2006 SATURN VUE Complaints

NOV. 2007 CAR SERVICED, 35311 MILES SEEMED TO BE FINE. NOISE BEGAN, SERVICED MARCH 2008, RECOMMENDED I NEEDED NEW BRAKES BUT COULD NOT GUARANTEE THAT WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM. NOISE CONTINUED, TOOK IT BACK TO BE SERVICED JULY 2008 AND TOLD THAT THE STRUTS AND SWAY BARS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED ALONG WITH THE LIFT GATE LATCH AND THAT MAY NOT SOLVE MY PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE IS ONLY DRIVEN ON CITY STREETS AND INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS. I HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH SATURN CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY ARE NOT WORKING WITH ME TO MY SATISFACTION. THE VEHICLE IS A 2006 SATURN VUE. I CANNOT FIND OUT IF THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER VUE'S WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SATURN VUE. 2. TL-CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SATURN VUE (FWD). A. CONTACT HAS EXPERIENCED 2 REAR WHEEL BRG (TIMKEN) FAILURES (SATURN PART #15871427) SINCE MAY 2008. FIRST FAILURE WAS MAY 07, 2008 (MILEAGE 58,086) WHICH WAS INDICATED BY A LIGHT SQUEAL NOISE EMANATING FROM THE REAR OF CAR & INCREASED HUM OF THE POWERTRAIN AND HIGHER-THAN-NORMAL SPEED ON THE TACHOMETER (CAR SPD 60 MPH). SATURN OF EL CAJON, CA. REPLACED THE DEFECTIVE REAR WHEEL BRG UNDER WARRANTY ON MAY 07, 2008. B. SECOND FAILURE WAS JUNE 27, 2008 WHICH WAS INDICATED BY A BARELY DISCERNIBLE HIGH-PITCHED HUM NOISE EMANATING FROM THE REAR OF CAR & INCREASED HUM OF THE POWERTRAIN AND HIGHER-THAN-NORMAL SPEED ON THE TACHOMETER (FOR THE SPEED OF THE CAR AT 60 MPH). SATURN OF EL CAJON, CA. REPLACED THE DEFECTIVE WHEEL BRG UNDER WARRANTY ON JUNE 27, 2008. C. CONTACT STATED THAT THIS IS A POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD AS THERE IS LITTLE INDICATION TO THE AVERAGE DRIVER THAT A BRG FAILURE IS OCCURRING. FURTHERMORE, IF THE BRG CATASTROPHICALLY DISINTEGRATES DURING HIGHWAY SPEED DRIVING AND SEIZES, IT COULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE DRIVER TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. OEM IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AS OEM HAS RE-DESIGNED THE SUSPENSION PARTS ON THE 2008 SATURN VUE, INCLUDING PROVIDING A NEWER REPLACEMENT DESIGN FOR ALL TIMKEN WHEEL BRGS (REPLACING SATURN PART #15871427) WITH A MORE DURABLE NEW BEARING DESIGN (SATURN PART #19206600). D. CONTACT COMMENT: THE AVG AUTOMOBILE MTBF (MEAN-TIME-BETWEEN-FAILURE) FOR AN AUTOMOTIVE WHEEL BRG (PER TIMKEN AUTOMOBILE CUSTOMER SERVICE, TEL# 866-984-6536) IS APPROX. 100,000 MILES. ACCORDING TO TIMKEN REP, EACH BRG IS TESTED AND BUILT TO WHATEVER OEM TELLS THEM TO DO-THE OEM DECIDES THE LONGEVITY OF BRG WHEN THEY WRITE THE SPECS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,086.

