YEARS WITH NO ISSUES. *TR

WATER LEAK FROM SUNROOF TRAVELED DOWN THE DRIVER'S PILLAR AND THROUGH THE DASH, ONTO THE FLOOR. THIS CAUSED AN ELECTRICAL SHORTAGE WHICH CAUSED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WARNING BELL TO SOUND. WATER WAS ALSO LEAKING OUT OF THE CURTAIN AIRBAG BADGE ON THE PILLAR POTENTIALLY COMPROMISING THE AIRBAG. WATER SOAKED THE DRIVER'S CARPET AND MATS. NOW THE DASHBOARD INDICATOR LIGHT FOR RPM IS OPERATING SPORADICALLY. *TR

WAS DRIVING ON THE HWY & THE VEHICLE STARTED LURCHING & THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE VEHICLE THEN STARTED RUNNING ROUGH. I TOOK IT RIGHT AWAY (SAME DAY) TO AN AUTO SHOP & HAD A DIAGNOSTIC DONE. ON THE WAY HOME THE VEHICLE LOCKED IN THE 1ST GEAR & I WAS ONLY ABLE TO GO APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH. IT SHOWED THE SPEED SENSOR WAS OUT. I TOOK IT TO A TRANSMISSION SHOP TO HAVE THE REPAIRS DONE WHERE IT WAS FOUND THAT THE WHOLE TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPAIRED. THE WAVE PLATE IS BAD, WHICH IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH GM WITH THESE MODELS. IT IS A COST OF $3500.00 TO REPAIR & COULD HAVE HAD SERIOUS INJURY TO MYSELF & MY CHILDREN. I WANT TO KNOW WHY A RECALL HAS NOT BEEN DONE ON THIS? AND WHY GM IS NOT BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THESE REPAIR COSTS? *TR

I PURCHASED A 2008 SATURN OUTLOOK. IN JUNE 2012. I HAVE HAD TO HAVE THE WATER PUMP REPLACED A TOTAL OF THREE TIMES. I FIRST REPLACED THE WATER PUMP IN DECEMBER 2012 AFTER A TRIP FROM ILLINOIS TO GEORGIA. THE WATER PUMP WAS REPAIRED ON DECEMBER 24,2012, AT A PEP BOYS IN GEORGIA. LUCKILY I GOT AN EXTEND WARRANTY IN MAY 2013, I TOOK THE CAR TO A GM DEALRSHIP FOR OTHER WORK . THEY ADVISED THAT THEY WOULD PERFORM WORK UNDER WARRANTY BUT THE WATER PUMP WAS LEAKING AND HAD TO BE REPLACED BEFORE THE WORK COULD BE DONE. I WAS FURIOUS AND TOOK BACK TO THE CLOSEST PEP BOYS. ANOTHER WATER PUMP WAS INSTALLED AT PEP BOYS IN MAY, 2103. I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO GM IN JUNE AND THEY ADVISED THAT THE WATER PUMP WAS LEAKING AGAIN. LUICKILY THE SERVICE MANAGER REPLACED THE WATER PUMP FOR NO CHARGE. I JUST RECEIVED NOTICE FROM GM THAT THEY AKNOWLEDGE A PROBLEM WITH WATER PUMP LEAKS WITH THIS MODEL. AND WOULD COVER THE REPAIRS UP TILL 120,000 MILES. I DO NOT THINK THAT THIS CONDITION IS REPAIRABLE IN THAT IT IS UNHEARD OF THAT A CAR WOULD NEED THREE WATER PUMPS IN A PERIOD OF SEVEN MONTHS. THE CMPANY SAYS THAT IT IS CAUSED BY LOW FLUID LEVELS. I HAVE MAINTAINED THE CORRECT LEVEL OF COOLANT IN MY CAR SINCE I HAVE OWNED IT AND BELEIVE IT SOMETHING ALOT MORE THAN WHAT THEY ARE TELLING ME. *TR