2003 SATURN VUE Complaints

2003 SATURN VUE HORN FAILURE. I HAVE TALKED WITH MANY OTHER SATURN OWNERS ONLINE IN FORUMS & CHATROOMS, THAT ALL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM I HAVE. THE HORN WILL BEGIN TO BLOW ON IT'S OWN FOR NO REASON AND EVENTUALLY FAIL. I HAVE CONTACTED THE LOCAL SATURN DEALER AND THE COST OF THE REPAIR IS NEARLY $800-$900. I BELIEVE THAT LACK OF A HORN IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE THE MANUFACTURERS RESPONSIBILITY IF IT IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM WITH THEIR VEHICLES. *TR

THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED LAST FALL DUE TO A PROBLEM THAT SATURN WAS ALREADY AWARE OF. THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN ROLLING BACK WHEN STOPPED JUST LIKE A STANDARD. ON 5/6/10, THE VEHICLE STARTED ROLLING BACK AGAIN, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS STARTED ACTING FUNNY, AND THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. ON 5/12/10, THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN, WHEN THE OPERATOR NOTICED A SMELL LIKE BURNING PLASTIC AND SAW SMOKE COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. SHE PULLED INTO A LARGE PARKING LOT, PARKED, TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE, AND CALLED HER SISTER-IN-LAW, WHO ADVISED HER TO CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. THE ENGINE COMPANY RESPONDED, AND, USING A THERMAL IMAGER, FOUND THE SIGNAL LIGHT / HEAD LIGHT SWITCH TO BE APPROXIMATELY 350 DEGREES. THERE WAS A SMALL BUBBLE OF MELTED PLASTIC AND THE INSULATION ON SOME OF THE WIRES WAS MELTED. THE PART NUMBER FOUND ON THE COMPONENT WAS ABD29790608 22679804. *TR

2003 SATURN VUE. TRANSMISSION WENT OUT WITH NO WARNING. COMING OFF OF A BRIDGE TO A BUSY INTERSECTION AND THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITHOUT AN ACCIDENT. A LOT OF SEMI'S TRAVEL THIS ROAD AND AN ACCIDENT COULD HAVE EASILY HAPPENED. *TR

TL*-THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SATURN VUE. THE CONTACT OBSERVED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, A LEAKAGE OF FLUID UNDERNEATH THE ENGINE AREA. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE TECHNICIAN INFORMED THAT THE COOLANT WAS MIXING WITH THE OIL WHICH REQUIRED A REPLACEMENT OF THE HEAD GASKET. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND ADVISED THAT THE DEFECT COULD NOT BE REPAIRED UNDER THE SERVICE WARRANTY. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 91,000.

MY 2003 SATURN VUE IS SHUTTING DOWN WITHOUT WARNING OR NOTICE EVEN ON THE EXPRESSWAY. MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON ONE DAY AND WENT OUT AND SINCE THEN MY CAR WILL SHUT OFF AND NOT START BACK UP. THE CAR WILL ATTEMPT TO TURN OVER BUT NOT RUN AS IF IT IS NOT GETTING ANY GAS. I HAD TO BE PUSHED INTO A CVS PAKING LOT BECAUSE I WAS IN THE RIGHT TURNING LANE. AFTER WAITING 15 TO 20 MINUTES LATER, THE CAR STARTED UP, I PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE AND IT SHUTS DOWN AGAIN. IT TOOK ME 30 MINUTES TO GO 2.5 MILES BECAUSE THE CAR CONSTANTLY SHUT DOWN FOUR TIMES. THE TOTAL TIME IT TOOK ME TO GO 10 MILES FROM MY HOME, TO MY DESTINATION, AND BACK WAS 3 HOURS. I TOOK THE CAR TO A REPAIR SHOP AND WAS ORIGINALLY TOLD IT WAS THE FUEL PUMP; TEST REVEALED THIS WAS NOT THE PROBLEM BUT IT COULD BE A BAD CRANKSHAFT SENSOR, OR AN ENGINE CONTROL MODULE AND THE APPROXIMATE COST WOULD BE OVER $600 DEPENDING ON THE PROBLEM. A CAR SHUTTING DOWN WHILE DRIVING IS VERY DANGEROUS FOR ME AND TO OTHERS. I AM LITERALLY AFRAID OF DRIVING MY OWN CAR NOW DUE TO THIS PROBLEM. WHILE RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM ONLINE IT APPEARS THIS PROBLEM IS OCCURRING FREQUENTLY AND A RECALL SHOULD BE IN ORDER. *TR

