2004 SATURN VUE Complaints

ON NOVEMBER 7, 2005 I PURCHASED A USED 2004 SATURN VUE FROM A LOCAL SATURN DEALER. ON DECEMBER 15, 2006 I TOOK THIS VEHICLE TO THE LOCAL DEALER IN ANSWER TO A TRANSMISSION RECALL NOTICE I RECEIVED IN THE MAIL. AT THIS TIME, THE FOLLOWING THINGS WERE DONE TO REPAIR THE DEFECT: GASKET-C/, COVER ASM, CORE-\COVE, SEALER-TR, ADDITIVE, PLUG-TRAN, FLUID-A/T, CONVERTER, CORE-CONV, FLUID-A/T. THESE REPAIRS CONSTITUTED 1/2 OF THE TRANSMISSION AND WERE COMPLETED UNDER WARRANTY. 102,000 MILES LATER, ON 6/17/2008 I RETURNED TO THE DEALER BECAUSE MY VEHICLE WAS AGAIN SHOWING SIGNS OF THE SAME DISORDER. AT THIS TIME WE WERE INFORMED THAT IT WOULD COST $6000 TO REPLACE A FULL TRANSMISSION AND THAT THERE WAS NO WARRANTY TO COVER THIS REPAIR. WE ARE QUITE UPSET THAT WE ARE STUCK WITH A DESIGN DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION WITH NO RECOURSE BUT TO EITHER PAY FOR REPAIRS WHICH WE HAVE NO MONEY TO PAY, OR KEEP THE VEHICLE AND PAY $8000 IN FINANCE CHARGES FOR A CAR THAT CAN'T BE USED SAFELY, OR LET THE CAR GO TO THE FINANCE COMPANY IN A REPOSSESSION AND WRECK OUR CREDIT FOR 7 YEARS. WE WERE OFFERED A 50/50 DEAL FROM THE DEALERSHIP AFTER WE COMPLAINED, HOWEVER, WE DO NOT HAVE $3000 EITHER. WE FEEL THAT THIS TRANSMISSION DEFECT SHOULD BE REPAIRED FREE OF CHARGE EACH AND EVERY TIME IT BREAKS DOWN OR THAT WE SHOULD BE REIMBURSED $8000 TO WIPE OUT OUR DEBT ON THIS DEFECTIVE VEHICLE AND WE'D BE WILLING TO CALL IT SQUARE. OUR ON-LINE RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THIS TRANSMISSION (VTI) HAS BEEN A PROBLEM FOR EVERYONE WHO PURCHASED THIS MODEL CAR. SOME HAVE HAD TO HAVE THEIR TRANSMISSIONS FIXED OVER AND OVER AND OVER. WE ALSO LEARNED THAT THEY DO NOT MAKE THESE TRANSMISSIONS ANYMORE. WE ARE VERY UPSET!!! *TR

IGNITION LOCKS AND UNABLE TO START THE CAR. READ BLOG AFTER BLOG AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVE HAD (OR HAVE) THIS PROBLEM WITH THEIR 2004 SATURN VUE. MOST ALSO RECORD THAT ONCE REPLACED BY SATURN,FOR A HUGE PRICE, THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN WITHIN 6-12 MONTHS. *TR

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

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN VUE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL GAUGES, ESPECIALLY THE ODOMETER, WERE INOPERATIVE AND DISPLAYED INACCURATE READINGS. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND WAS INFORMED THAT IT WOULD COST $700 TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE AND RESET THE ODOMETER. SHE HAS NOT HAD THE VEHICLE REPAIRED BECAUSE THE REMEDY WOULD ONLY BE TEMPORARY. THE ODOMETER CURRENTLY DISPLAYS THAT THE VEHICLE HAS 70,000 MILES, BUT IT REALLY HAS 45,000 MILES. THE CONTACT IS IN THE PROCESS OF NOTIFYING THE MANUFACTURER. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000.

OUR 2004 SATURN FWD V6 SATURN VUE HAS DEVELOPED A "SHUDDER" IN THE DRIVE TRAIN THAT'S PREVALENT IN THE 30-35MPH RANGE UNDER MODERATE ACCELERATION. IT IS AKIN TO A TRANSMISSION SLIPPAGE ALTHOUGH WE'VE NEVER LOST TRACTION TO THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE PRESENTLY HAS BETWEEN 50 AND 55 THOUSAND MILES. THE FREQUENCY OF OCCURRENCE IS DIFFICULT TO PREDICT BUT SEEMS TO BE HAPPENING MORE OFTEN AS WE PUT ON MORE MILES. WE HAVE ADDRESSED THE ISSUE TO OUR LOCAL SATURN DEALERSHIP AND THEY HAVE LOOKED INTO THE PROBLEM HOWEVER HAVE FOUND NOTHING IN THE ONBOARD DIAGNOSTICS THAT WOULD REVEAL ANY FAILURES. THEY KEPT THE CAR OVERNIGHT AND DROVE IT NUMEROUS TIMES BUT COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. THEY HAVE BEEN AS HELPFUL AS POSSIBLE BUT TO NO AVAIL. OUR CONCERN IS THE ISSUE, WHICH CERTAINLY SEEMS TRANSMISSION RELATED, MAY PRESENT ITSELF AT A BAD TIME AND COULD POSSIBLY CAUSE LOSS OF TRACTION AT A CRUCIAL TIME AND LEAVE US (MY WIFE MAINLY DRIVES THE VEHICLE) IN A VULNERABLE POSITION. HOWEVER, UNTIL THE DEALERSHIP WITNESSES THE PROBLEM THEY HAVE NO OBLIGATION TO DO ANYTHING. CAN THE NHTSA BRING THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF GM AND SATURN? AGAIN IT IS A 2004 SATURN VUE WITH THE V6 FWD CONFIGURATION. *TR

