SATURN Complaints

I HAD JUST DROPPED OFF A CO-WORKER WHEN MY PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG AND SEAT BELT LIGHT CAME BACK ON WITH NO ONE IN THE SEAT. I WENT DOWN THE ROAD A FEW MILES AND THE LIGHTS WENT OFF. I WENT A LITTLE FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD WHEN THEY CAME BACK ON AGAIN. THE NEXT DAY THE SAME THING HAPPENED EXCEPT THIS TIME THE LIGHTS REMAINED ON UNTIL THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND THE ENGINE TURNED OFF. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE SO FAR, THE FIRST TIME MARCH 4, 2015, AND THE SECOND INCIDENT ON MARCH 5, 2015. I HAVE HAD PASSENGERS IN THE SEAT BEFORE WITHOUT THE LIGHT COMING BACK ON AFTER THEY HAVE GOTTEN OUT. THIS IS A NEW PROBLEM THAT I HAVE JUST RECENTLY EXPERIENCED. I HAVE ONLY HAD THE VEHICLE FIVE MONTHS SO I DO NO KNOW IF THIS HAS HAPPENED PRIOR TO ME OWNING IT. I WILL BE TAKING IT TO A GARAGE TO BE CHECKED OUT IF THIS HAPPENS AGAIN TO TRY AND DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *TR

MY IGNITION CYLINDER NEEDS REPLACED. MY KEYS ARE COMING OUT OF THE IGNITION WITH THE CAR STILL ON, DOES NOT MATTER WHETHER IN PARK OR NOT, MY KEY WILL SLIDE OUT. SO NOW I HAVE TO GET THIS FIXED BUT WHILE I WAIT TO HAVE IT FIXED, I HAVE TO ALWAYS MAKE SURE MY CAR IS IN PARK OR AN ACCIDENT COULD HAPPEN. *TR

I WAS PULLING OUT OF A PARKING LOT ONTO A STREET WHEN I HAD TO STOP FOR ONCOMING TRAFFIC. WHEN I APPLIED MY BRAKES, THE ENGINE STARTED RACING AND THE RPMS SHOT UP LIKE THE ACCELERATOR HAD STUCK. THE TRUCK STARTED TO LURCH FORWARD AND I HAD TO THROW THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL TO AVOID BEING HIT BY ONCOMING TRAFFIC. AT FIRST I HAD THOUGHT THAT MAYBE MY FOOT HAD INADVERTENTLY SLIPPED PARTWAY OFF THE BRAKE ONTO THE ACCELERATOR BECAUSE MY BOOTS WERE WET AND SLIPPERY FROM THE SNOW, OR THAT IT WAS BECAUSE OF THE EXTREME COLD WE WERE EXPERIENCING. I DO NOT BELIEVE EITHER WAS THE CASE BECAUSE IT HAS HAPPENED TWO OTHER TIMES SINCE THEN IN THE SPAN OF THREE WEEKS, AND ALL AT DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES AND DRIVING CONDITIONS. ONE TIME I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND AS I LET OFF THE ACCELERATOR THE VEHICLE SPED UP AS I WAS APPROACHING A RED LIGHT. I HAD TO THROW THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL AGAIN TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. AT THAT TIME I WAS PROBABLY DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH AND THIS OCCURRED ON FEBRUARY 26, 2015. THE THIRD INCIDENT WAS ONCE AGAIN PULLING OUT OF A PARKING LOT ONTO A ROADWAY WHEN THE VEHICLE ONCE AGAIN LURCHED FORWARD AS I WAS APPLYING THE BRAKES AND THE ENGINE RPMS SHOT UP. I BELIEVE THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED ON MARCH 3, 2015. A CHECK OF THE ACCELERATOR LINKAGE AND PEDAL SHOWED THE LINKAGE AND PEDAL TO BE IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. *TR

ROOF RACK COLLECTS WATER RUSTING OUT BOLTS HOLDING CROSS MEMBER TO ROOF RAILS. DOING ROUTINE INSPECTION AND FOUND ONE CROSS MEMBER DETACHED. FORTUNATELY LOCATED BEFORE LOADING SURFBOARD TO RACKS WHICH COULD HAVE FAILED WHILE TRAVELING ON ROAD. IT APPEARS THE RAILS WHICH RUN THE LENGTH OF THE ROOF IS WHERE THE RACKS FAIL. THERE ARE HOLES WHICH COLLECT WATER CAUSING THE RUST AND EVENTUAL FAILURE OF THE BOLT(S) THAT THE CROSS MEMBER ATTACHES TOO. *TR

