SATURN Complaints

MY SATURN THAT I'VE BEEN DRIVING FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF NOW, COMPLETELY CUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF ME DRIVING IT. LUCKILY I WAS AT A DRIVE THEY SO SO SERIOUS DAMAGE TO ME OR ANYONE ELSE. COULD NOT GET IT TO START BACK UP FOR A GOOD 5-10 MINS. ALSO THE TRANSMISSION IS GOING OUT IN IT AND I'M CONSTANTLY HAVING TO ADD FLUID SO IT DOESNT SKIP. THE REAR TAIL LIGHTS KEEP HAVING TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE THEY KEEP BLOWING OUT.

MY SATURN OUTLOOK BECAME EXTREMELY HOT BY MY FOOT DUE TO THIS FAULTY ISSUE (DESIGN FLAW) WHILE I WAS DRIVING WITH MY [XXX] YEAR OLD SON...THE MASTER CYLINDER WAS LEAKING INTO THE BRAKE BOOSTER..IF YOU GOOGLE THIS YOU WILL FIND THAT THIS WAS A DESIGN FLAW IN ALL LAMBDA FRAME VEHICLES IN THE EARLY YEARS...I HAD IT REPLACED AS THE MASTER CYLINDER WAS LEAKING INTO THE BRAKE BOOSTER AND COST ME $900. THIS WAS A DESIGN FLAW BY GM AND CAN CAUSE AN ACCIDENT AS THE CAR WILL BECOME LOW ON BRAKE FLUID...MY CAR INDICITATED THIS BY STATING ON THE DASH "PARKING BRAKE WAS ON, SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM, AND TRACTION CONTROL OFF" UPON A GOOGLE SEARCH OF THIS I REALIZED THAT IT SEEMS LIKE EVERY OTHER LAMBDA FRAME VEHICLE IN THE EARLY YEARS OF PRODUCTION EXPERIENCE THIS PROBLEM AS IT IS A DESIGN FLAW. PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).*CC

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SATURN ION. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH AND MAKING A LEFT OR RIGHT TURN, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. THE CONTACT COASTED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND WAS THEN DRIVEN TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE IGNITON SWITCH WAS REPLACED FROM A PREVIOUS NHTSA NOTIFICATION; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 84,023.

KNOCKING NOISE WHEN GOING SLOW AND TURNING STEERING WHEEL. THIS HAPPENED FIRST IN 7/20/2012 AT 33,129 MILES. DEALER LUBED STEERING SHAFT. HAD PROBLEM AGAIN ON 2/9/2016 AT 56,772 MILES. DEALER REPLACED STEERING SHAFT THIS TIME, COST WAS ABOUT $423.00 I SEE THAT THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE AND THERE WAS A RECALL BUT SAFECAR.GOV WEBSITE DID NOT SHOW RECALL FOR MY VIN NUMBER

STARTED CAR AND BEGAN ADJUSTING SEAT. CAR WAS STILL IN PARK. HEARD A LOUD "POP" AND THEN THE DRIVER'S SEAT TILTED UP AND I WAS LEFT IN AN AWKWARD POSITION. TRIED TO MOVE SEAT AGAIN, SEAT JERKED AND WOULDN'T NOT ADJUST TO PROPER POSITION. TOOK CAR TO DEALER AND THEY SAID THE WELD ON THE FRAME BROKE. DRIVER'S SEAT NOW SLIDES AROUND WHEN YOU'RE SITTING IN IT, INCLUDING DURING DRIVING. FOUND OUT I WAS ONLY ONE OF DOZENS WITH SIMILAR ISSUE.

LOOSE SPEED WHILE DRIVING DROP FROM 55 TO 10 ALMOST COMES TO COMPLETE STOP. IT STARTED ON HIGHWAY DRIVING NOW IT DOES IT ON CITY STREETS. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND STAYS ON FOR DAYS AT A TIME.

