2004 SATURN VUE Complaints

TO START WITH IT STARTED SHUTTERING WHEN IT WOULD SHIFT IN THE LOWER GEARS . AS TIME WENT ON IT GOT WHERE IT DIDN'T WANT TO SHIFT OUT OF FIRST AND SECOND GEAR . HOWEVER ONE MORNING I WAS ON MY WAY TO A DOCTORS APPOINTMENT ,I STOPPED FILLED UP WITH GAS AND GET SOME COFFEE AND AS I RETURNED FOR MY DESTINATION I PULLED OUT OF THE STORE AND WAS WAITING ON IT TO SHIFT AND SOMETHING POPPED AND I HAD TO GET OFF THE ROAD BECAUSE IT LOST ALL POWER .I HAVE SINCE BEEN TOLD THAT THERE IS NO TRANSMISSIONS TO BE FOUND BECAUSE THERE IS SO MANY PROBLEMS WITH THE SAME VEHICLE AND THE SAME PART ! SO HOW MANY COMPLAINTS DOES IT TAKE FOR A RECALL TO BE INVESTIGATED? I'M BROKE AND CANT AFFORD TO PUT ANY MORE MONEY INTO A VEHICLE STILL PAYING FOR AND ON A FIXED INCOME. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN VUE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE VEHICLE EXHIBITED A LOUD BANG FROM THE REAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIANS ADVISED THAT THE REAR SUSPENSION LINK WAS FRACTURED AND CAUSED THE FRAME RAIL TO FRACTURE AS WELL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 52,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN VUE. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 30 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AFTER THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO PERFORMED A DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE WAS LOCATED AT THE TRANSMISSION, WHICH WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND DENIED ANY ASSISTANCE WITH REPAIRS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 142,000.

THE TRANSMISSION IS FAULTY, AND COSTS MORE TO REPAIR THAN THE PRICE OF THE ENTIRE VEHICLE. *TR

AT SLOWER SPEEDS WHEN COLD THE 2004 AWD V6 SATURN VUE VEHICLE CHANGED RPMS (200-300RPM) WITH A STEADY PEDAL AND LOAD. THE SYMPTOMS APPEARED TO GET BETTER AFTER DRIVING FOR 15-20MIN. MY REPAIR SHOP FIRST THOUGHT AN ETERNAL VALVE AND THEN TRANSMISSION SOFTWARE PROGRAMMING. *TR

ERRATIC OCCURRENCE OF AIR CONDITIONING BLOWING HOT OR WARM SOMETIMES AT OUTSIDE TEMP RANGE 82-87 F. COMPRESSOR HAS BEEN REPLACED SEVERAL TIMES AS WELL AS RECHARGED WITH FREON. WORKING WELL TODAY AND HAD IT CHECKED BY AN AUTOMOTIVE BUSINESS SEVERAL TIMES IN ADDITION TO ORIGINAL REPAIRS PERFORMED BY SATURN DEALERSHIP BEFORE SATURN WENT OUT OF BUSINESS. PROBLEM HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW. THIS IS A SATURN VUE REDLINE 2004 WITH THIS ISSUE. NO ONE HAS FIXED THIS GM OR INDEPENDENT DEALERS. SEEMS TO BE RELATED TO MOTOR RPM WITH GREATER LIKELIHOOD OF MALFUNCTIONING AT FREEWAY SPEEDS 60-65 MPH AND MORE LIKELY TO OPERATE CORRECTLY WHEN THE ENGINE IS IDLING. ALSO, SOMETIMES THE ENGINE WILL NOT START IMMEDIATELY AND ACTS IF IT GAS FLOODED OR GAS STARVED. ENGINE TURNS OVER BUT DOES NOT START. COMPUTER HAS BEEN CHECKED RECENTLY AND THERE ARE NO ABNORMAL COMPUTER CODES. ON ONE OCCASION, ENGINE RAN AS THOUGH IT WAS TWO CYCLING AND DID NOT RUN NORMAL UNTIL THE IGNITION WAS SHUT OFF AND TURNED ON AGAIN. *TR

TIMING BELT BROKE AND CAUSED VEHICLE TO STALL WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AT 45MPH, THIS IN TURN CAUSED MAJOR VALVE DAMAGE TO VEHICLE. POOR ENGINEER DESIGN/FLAWED. STILL PAYING PAYMENTS AND NOW OWE LARGE REPAIR BILL. IT WAS 1,500 MI OUT OF EXTENDED WARRANTY I PURCHASED AT THE DEALER. I HAVE ONLY OWNED THE VEHICLE BARELY 2 YEARS AND IT HAS BEEN IN FOR MANY MISC. REPAIRS INCLUDING BOTH BRAKE CYLINDERS. *TT

AS I JUST READ, MY RUNNING LIGHTS, ONE OF THE SAFETY FEATURES LEADING ME TO BUY THE SATURN (NEW IN 2003), ALSO HAVE FAILED. I BEGAN TO NOTICE THAT THE GREEN LIGHT INDICATOR WOULD FLICKER WHEN I STARTED THE VUE, AND THEN THE LIGHT WOULD DISAPPEAR. REALIZING THAT I WOULD LIKELY GET CHARGED HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS FOR REPAIR, I'M LIVING WITH THE FAILURE. IT WOULD BE NICE IF THERE WAS A RECALL. *KB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN VUE. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH WHEN A LOUD BANG WAS HEARD. THE VEHICLE WAS MANEUVERED TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD, BUT THE CONTACT COULD NOT LOCATE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT CONTINUED TO DRIVE AND NOTICED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL WAS DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. THE VEHICLE WAS AGAIN MANEUVERED TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD WHERE THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE REAR PASSENGER WHEEL WAS DETACHED FROM THE FRAME. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO HAVE THE FAILURE DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE, BUT OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 85,000. UPDATED 09/30/11*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED AS HIS WIFE WAS COMING TO A STOP, SHE HEARD A NOISE. SHE SOON DISCOVERED THE DRIVER SIDE REAR LATERAL STRUT HAD COME OFF THE FRAME, DUE TO THE BOLT HEAD SHEARING OFF, WHICH ALLOWED THE STRUT TO BREAK AWAY FROM THE FRAME CAUSING THE LEFT REAR TIRE/WHEEL TO SIT INWARD AT AN ANGLE. THE SAME OCCURRENCE HAPPENED ON JULY 27, 2005, WHICH WAS PERFORMED UNDER A RECALL. UPDATED 10/05/11

WHEN THE CAR IS IDLING, THE AC STOPS ALTOGETHER. WHEN THE CAR IS IN MOTION, IT SOMETIMES WORKS AND SOMETIMES DOES NOT. WHEN IT DOES WORK, IT DOES RUN AT FULL CAPACITY AND WILL SOMETIMES EVEN BLOW HOT AIR EVEN THOUGH THE AC IS TURNED ON. IT IS HIT OR MISS WHEN TURNING THE VENT SETTINGS AS IT DOESN'T ALWAYS REDIRECT THE AIR FLOW. ALSO, IT IS HIT OR MISS FOR THE AC TO TURN OFF WHEN SWITCHED TO THE OFF POSITION (HOT OR COLD AIR MAY CONTINUE TO BLOW). *TR