DRIVING IN SUB ZERO WEATHER, I DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY WHEN MY CAR LOST POWER AND NOW I FIND OUT, IT IS SOMETHING CALLED "LIMP" MODE. CAR WOULD NOT GO MORE THAN 35 MILES PER HOUR AND I HAD MULTIPLE WARNING LIGHTS COMING ONE. HOW DANGEROUS TO BE ON THE HIGHWAY AT 70 MILES PER HOUR SEE A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COME ON AND SUDDENLY REALIZE YOU HAVE NO POWER. TRYING TO GET INTO THE OUTER LANE AND GET OFF THE HIGHWAY ALMOST COST ME MY LIFE. I WAS -20 DEGREES OUT THAT DAY. I FOUND THIS LISTED ON A WEB SITE, SOUND LIKE GM KNOWS THERE IS A PROBLEM ALREADY. I WORK WITH A GIRL THAT HAS A ACADIA. SHE SAW MY FACEBOOK POST ABOUT MY CAR. SHE WAS ALSO ON THE HIGHWAY THE SAME DAY I WAS AND HERE CAR WAS DOING THE EXACT SAME THING MY WAS. TWO CARS WITH LOSS OF POWER AT THE SAME TIME AND DAY. THIS IS DANGEROUS. HERE IS THE LINK I FOUND REGARDING THIS PROBLEM:HTTP://RICKSFREEAUTOREPAIRADVICE.COM/OIL-IN-AIR-INTAKE-DUCT/ GM HAS ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN TO ADDRESS A PROBLEM WITH OIL IN AIR INTAKE DUCT, ALONG WITH A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, POOR ACCELERATION, AND THROTTLE BODY FREEZING. THE BULLETIN APPLIES TO THE FOLLOWING VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE 3.6L ENGINE: 2008-11 BUICK ENCLAVE, 2007-11 CHEVROLET MALIBU, 2009-11 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE,2007-11 GMC ACADIA,2007-10 PONTIAC G6, 2007-09 SATURN AURA, 2007-10 SATURN OUTLOOK GM STATES THAT THE PROBLEM OCCURS AFTER A COLD START UP OR WHEN DRIVING IN COLD TEMPERATURES. IF YOU SCAN THE PCM, ICE FORMATION IS CAUSED BY CONDENSATION FREEZING AT THE BASE OF THE THROTTLE BODY WITH ADDITIONAL COLLECTION OF ICE FORMATION DEPOSITS IN THE AIR INLET DUCT. FREEZING CONDENSATION FORMS AFTER THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN DRIVEN AND THEN PARKED IN LOW AMBIENT TEMPERATURES. OIL DEPOSITS ARE THE COLLECTION OF THE ENGINE VAPORS, FUEL DILUTION AND OIL MIST AT THE BASE OF THE THROTTLE BODY WITH ADDITIONAL FORMATION COLLECTING IN THE DUCT. *TR

2006 SATURN ION. CONSUMER RECEIVED REPAIRS DUE TO RECALL AND IS SEEKING REIMBURSEMENT. *TA THE IGNITION CYLINDER AND IGNITION SWITCH WERE REPLACED ON APRIL 6, 2012. ON AUGUST 8, 2012, THE IGNITION LOCK AD IGNITION HOUSING WERE REPLACED. *JB

I HAD THE CAR IN ON 2/18/15 FOR THE POWER STEERING RECALL BUT A WEEK LATER IT DID THE SAME THING. I BROUGHT IT IN AGAIN ON 3/2/15 THINKING THAT MAYBE THE PART THEY REPLACED WAS DEFECTED. TOLD IT WAS FINE. *TR

