2003 SATURN VUE Complaints

WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH CONSUMER HEARD A LOUD POPPING NOISE. AS A RESULT, TIRE WAS LEANING OUTWARD. DEALER STATED THE LUGS NUTS CAME LOOSE. ALSO, WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES VEHICLE WOBBLED FROM SIDE TO SIDE. *AK

AFTER HAVING MY (BRAND NEW) 2003 SATURN VUE FOR 4 MONTHS, IT STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION ON MY WAY TO WORK. THE CAR WAS TOWED AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED BY SATURN. AFTER THAT, I HAVE HAD OTHER INSTANCES OF POOR PERFORMANCE BY THE VEHICLE, WHICH, AGAIN WAS RELATED TO THE TRANSMISSION. EACH TIME, SATURN EITHER REPLACED OR REPAIRED THE PART(S) THAT WERE CAUSING THE PROBLEMS. I JUST RECENTLY HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE WAY THE CAR WAS DRIVING AND I TOOK IT IN TO FIND OUT THAT I HAD YET ANOTHER TRANSMISSION PROBLEM AS WELL AS A MALFUNCTIONING REAR SUSPENSION, WHICH I FOUND OUT HAD BEEN RECALLED. ALL PARTS WERE EITHER REPAIRED OR REPLACED. *JB

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE JERKED AND VIBRATED UNCONTROLLABLY. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE REAR SUSPENSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK VIBRATION WAS FELT AT SPEEDS OF 75 MPH. THE CONSUMER HEARD A GRINDING NOISE WHEN MAKING LEFT OR RIGHT TURN. REAR WHEELS LOCKING AND SKIPPING. THE DEALERSHIP FOUND REAR DIFFERENTIAL WAS BAD CAUSING VIBRATION AND DRAGGING OF WHEELS. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER PUT OUT A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN BUT FAILED TO ALERT THE CONSUMERS. TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN DATED 04/04 # 03-04-20-003A. *TC

WE TOOK OUR VUE IN FOR THE RECENT RECALL REQUIRING REPLACEMENT OF REAR LATERAL LINK ASSEMBLIES. WE HAD A "CLUNKING" NOISE IN THE FRONT AND WERE TOLD THE FRONT LINK ASSEMBLIES, FRONT STABILIZER SHAFT AND FRONT MOUNT ASSEMBLY AND STRUT UPPER BEARING NEEDED TO ALSO BE REPLACED. WE HAD TO PAY FOR THIS. CAR IS ONLY 2 YEARS OLD BUT HAS 48,000 MILES ON IT SO IT IS OFF WARRANTY. WE WERE TOLD THE DAMAGE WAS NOT DUE TO DRIVING (I.E. HITTING A BUMP, RAILROAD TRACK, ETC) BUT IT WAS "BECAUSE THE PARTS JUST WERE CORRODED. PROBABLY FROM ROAD SALT" BY THE SERVICE REP (JESSE SCOTT, SATURN OF GRAND RAPIDS, MI). COULD THERE BE A CONNECTION WITH THE RECALL FOR THE REAR SUSPENSION AND THE ADDITIONAL DAMAGE TO THE FRONT SUSPENSION? AGAIN, THE CAR WILL NOT EVEN BE 2 YEARS OLD UNTIL MAY, 2005.*AK

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE RAN OFF THE ROAD. CONSUMER DID NOT HIT ANYTHING, AND NOTHING HIT THE VEHICLE. UPON TRYING TO STEER THE VEHICLE BACK ONTO THE ROAD THE LEFT REAR WHEEL FELL OFF. *AK THE CONSUMER STATED THAT BOTH REAR WHEELS FELL OFF. *TC

