2009 SATURN OUTLOOK Complaints

I PURCHASED MY SATURN OUTLOOK IN JUNE OF 2009 AND STILL ENJOY DRIVING IT BUT RECENTLY WHEN TURNING THE STEERING THERE IS A "THUD" NOISE AND STEERING BECOMES DIFFICULT. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS BUT NOT EVERY TIME. I ALSO HAVE LOST THE ABILITY TO LOCK THE DRIVERS DOOR WITH DOOR LOCK BUT CAN LOCK IT FROM REMOTE KEY OR USING THE PASSENGER DOOR LOCK AND NOW THE WINDOW CONTROL HAS STARTED TO WORK AT RANDOM. THIS TOO IS ONLY WHEN USING THE DRIVERS CONTROL. THE DOOR ON THE DRIVERS SIDE JUST STARTED MAKING A LOUD NOISE A FEW WEEKS AGO WHEN OPENING. IT SOUNDS LIKE IT MIGHT BE ON A BIND. I DID TAKE MY CAR TO DEALER WHEN THE LOCK STOPPED WORKING AND WAS TOLD I NEEDED A PART THAT WAS OVER A $100 +$100 LABOR JUST TO TELL ME IT NEEDED THE PART. THIS WAS BEFORE THE WINDOW STARTING ACTING UP AND THE DOOR BEGAN MAKING LOUD CREAKING NOISE. ANY ADVICE IS APPRECIATED. THANK YOU *TR

ENGINE WOULD STUTTER AT AROUND 70MPH. ISSUE RESOLVED BY CONTINUING TO REPLACE IGNITION COILS. FINALLY A TECHNICAL NOTE WAS ISSUED SAYING THE ECM HAD AN ISSUE THAT WOULD OVERHEAT AND MELT THE IGNITION COILS. LAST VISIT TO DEALER IN JAN 2014 REPLACED ALL IGNITION COILS AND THE ECM. ISSUE HAS NOT RETURNED YET. IF GM KNOW ABOUT THIS ISSUE, SHOULD THEY DO A RECALL BECAUSE IT'S A COMMON PROBLEM ACCORDING TO THE DEALER. *TR

THE ENGINE ON THIS VEHICLE HAS ISSUES WITH THE CYLINDERS AND MISFIRES. THIS ISSUE FIRST STARTED LAST YEAR AND WAS TAKEN INTO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE AT ABOUT 45,000 MILES. THE DEALER COULD REPLICATE THE ISSUE AT SPEEDS OF ABOUT 55 MPH WHERE THE ENGINE WOULD MISFIRE AND CAUSE A LACK OF POWER. HOWEVER DUE TO A LACK OF ENGINE CODES THEY COULD NOT BEGIN TO SOLVE THE ISSUE AS TO WHY THIS WAS HAPPENING. LAST WEEK THE ISSUE BECAME WORSE AND RESULTED IN A LOSS OF POWER ON THE HIGHWAY. FORTUNATELY THERE IS NOW A CODE FOR THE ENGINE ISSUE SO WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE CYLINDER MISFIRES AND IT CAN NOW BE FIXED. THIS IS A DANGEROUS ISSUE FOR DRIVERS AS THERE CAN BE A DISCERNIBLE ENGINE PROBLEM THAT CAN NOT BE DIAGNOSED BY GM'S DIAGNOSTIC EQUIPMENT UNTIL THERE SUCH A LOSS OF POWER RESULTING IN A SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 SATURN OUTLOOK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG AND TRACTION CONTROL WOULD ACTIVATE AND DEACTIVATE INDEPENDENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR A MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 75,000.