I SMELT GAS SO I BROUGHT IT TO MY MECHANIC. HE SAYS THAT THE FUEL PUMP HAD A CRACK AT THE INLET. I SEE THAT THERE ARE 2006 AND 2007 SATURN IONS THAT WERE RECALLED BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE. I WAS CURIOUS WHY OR IF THERE WERE SIMILAR COMPLAINTS FOR THE RANGE THAT VIN FALLS WITHIN. IT LOOKS LIKE IT DOES ACCORDING TO HTTP://WWW-ODI.NHTSA.DOT.GOV/ACMS/CS/JAXRS/DOWNLOAD/DOC/ACM13505162/RCRIT-09V419-3422.PDF BUT SINCE I DIDN'T BUY /REGISTER IT IN ARIZONA OR NEVADA THAT IT DOESN'T APPLY. NOT SURE WHY IT WOULD ONLY APPLY TO TWO STATES SINCE MY VIN FALLS WITHIN THAT RANGE. ANY THOUGHTS ARE APPRECIATED. THANKS! *TR

WHILE DRIVING THE CAR WILL AUTOMATICALLY SHUT OFF. I CAN BE ON THE FREEWAY AT 55 MILES AND THE CAR WILL JUST DIE. I CAN BE AT A STOP LIGHT AND THE CAR WILL DIE. I HAVE TAKEN IT IN AND TWICE THEY SAID THEY FOUND NOTHING HOWEVER THE PROBLEM STILL EXIST. I THOUGHT THAT WITH THE RECALL REPAIR OF THE IGNITION SWITCH IT MIGHT HELP BUT IT HASN'T AND MY KEY STILL GETS STUCK IN THE IGNITION AT TIMES AND I DON'T EVEN HAVE ANYTHING HANGING ON THE KEY ONLY THE REMOTE. BASICALLY ONCE YOU FEEL THE CAR LOSING POWER AND ALL DASH LIGHTS SHOW UP, YOU NEED TO RESTART THE CAR TO PROCEED. VERY DANGEROUS ESPECIALLY ON THE ROAD. *TR

WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 30 AND 40 MPH THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCES A VIBRATION IN THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS ALLEGEDLY REPAIRED BY A GM DEALER AT NO CHARGE. THE PROBLEM WAS NOT RESOLVED. AT LEAST 4 OTHER ATTEMPTS TO HAVE GM REPAIR THE VEHICLE WERE REFUSED BY GM DEALERS EVEN AFTER THE REPAIR BULLETIN WAS EXTENDED INTO 2015. NOT SATISFIED I CONTACTED SOMEONE AT GM AND ASKED FOR A REFERRAL TO ANOTHER DEALER IN MY LOCAL AREA. I RECEIVED IT AND TOOK IT THE REFERRED DEALER AND EXPLAINED THE SITUATION. AFTER INSPECTING THE CAR THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THE VIBRATION ISSUE BUT SAID THAT BEFORE ANYTHING COULD BE DONE THE ENGINE BLOCK MOUNTS HAD TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF APPROX. $1000. I THANKED THEM AND TOOK THE CAR TO MY TRUSTED REGULAR MECHANIC. I ASKED HIM TO CHECK THE ENGINE MOUNTS (WITHOUT TELLING HIM WHAT HAPPENED AT THE GM DEALER) AND GIVE ME A REPORT. UPON INSPECTING, HE STATED THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG WITH THE ENGINE MOUNTS. AT THIS POINT, FRUSTRATED AND ANGRY WITH GM, I BASICALLY GAVE UP. FURTHERMORE, THIS OCCURRED AT THE TIME OF THE GM IGNITION SWITCH RECALL DEBACLE.OUR SATURN VUE ALSO HAS A PROBLEM WITH THE IGNITION.ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS WE WERE NOT ABLE TO REMOVE THE IGNITION KEY FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH WITHOUT PLIERS AND A LOT OF TIME. IT TOOK OVER AN HOUR ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS TO REMOVE THE KEY. WE FOUND INFORMATION ONLINE WHERE GM ACKNOWLEDGED THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE VUE IGNITION SWITCHES, BUT SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO HAVE THE SWITCH REPLACED RESULTED IN REFUSALS BY GM DEALERS. I THOUGHT THIS WAS ODD GIVEN THE HUGE RECALL OF IGNITION SWITCHES BY GM AT THE TIME. WE BASICALLY RECEIVED THE SAME TREATMENT CONCERNING THE REAR END POWERTRAIN VIBRATION AFTER THE INITIAL REPAIR EVEN THOUGH THE MAINTENANCE BULLETIN EXTENDED THE REPAIR PERIOD. THERE WAS AN ALTERNATE REPAIR IF THE FIRST REPAIR FAILED, BUT THE DEALER WOULDN'T HONOR IT. *TR