NOISE FROM REAR OF THE VEHICLE BEGAN SPORADICALLY AROUND 30K BUT THE DEALER SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. AT 41K THE NOISE BECAME MORE CONSISTENT AND THE DEALER SAID THE PROBLEM WAS THE REAR CLUTCH AND WOULD COST $1,500 TO FIX AS THE WARRANTY ENDED AT 36K. *TR

I OWN A 1998 SC2 AND A 2006 SATURN VUE. I HAVE BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE IGNITION LOCKING, I.E. YOU PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION, ATTEMPT TO START THE VEHICLE AND THE KEY WON'T TURN. THIS HAD BEEN HAPPENING ON MY 98 FOR SEVERAL YEARS AND IT'S ALWAYS BEEN RESOLVED BY JIGGLING THE STEERING WHEEL, WHICH THEN "LOOSENED" THE KEY, SO I ALWAYS THOUGHT IT WAS DUE TO THE KEY OR LOCK "WEARING DOWN". ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO THE SAME ISSUE STARTED OCCURRING WITH MY 2006 SATURN VUE. I AGAIN FIGURED MAYBE THE KEYS WERE WEARING DOWN QUICKLY, SO I SWITCHED TO MY "SPARE" AND THE ISSUE SEEMED TO RESOLVE ITSELF. A FEW WEEKS LATER THE SAME IGNITION LOCK UP STARTED HAPPENING AGAIN, ON THE VUE, YOU WOULD PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION, AND YOU JUST COULDN'T TURN IT, THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD ALSO LOCK WITH VERY LITTLE "PLAY". THE ISSUE WAS AGAIN ALWAYS RESOLVED BY JIGGLING THE STEERING WHEEL AND THE KEY. THE DEALERSHIP IS AN HOUR AWAY FROM MY HOME, AND SINCE IT SEEMED TO BE RESOLVED WITH STEERING WHEEL JIGGLING, IT WASN'T A TOP PRIORITY ON MY LIST. TONIGHT WAS THE BE ALL END ALL-I GOT IN MY CAR TO GO TO AN APPOINTMENT AND THE STEERING WHEEL COMPLETELY LOCKED UP AND THE KEY WOULDN'T TURN AT ALL. I HAD TO HAVE A TOW TRUCK COME OUT AND TAKE MY CAR TO SATURN TO HAVE THIS FIXED. THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER WAS ABLE TO FINALLY JIGGLE IT AND GET IT TURNED. THIS IS RIDICULOUS- I'M LUCKY I WAS AT HOME WHEN THIS HAPPENED. I OFTEN ATTEND DOG SHOWS OUT OF THE AREA-WHAT WOULD I HAVE DONE IF I HAD MY DOGS WITH ME HOURS AWAY FROM HOME? WORSE-WHAT IF I HAD CHILDREN? I'VE DONE A SEARCH ON THIS PROBLEM WITH SATURNS AND IT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE. THEY REALLY NEED TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. *TR

MY 2006 SATURN VIEW WAS DISCOVERED TO HAVE WIRING LOCATED DIRECTLY ABOVE THE FUEL TANK CHEWED CAUSING THE METAL EXPOSURE OF THE WIRE. THIS WIRE WAS NOT SHIELDED, AS SHOULD BE, AND DUE TO LOCATION ABOVE FUEL TANK COULD HAVE BEEN A DEADLY SITUATION DUE PLASTIC FUEL HOSES JUST BELOW THE WIRES. ALL WIRING INTO THE FUEL TANK AND ADJACENT TO FUEL LINES SHOULD HAVE EXTRA SHIELDING IN CASE OF NOT ONLY CHEWING BY RODENTS BUT POSSIBLE RUBBING ACTIONS. *TR

CONSTANT AIR BAG LIGHT INDICATOR ON DASH FOR DRIVER SIDE COMES ON GOES OFF....SEVERAL TIMES PER DAY BUT EVERYTIME I WOULD DRIVE TO DEALERSHIP LIGHT WOULD GO OFF, WHICH PER TECH COULD NOT PINPOINT PROBLEM WITH MACHINES USED TO SHOW PROBLEMS UNTIL LIGHT IS ON AND STAYS ON 1.5 YEARS LATER STILL DEALING WITH AIR BAG LIGHT ISSUES, AFTER REPLACEMENT OF SENSOR FOUND AIR BAG MALFUNCTION WITH DRIVE SIDE CURTAIN WHICH WAS FINALLY REPLACED MAY OF 2008 . NOW HAVING ISSUES WITH MOLDING THAT HOUSES SIDE CURTAIN AIR BAG WHICH IS NOW EXPOSED. *TR