AFTER STOPPING AT AN INTERSECTION AND PREPARING TO TURN LEFT, THE CAR COULD NOT STEER TO THE LEFT. AS HE CAR DRIFTED FORWARD THE STEERING BECAME EASIER AND THE CAR WAS ABLE TO NEGOTIATE THE TURN. AS THE CAR PICKED UP SPEED, THE STEERING APPEARED TO BE NORMAL UNTIL APPROACHING ANOTHER 90 DEGREE RIGHT HAND TURN (1/2 MILE AWAY FROM THE STOP IN WHICH IT WAS HARD TO TURN). NOT KNOWING WHAT WAS HAPPENING WITH THE VEHICLE, HE SLOWED DOWN TO NEGOTIATE THE RIGHT HAND TURN AND THE CAR FAILED TO STEER RIGHT LEADING HIM STRAIGHT THRU AND INTO AN ONCOMING VEHICLE. THIS VEHICLE WAS IN THE SHOP ONE WEEK AFTER WE PURCHASED IT TO HAVE THE IGNITION SWITCH REPLACED. AFTER HAVING THE IGNITION SWITCH REPLACED THE PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING OCCURRED. THERE WAS MUCH DAMAGE DONE TO THE CAR AND OUR INSURANCE PICKED UP THE COST OF THE OTHER DRIVERS DAMAGES. THIS WAS OUR SONS FIRST CAR AND A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE. THE CAR WAS TOWED BY GM TO A DEALERSHIP THAT DEAMED THE CAR SAFE. HE SAID THAT THE STEERING SHAFT WAS RUSTY WHICH CAUSED THE ACCIDENT. WE HAD A CLAIM THRU GM DUE TO THE STEERING RECALL AND THEY DENIED US SINCE THE DEALERSHIP THAT LOOKED AT THE CAR DEEMED IT TO BE SAFE. WE TOOK IT TO ANOTHER GARAGE THAT TOLD US THAT IT IS NOT SAFE AND NOT TO PUT OUR SON BACK IN IT UNTIL WE SPEAK TO YOU ABOUT HOW TO MOVE FORWARD. THE VEHICLE CAN BE REPLACED, BUT OUR SON CANNOT!!! HE WAS VERY LUCKY THAT THE ACCIDENT WAS NOT MORE SEVERE. WE WILL NOT PUT HIM OR ANYONE ELSE BACK IN THAT CAR IF NOTHING IS DONE TO PREVENT IT AGAIN. WE DON'T FEEL THAT IT'S OUR FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY TO HAVE THE PARTS REPLACED. PLEASE LET US KNOW IF THERE ARE ANY OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO US IN REGARDS TO THIS SITUATION. WE ARE DISSATISFIED WITH GM AND THE DEALER THAT SAID THE CAR WAS SAFE. OUR SONS LIFE IS AT STAKE AND THE POOR DECISIONS OF THE DEALERSHIP AND GM HAVE CREATED A POTENTIALLY CRITICAL SITUATION. THANKS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SATURN ION. AFTER HAVING THE VEHICLE REPAIRED ACCORDING TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 09V419000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE), THE ENGINE STALLED AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO RESTART. THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 107,000.

SERVICE AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIR. THE ASSESSMENT WAS THAT THE PASSENGER WEIGHT SENSOR HAD FAILED. THE REPAIR IS TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE SEAT AT A COST OF $948. THE FAILURE IS TO THE SENSOR TAPE AFFIXED TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEAT. IT BECOMES BRITTLE AS IT AGES AND CRACKS. THAT CAUSE A FAULT TO BE SENT TO THE SENSOR MODULE. IT CANNOT BE REPAIRED AND THE SENSOR IS BONDED TO THE SEAT BOTTOM. THERE ARE NO NEW PARTS BEING MADE SINCE THIS VEHICLE WENT OUT OF PRODUCTION IN 2009. ALL SENSOR TAPES ARE THEREFORE OLD AND PRONE TO RAPID CRACKING AND FAILURE. THE SATURN SKY (AND PONTIAC SOLSTICE - BASICALLY SAME VEHICLE) ARE FULL OF HORROR STORIES ABOUT MULTIPLE FAILURES OF THIS PART THAT RENDERS THE AIRBAG INOPERATIVE. THERE NEW PART CONTINUES TO FAIL IN MOST CASES AND MUST BE REPLACED REPEATEDLY EVEN THOUGH IT IS THE PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR IN A TWO SEAT SPORTS CAR. THAT SEAT IN MOST CASES IS RARELY USED. IN MY CASE THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 19655 MILES ON IT AND HAS HAD A PASSENGER IN THE SEAT ON ONLY ABOUT 20 OCCASIONS. THERE IS ONLY A LIMITED WARRANTY ON THE REPLACEMENT AND SERVICE TECHS STATE THAT IT WILL FAIL AGAIN FAIRLY QUICKLY. THIS IN NOT ONLY EXPENSIVE, IT IS DANGEROUS. MOST OWNERS LIKE ME WILL LIKELY FORGO THE REPAIR AND JUST DRIVE IT WITH THE LIGHT ON AND THE PASSENGER AIRBAG INOPERATIVE.

THE PASSENGER AIR BAG SEAT SENSOR DOES NOT WORK. THE CAR ONLY HAS 39,000 MILES ON IT AND HAS BEEN EXTREMELY WELL MAINTAINED. GM IS CHARGING $$900-$1000 TO REPAIR THE BROKEN SENSOR. THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY AND INVITES INJURY. THIS IS CLEARLY A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE RECALLED IMMEDIATELY.