SATURN Complaints

STEERING WHEEL BECAME NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO TURN. THEN POWER STEERING LIGHT CAME ON. PROBLEM IS CONSISTENT AND DANGEROUS. TOOK TO A MECHANIC AND WAS ESTIMATED $600-$800 TO REPLACE NECESSARY PARTS. I NEARLY HIT ANOTHER CAR AND ALMOST HIT A PEDESTRIAN FROM BEING UNABLE TO STEER MY OWN CAR. *TR

AFTER HAVING 2008 SATURN OUTLOOK ACTING "ODDLY". MY HUSBAND TOOK FOR A RIDE. AT STOP SIGN WENT TO ACCELERATE ONTO ROAD. CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. HAD TO CALL FOR TOW. AND WAVE VEHICLES TO PASS. FIVE DAYS WITHOUT A VEHICLE AND COUNTING. *TR

POWER STEERING STOPPED WORKING. WHEN I GOT HOME TURNED CAR OFF AND BACK ON AND IT WORKED BUT THEN STOPPED WORKING AGAIN AFTER DRIVING A FEW MINUTES. *TR

WE PURCHASED THIS 2007 OUTLOOK BACK IN APRIL OF THIS YEAR. THE DEALERSHIP GAVE US A SHEET THAT PURPORTED TO INDICATE THAT THE VEHICLE HAD GONE THROUGH A FULL INSPECTION AND WAS CLEAN. WE LIVE IN NORTH FLORIDA AND HAVE HAD A LOT OF RAIN LATELY. EVERY TIME IT RAINS, WATER GETS INTO THE DOORS AND INTO THE VEHICLE ITSELF - WE CAN HEAR IT SLOSHING AROUND IN THE DOORS AND IN THE DASH OF THE VEHICLE - AND THERE WILL BE WATER, AS MUCH AS HALF AN INCH, ON THE FLOORBOARDS OF THE VEHICLE. THIS IS WREAKING HAVOC WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, AND SOMETIMES THERE WILL BE THE SMELL OF SOMETHING BURNING. THE FANS, PARTICULARLY IN THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE, ARE RUNNING INTERMITTENTLY; THERE IS A CRACKLING NOISE THAT COMES THROUGH THE RADIO SPEAKERS EVEN WHEN THE RADIO SYSTEM IS TURNED OFF, AND THERE IS SO MUCH MOISTURE IN THE VEHICLE THAT THE WINDOWS FOG, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE, AND THE FOG IS DIFFICULT TO CLEAR EVEN WITH THE DEFROST SYSTEM BECAUSE IT'S NOT BEING CAUSED BY COOL TEMPERATURES BUT RATHER BY THE MOISTURE IN THE VEHICLE. YESTERDAY, I DROVE IT TO WALMART AND THEN HOME AFTER WORK WITH NO PROBLEMS, PARKED IT IN OUR DRIVEWAY, AND DIDN'T LEAVE THE HOUSE THE REST OF THE DAY; THIS MORNING, WE WENT OUTSIDE, AND WHEN MY HUSBAND PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION TO START THE CAR, IT WOULDN'T START AT ALL, AND THEN HE COULDN'T GET HIS KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION; WE HAD TO LOCK THE DOORS MANUALLY AND LEAVE IT THERE WITH THE KEYS IN IT. BACK IN JUNE, ONE OF OUR LOCAL NEWS STATIONS REPORTED ON A RECALL OF 194,000 GM SUVS FOR SIMILAR ISSUES WITH WATER LEAKING INTO THE DOORS AND THAT GM WOULD BE CONTACTING OWNERS OF AFFECTED MODELS TO BRING THEIR VEHICLES IN FOR REPAIRS, BUT WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY KIND OF NOTIFICATION FROM GM, AND OURS IS OBVIOUSLY ONE OF THE VEHICLES AFFECTED. *TR

WITH REGARDS TO THE 2006 SATURN ION, MY ION HAS SUFFERED THREE OF THE MAJOR PROBLEMS DESCRIBED IN THE COMPLAIN SECTION OF THE NHTSA WEB SITE. {1} FUEL LEAKING FROM FUEL PUMP AREA. {2} IGNITION KEY GETS STUCK IN THE ON POSITION CAR CAN NOT BE SHUT OFF. {3} POWER STEERING STOPS WORKING WHILE CAR IS RUNNING MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO STEER. WITH REGARDS TO THE LAST PROBLEM I BROUGHT MY CAR TO A G.M. DEALER AND WAS ADVISED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS THE POWER STEERING MOTOR. THEY REPLACED THE MOTOR AT NO CHARGE.TELLING ME IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY. THEY ALSO ADVISED ME THAT THERE WAS A RECALL REGARDING THE FUEL PUMP MODULATOR. I AM NOW FIGHTING WITH GM TO TRY AND GET MY MONEY BACK. WITH REGARDS TO THE STICKING KEY IN THE IGNITION I BELIEVE THAT IF WE GET ENOUGH COMPLAINANTS MAYBE NHTSA CAN DO SOMETHING. IF YOU HAVE SUFFERED ANY OF THESE PROBLEMS AND HAVE NOT REPAIRED YOUR AUTO PLEASE HEAD STRAIGHT TO YOUR LOCAL GM DEALER . IF YOU HAVE PAID FOR REPAIRS OUT OF YOUR POCKET YOUR GM DEALER HAS PROPER PAPERWORK FOR YOU TO SUBMIT. *TR

