SATURN Complaints

MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON IN MY 2007 SATURN AURA XR. I HAD THE CODES CHECKED OUT AND WAS TOLD THAT THE CAM SENSORS WERE BAD. I HAD THEM REPLACED WITH THE CRANKCASE POSITION SENSOR. AFTER REPLACEMENT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND REMAINS. I HAD THE VEHICLE CHECKED AGAIN AND WAS TOLD THAT THE "TIMING CHAIN WAS STRETCHED AND WOULD NEED REPLACEMENT. MY MECHANIC SUGGESTED THAT I GET RID OF THE CAR BECAUSE OF THE COST OF REPAIR. THIS OCCURRED JUST AFTER MY POWERTRAIN WARRANTY WAS UP. IS THERE ANY RECOURSE WITH GENERAL MOTORS REGARDING THE REPAIR COSTS OF MY VEHICLE. IT APPEARS TO ME THAT GM HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM FOR SOMETIME EVEN THOUGH MY VEHICLE DIDN'T HAVE ANY PROBLEMS UNTIL LAST MONTH. THANK YOU FOR ANY INFORMATION THAT YOU MAY BE ABLE TO GIVE ME. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY, THE STEERING WHEEL BEGAN TO OSCILLATE (MOVE) FROM SIDE TO SIDE MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO KEEP THE VEHICLE STRAIGHT. A POWER STEERING MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED ON THE DRIVER INFORMATION CENTER. THE OSCILLATION CONTINUED AT ANY SPEED. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED THERE WAS A INTERMITTENT NOISE THAT CAME FROM THE BASE OF THE STEERING COLUMN WHILE THE STEERING WHEEL CONTINUED TO OSCILLATE FROM SIDE TO SIDE. THE STEERING WHEEL WAS HARD TO MAINTAIN IN ONE POSITION AND KEEP THE VEHICLE STRAIGHT AS IT CONTINUED TO OSCILLATE SIDE TO SIDE. I CALLED THE DEALER AND THEY SAID I SHOULD BRING IT IN AND THAT IT WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE IN THAT CONDITION. I WAS VERY UNCOMFORTABLE TRANSPORTING MY CHILDREN IN THIS VEHICLE. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AND FAULT CODE C0478 ELECTRIC STEERING MOTOR CIRCUIT HIGH WAS FOUND. THE DEALER REPLACED THE POWER STEERING CONTROL MODULE PART NUMBER 22837369. COST $715.54. I DID SOME RESEARCH PRIOR TO TAKING TO THE DEALER AND FOUND THAT THIS ISSUE IS A RECALL IN CANADA FOR 67,414 VEHICLES. NOT SURE WHY THE NHTSB DOESN'T FOLLOW TRANSPORT CANADA ON THIS. I WILL FILE A COMPLAINT WITH GM. THIS IS THE INFORMATION I FOUND. TRANSPORT CANADA RECALL # 2012331 FOR 2008 MODEL YEAR VEHICLES, DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE POWER STEERING MOTOR CONTROL MODULE. *TR