I HAVE BEEN HAVING CONTINUAL ALL WHEEL DRIVE ISSUES WITH MY 2003 SATURN VUE. IT HAS BEEN STUCK IN BOTH SAND AND SNOW OF MODERATE DEPTH AND BEEN UNABLE TO DRIVE OUT UNDER IT'S POWER. I HAVE HAD IT TO THE DEALER A NUMBER OF TIMES AND NOW I AM TOLD THAT THE PROBLEM IS IN FACT A "SAFETY FEATURE". THE FEATURE NEARLY RESULTED IN A SERIOUS COLLISION WITH A SNOW PLOW WHEN MY VEHICLE BECAME STUCK IN ONLY 4" OF SNOW. I AM BEING TOLD BY OTHER VUE OWNERS THAT THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED SIMILAR PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH BOTH THE TRANSMISSION AND REAR DIFFERENTIAL BEARINGS. I BOUGHT AN ALL WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE AND PAID EXTRA FOR THIS FEATURE. I AM NOW SADDLED WITH VEHICLE THAT DOES NOT PERFORM AS ADVERTISED AND HAS ALREADY CAUSED A NEAR DISASTER. I HAVE REPORTED MY PROBLEM TO SATURN AND THE DEALER. A FORMAL FILE HAS BEEN STARTED. NO REPAIR HAS BEEN MADE SINCE SATRUN CLAIMS THIS TO BE A "SAFETY FEATURE" PER THE SERVICE MANAGER AT THE FREDERICK SATURN DEALERSHIP. IT IS NOT SAFE AND WILL RESULT IN ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS. *JB

UPON PRESSING DOWN FAIRLY HARD ON MY VEHICLE'S HORN IT HONKED IN A NORMAL FASHION AND STOPPED UPON WHEN I REMOVED MY HAND, BUT THEN IT CONTINUED TO HONK ON ITS OWN ON AN INTERMITTENT BASIS. AT THE SAME TIME, THE SERVICE VEHICLE WARNING LIGHT WENT ON. I WAS UNABLE TO STOP THIS CONDITION UNTIL THE FUSE WAS REMOVED.

TODAY IS 02/02/05. A FEW WEEKS AGO, THE HORN ON MY '03 SATURN VUE BECAME STUCK. THE ONLY REMEDY WAS TO PULL THE FUSE. YESTERDAY, THE VUE WAS AT THE DEALER (TO HAVE WORK DONE ON THE REAR SUSPENSION PER RECALL NOTICE). I HAD THE DEALER CHECK OUT THE HORN. THEY STATED THAT THE DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTER GAVE THE CODE THAT THE "AIRBAG NEEDED TO BE REPLACED". THE VUE HAS JUST 49,000 MILES ON IT AND IS ONLY 2 YEARS OLD. THE COST WILL BE $810.00. EVER SINCE I HAVE OWNED THE VEHICLE, THE HORN WAS DIFFICULT TO ACTIVATE. I CONDUCTED AN INTERNET SEARCH AND FOUND THAT MANY OTHER SATURN OWNERS HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM. (WHILE THE DEALER HAD THE CAR TODAY, THEY RE-INSTALLED THE FUSE AND THE HORN WAS FINE. I PICKED THE VEHICLE UP AT 6 PM. ALL WAS WELL UNTIL 1:30 AM THIS MORNING, WHEN THE HORN WENT OFF ALL BY ITSELF. AND AGAIN THE ONLY REMEDY WAS TO PULL THE FUSE).*AK

WHEN CONSUMER STOP FOR RED LIGHT, THEN STEP ON ACCELERATOR, CAR HESITATES THEN LURCHES FORWARD ABRUPTLY. *BF WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH THE CONSUMER HEARD A HUMMING NOISE AND THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY DECREASED IN SPEED TO AROUND 30 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO REPROGRAMMED THE SOFTWARE. THREE WEEKS AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED. NOW THE REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION IS HAVING PROBLEMS. *NM

THE MORNING AFTER THE BLIZZARD I STARTED MY 2003 SATURN VUE WITH 20,000 MILES ON IT, I NOTICED A TICKING SOUND FROM ENGINE,I CONTINUED TO SHOVEL MY VUE OUT THINKING THE CAR IS COLD AND IT WILL BE OK . WELL THE SOUND DID NOT GO AWAY. CONCERNED I SHUT OFF CAR AND CALLED SATURN. TODAY I AM TOLD IT MIGHT BE A TIMING BELT TENSION THING . THEY ARE MAKING THE WARRANTY REPAIR AND WILL CALL ME TOMORROW WITH TEST DRIVE INFO. ? IS THIS DAMAGED MY ENGINE OR NOT. *NM