SATURN Complaints

WHILE DRIVING ON A TRIP UP NORTH, THE AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON AND "SERVICE AIR BAG" APPEARED IN THE DRIVER INFORMATION CENTER. AFTER TAKING INTO GET FIXED, THE ISSUE IS A FAULTY SENSOR IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, RENDERING THE PASSENGER AIRBAG USELESS. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH ONLINE, THIS IS HAPPENING A LOT WITH THE SATURN SKYS. IT IS VERY EXPENSIVE TO FIX (AROUND $1000) AND VERY DANGEROUS, AND SHOULD BE A RECALL.

THE PASSENGER PRESENCE SYSTEM MODULE HAS GONE OUT. I HAVE DONE ALL CIRCUIT TESTING, RESEARCH AND PRICED THE REPAIRS. I AM A SERVICE TECHNICIAN OF 6 YEARS AND HAVE WORKED FOR GM FOR THE FIRST 3. ALMOST EVERY SATURN SKY I KNOW OF HAS HAD THE PPS MODULE FAIL, AND WE HAVE MANY REPORTS AND PICTURES OF THE PASSENGER AIR BAG NOT DEPLOYING DURING COLLISIONS, SOMETIMES THE DRIVER DOES NOT EITHER. THIS IS CLOSE TO A $1000 FIX, CONSIDERING THE PRICE OF THE PPS MODULE BY ITSELF IS $500+ FROM THE DEALER. MY VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, AND IN MOTION, CITY AND HIGHWAY WHEN THIS FAILURE OCCURED. THE PPS MODULE DOES NOT RECOGNIZE A PASSENGER IN THE CAR AND THEREFORE DOES NOT TURN THE PASSENGER AIR BAG ON. THE FIRST TIME IT DID IT, 10 MINUTES INTO DRIVING, IT TURNED ON AND THE AIR BAG LIGHT WENT OFF. A FEW MINUTES LATER IT CYCLED BACK OFF, LIT UP THE AIR BAG LIGHT AND SAID, 'SERVICE AIR BAG,' ON THE DIC. IT CYCLED ONE MORE TIME TO ON, AND THEN BACK OFF A FEW MINUTES LATER AND NOW STAYS OFF. THE ENTIRE TIME IT CYCLED BACK AND FORTH THERE WAS A PASSENGER IN THE CAR. AS A TECHNICIAN AND A CAR ENTHUSIAST, I AM WELL AWARE THAT CARS HAVE TO BE MAINTAINED AND EXPENSIVE PARTS WILL BE BOUGHT OVER THE YEARS, BUT THE OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE SATURN SKY'S AIR BAG SYSTEM IS CONCERNING AND I WOULD HOPE, WITH AS MANY RECALLS HAVE GONE OUT OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, THAT NHTSA, AND GM, WOULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT LIKE PEOPLE DID IN THE COBALT IGNITION RECALLS. I ALSO HAVE A COBALT, SO I KNOW ALL ABOUT THAT AS WELL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, AND I HOPE SOMEONE WILL ACTUALLY INVESTIGATE THIS INSTEAD OF IGNORING IT AND PEOPLE GET HURT. IF IT WAS YOUR OWN VEHICLE, YOU WOULD BE ALARMED AS WELL. ALSO, THERE IS CONCERN THAT THE 2005-07 CADILLAC CTS AIRBAG RECALL WAS THE SAME PART NUMBER USED IN THE 2007 SKY, POSSIBLY 07-10. I DO NOT HAVE PROOF OF THAT, YET. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 SATURN OUTLOOK. DURING LOW CLIMATE WEATHER, THE IGNITION WAS TURNED TO THE ON POSITION AND ALL OF THE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS SHIFTED INTO DRIVE, BUT FAILED TO MOVE. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, ALL OF THE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED AND THE ENGINE STALLED. WHILE DRIVING DURING LOW TEMPERATURES, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, BUT THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WAS OIL IN THE ENGINE AIR FLOW. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 172,000.

