SATURN Complaints

AS A RESULT OF INCLEMENT WEATHER, WATER HAS BEEN ABLE TO ACCESS THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE WHICH RESULTED IN MALFUNCTIONING OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS OF THE OVERHEAD ACCESSORIES. SUNROOF HAS BEEN STUCK INTO OPEN POSITION AND WAS NOT ABLE TO RETRACT THE SUNROOF BACK INTO THE CLOSED POSITION.

DRIVING ON I-95 IN RICHMOND VA ON AUG. 28 AT APPROXIMATELY 8:30 PM. HEARD A LOUD BANG ON MY ROOF. I WAS NOT NEAR AN OVERPASS AND DID NOT SEE ANY DEBRIS ON ROAD. USING MY REAR-VIEW MIRROR I OBSERVED A LARGE DARK OBJECT FLYING OFF THE ROOF. AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS A ROCK BUT I NOW BELIEVE IT TO BE A LARGE CHUNK OF MY GLASS SUNROOF FLYING OFF. I BELIEVE MY SUNROOF EXPLODED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 SATURN SL. AFTER PARKING THE VEHICLE AND RETURNING TWENTY MINUTES LATER, THE IGNITION KEY WOULD NOT TURN AND THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE RESTARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE IGNITION MODULE FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 78,000.

WHILE DRIVING DOWN A CITY AVENUE DURING RUSH HOUR, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. NO WARNING, JUST FAILED. SEVERAL GOOD SAMARITANS PUSHED ME ACROSS 3 LANES OF TRAFFIC TO GET ME OFF THE BUSY ROAD. IT DIED WHILE I WAS IN GEAR AND DRIVING. I DID FIND OUT THAT THIS MODEL WAS PART OF A RECALL AND I ENDED UP PAYING 2500 FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION BECAUSE THEY SAID THE RECALL HAD EXPIRED THAT I DID NOT TAKE IN ON TIME. 5 YEARS LATER, IT'S DOING THE SAME THING. A NEW TRANSMISSION COSTS AROUND 3000. WHAT PART DID THEY PAY? DID THEY EVEN REPLACE IT? 2 YEARS AFTER THAT THE ENGINE QUIT ON A HIGHWAY OFF RAMP WITH LESS THAN 100K MILES. I HAD TO REPLACE THAT. THEN 1 YEAR LATER, THE ENTIRE BRAKE SYSTEM HAD TO BE REPLACED TO THE TUNE OF 1200. WE GOT A TUNE UP AND OIL CHANGE AS WE WERE HEADED TO BRECKENRIDGE, THE TECH SAID WE WERE LUCKY BECAUSE THE BRAKES WOULD HAVE BEEN USELESS IN MOUNTAIN DRIVING. THAT WAS A SCARY THOUGHT FOR SURE.

THE WARNING CHIMES AND AUDIBLE TURN SIGNAL INDICATORS STOPPED WORKING. WHILE THE HEADLIGHT ON WHEN VEHICLE IS SHUT OFF OR KEY LEFT IN SWITCH WILL NOT CAUSE ANY SAFETY PROBLEM (I DON'T THINK), NOT HAVING THE TURN SIGNAL CLICKING MAY LEAD TO DRIVING WITH A SIGNAL LEFT ON WHILE DRIVING STRAIGHT. THE OTHER POTENTIAL PROBLEM IS THAT THE SOUND CHIME NO LONGER WORKS TO INDICATE THAT THE SEAT BELTS ARE NOT FASTENED WHICH COULD CAUSE ONE TO DRIVE WITHOUT SEAT BELT AND INCREASE POTENTIAL INJURY IN CASE OF A CRASH.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SATURN VUE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO RESTART AFTER FIVE ATTEMPTS. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER, WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE COMPUTER NEEDED TO BE FLASHED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000.