PURCHASED CAR USED IN 2012. PROBLEMS STARTED ABOUT A MONTH LATER. FIRST WINDOWS STOPPED ROLLING DOWN AND SIDE MIRRORS UNABLE TO BE MOVED. WAS FINALLY ABLE TO GET THAT FIXED IN APRIL OF 2013, EXCEPT THE MIRRORS, THEY FAILED TO FIX THOSE. BRAKE PEDAL WAS MAKING A SQUEAKING SOUND WHEN PRESSED. WAS ALSO FIXED IN APRIL 2013. A SQUEAKING OR GRINDING SOUND STARTED WHEN TURNING ALONG WITH A LOUD METALLIC SQUEAKING SOUND WHEN GOING OVER SPEED BUMPS, PULLING INTO DRIVEWAY, STUFF LIKE THAT. IN APRIL 2013, THE RACK AND PINION WAS REPLACED. ALL THIS WAS UNDER MY EXTENDED WARRANTY. ABOUT 4 OR 5 MONTHS AFTER THAT REPAIR, THE SAME THINGS WERE HAPPENING. A GRINDING SOUND WHEN I TURN, BRAKE SQUEAKING AGAIN, THE SAME SOUND GOING OVER SPEED BUMPS AND LOSING POWER STEERING FLUID. TOOK CAR BACK TO DEALERSHIP, UNABLE TO HAVE IT SEEN FOR A MONTH. WHEN I WAS ABLE TO GET IT IN, IT WAS WELL OVER THE PARTS WARRANTY AND THE EXTENDED WARRANTY WAS OUT. NOW THE SAME THINGS NEED TO BE REPLACED, PLUS THE ENGINE MOUNT IS BROKEN AND NEEDS TO BE FIXED. WHEN I COMPLAINED TO THE DEALERSHIP ABOUT IT AND LETTING THEM KNOW THAT I TRIED TO GET MY VEHICLE IN WHILE THE WARRANTY WAS STILL VALID, THEY OFFERED TO PAY $750, LEAVING ME TO COVER THE OTHER $956. I HAVEN'T EVEN HAD THEM TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHY MY CAR DOESN'T START RIGHT AWAY ONLY AFTER I PUT GAS IN THE TANK, REGARDLESS OF HOW MUCH GAS IS ALREADY IN THE TANK. I AM GUESSING THAT IS SOME SORT OF FUEL PUMP PROBLEM, BUT I'M NOT A MECHANIC. I HAVE ALSO HAD TO REPLACE MY LEFT REAR BLINKED LIGHT TWICE IN UNDER 6 MONTHS. I TAKE CARE OF MY VEHICLE, I DON'T DRIVE IT OFF-ROAD OR OVER POT HOLES AND I DON'T HIT CURBS. I DON'T BELIEVE THERE IS ANY REASON FOR THESE ITEMS TO BE FAILING LIKE THEY ARE, EXCEPT THAT THERE IS A HUGE PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE THAT GM DOESN'T WANT TO ADDRESS. *TR

11-16-12 REPLACED POWER STEERING COOLER @ 91236 MILES 01-08-13 REPLACED POWER STEERING COOLER PIPE/HOSE--DIAGNOSED AS HIGH PRESSURE PROBLEM @ 91450 MI. 01-28-13 SECURED POWER STEERING FITTING & BLED SYSTEM @ 92694 MI. 02-06-13 REPLACED POWER STEERING PUMP & PURGED AIR FROM SYSTEM @ 92866 MI. 04-02-13 REPLACED POWER STEERING RACK @ 93530 MI. 09-20-13 REPLACED POWER STEERING LOW PRESSURE HOSE (AGAIN) @ 98739 MI. 03-08-14 REPLACED POWER STEERING COOLER (AGAIN!) @ 103187 MI. *TR

COMPLETE LOSS OF STEERING ASSIST, VEHICLE NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO TURN AT LOW SPEEDS (I AM A 6'-1" MALE IN GOOD PHYSICAL SHAPE). NEARLY CAUSED CRASH DUE TO INABILITY TO TURN AT LOW SPEED. EXTREMELY CONCERNED WITH SAFETY AS NORMAL DRIVER IS MY WIFE WITH OUR 2 KIDS IN THE VEHICLE, I AM CERTAIN SHE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO STEER THE VEHICLE GIVEN THE DIFFICULTY I HAD TO TURN THE WHEEL. TOOK TO NEARBY TRUSTED, LICENSED MECHANIC, AFTER DIAGNOSIS FOUND THAT NEEDED NEW POWER STEERING PUMP AND RACK AND LEARNED THAT THERE IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH POWER STEERING PUMP AND RACK IN THIS AND "SISTER" GM VEHICLES. I VERIFIED THIS BY FINDING NUMEROUS SIMILAR POSTS IN ON-LINE FORUMS. MECHANIC REPLACED THE POWER STEERING PUMP AND RACK AT A COST OF $1,100. I FEEL LUCKY THAT THERE WAS NOT AN ACCIDENT, AND NOW UPSET THAT THERE IS SUCH A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM OUT THERE THAT COULD CAUSE INJURIES AND IS COSTING CONSUMERS BIG $ TO REPAIR. *TR