AT FIRST, MY 08 SATURN AURA'S DRIVERS SEAT STOPPED WORKING, AND I COULD NO LONGER MOVE IT. I ASSUMED THE FUSE WAS OUT, SO I REPLACED IT. WITHIN ONE DAY, MY SEAT STOPPED WORKING AGAIN. I WENT TO SOMEONE AND THEY SUGGESTED I TRY A FUSE WITH A HIGHER VOLTAGE. THEY PLACED THE FUSE FOR ME AND MY SEAT WORKED FOR A MOMENT AND THEN BLEW THE FUSE. I COULDN'T AFFORD TO TAKE MY CAR TO THE DEALER AND HAVE THEM RUN A DIAGNOSTIC, SO I DECIDED TO DEAL WITH MY SEAT NOT BEING ABLE TO MOVE. A COUPLE MONTHS AFTER THE FIRST INCIDENT, THE BACKSEAT DOOR BEHIND THE DRIVERS SIDE WOULD NOT UNLOCK OR LOCK EVERY TIME BY PRESSING THE UNLOCK BUTTON. THEN, THE DRIVER'S DOOR STOPPED LOCKING AND UNLOCKING. SO EVERY TIME I GET OUT OF MY CAR AND HIT THE BUTTON TO LOCK MY DOORS, I HAVE TO PUSH THE ACTUAL LOCK DOWN ON THE DRIVER'S DOOR, AND THEN I HAVE TO OPEN THE BACK DOOR AND PUSH THAT LOCK DOWN. THE MOST RECENT INCIDENT IS THE DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT AND BLINKER. WHEN MY BLINKER AND HEADLIGHT FIRST WENT OUT I DID NOT THINK MUCH OF IT, SO I REPLACED THE BULBS. A DAY OR TWO LATER, THE BLINKER AND HEADLIGHT WERE OUT AGAIN. I REPLACED THE BULBS A SECOND TIME, BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT MAY HAVE JUST BEEN A BAD PRODUCT I BOUGHT. THE BLINKER AND HEADLIGHT WORKED AGAIN AND THEN STOPPED A DAY LATER. SOME MORNINGS I GET LUCKY AND MY DOORS WILL UNLOCK OR LOCK AND SOMETIMES MY BLINKER AND HEADLIGHT WILL WORK, BUT BY THE TIME I GET TO WHERE I AM GOING THEY WILL STOP WORKING AGAIN. THIS IS ALL VERY FRUSTRATING BECAUSE SOMETHING IS ALWAYS GOING WRONG ON THIS CAR. I AM TERRIFIED ONE DAY SOMETHING ELSE ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE LIKE THE STEERING WHEEL OR THE BRAKES WILL GO OUT AND COULD COST ME MY LIFE. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY OUTLOOK AT APPROXIMATELY 30 MILES AN HOUR AND IT WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO THE NEXT GEAR. I HAD TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND LIMPED THE CAR INTO A PARKING LOT THINKING MAYBE THE TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS LOW. THAT WAS CHECKED AND WAS FOUND TO BE AT A NORMAL LEVEL. LEAVING THE PARKING LOT WE LEARNED THAT THERE WAS NOW NO REVERSE. THE ONLY GEAR THAT FUNCTIONED WAS FIRST GEAR. WE DROVE AT LOW SPEED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND ON 8/26/13 I WAS TOLD THAT THE CAR NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION AT APPROXIMATELY $3500 - $4000. *TR

INTERMITTENTLY THE BRAKE LIGHTS DO NOT FUNCTION CORRECTLY. WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN PARK THE BRAKE LIGHT REMAINS ON. WHEN THEE VEHICLE IS IN DRIVE, THE BRAKE LIGHT STAYS ON. WHEN ACCELERATING, THE BRAKE LIGHT REMAINS ON. OTHER SYMPTOMS MAY INCLUDE EXTENDED PEDAL TRAVEL REQUIRED TO SHIFT OUT OF PARK AND CRUISE CONTROL DOES NOT FUNCTION CORRECTLY. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 SATURN OUTLOOK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESPOND TO ACCELERATION ATTEMPTS AND WHEN SHIFTED INTO REVERSE, IT WOULD NOT ENGAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER AND THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 146,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SATURN L SERIES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 127,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL GASOLINE ODOR COMING FROM THE VEHICLE WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING THE RESULTS OF THE DIAGNOSIS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 47,000.

ODOMETER DINGS AND DISPLAYS POWER STEERING WARNING; POWER STEERING FAILS. TURNING THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON CORRECTS THIS, UNTIL IT HAPPENS AGAIN (TYPICALLY AFTER THE CAR HAS BEEN RUNNING ABOUT 10 SECONDS). THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE, AND SATURN EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE TO UNDER 100,000 MILES. MY CAR DID NOT START DOING THIS UNTIL AFTER 100,000 MILES. STEERING IS A SAFETY ISSUE. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 SATURN AURA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE BRAKE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED DESPITE THE BRAKE PEDAL NOT BEING DEPRESSED. WHEN THE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, THE BRAKE LIGHTS WOULD STOP ILLUMINATING. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 85,000.