2008 SATURN VUE Complaints

MY 2008 SATURN VUE STEERING FAILED AND ALMOST GOT INTO ACCIDENT WITH ONLY 40,000+ MILES BACK IN OCT 2013, GOT IT FIXED THAT COST ME CLOSE TO $1000 AND NOW JUNE 2014 TRANSMISSION FAILED WITH ONLY 50,000 MILES AND WAS QUOTED $4,500 WORTH OF REPAIR WHICH IS TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION, CHECKED ONLINE REGARDING PROBLEM AND LOOKS LIKE ITS A COMMON ISSUES ON THIS MODEL AND OTHER MODELS AS WELL OF GM WHICH HAVE THE SAME TRANSMISSION, JUST WONDERING HOW COME NO ONE ISSUES A RECALL ON THIS. THANKS... *TR

FIRST OFF I HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE FROM THE BEGINNING. BASICALLY MY CAR'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM PULLS BACK AND THEN ALL THE LIGHTS START TO GO OFF. ELEC STABILITY CONTROL, AIR BAGS, THE STEERING SORT OF LOCKS UP AND I HAVE STALLED ON OCCASION. I HAVE HAD MY CAR IN THE SHOP NUMEROUS TIMES RE: THIS ISSUE AND IT NEVER SEEMS TO GET FIXED. IT SOUNDS LIKE THE SAME ISSUE GM IS HAVING WITH THEIR CURRENT RECALL BUT MY CAR IS NOT ON THE LIST. I HAVE ONLY ONE KEY ON MY KEY CHAIN AND THAT DOES NOT SEEM TO MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE. IT IS A VERY UNCOMFORTABLE FEELING NOT KNOWING IF MY CAR WILL WORK TOMORROW. DELILLO CHEVROLET IN HUNTING BEACH, CA HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL IN TRYING TO DETECT THE PROBLEM AND THEY HAVE BEEN VERY GRACIOUS BUT I NEED THE ISSUE RESOLVED ONCE AND FOR ALL. MY INTENTION IS TO HAND DOWN THIS CAR TO MY 16 YEAR OLD BUT NOT IF THE CURRENT ISSUE PERSISTS. *TR

INITIAL PROBLEMS (MAY 2011) WERE POWER DOWN WHILE DRIVING, LOSING POWER WHILE DRIVING, ABS AND TRACTION DASH LIGHTS WENT ON AND OFF WHILE DRIVING, ONSTAR ATTEMPTED TO CONNECT BY ITSELF EVEN WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS SHUT OFF, DRAINING THE VUE BATTERY. IN DEC 2012, WHILE PARKED WITH RADIO ON, AN EXTREMELY LOUD NOISE WAS EMITTED THROUGH THE RADIO SPEAKERS. SHORTLY, THE IGNITION AND THE ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM SHUT DOWN (DOOR LOCKS, DASH LIGHTS,...). THE VUE WAS PICKED UP BY GM DEALER. EXTENSIVE TESTING OVER A WEEK OR MORE FINALLY INDICATED THAT THE BATTERY FOR ONSTAR (UNDER RIGHT PASSENGER SEAT) FAILED. THE VEHICLE COMMUNICATION INTERFACE MODULE BATTERY (VCIM) WAS REPLACED. THE VUE HAS NOT HAD THIS PROBLEM SINCE, ALTHOUGH SOME SENSORS HAD TO BE REPLACED. THIS WAS AN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT PROBLEM TO DIAGNOSE, AND IS POTENTIALLY A LETHAL DEFECT WITH THE VCIM. ALL TRADITIONAL TESTS FAILED TO PICK UP THE PROBLEM. ASTUTE TECHS AT GM FINALLY DID. *TR

DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, PULLED INTO GET GAS, CAME BACK OUT AND TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT GET OUT OF SECOND GEAR. LUCKY FOR US, WE WERE NOT FAR FROM HOME. TOOK CAR INTO A RELIABLE TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST, HE INDICATED THE 3-5 REVERSE DRUM WAVE PLATE WAS OUR PROBLEM. HE HAS SEEN MANY OF THESE COME IN WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. NO RECALLS, SO THE BILL ENDED UP BEING $3500.00. HE INDICATED THIS IS A KNOW PROBLEM WITH THIS YEAR VEHICLE, DID NOT KNOW WHY GM HAS NOT SENT OUT A RECALL. WAS AN EXCELLENT CAR UP UNTIL NOW. KNOWING THIS IS A PROBLEM IT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED. ONLY 52,000 MILES DRIVEN. *TR