SATURN VUE 6 CYLINDER,SINCE WE BOUGHT IT KEY IS HARD TO TURN. ONCE ALMOST HAD TO STAY OVERNIGHT ON WAY HOME FROM VACATION, BECAUSE CAR WOULDN'T START. WAS UNDER WARRANTY SO THEY SUPPOSEDLY CHANGED THE CYLINDER. I WAS ABLE TO START CAR, BUT NOBODY ELSE CAN. MENTIONED IT AGAIN TO DEALERSHIP AND THEY GAVE ME NEW KEYS, SEVERAL TIMES. THIS PAST WEEKEND MY SON BORROWED THE CAR AND HAD LOTS OF TROUBLE TURNING THE KEY, SO TOOK THE CAR IN TO SATURN AGAIN AND HE SAID THE KEY WAS WORN AND AFTER WE KIND OF ARGUED ABOUT IT, HE ADMITTED IT WAS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM OF SATURN. WENT IN ON INTERNET AND FOUND IT IS MORE THAN COMMON. DON'T KNOW WHAT DEALER WILL DO FOR ME, I JUST HAVE 3000 MILES LEFT ON WARRANTY, BUT I LEFT CAR THERE, BECAUSE LAST WEEK I ALSO TOOK IT IN FOR A GRINDING METAL SOUND AND WAS TOLD IT WAS THE TIMING BELT, WHICH THEY CHANGED, BUT WITHIN TWO DAYS THE SOUND WAS BACK, SO I LEFT IT THERE HOPING AGAINST ALL ODDS THAT THEY WILL TRULY FIX IT. THERE REALLY SHOULD BE A RECALL FOR THE IGNITION KEY PROBLEM, SINCE IN 1 1/2 YEARS TIME THEY HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIX IT RIGHT. THE MECHANIC ACTUALLY INDICATED IT COULD NOT BE FIXED, BECAUSE THERE IS A DESIGN FLAW. *TR

WE BOUGHT A SATURN VUE IN JUNE OF 2006. 2 MONTHS AFTER WE PURCHASED THE VUE WE HAD TO BRING IT IN FOR EXHAUST AND CONVERTER AND OXIDATION REPLACEMENT. THEN 2 WEEKS LATER WE HAD TO HAVE THE IGNITION LOCK CYLINDERS REPLACED WE COULD NOT START OUR TRUCK. THEN IN 07 WE HAD THE CONVERTER AND MANIFOLD REPLACED. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE MANIFOLD WAS TORQUED TO MUCH FROM THE MANUFACTURE. THEN JUNE OF THIS YEAR SAME ISSUE WITH THE EXHAUST AND CONVERTER AGAIN. SAY THE REPLACED A SPRING IN THE CONVERTER. *TR

2006 SATURN VUE HAS BEEN IN SOME THREE TIMES FOR AIRBAG DEACTIVATION. THIS OCCURS WHEN THE PASSENGER SEAT GETS SLIGHTLY DAMP AND IS A SAFETY ISSUE IN FLORIDA. GM SAYS TO NOT GET THE SEAT DAMP. *TR

WHILE PASSING ANOTHER VEHICLE AT AROUND 50 MPH, MY WIFE'S SATURN VUE (AWD) BEGAN TO ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN, AND WOULDN'T STOP. SHE FLOORED THE BRAKES HARD ENOUGH TO SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN AND PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF ROAD. BUT THE ENGINE CONTINUE TO RUN AT A VERY HIGH RPM, ON IT'S OWN, UNTIL SHE SHUT IT OFF. *TR