I HAD A 2003 SATURN VUE WITH A VTI TRANSMISSION. IN APRIL 2007 THE TRANSMISSION FAILED WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, AND I PAID $4773 TO REPAIR IT. ON APRIL 3, 2010, THE VUE SUDDENLY MADE A LOUD NOISE AND STOPPED WORKING ON THE RAILROAD TRACKS. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO GET HELP PUSHING THE VEHICLE OFF THE TRACKS. THE SATURN ASSISTANCE CENTER INDICATED THAT ASSISTANCE MIGHT BE AVAILABLE TO REPAIR THE TRANSMISSION BECAUSE IT HAD FAILED ONCE BEFORE. I FOLLOWED THEIR DIRECTION TOWING THE VEHICLE TO SATURN OF ROSEVILLE TO HAVE THEM DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. SATURN OF ROSEVILLE DIAGNOSED AN INTERNAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE. AFTER TALKING TO THE SERVICE MANAGER AT SATURN OF ROSEVILLE, THE ASSISTANCE CENTER SAID THEY COULD OFFER ME NO ASSISTANCE BECAUSE THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID IT WAS A DIFFERENT PART OF THE TRANSMISSION THAT FAILED THAN THE FAILURE IN 2007. I WAS VERBALLY INFORMED THAT THE BILL TO REPAIR THE TRANSMISSION WOULD BE WELL OVER $5000. BECAUSE THE TRANSMISSION FAILED TWICE, I DID NOT WANT TO SPEND A TOTAL OF OVER $10,000 IN TOTAL TRANSMISSION REPAIR COSTS BECAUSE THE TRANSMISSION IS KNOWN TO BE DEFECTIVE. SINCE GM DID NOT REPAIR THE PROBLEM THE FIRST TIME AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE FOR A REPEAT REPAIR, I DONATED THE CAR TO A CHARITY. *TR

VTI TRANSMISSION IN 2003 SATURN VUE WENT OUT, STRANDING ME ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD IN AN UNSAFE AREA. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH SATURN VUES AND IONS, BUT NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED. GM NEEDS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS AND RECALL ALL OF THE EFFECTED VEHICLES. I WAS TOLD THAT BECAUSE MY VEHICLE IS PAST THE DATE, EVEN THOUGH MY MILEAGE IS ONLY 62,000 (WELL BELOW THE 75,000 THAT GM IS SUPPOSED TO COVER UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY), I WOULD HAVE TO PAY HALF, WHICH IS $2,500. I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY A SINGLE PENNY FOR THIS NEW TRANSMISSION. *TR

2003 SATURN VUE. CONSUMER STATES DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION. *TGW AFTER THREE MONTHS OF PURCHASING THE VEHICLE FROM A PRIVATE SELLER, THE CONSUMER NOTICE THE VEHICLE WOULD SLIP INTO A WEIRD GEAR AND THE ENGINE WOULD SOUND AS IF IT WERE RUNNING HARDER. THE ISSUE OCCURRED AT RANDOM INTERVALS WITH NO NOTICEABLE PATTERN. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, AND WAS INFORMED THAT WAS THE WAY IT WAS SUPPOSED TO SOUND, BUT THEY WOULD INSPECTED IT. WHEN THE CONSUMER RETURNED TO PICK UP THE VEHICLE, HE NOTICED THE MILEAGE WAS VIRTUALLY THE SAME AND WONDERED IF THEY TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE. 4-5 WEEKS LATER, THE CONSUMER RECEIVED A LETTER FROM GM STATING THE VEHICLE HAD A POTENTIALLY DEFECTIVE VTI TRANSMISSION INSTALLED AT THE FACTORY. THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED NOTHING COULD BE DONE FOR HIM BASED ON THE MILEAGE. THE CONSUMER STATED THERE WAS A PROBLEM BEFORE THE MILEAGE ON THE VEHICLE EXCLUDED HIM. ALSO, THE COOLANT LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER FOUND THE WATER PUMP LEAKING. *JB

TRANSMISSION FAILED ON THE PA TURNPIKE AND LOST POWER IN AN UNSAFE PULL OFF OF HIGHWAY.*DT

MY 2003 SATURN VUE WITH VTI TRANSMISSION BROKE DOWN ON 3/12/10. CAR WAS TOWED AND IS AT DEALERSHIP AWAITING A NEW TRANSMISSION. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL AND PAID FOR BY GM, INSTEAD, I HAVE TO PAY $2,500 (HALF THE COST) WHICH I CANNOT AFFORD!! THE TRANSMISSION IS A FACTORY DEFECT AND ISN'T AT THE RECALL STAGE YET AS I WAS TOLD GM HAS TO HAVE A CERTAIN NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS BEFORE IT TURNS INTO A RECALL. PLEASE ADD MY COMPLAINT TO THE LIST AND HOPEFULLY THE FAULTY TRANSMISSIONS WILL BE RECALLED AND WE WILL BE REIMBURSED. THANK YOU. *TR