SATURN Complaints

I HAVE A SATURN OUTLOOK, 2009 MODEL YEAR WITH 15,600 MILES ON IT. AFTER I PARKED THE VEHICLE, I NOTICED A FLUID HAD LEAKED OUT ONTO MY DRIVEWAY. I COULD NOT TELL WHERE THE FLUID WAS FROM, ALTHOUGH I KNEW IT WAS NOT OIL. I SUSPECTED POWER STEERING FLUID OR BRAKE FLUID. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A CHEVY DEALER FOR INSPECTION / REPAIR. THE DEALER FOUND THAT THE HOSE WAS LEAKING AT THE CONNECTION TO THE POWER STEERING UNIT. THE DEALER CALLED GENERAL MOTORS AND THEY ( GENERAL MOTORS) AGREED TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR MINUS A $100 DEDUCTIBLE WHICH I HAD TO PAY. I REALLY APPRECIATE THIS GESTURE BY GENERAL MOTORS, HOWEVER, THIS TELLS ME THAT G.M. KNOWS THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THIS POWER STEERING HOSE ON MANY VEHICLES, AND THEY ARE JUST TRYING TO AVOID A RECALL DUE TO THIS PROBLEM. MAYBE I AM WRONG IN MY ASSUMPTION, BUT I THINK IT IS WORTH LOOKING INTO FOR A POSSIBLE DEFECT IN MATERIAL OR DESIGN ON THIS HOSE OR CONNECTION. THE LEAK HAS GOTTEN WORSE DAILY. IT WAS LEAKING MORE THAN JUST A LITTLE SPOT OVERNIGHT. IT WAS LEAKING ENOUGH TO POSSIBLY EMPTY THE POWER STEERING RESERVOIR (SPELLING?) DURING A LONGER TRIP THAN JUST LOCAL ERRANDS. I COULD NOT FIND THE POWER STEERING UNIT TO CHECK THE FLUID LEVEL ON THIS VEHICLE, SO I DO NOT KNOW FOR SURE IF IT WAS NEARLY TOTALLY EMPTY OR NOT WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE CHEVY DEALER FOR THE NEEDED REPAIR. IF IT WERE TO EMPTY OUT WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE COULD HAVE LOST THE CAPABILITY OF POWER STEERING UNEXPECTED TO THE DRIVER. *TR

IN MAY 2012 THE TORQUE CONVERTER FAILED, IT WAS REPLACED - $1700 ON DECEMBER 10TH THE TRANSMISSION FAILED, IT WAS REPLACED (ALONG WITH THE TORQUE CONVERTER-STILL UNDER WARRANTY) - $4235. *TR

WAVE PLATE BROKE INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION. LOOSE METAL FROM WAVE PLATE DAMAGED MANY PARTS THROUGHOUT THE TRANSMISSION. ORIGINAL ESTIMATE WAS $3500 DUE TO BEING 3 MONTHS OUTSIDE WARRANTY. GM AGREED TO COVER REMAINING BILL IF I PAID $1100 DUE TO THE RELATIVELY LOW MILEAGE (78K). ONE SMALL WAVE PLATE CAUSED THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OF DAMAGE AND GM KNOWS THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH THE '07, '08, '09 SATURN OUTLOOK. *TR