OUR 2009 SATURN OUTLOOK WAS PURCHASED NEW IN FEB 2009. THE SQUEAKING NOISES IN THE STEERING COLUMN STARTED AT 11,171 MILES. WE HAD IT SERVICED UNDER WARRANTY. THEY SAID IT NEEDED TO BE LUBRICATED. THE SQUEAKING PERSISTED AND WE RETURNED TO THE DEALERSHIP DECEMBER, 2009 AT 12,000 MILES. THEY SAID IT WAS A LOOSE PART IN THE ASSEMBLY SO THEY FLUSHED THE FLUID AND REPLACED THE RESERVOIR ASSEMBLY. THE SQUEAKING PERSISTED AND WE RETURNED TO THE DEALER FEB 2010 AT 16,940 MILES AND THEY AGAIN LUBRICATED THE STEERING SHAFT. THE SQUEAKING RETURNED AUG, 2010 AT 20,621 MILES AND THE STEERING GEAR WAS FINALLY REPLACED. THE SPEAKING RETURNED IN LATE 2011 BUT WE WERE OUT OF WARRANTY AND DECIDED TO DEAL WITH IT. THEN THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT COMPLETELY AS I WAS MAKING A U-TURN IN A BUSY INTERSECTION, KIDS IN THE CAR. I ALMOST CRASHED. THIS WAS LATE 2013. IT WAS "REPAIRED" OUT OF WARRANTY "INTERNAL FAILURE IN PWR STEERING PUMP POSSIBLE DUE TO METAL FROM OLDER STEERING GEAR. REPLACE PWR STEERING PUMP. FILL/BLEED SYSTEM." <REALLY!?!?> THIS COST US $1100 TO REPAIR AND THE STEERING WHEEL IS STILL SQUEAKING. FILING COMPLAINT WITH NHTSA. CONTACTED GM AND FILED A FORMAL COMPLAINT WITH THEIR CORPORATE OFFICE. *TR

I TOOK MY 2009 SATURN OUTLOOK XE TO THE GM SERVICE CENTER YESTERDAY ONLY TO FIND OUT AT 45000 MY STEERING RACK AND PUMP NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AT $1300 +. ALSO, MY TIMING CHAIN IS GONE. MY AIR CONDITIONER STOPPED BLOWING COLD AIR FOR THE SECOND TIME AND LASTLY WHEN I TURN ON MY DEFROST IT COMES OUT AT MY FEET. THE AIR AND THE DEFROST I AM STILL WAITING FOR THEM TO FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM. HOW CAN GM GET AWAY WITH THIS. I HAVEN'T EVEN REACHED 50000 MILES AND MY CAR NEEDS CLOSE TO $5000 IN REPAIRS. GM NEED TO STAND BEHIND THEIR VEHICLES AND PUT OUT A RECALL ON THE STEERING RACK BEFORE SOMEONE GETS SERIOUSLY HURT OR KILLED. PLEASE, SOMEONE DO SOMETHING. *JS

I TOOK MY '09 SATURN OUTLOOK TO ROYAL AUTOMOTIVE DEALERSHIP ON 7/2/13 TO CORRECT ANOTHER (NOW THE 4TH) RECALL AND TO HAVE MY STEERING ISSUES CORRECTED. THE POWER STEERING LOCKS UP CONSTANTLY WHEN MAKING TURNS. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER AND IS VERY DANGEROUS, ESPECIALLY WHEN TURNING INTO ON COMING TRAFFIC. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT THE STEERING NEEDED STEERING GEAR AND PUMP REPLACEMENTS AT A COST OF $1436. AFTER RESEARCHING ONLINE, I FOUND THAT MANY PEOPLE ACROSS THE NATION ARE HAVING THE VERY SAME PROBLEMS YET GM REFUSES TO CORRECT THIS DANGEROUS ISSUE. I SUPPOSED THEY ARE WAITING ON A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT. AFTER WORKING WITH GM CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE, I AM STILL UNABLE TO GET HENRY PARKER AT ROYAL AUTOMOTIVE IN ALABAMA TO RETURN MY PHONE CALLS. FROM ALL THE COMPLAINTS ACROSS THE NATION, I WOULD THINK THIS WOULD NEED TO BE ANOTHER GM RECALL BECAUSE OF THE HIGH NATURE OF A POTENTIAL LIFE THREATENING SITUATION IN DRIVING THESE CARS. *JB