2002 SATURN VUE Complaints

9/15/04 VEHICLE LOST POWER WHEN ACCELERATING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN. I ALMOST HAD A COLLISION FROM AN ONCOMING VEHICLE. VUE HESITATED AGAIN AND LOST POWER WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE TO GET UP TO POSTED SPEED. I HAD THE ACCELERATOR FLOORED, RPMS SHOT UP TO 6000 AND I WAS ONLY ABLE TO GO 20 - 25 MILES PER HOUR DOWN THE ROAD. ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE HOME AT THE END OF THE DAY, BUT VUE WOULDN'T EXCEED 20 - 25 MILES PER HOUR. WITH 21,937 MILE, I DROVE TO SATURN OF ROCHESTER (MN) AND DROPPED OFF ADVISED DEALER THAT TRANSMISSION SLIPPED AND ENGINE RACED. 9/16/04 SATURN OF ROCHESTER (MN) TECHNICIAN DROVE CAR AND FELT TRANSMISSION SLIP. TECHNICIAN DRAINED FLUID AND FOUND METAL IN FLUID AND BELT SLIPPING. DEALERSHIP CALLED TO ADVISE THAT TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED! RETURNED TO OWNER ON 9/23/04. 9/27/04, WITH 22,060 MILES, BROUGHT VUE BACK TO SATURN OF ROCHESTER (MN) BECAUSE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT WAS ON. SATURN VIE WAS ONLY ABLE TO GO 20 - 25 MILES PER HOUR DOWN THE ROAD '' ONCE AGAIN, HAD TO TAKE BACK ROADS TO SAFELY GET TO DEALERSHIP. TECHNICIAN INDICATED THAT THEY HAD TO REBUILD THE TRANSMISSION THAT THEY HAD REPLACED! WHEN I ASKED IF THEY HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE SATURN VIE THE SALES PERSON SAID HE HADN'T HEARD OF ANYTHING. THE GENERAL MANAGER MADE THE SAME STATEMENT. USING THE INTERNET I DISCOVERED NUMEROUS LISTINGS ON THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION WEB SITE. I PRINTED OUT THE INFORMATION AND PROVIDED IT TO THE GENERAL MANAGER - - HE PLEAD IGNORANCE. WHILE MY VEHICLE WAS BEING REPAIRED I ASKED THE SHOP MANAGER IF THEY HAD EXPERIENCED ANY PROBLEMS AND HE TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD REPLACED SEVERAL TRANSMISSION AND THAT IT WAS WIDELY KNOW THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM. *NM

I HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN TWICE IN LESS THAN 15 MONTHS. THE 2001 SATURN VUE'S HORN BECOMES JAM DUE TO PROBLEMS WITH THE AIRBAG. ACCORDING TO THE MECHANICS AT THE SATURN DEALERSHIP THE AIRBAG PRESSES DOWN ON THE HORN AND JAMS IT CAUSING IT TO GO OFF NON STOP, THE ONLY WAY TO TURN IT OFF IS TO DISCONNECT THE FUSE. THE SECOND TIME THIS HAPPENED TO ME ACCORDING TO THE DEALERSHIP IT FRIED THE HORN CONNECTION IN THE STEERING WHEEL, MY CONCERN ABOUT THIS SINCE ITS HAPPEN TO ME SO OFTEN IS COULD IT ACCIDENTALLY SET OFF THE AIRBAG? ALSO CAN THIS BE A FIRE HAZARD DUE TO THE CABLES BEING BURNT WITHIN THE STEERING WHEEL? I WOULD BE WILLING TO LET YOU GUYS INSPECT MY AUTOMOBILE. IN ORDER TO REPAIR THIS THE WHOLE AIRBAG SYSTEM, AND HORN NEEDS TO BE REPAIR.*JB

IN THE MORNING MY WIFE ATTEMPTED TO START THE CAR AND IT DID NOT START. WHEN I GOT HOME FROM WORK I STARTED THE CAR, BUT THE IDLE WAS VERY ROUGH. I DROVE THE CAR AROUND THE BLOCK (STANDARD TRANSMISSION) AND IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT GETTING THE CAR TO ACCELERATE IN FIRST GEAR. AS I DROVE THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP, THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT WAS FLASHING. THE IDLE WAS ROUGH, THE ENGINE WAS UNDERPOWERED, AND WHEN I CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP, THE ENGINE WOULD STALL. THE PARTS REPLACED WERE #12587426: COIL ASM, #12580215: MODULE AS, #12569190: SPARK PLUG. I DO NOT KNOW IF THE PARTS ARE AVAILABLE. THE REPAIRS WERE DONE AT SATURN OF NATIONAL CITY IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY. THIS VEHICLE IS A 2002 SATURN VUE. IT HAS THE 2.2L (L4) ENGINE. THE PARTS AND THE ENGINE ARE THE SAME ONES FOUND IN THE SATURN L-SERIES SEDAN, WHICH HAD A RECALL FOR THE IGNITION CONTROL MODULE. I BELIEVE THAT RECALL IS 03-C-06. I CALLED SATURN'S NATIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE AND THEY SAID THAT THE RECALL DOES NOT AFFECT MY VEHICLE, EVEN THOUGH IT HAS THE SAME ENGINE AND SAME PART NUMBERS THAT WERE SUBJECT TO RECALL FOR THE L-SERIES SEDAN. *NM