THE AIRBAG SENSOR SHUTS OFF. USED TO BE PERIODIC BUT NOW APPEARS TO BE PERMANENTLY OFF. STARTED HAPPENING RIGHT AFTER RECALL REPAIRED ON THE IGNITION SWITCH.

DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT WENT OUT AND THEN CAME BACK ON.THEN THE NEXT DAY IT WENT OUT AGAIN AND NEVER CAME BACK ON.TOOK THE HEADLIGHT OUT AND THE CONNECTORS ARE MELTED..THIS I THINK IS NOT GOOD AND ITS GOING TO COST ABOUT $150 TO FIX

I BROUGHT MY SATURN SKY THAT WAS MANUFACTURED BY GM TO MY LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE MODULE IS NOT ON RECALL ALTHOUGH MANY OTHER MODELS THAT GM MAKES DID AND DOES HAVE A RECALL FOR THE SAME PRODUCT. I WILL NO LONGER LET ANYONE RIDE IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. I WOULD HOPE THAT SOMEONE WOULD FORCE GM TO DO WHAT THEY HAVE DONE FOR ALL THEIR OTHER MAKES AND MODELS. IF SOMEONE GETS HURT OR POSSIBLY KILLED I WILL HAVE TO BE FORCED TO SUE SOMEONE. THEY SAY THE PROCESS COSTS $900 AND I THINK IF ANYTHING THEY SHOULD PAY FOR AT LEAST THE PARTS. HOW CAN THEY RECALL OTHER MODELS AND NOT THIS MODEL?

I'M WRITING TO INQUIRE ABOUT RECALLS ON THE 2008 SATURN ASTRA.FROM DAY ONE, THE SATURN ASTRA I OWNED HAD PROBLEMS DUE TO AN ENGINE LIGHT FREQUENTLY COMING ON AND ISSUES WITH THE SENSORS. AT ONE POINT, ONE OF THE CV BOOTS WENT BAD.THE REPLACEMENT REQUIRED A NEW DRIVEAXLE, DUE TO THE PROBLEMATIC DESIGN OF THE CAR. THAT ISSUE COST ALMOST $500, EVEN WITH THE MECHANIC INSTALLING USED PARTS. THEN JUST A MONTH LATER, THE ABS LIGHT STARTED COMING ON AS THE RIGHT WHEEL SENSOR WAS BAD. AGAIN, DUE TO THE CARS DESIGN, THIS MEANT NOT ONLY A NEW SENSOR BUT A WHOLE NEW WHEEL BEARING AT ANOTHER $800. FROM WHAT I HAVE FOUND ONLINE, THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH ASTRAS; ALSO, AS IT DISABLES THE ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEMS, IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND THUS WARRANTS A RECALL FOR SAFETY REASONS. IT SEEMS CLEAR, FROM THE MANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS I HAVE SEEN ONLINE [JUST GO TO WWW.SATURNFANS.COM AND PUT "SENSORS" IN THE SEARCH BOX TO SEE TONS OF THEM - HERE'S JUST 1 PAGE FROM THAT SITE: HTTP://WWW.SATURNFANS.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=169386 ] THAT THE SATURN ASTRA SHOULD?VE BEEN RECALLED. WITHOUT SUCH A RECALL, IT COST ME MORE THAN $1300 DOLLARS IN REPAIRS. IF YOU LOOK AT ALL THE SIMILAR RELATED COMPLAINTS ON THE SATURN FANS WEBSITE I MENTIONED, I BELIEVE YOU WILL SEE THAT RECALLS ON THE SATURN ASTRA ARE WARRANTED, DUE TO THESE DESIGN FLAWS, SAFETY ISSUES, AND SENSOR PROBLEMS. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU WOULD LIKE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION OR TO SEE DOCUMENTATION OF THE REPAIRS I HAD TO HAVE DONE ON A CAR WITH JUST 68,000 MILES ON IT, AT THE TIME, IN A PERIOD OF JUST A FEW MONTHS.THANK YOU. *TR