SATURN Complaints

2006 SATURN ION MANUAL TRANS. KEY GOT STUCK IN THE IGNITION IN THE ON POSITION. TO TURN CAR OFF, NEED TO STALL ENGINE (POP CLUTCH), THEN DISCONNECT BATTERY SINCE ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS REMAIN ON. REPAIR WAS IGNITION LOCK REPLACEMENT BY DEALER (APPROX $400). BASED ON COMMENTS AT NHTSA AND OTHER SITES, THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM FOR THIS VEHICLE TYPE. *TR

I BOUGHT THIS CAR IN JULY 22, 2012 IN CITY KIA IN ORLANDO( USED CAR) WITH 37,299 MILES ON THIS DAY.2007 SATURN VUE. IN MARCH 2013 I TOOK A RIDE FROM KISSIMMEE TO MIAMI AND WHEN I CAME BACK HOME AND GOT OFF THE TURNPIKE I HEARD A BIG SOUND UNDER MY CAR AND IT STARED TO SLOW DOWN UNTIL IT STOPPED COMPLETELY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET, I HAD IT TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP AND THEY SAID IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION,THEY FIXED FOR $1,926. I ALSO HAS SOME ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS, ONCE IN A WHILE THE RADIO GOES RANDOMLY CHANGING CHANNELS BY ITSELF AND WHEN I OPEN OR CLOSE THE WINDOWS IT SOUNDS LIKE IT LOOSES ELECTRICITY, AND ALSO A LEAK FROM THE AIR CONDITIONER COMPRESSOR IS LEAKING A GREEN FLUID, ALSO THE AIRBAG GOES ON SOMETIMES BUT EVENTUALLY TURNS OFF. *TR

PULLED OUT OF A GAS STATION ON MARCH 20, 2013 AND HEARD SOMETHING FALL IN THE FRONT OF THE CAR AND DRAG THE GROUND. PULLED OFF TO SEE WHAT IT WAS AND THERE WAS A BAR HANGING DOWN FROM THE CAR. TESTED THE CAR OUT AND IT WAS DRIVING AND STEERING FINE SO DROVE HOME. TRIED TO GO TO A GM DEALERSHIP (DUBLIN BYERS, DUBLIN, OH). THEIR HOURS SAID THEY WERE OPEN UNTIL 6:00 P.M AND IT WAS 5:45 P.M. BEEPED THE HORN AND THEY DID NOT ANSWER. WAS TAKING THE CAR TO A REPAIR SHOP ON THE 22ND TO GET A WHEEL BEARING REPLACED AND CALLED AND LEFT THEM A MESSAGE TO TELL THEM WHAT HAPPENED. CHECKED MY CAR OUT ON MARCH 21, 2013 AND TOLD ME IT WAS THE STABILIZER BAR (SWAY BAR). I BELIEVE THIS HAS BEEN BROKEN FOR QUITE SOME TIME BUT WHEN I WENT DOWN THE SLIGHT EMBANKMENT AT THE GAS STATION APPARENTLY THAT WAS ALL IT NEEDED TO FALL DOWN. IT IS A VERY CLEAN BREAK AND DID NOT BREAK AT THE BOLTS BUT IN THE MIDDLE. APPARENTLY THIS IS HAPPENING TO A NUMBER OF CARS AS FOLKS HAVE BEEN PUTTING IT ON THE INTERNET. I DID MAKE A COMPLAINT TO GM SATURN ON-LINE AND THEY HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH ME AND WANTED ME TO TAKE THE STABILIZER BAR TO THE DEALERSHIP BUT IT TOOK A WHILE TO GET THROUGH TO THE SERVICE MANAGER. WENT TODAY AND HE NEVER EVEN CAME OUT AND MET ME. HE HAD ONE OF THE SERVICE TEAM MEMBERS JUST TAKE THE INFORMATION DOWN AND THEY MADE A COPY OF MY REPAIR BILL AND TOOK MY PHONE NUMBER AND SAID THEY WILL SUBMIT IT TO GM. I HEARD THAT THEY ARE STILL HAVING ISSUES WITH THE STABILIZER BAR ON THE NEW VEHICLES AS WELL. I BELIEVE THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL ON THESE AND AM HOPING THEY REIMBURSE ME FOR THE PART. I AM INCLINED TO BELIEVE THESE PARTS ARE NOT SOLID METAL THAT THERE COULD BE SOME FILLER IN THEM AND BELIEVE THIS SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO. I CAN SEND YOU A PHOTO OF MY PART IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO LOOK AT IT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 SATURN AURA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE HE WOULD HAVE TO USE EXCESSIVE FORCE TO GET THE SHIFTER INTO GEAR. IN ADDITION, WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS THE BRAKE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AND WOULD GO OUT ONCE THE BRAKES WERE DEPRESSED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY ADVISED HIM THAT THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVEN MONTHS LATER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 70,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 90,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. *TR

