2002 SATURN VUE Complaints

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, OUR 2002 VUE MADE A GRINDING NOISE AND THEN BEGAN TO LOSE POWER. AS WE WERE PULLING OFF TO THE SIDE, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND THEN WOULD NOT RE-START. THE SATURN DEALERSHIP TOWED THE VUE TO THEIR LOT AND INFORMED US , THAT THE TIMING CHAIN HAD SKIPPED AND BLEW THE MOTOR. THE TIMING CHAIN WAS SUPPOSED TO BE NO MAINTENANCE AND DIDN'T EVEN NEED TO BE CHECKED UNTIL 100,000 MILES. MY VUE HAD 65,000 MILES. AFTER 3 WEEKS WE WERE TOLD THAT THEY WOULD REBUILD THE ENGINE AT A COST OF $3500- $3800 AND SATURN WOULD PAY HALF OF THAT COST. SEVERAL WEEKS PRIOR, THE VEHICLE WAS STALLING WHILE DRIVING AND WOULD NOT RESTART UNTIL IT COOLED OFF. WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY REPLACED A SENSOR FOR THE CAM SHAFT. THE SWITCH FOR THE BACK WIPER HAS BEEN REPLACED AND WE WERE TOLD BY SATURN TECH'S THAT THE MOTOR FOR THE BACK WIPER ALSO NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, AGAIN AT OUR COST. *JB

WHILE DRIVING MY 2002 SATURN VUE TO WORK, THE REDUCED POWER AND SERVICE ENGINE LIGHTS CAME ON SIMULTANEOUSLY, AND I HAD NO POWER. I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE A STATE TROOPER SAT BEHIND ME WITH HIS LIGHTS ON SO THAT I WOULD NOT BE REAR-ENDED. MY CAR WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL REPAIR STATION WHERE IT COULD NOT BE FIXED, SO IT WAS TOWED TO THE SATURN DEALER. IT WAS REPORTED TO ME THAT THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE AND SINCE THE ENGINE WAS A "ZERO TOLERANCE" ENGINE, THE ENTIRE ENGINE HAS TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF OVER $2000. I HAVE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY, BUT DO NOT HAVE COPIES OF THE RECEIPTS FOR OIL CHANGES SO THEY WILL NOT HONOR THE WARRANTY (FOR WHICH I PAID $1700). HERITAGE (THE COMPANY WHICH I BOUGHT THE WARRANTY FROM WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR AT SATURN) SAYS THAT IF I PAY $435 TO HAVE THE ENGINE TORN DOWN, THEY WILL SEND AN AUDITOR TO DETERMINE IF THEY WILL PAY FOR THE REPAIRS OR NOT. MY CONCERN IS THAT THE ENGINE THAT THEY WILL PUT IN HAS 28,000 MILES ON IT AND THE TIMING CHAIN MAY BREAK ON THIS ENGINE AS WELL. *NM

DRIVERS DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN.. THIS HAPPENED 3 OR 4 TIMES OVER THE PAST COUPLE MONTHS BUT USUALLY AFTER ATTEMPTING SEVERAL TIMES THE DOOR WOULD FINALLY OPEN, HOWEVER THIS TIME IT WOULD NOT OPEN.. I RETURNED TO MY HOME AND REFUSED TO DRIVE THE CAR UNTIL THE DEALER COULD LOOK AT IT AND SOLVE THE PROBLEM. IT TOOK 4 DAYS BEFORE I COULD GET AN APPOINTMENT. AFTER DRIVING 75 MILES TO THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP I WAS TOLD THAT THE DOOR PANEL HAD 2 BROKEN CLIPS THAT HELD THE SIDE PANEL ON AND THAT IT WOULD COST $450 TO REPLACE THE DOOR PANEL.. I FIND THIS TO BE AN EXTREME SAFETY HAZARD IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT OR FIRE AND THE NEED TO EVACUATE THE AUTOMOBILE.. MY ISSUE HAS NOT BEEN ADDRESSED AS OF YET BUT AFTER OWNING A TOTAL OF 3 SATURN CARS AND ALL THREE HAVING DEFECTIVE ISSUES THAT SATURN WILL PROBABLY DO NOTHING. I FIND IT ODD THAT SATURN OFFERED 2 YEARS AGO TO BUY BACK OUR SATURN VUE BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO USE IT FOR RESEARCH... WE DECLINED ALTHOUGH WE NOW REGRET NOT FOLLOWING THROUGH WITH IT. SATURN DOES NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT AND NEVER CLAIM LIABILITY FOR THEIR FAULTY PRODUCT. I WOULD NEVER BUY ANOTHER SATURN PRODUCT NOR WOULD I EVER RECOMMEND SATURN TO A FRIEND. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE HAS TIMING CHAIN FAILURE WHICH CAUSES VEHICLE TO STALL. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE DEALER CANNOT FIND THE CAUSE OF THE ILLUMINATION. THE TRANSMISSION ALSO HAS PROBLEMS AS WELL AS THE BRAKES.

