2003 SATURN VUE Complaints

VEHICLE LOST POWER WHEN ACCELERATING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN. ALMOST HAD COLLISION FROM ONCOMING VEHICLE. VEHICLE HESITATED AGAIN WITH LOSS OF POWER WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE VEHICLE TO SPEED. TOOK TO DEALER AND WAS ADVISED IT WAS THE VTI TRANSMISSION AND THEY WERE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THEY SERVICED THE TRANSMISSION AS PER SERVICE BULLETIN, HOWEVER, THE FOLLOWING DAY SAME HESITATION WHEN ACCELERATING WITH LOSS OF POWER. NEXT STEP WAS TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION AS PER DEALERS COMMENT. *JB

WHILE THE HOOD ROD WAS HOLDING THE HOOD UP, A STRONG WIND BLEW THE HOOD AWAY FROM THE ROD. THE HOOD CAME DOWN AND CAUSE THE HOOD TO HIT THE DRIVERS FINGER AND DAUGHTERS NECK. THE CAUSE HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS.

THE CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE TRANSMISSION OF A 2003 SATURN VUE VTI STARTED TO MAKE SCREAMING NOISES, WHEN ACCELERATING UP A RAMP ONTO A HIGHWAY. THE VEHICLE COULD ONLY ENTER THE HIGHWAY AT A REDUCED SPEED.*AK

WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH CONSUMER HEARD A LOUD GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSION. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK

TRANSMISSION DISENGAGES AND LOOSES POWER. THIS CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO DECELERATE TO A COMPLETE STOP. THIS OCCURS WHEN VEHICLE GOES OVER A BUMP OR AN IMPERFECTION IN THE ROAD WHILE ACCELERATING. ALTHOUGH THE DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF THE FAILURE A REMEDY HAS NOT BEEN FOUND. *AK

MY SATURN VUE HAS A VIBRATION/SHUDDER AT VARIOUS SPEEDS WHICH IS CAUSED BY A PROBLEM WITH THE VTI TRANSMISSION AND WHICH STARTED AT ABOUT 6,600 MILES. THIS IS A WELL-KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE AND TRANSMISSION. CALLED MY DEALER AND HE OFFERED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION SINCE SO MANY VTI TRANSMISSIONS HAVE FAILED. THE DEALER SAID THAT THEY HAVE REPLACED ABOUT 6 VTI TRANSMISSIONS ALREADY (AND THAT'S ONLY ONE DEALER) SO PROBABLY HUNDREDS OT VTI TRANSMISSIONS HAVE HAD TO BE REPLACED NATIONWIDE. MY VUE HAS HAD TWO RECALLS FOR THE VTI--INCLUDING REPLACEMENT OF BOLTS AND A SOFTWARE UPGRADE. THE CONSTANTLY VARIABLE TRANSMISSION (VTI) HAS BEEN A PROBLEM TRANSMISSION EVER SINCE IT WAS INTRODUCED IN THE NEW 2002 VUE AND HUNDREDS OF OWNERS HAVE HAD PROBLEMS. THE VTI TRANMISSION WAS DELAYED SEVERAL TIMES BECAUSE OF PRE-PRODUCTION PROBLEMS. NOW THOUSANDS OF SATURN VUE OWNERS HAVE MANY TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS, INCLUDING ON-THE-ROAD TRANSMISSION FAILURES WHICH IS DANGEROUS. THIS IS A PROVEN DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION WHICH HAS AN IMPACT ON SAFETY AS WELL AS RESALE VALUE AND/OR SALEABILITY OF THE VEHICLE. SATURN NEEDS TO EITHER BUY BACK THOSE VUE'S WITH VTI' TRANSMISSIONS OR OFFER TO REPLACE THE VEHICLE WITH A NON-VTI TRANSMISSION MODEL. *AK

THE CAR PULLS TO THE RIGHT WHEN ACCELERATING. THIS HAPPENS FROM A STOP AS WELL AS WHEN AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. I FEEL IT IS VERY UNSAFE AND COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT.*AK

WHEN PULLING OUT FROM A STOP STEERING WHEEL PULLED TO THE RIGHT. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND DEALER DETERMINED THERE WAS TOO MUCH TIRE PRESSURE. AFTER RELEASING SOME TIRE PRESSURE THE PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK *MR

DURING ACCELERATION AND WHILE THE GAS PEDAL IS DEPRESSED, THE CAR RAPIDLY DECELERATES FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE OR TWO SECONDS AND MAINTAINS A SLOW SPEED BEFORE AGAIN RESPONDING TO THE DRIVER'S INPUT. THERE IS NO STALLING. TIME OF DAY AND TEMPERATURE APPEAR TO HAVE NO AFFECT. ENGINE TEMPERATURE ALSO APPEARS TO HAVE NO AFFECT. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME 5 TIMES IN 10 DAYS. TWICE THE SITUATION CREATED A NEAR-TRAGIC RESULT. THIS IS A VUE WITH A VTI TRANSMISSION. *JB

THE HORN ON MY 2003 SATURN VUE IS IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND IN AN EMERGENCY. UNLESS YOU PRESS WITH YOU THUMB EXACTLY ON THE HORN SYMBOL, IT WILL NOT BLOW. THE DEALER AND I BOTH TRIED BY HITTING THE SPOT WITH OUR FIST. SOMETIME IT BLOWS AND SOMETIMES IT DID NOT. EVERYTIME IT BLEW WHEN YOU PRESS EXACTLY ON THE HORN SYMBOL WITH YOUR THUMB. I WAS TOLD THIS WAS NORMAL. IN AN EMERGENCY, FINDING THAT EXACT PLACE ON THE STERLING WHEEL IS DIFFICULT. I HAVE HAD AT LEAST 4 INCIDENTS WHERE AN ACCIDENT ALMOST OCCURRED BECAUSE I COULD NOT FIND THE HORN. *JB