I TURNED RIGHT AT A LIGHT AND AS SOON AS I BEGAN TO PICK UP SPEED MY STEERING WHEEL LOCKED AND THE POWER STEERING LIGHT INDICATOR CAME ON. I WAS UNABLE TO CONTROL MY CAR. THIS WAS VERY FRIGHTENING YET SINCE I WAS NOT ON THE FREEWAY YET I WAS ABLE TO MERGE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I TURNED MY CAR OFF AND BACK ON YET THE STEERING WARNING LIGHT WAS STILL ON AND I COULD NOT MOVE MY CAR. I CALLED THE TOW TRUCK AND AFTER MY CAR SAT FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES AND I RESTATED THE VEHICLE THE POWER STEERING LIGHT WAS OFF AND MY STEERING WHEEL WAS MOVABLE. DUE TO THE DANGEROUS NATURE OF THIS EVENT I AM CONTACTING GM BECAUSE I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE MY CAR AT A HIGH SPEED WITH CHANCE I WOULD LOOSE CONTROL OF MY CAR. *TR

THE AIR BAG LIGHT ON THE DASH CAME ON AND WENT OFF FOR SEVERAL WEEKS AND WHEN THIS WOULD HAPPEN, THE AIR BAG STATED IT WAS NOT ON EVEN WHEN SOMEONE WAS SITTING IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. I TOOK IT THE GM DEALER IN MY AREA AND WAS TOLD THAT THE AIR BAG SENSOR AND PASSENGER SIDE HEATER SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM ONLINE, I FOUND SEVERAL REPORTS ON VARIOUS WEBSITES OF THIS EXACT PROBLEM OCCURRING IN THIS SAME MAKE/MODEL OF VEHICLE REGARDING THE AIR BAG SENSOR/SEAT HEATER SENSOR. WHEN THE DEALER WAS ASKED ABOUT THIS CONCERN/REPAIR, WE WERE TOLD IT WAS NOT A COMMON OCCURRENCE, EVEN THOUGH ONLINE REPORTS STATED DIFFERENTLY. MY QUESTION IS THAT SINCE THIS SEEMS TO BE A REPETITIVE PROBLEM OF THE EXACT SAME NATURE WITH THIS VEHICLE MAKE/MODEL AND YEAR, WHY DID GM NOT SUBMIT A RECALL FOR THIS SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN REGARDING THE AIR BAG ISSUE? ..UPDATED 04/25/13 *BF

WHILE DRIVING HOME AT NIGHT, THE DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT WENT OUT. NEXT DAY I BOUGHT NEW LAMPS AND REPLACED BOTH OF THEM BUT THE DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT STILL DIDN'T TURN ON. I DID NOTICE A BURNING SMELL COMING FROM THE HARNESS AND LAMP SOCKET ON THE DRIVER SIDE. IT SEEMS THAT THE HEADLIGHT HAD OVERHEATED AND MELTED THE WIRING HARNESS AND SOME OF THE SOCKET ASSEMBLY. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH I FOUND THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUE WITH THESE VEHICLES AND BELIEVE THAT THIS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A RECALL FOR SAFETY REASONS. THIS COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE AND ELECTRICAL FIRE OR A SERIOUS TRAFFIC ACCIDENT WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. *TR

MY RIGHT FRONT HEADLIGHT WENT OUT. WENT AND BOUGHT A NEW BULB. THAT DIDN'T WORK. REALIZED THAT THE WIRING HARNESS WAS BURNT AND HAD SHORTED OUT. HAVE NOT REPLACED IT YET, BECAUSE THE LABOR INVOLVED REQUIRES MULTIPLE HOURS OF LABOR TO REPLACE. *TR

ORIGINAL OWNER. TRANSMISSION FAILURE AT 76K MILES. POWERTRAIN ORIGINALLY WARRANTED FOR 5 YEARS/100K MILES. HOWEVER, SINCE THE VEHICLE JUST OUTSIDE OF WARRANTY TIMEFRAME (NOT MILES), THE COST WAS $3500 REBUILD FROM DEALER. BASED ON INTERNET RESEARCH THIS APPEARS TO BE A WIDESPREAD ISSUE WITH 2007, 2008, 2009 OUTLOOK AND ACADIA DUE TO "WAVE PLATE" FAILURE. (NOT CLEAR WHETHER THIS IS THE PROBLEM WITH OUR VEHICLE SINCE WE DID NOT REPAIR.) ALTHOUGH WE WERE HAPPY WITH VEHICLE UNTIL THIS ISSUE, WE ELECTED TO TRADE IN VEHICLE AT A LOSS (DUE TO ISSUE DISCLOSURE) FOR A NON-GM PRODUCT SINCE INTERNET BULLETIN BOARDS INDICATE THAT TRANSMISSION REBUILDS NOT RELIABLE IN LONG TERM FOR THIS MODEL. *TR

POWER STEERING PUMP WAS FIRST REPLACED DUE TO FAILURE IN 10/2011. POWER STEERING PUMP HAS AGAIN FAILED AND NOW REQUIRES REPLACEMENT OF THE PUMP, HOSES, AND STEERING RACK DUE TO THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY FAILED PUMP AT A COST OF $1,700. TECHNICIAN ADVISED THAT THE PARTS HAVE TO BE ORDERED FROM CANADA AND WILL TAKE UP TO 3 WEEKS TO COME IN!! THE FIRST REPLACEMENT PUMP'S 1 YEAR WARRANTY EXPIRED, SO ONCE AGAIN, I'M PAYING OUT OF POCKET TO REPLACE THIS PART AS A RESULT OF A "KNOWN PROBLEM." LAST FALL I HAD AN ISSUE WITH THE SUNROOF LEAKING INTO THE CABIN OF THE CAR DUE TO ANOTHER "KNOWN PROBLEM." GM NEEDS TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND RECALL THESE VEHICLES TO CORRECT THESE "KNOWN PROBLEMS." *TR