I WAS IN THE PROCESS OF PARKING MY VEHICLE AT THE GROCERY STORE WITH MY 1 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER. I WENT TO PUT MY CAR IN PARK AND IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO DO SO. I THOUGHT THAT SOMETHING MAY HAVE OCCLUDED THE GEAR SHIFT, SO I TOOK THE CAR OUT OF PARK AND ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT INTO THE DIFFERENT GEARS AND IT EVENTUALLY BECAME IMPOSSIBLE TO SHIFT ANY FURTHER AND MY CAR WAS STUCK IN DRIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO OUR USUAL MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION GEAR SHIFT CABLE WAS "ALL BUT SEPARATED". I RESEARCHED A BIT ON THE INTERNET WHERE AROUND 400,000 OTHER VEHICLES (PONTIACS, CHEVROLET MALIBUS, SATURN AURAS) HAD THE SAME ISSUE THAT I WAS HAVING AND SAW A BULLETIN ISSUED FOR SEPTEMBER 18, 2012 WARNING OF THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE OF THE GEAR SHIFT CABLE BECOMING SEPARATED AND THAT INDIVIDUALS MAY THINK THE CAR IS IN PARK WHEN THE VEHICLE MAY REALLY BE IN A DIFFERENT GEAR AND THE VEHICLE MAY ROLL AWAY. I CALLED THE GENERAL MOTORS HEADQUARTERS REGARDING THIS SITUATION, THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD HAVE TO BE DIAGNOSED AT A GENERAL MOTORS DEALERSHIP BEFORE ANYTHING REGARDING COMPENSATION COULD BE DISCUSSED. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO SUPERIOR CHEVROLET IN CONWAY, AR WHERE THE SAME THING WAS SAID ABOUT THE GEAR SHIFT CABLE. CALLED GM HEADQUARTERS AGAIN, THE STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL REGARDING MY ISSUE, AND IF I WANTED TO BE RECONSIDERED FOR COMPENSATION, THE REPAIR WOULD HAVE TO BE COMPLETED AT THE DEALERSHIP. THE CAR WAS REPAIRED AT THE DEALERSHIP COSTING $625 INCLUDING THE TOW BILL. GM STILL MAINTAINED THAT THE REPAIR WAS NOT UNDER A SAFETY RECALL, I WOULD NOT BE COMPENSATED AND FOR MY TROUBLES AT $100 CASH LETTER GOOD AT ANY GM DEALERSHIP. SPOKE WITH LARRY WITH NHTSA ABOUT THIS SITUATION AND I WAS ASKED TO PROVIDE MY STATEMENT. UPDATED 01/10/13*LJ UPDATED 1/11/2013 *JS

FUEL READ A LITTLE LESS THAN 1/4 OF A TANK. DRIVING 40 MPH DOWN THE STREET, ENGINE STOPPED. WOULD NOT START. TOWED HOME. PUT GAS IN IT AND IT STARTED. HAPPENED AGAIN ON DEC 20. DRIVING 70MPH ON THE INTERSTATE. FUEL GAUGE AT 1/4 TANK. ENGINE STOPPED. PUT 2 GALLONS OF GAS IN AND IT STARTED. FUEL SENSOR WAS REPLACED IN SPRING OF 2010 BY AN AUTHORIZED GM DEALER[XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 SATURN AURA. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH DOWNHILL IN SNOWY WEATHER WHEN THE WHEELS SEIZED AND THE TIRES WOULD NO LONGER MOVE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE BRAKE SYSTEM WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 99,500.

VEHICLE'S TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY LOST TRACTION. DRIVING MY CHILD TO SCHOOL AND SUDDENLY THE VEHICLE'S TRANSMISSION SLIPPED AND WOULD NOT RUN. WAS CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION WITH 5 YEAR OLD AND BABY ON BOARD. THANKFULLY ONCOMING TRAFFIC SAW US AND SLOWED DOWN TO GO AROUND US. *TR

ABS WARNING LIGHT APPEARS INTERMITTENTLY EVEN AFTER BRAKES WERE REPLACED. SEEMS TO BE ELECTRICAL ISSUE AS OPENING THE DOOR DOESN'T ALWAYS TURN ON LIGHT OR TURN OFF RADIO. DRAINED BATTERY. NOW I HAVE TO PULL FUSE. STEERING WHEEL RADIO CONTROLS HAVE NEVER WORKED PROPERLY OFTEN PERFORMING OPPOSITE FUNCTIONS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 SATURN AURA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF, PARKED AND THE KEY WAS REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION, HE WAS STILL ABLE TO ERRONEOUSLY MOVE THE GEAR SHIFTER FROM PARK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD NEVER ROLLED AWAY BECAUSE HE CONSTANTLY USED THE EMERGENCY PARKING BRAKE. THE CONTACT WAS TOLD BY THE AUTO PARTS STORE THERE WAS A NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 12V4600000 (POWER TRAIN: AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION: GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL) FOR THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT CABLE, BUT WHEN THEY SPOKE WITH THE MANUFACTURER, THEY WERE TOLD THEIR VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN, BUT THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 55,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT BEGAN FLASHING AS THE POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILED. THE CONTACT SHUT OFF AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE IN ORDER FOR THE POWER STEERING ASSIST TO INITIATE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL THEN BEGAN EXHIBITING AN ABNORMAL GRINDING SOUND AFTER THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION OR REPAIRS. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 61,000.