PARKED CAR AND LOCKED WITH REMOTE. UPON RETURN TO VEHICLE SMELLED GAS AND WAS LOCKED OUT OF 2003 SATURN LS200 AFTER ONLY 17,500 MILES DRIVEN. PURCHASED NEW IN 2003. STRANDED UNTIL AAA TOW TO LAS VEGAS FINDLAY GM DEALERSHIP. OPENED MANUALLY WITH KEY INSTEAD OF REMOTE. ATTEMPTED TO START CAR ENGINE. TURNED OVER FOR A FEW SECONDS AND DIED. ALL DASHBOARD GAUGES NOT WORKING. PROBLEM PER GM DEALER WAS TWOFOLD: (1) FAULTY BODY CONTROL MODULE (BCM) THAT CONTROLS VEHICLE'S ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILED AND REQUIRED COSTLY REPLACEMENT PART AT $614 PLUS LABOR; ALSO (2) FUEL PUMP FAILED AND REQUIRED COSTLY PART REPLACEMENT AT $498 PLUS LABOR AND CLEANING OF FUEL SYSTEM. AFTER BRIEF INTERNET SEARCH I FOUND THESE TWO PARTS ARE NOTORIOUS FOR FAILURES IN SATURN VEHICLES. HAVE BEEN FAILING SINCE 2003 AND CONTINUE TO FAIL. COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN MADE BY SATURN OWNERS TO GM AND THE NTSB. GAUGES AND LIGHTS HAVE REPORTEDLY FAILED EVEN WHEN DRIVING BECAUSE OF FAULTY BCM. AN INITIAL BODY CONTROL MODULE (BCM) RECALL (SATURN RECALL #03C06) IS NOTED BY OTHER OWNERS, BUT I NEVER RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION. THE BCM AND FUEL PUMP SHOULD NOT FAIL AT 17,500 MILES!! THIS IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT. THE BCM AND FUEL PUMP ARE VERY EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR! *TR

ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING FAILED WHILE DRIVING RESULTING IN VERY DIFFICULT STEERING OF THE VEHICLE. AFTER TURNING VEHICLE OFF THE BACK ON THE POWER STEERING STARTED WORKING. POWER STEERING HAS FAILED AGAIN AND DID AGAIN START WORKING AFTER TURNING VEHICLE OFF. *TR

TRANSMISSION FAILURE AND LOSS OF FORWARD MOTION WHILE ENTERING ONTO ROADWAY WITH ON COMING TRAFFIC. *TR

TRANSMISSION ISSUE. ERRATIC SHIFTING, BUCKING, SURGING, DOWN SHIFTING TO LOWER GEAR, HESITATION, HIGH ENGINE SOUNDS BECAUSE TRANNY TOTALLY DISENGAGED ITSELF, NO REVERSE, WILL NOT SHIFT BACK UP TO HIGHER OR NORMAL GEAR. I HAD BOUGHT THE CAR USED AND TWO MONTHS LATER TRANNY ISSUES BEGAN. I RESEARCHED THIS ISSUE FOR THREE HOURS THE NIGHT MY TRANNY BROKE DOWN. I WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZED AT HOW MANY OTHER PEOPLE EXPERIENCED THE EXACT SAME ISSUES I HAD. ( THOUSANDS ). I RESEARCHED THE GM SITE, EDMONDS SITE JUST GOOGLED IT AND I COULD SPEND DAYS PROVING THAT GM HAS A DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION AND THEY ARE DEFRAUDING THE PUBLIC TO COVER THEIR OWN ASS. THAT AND THIS ONLY PROVES THAT GM HAS A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THIS TYPE OF TRANSMISSION AND THEY ARE IGNORING IT. WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE, AN ACCIDENT WHERE SOMEONE OR SOMEONE'S CHILD WAS HURT OR KILLED. WHEN MY CAR STARTED BUCKING AND HESITATING, THE FIRST PLACED I LOOKED WAS IN MY REARVIEW MIRROR TO MAKE SURE NO ONE WAS GOING TO SLAM INTO THE REAR. SURE ENOUGH THERE WAS AND IT WAS A CLOSE CALL. THEN WHEN SHE PASSED ME, SHE WAVED HER HANDS IN THE AIR AND GAVE ME THE FINGER. I`M NOT KIDDING. I`M ONLY GLAD THIS WAS ON A SLOWER STREET THAN A HIGHWAY CAUSE IT MAY HAVE TURNED INTO SOMETHING WORSE. THIS IS A GM PART THAT IS BEING PROVEN BY NUMEROUS OWNERS OF THE OUTLOOK, ACADIA, ENCLAVE AND TRAVERSE TO BE DEFECTIVE IN DESIGN AND QUALITY. MY RESEARCH HAS PROVEN TO ME ALSO THAT BETWEEN 35000 AND 80000 MILES, THESE TRANNYS WILL BREAKDOWN. HOPEFULLY, IF AND WHEN THE BREAKDOWN OCCURS, NO ONE WILL GET HURT. IN CLOSING, I AM ON A MISSION NOW TO GET GM TO RECALL AND HAVE THEM CORRECT THIS PROBLEM WITH THEIR TRANSMISSION, ACCEPT THEIR RESPONSIBILITY AND TO STOP RIPPING OFF THE PUBLIC. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AT ABOUT 65 MPH. I HYDROPLANED OUT OF CONTROL AND HIT THE WALL HEAD ON. AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. MY FACE HIT THE STEERING WHEEL, BUSTING MY LIP AND GIVING ME A BLACK EYE, BUT I MADE IT OUT ALIVE. *TR