1. BRAKES. I HAVE HAD THE FRONT BRAKES AND ROTORS REPLACED/CUT DOWN ON THIS CAR ON THE AVERAGE OF ABOUT EVERY 20K. I CONSIDER THIS ABNORMAL WEAR AND BEFORE YOU RESPOND WITH DRIVING CONDITIONS, AND MY OTHER SATURN SL NEEDED BRAKES ON THE AVERAGE OF 60K WITH THE SAME DRIVING CONDITIONS. WHEN I QUESTIONED SOE THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WAS MY DRIVING HABITS, BUT AS OF THE RECENT EVENTS, I HAVE BEGUN TO QUESTION THEIR DIAGNOSIS OF ANY PROBLEMS RELATED TO MY CAR. 2. TRANSMISSION SHIFTING/WOBBLE/SHIMMY/VIBRATION. I HAVE COMPLAINED SINCE NEW THAT THIS TRANSMISSION HAS SHIFTED ROUGH, AND I WAS TOLD WORKING AS DESIGNED. NOBODY HAS BEEN ABLE TO FIND ANYTHING WRONG YET THIS PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. 3. TIRE WEAR RELATED TO RECALL. I HAD TO REQUEST THAT MY VEHICLE HAVE THE RECALL PERFORMED ON IT. YET, AFTER DOING RESEARCH AND WATCHING MY TIRES WEAR. SOMETIMES IN LESS THAT 15K SOMETHING I WOULD CONSIDER PREMATURELY, EVEN FOR PERFORMANCE TIRES, AND READING SEVERAL OWNER SITES MY WEAR IS INDICATIVE OF A SERVICE NOT BEING PERFORMED. 4. WHEEL BEARING WEAR. I HAVE HAD TO HAVE MY FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS REPLACED 2X IN THE LAST 30K. THE FIRST OCCURRENCE WAS AT 72K WHEN THE FIRST REPLACEMENT WAS MADE, AND THE 2ND WAS AT 99K IT WAS DURING THE 72K SERVICE I COMPLAINED MY ROTORS WARPING(SINCE I HAD 2 SETS REPLACED/CUT PREVIOUSLY) AND I WAS TOLD IT WAS JUST WORN TIRES AND THEY WOULD NOT EVEN CONSIDER THE BRAKE ISSUE, UNTIL I PURCHASED NEW TIRES. I PURCHASED NEW TIRES AND THE WOBBLY SOUND WAS LOUDER THAN NOW THAT THERE WAS NEW TIRES ON THE VEHICLE. SO THEN RECOMMENDED REPLACING THE ROTORS, WHEN I ASKED ABOUT BRAKE PADS THEY TOLD ME IT WAS UNNECESSARY. SEEMINGLY ILLOGICAL, SINCE YOU HAD TO REMOVE THE BRAKE PADS ANYWAY, AND TIRED OF ARGUING I DID NOT PUSH THE ISSUE, AS I NEEDED MY CAR, AND LOANER AVAILABILITY SEEMED TO DRY UP SINCE I WAS OUT SO FAR OUT OF THE FACTORY WARRANTY. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN VUE. EVER SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED, THE CONTACT HAS EXPERIENCED DIFFICULTY TURNING THE KEY IN THE IGNITION. SHE HAS CALLED THE DEALER NUMEROUS TIMES. OCCASIONALLY, THE VEHICLE WILL NOT START DUE TO THE FAILURE. INITIALLY, THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY, BUT NOW IT OCCURS EVERYDAY. THE CONTACT SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT WITH A MECHANIC FOR APRIL 23, 2008. THE PURCHASE DATE WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 70,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000.

IGNITION KEY FELL OUT OF LOCK CYLINDER WHILE WAS RUNNING. THIS IS DANGEROUS BECAUSE IF I EVER NEED TO SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE AND THE KEY WERE TO FALL OUT I'D BE IN TROUBLE. LOCK CYLINDER STICKS AND I CAN BARELY TURN IT TO START SOMETIMES. THIS CAR HAS ONLY 40,000 MILES! *TR

THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BACK IN MY AUTOMOBILE BECAME DISLODGED WHEN THE OCCUPANT TRIED TO RECLINE THE SEAT. THE OCCUPANT AT THE TIME WAS MY SON WHO WEIGHS ONLY 110 POUNDS. I AM SURPRISED AND CONCERNED BY HIS ABILITY TO CAUSE THIS MUCH DAMAGE TO THE SEAT. I DO NOT FEEL THIS SEAT WOULD BE SAFE IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT AND BECAUSE OF ITS SIMILARITY TO THE DRIVER SEAT, I AM ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT THAT ONE. *TR