I HAVE A FAILED TRANSMISSION, ON A 2002 SATURN VUE WITH 56K MILES ON IT. I BROUGHT IT IN THREE MONTHS AFTER I BOUGHT BECAUSE THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING THEY CLAIMED THEY CHANGED THE FLUID, DID A TUNE UP ETC., BUT THE RIDE REALLY DIDN'T CHANGE. WELL THE TRANSMISSION FINALLY WENT OUT, AND THEY'RE ORDERING PARTS TO "FIX" THE TRANSMISSION INSTEAD OF REPLACING IT. IN FACT THEY DON'T MAKE THE TRANSMISSION ANYMORE (WHICH IS UNDERSTANDABLE, WHO WOULD CONTINUE TO MAKE SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T WORK) BUT NOW IF MINE GOES OUT I HAVE TO EITHER HAVE PARTS REPLACED, OR GET ONE OUT OF A WRECKED ONE. *NM

SATURN VUE HAS ISSUES WITH SWAY BAR, HAD TO REPLACE O RINGS AND DO ALIGNMENT--DEALERSHIP/SERVICE DEPT CLAIMED IT WAS BECAUSE OF MICHIGAN ROADS, FUNNY THING IS THAT THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN VA MOST OF THE PAST 9 MONTHS. MR. FARMER AT SATURN OF FLINT WAS VERY RUDE TO ME ON THE PHONE. MANUFACTURER DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE CONCERNED THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT ONCE THE O RINGS GO THEN GOES THE ALIGNMENT, TIRES AND THEN BRAKES. I HAVE ALSO BEEN TOLD THAT THIS VEHICLE HAS HAD 'TROUBLE' WITH THE O RINGS. WHAT DOES IT TAKE FOR THE VEHICLE TO BE RECALLED? *JB

SOMEONE WAS PREPARING TO CUT ME OFF, SO I SOUNDED THE HORN AS A WARNING. THE HORN WOULD NOT SHUT OFF. I PULLED THE FUSE TO QUIET THE HORN. TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP SAME DAY AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE HORN/DRIVER AIR BAG RELAY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT OVER $700 JUST FOR THE PART! COMMON PROBLEM/POOR DESIGN FEATURE - SEE WWW.SATURNFANS.COM/FORUMS/ARCHIVE/INDEX.PHP/T-52432.HTML. *NM

TURN SIGNALS DO NOT WORK ALL THE TIME, FEAR OF REAR END COLLISION. THE TURN SIGNALS HAVE TO BE RESET BY TURNING ON HAZARD WARNING FLASHERS MOMENTARILY THEN TRY TURN SIGNALS! *JB

WHENEVER THE STEERING WHEEL IS TURNED IT MAKES A NOISE AND SEEMS TO VIBRATE THE VEHICLE. IT HAS NOT YET FAILED, BUT IS VERY WORRISOME.*AK

DT: THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE HORN WENT OFF ON ITS OWN. THE CONSUMER HAD TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN TAKEN TO ANY MECHANIC FOR THIS PROBLEM. *AK (11/23/05) *SC