DRIVING AT SPEED AND THE TRANSMISSION JERKS CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SLOW DOWN IN TRAFFIC. VERY SCARY FEELING TO NOT KNOW WHAT IS CAUSING YOUR VEHICLE TO SUDDENLY FAIL AND LOOSING CONTROL OF YOUR SPEED DURING TRAVEL. TO HAVE SUCH A VITAL PART ABLE TO FAIL IN SUCH A CRITICAL FUNCTIONING OF THE VEHICLE IS DANGEROUS AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS TO DRIVERS ON THE ROADS AS WELL AS THE OCCUPANTS OF THE VEHICLE. PLEASE DON'T ALLOW THIS TO BECOME A FATALITY BEFORE ACTION IS TAKEN. THE WAVE PLATE ON THESE GM VEHICLES IS BREAKING INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION. CAUSING COMPLETE IN MOTION FAILURE OF VEHICLE AT SPEED. THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO. *TR

FIRST INCIDENT- AS I TRIED TO PARK MY CAR ON A STREET GOING UP HILL, THE CAR EVEN THOUGH IT WAS ON DRIVE KEPT MOVING BACKWARDS I HAD TO RIGHT AWAY STEPPED ON THE BRAKES AND HIT THE GAS SO IT WOULD GO FORWARD MAKING THE CAR JUMP AND ALMOST CRASH INTO THE CAR PARKED IN FRONT OF ME. SECOND INCIDENT - I PARKED IN A PARKING LOT GOING UP HILL AS I TRIED PULLING OUT OF THE SPOT, MY CAR WAS IN REVERSE, AS I HIT THE GAS PEDAL THE CAR WENT FORWARD, I HAD TO AGAIN HIT THE BRAKES REALLY BAD AND PLACE THE CAR IN PARK THEN IN REVERSE AGAIN.... AND HIT THE GAS VERY VERY SLOWLY TO MAKE SURE THIS TIME MY CAR WAS GOING BACKWARDS AT THE REVERSE. THIRD INCIDENT- TO GET HOME I HAVE TO GO THRU A STEEP HILL WHICH HAS A TRAFFIC LIGHT AT BOTH ENDS, WHEN EVER I GET STOP GOING UP HE HILL ON THE LIGHT THE CAR GOES BACKWARD WHEN IT'S ON DRIVE AND WHEN U GET STUCK GOING DOWN THE CAR STOPS WHEN I GOT THE GAS PEDAL ALL THE WAY IN AND THE CAR KEEPS ROLLING. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SATURN VUE. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO START THE IGNITION HOWEVER, THE KEY FAILED TO TURN IN ANY DIRECTION. AN INDEPENDENT LOCKSMITH WAS IN THE PROCESS OF REPLACING THE IGNITION KEY TUMBLER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 121,000.

UPON TRYING TO ACCELERATE, THE "KICKED" AND JERKED, THEN SLOWED SLIGHTLY. WHEN TRAVELING UPHILL, AND PARKING, TRANSMISSION SEEMED NOT TO HAVE ENOUGH POWER. ROLLS BACKWARDS WHILE IDLE BEFORE TAKING OFF. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SATURN VUE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT WAS DEFECTIVE. THE SEAT BELT EXHIBITED TREAD SEPARATION IN THE UPPER MIDDLE AREA. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE SEAT BELT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE SEAT BELT WAS NOT REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 34,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 34,550. UPDATED 8/11/14*CN UPDATED 8/23/2017*CT

IN 2013 I HAD STEERING WHEEL PROBLEMS WITH THE 2008 SATURN VUE XR AND THE DEALER REPLACED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR THE RACK AND PINION AND FRONT WHEELS STRUT BEARINGS AND I PAID AROUND $900. THIS YEAR, I START HAVING PROBLEMS AGAIN WITH THE STEERING WHEEL ( NOT BEING ABLE TO STEER AT LOW SPEED AND LOW STEERING FLUID LEVEL ) AND THE DEALER COST WAS $530 REPLACING THE STEERING PUMP. GM HAD A RECALL ON THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE ON THE STEERING FLUID LINE NUT BUT MY VIN NUMBER WAS NOT INCLUDED. I CALLED GM ASKING FOR COST ASSISTANCE SINCE IT IS THE SAME SYSTEM ( STEERING ) AND CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY AND THE ONLY THING THEY OFFERED THIS YEAR WAS TO CALL THE DEALER TO SEE IF THEY CAN ASSIST. THIS IS A LOT OF MONEY ( $1,430 ) TO BE SPENT BY A VEHICLE OWNER ON THE SAME VEHICLE SYSTEM ( STEERING ) THAT IS RELATED TO SAFETY AND MY CONCERN IS THAT THE PROBLEMS WILL NOT STOP HERE. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL SINCE I FOUND A LOT OF SATURN OWNERS COMPLAINING ABOUT STEERING WHEEL ( COMPONENTS ) ISSUES. *JS