PASSENGER SIDE OCCUPANCY SENSOR FAILED, AND AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH EVEN WITH SOMEONE SITTING IN THE SEAT. BEGAN AS A RANDOM FAILURE, SWITCHING FROM FAILED TO OPERATIONAL ON EACH START. ULTIMATELY, STAYED IN FAILED CONDITION. UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE, DASH WARNING APPEARS WARNING OF SYSTEM FAILURE. DEALER ACKNOWLEDGES THIS AS A KNOWN ISSUE, AND RESEARCH SUGGESTS HUNDREDS OF GM OWNERS SUFFER THE SAME ISSUE. ONLY SUGGESTED REMEDY WAS A $900-$1000 REPLACEMENT BY DEALER.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SATURN AURA. WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, THE CONTACT HEARD A NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFTS FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14E044000 (STEERING). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN ION. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE STEERING BECAME INOPERABLE AND MADE A GRINDING NOISE. THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V153000 (STEERING). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

SOMETIMES WHEN I TURN MY 2009 SATURN VUE OFF I CANNOT GET THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION. I WILL HAVE TO PUT THE CAR BACK INTO DRIVE AND THEN BACK IN PARK BEFORE I CAN GET THE KEY OUT.

THERE IS A RECALL ON SIMILAR MODELS FOR THE SAME ISSUE, BUT NOT MINE. MY KEY COMES OUT OF THE IGNITION WHILE DRIVING AND CONTINUES TO RUN. THIS ALSO OCCURS WHILE IN PARK. THIS COULD CAUSE AIRBAGS TO NOT DEPLOY IN AN ACCIDENT AS WELL AS IT HAS DRAINED MY ELECTRICAL SYSTEM ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS BECAUSE IF IT IS NOT FULLY DISENGAGED I CAN STILL REMOVE THE KEY IN ACC MODE AND DRIVE MODE. ALSO, I HAVE TO TUG ON THE GEAR SHIFT IN ORDER TO GET THE KEY INTO THE PROPER POSITION TO REMOVE IT PROPERLY. NOW'I CANNOT EVEN TURN MY KEY, AS THE IGNITION IS SEIZING. IT TAKES ME NO LESS THAN 10 MINUTES TO GET IT TO CLICK AND TURN ON. I WAS ADVISED MY MODEL IS NOT IN THE RECALL THOUGH THE SAME AND SAME MAKES ARE. I REALLY FEEL THIS IS A HUGE ISSUE. PLEASE ADVISE! THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE SINCE I HAVE OWNED THE VEHICLE AND I WAS TOLD IT WAS A RECALL, BUT WHEN I WENT TO MY APPOINTMENT, THEY ADVISED IT IS NOT PART OF THE CURRENT RECALL.

THE CAR WOULD NOT START, WOULD NOT EVEN TURN OVER. WE THOUGH IT WAS A STARTER PROBLEM BUT NOTICED WHEN WE SHIFTED TO NEUTRAL IT WOULD START RIGHT UP. WE ALSO NOTICE THE SHIFTING DID NOT SEEM TO LOCK INTO GEAR AS IT NORMALLY DOES. THEN WE NOTICED THAT IF WE PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND WERE ON EVEN A SLIGHT HILL THE CAR WOULD KEEP ROLLING. THE DOORS NORMALLY UNLOCK WHEN THE CAR IS PLACED IN PARK BUT THAT STOPPED HAPPENING. WE CHECKED TO SEE IF THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM AND THERE WAS ONE ISSUED IN 2009 FOR THE EXACT PROBLEM WE WERE HAVING. WE TOOK IT TO THE NEAREST DEALER WHO SAID OUR CAR WASN'T INCLUDED IN THE RECALL EVEN THOUGH IT STATED IN THE RECALL THE EXACT MAKE, MODEL AND YEAR.

AFTER EXISTING THE FREEWAY I STOPPED AT A LIGHT. ONCE I TRIED TO ACCELERATE, THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO SLIP. I WAS ABLE TO ACHIEVE 20-25MPH BEFORE THE ENGINE WOULD REV UP TO 6000-7000 RPM WITHOUT ACCELERATING SIGNIFICANTLY. ONCE I GOT HOME, I FOUND I COULD NO LONGER GO IN REVERSE EITHER. VEHICLE DOES NOT ACCELERATE ABOVE 25MPH NORMALLY OR GO IN REVERSE. I TOOK THE CAR TO A REPAIR SHOP AND THEY IDENTIFIED THAT THE WAVE PLATE IN THE TRANSMISSION WAS AN ISSUE. THERE IS A 3-5-R WAVE PLATE FRACTURE ISSUE WITH GM AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS THAT THIS CAR SEEMS TO BE AFFECTED BY, BUT NOT COVERED BY GM'S SERVICE BULLETIN / EXTENDED WARRANTY. GM OBVIOUSLY HAS NOT IDENTIFIED ALL VEHICLES THAT HAVE THIS ISSUE. I AM AT 6.5 YEARS AND 90,000 MILES AND HAVE A BROKEN TRANSMISSION.