DT: THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 SATURN VUE. THE CONTACT STATES WHILE DRIVING THE RPM GAUGE JUMPED FROM TWO TO SEVEN OR EIGHT. THEN DROPPED BACK TO TWO. THIS CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO GO INTO NEUTRAL. THE CONTACT STATED IT HAPPENED SO FAST THAT THERE WAS NO TIME TO REACT. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THE DEALERSHIP AT LEAST SIX TIMES. THE CONSUMER DID NOT KNOW WHAT THE SERVICE DEALER HAS DONE, BUT THEY STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER, AND THEY DID EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ON THE VEHICLE FOR ANOTHER YEAR. *AK

MY SATURN HAS TROUBLE STARTING. WHEN IT DOES START AND RUN THE HEADLIGHTS FLASH ON AND OFF CONSTANTLY, MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS WON'T SHUT OFF, AND THE ODOMETER WENT FROM READING 36,000 MILES TO READING 76,000 MILES. *NM

DT: CONTACT STATES THE CLUTCH BECAME DISABLED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 75 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A SERVICE DEALER, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT CLUTCH CABLE SNAPPED OR THERE WAS PROBLEM WITHIN THE HYDRAULICS. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS IN ANOTHER STATE. *AK

DT: STEERING SYSTEM IS FAILING. STEERING LOCKS UP ON LEFT HAND TURNS, THEN STARTS STRAIGHTENING BACK OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF A TURN AND WHILE GOING ON/OFF EXIT RAMPS. AT LOW SPEEDS THE WHEEL COMPLETELY STOPS TURNING AND LOCKS UP. *TT

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED THE ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM FAILED, AND VEHICLE WANDERED. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK *TC

MY FIANCE AND I BOTH PURCHASED A 2002 SATURN VUE. DURING THE COURSE OF NORMAL DRIVING SHE USED HER HORN IN ALERTING OTHER DRIVERS AND THE HORN FAILED TO STOP SOUNDING. THE ONLY REMEDY WAS TO PULL OVER AND REMOVE THE FUSE TO STOP THE HORN FROM SOUNDING. THIS OCCURRED THREE TIMES DURING HER OWNERSHIP OF THE VEHICLE AND EACH TIME THE DEFECTIVE PART WAS REPLACED THE PROBLEM WOULD RETURN SHORTLY AFTER. AFTER MUCH INQUIRY WE FINALLY HAD A MANAGER ADMIT TO US THERE WAS A PRODUCT REDESIGN TO FIX THE PROBLEM WITH IT SHORTING OUT WHICH ALSO AFFECTED THE AIR BAG FUNCTIONALITY AS WELL. BOTH SAFETY ISSUES. NOW DURING THE COURSE OF NORMAL DRIVING MY VEHICLE, ALSO A SATURN VUE OF THE SAME YEAR, HAS SUFFERED THE SAME FAILURE. ALTHOUGH THIS IS MY FIRST SUCH INCIDENT WITH THE PROBLEM, I SUSPECT THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED CASE. I WAS TOLD THAT THE PART WOULD COST ROUGHLY $1000 TO REPLACE WHEN WE HAD TO REPLACE HERS THREE TIMES! I AM NOW FINDING MYSELF IN THE SAME SITUATION WHERE I HONKED THE HORN AND IT REFUSED TO TURN OFF UNTIL I PULLED THE FUSE. I ASSUME THEY WILL ALSO TRY TO CHARGE ME $1000 FOR IT'S REPAIR. *NM

I WAS INVOLVED IN 2 ACCIDENTS WITH MY 2002 SATURN VUE. THE FIRST TIME I WAS DRIVING IN RAINY CONDITIONS WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN I LOST CONTROL OF MY CAR. I FIRST VEERED TO THE LEFT AND TRIED TO GET CONTROL OF THE CAR, BUT WOUND UP DOING SEVERAL 360 DEGREE TURNS AND SPUN TO THE RIGHT AND OFF THE ROAD INTO A DITCH. THE SECOND AND MOST RECENT TIME, I WAS FOLLOWING TRAFFIC AND TAPPED ON MY BRAKES WHEN AGAIN I LOST CONTROL, WENT TO THE LEFT AND DID A 520 AND PRETTY MUCH MY CAR IS TOTALLED. *AK