SATURN Complaints

IT WAS RAINING (WHICH IS VERY COMMON IN MY STATE). I SLOWED TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN. HALF WAY THROUGH MY TURN, MY STEERING FAILED. I COULD NOT COMPLETELY TURN MY WHEEL TO MAKE A SAFE/LEGAL TURN. THANKFULLY I TURNED ONTO A 4 LANE ROAD, AS I ENDED UP IN THE LEFT LANE. HAD IT BEEN JUST A 2 LANE ROAD, I WOULD HAVE SLAMMED INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC! I WAS NOT DRIVING RECKLESSLY, I SAFELY SLOWED DOWN AS I APPROACHED MY TURN AND DURING MY TURN, WHICH IS PROBABLY WHAT SAVED MY FAMILY'S LIVES AS WELL AS OTHER DRIVERS ON THE ROAD. HAD I BEEN GOING FASTER, I PROBABLY WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. I CONTACTED MY DEALERSHIP, AND TO MY SURPRISE, THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH SATURN OUTLOOKS. WHAT WAS EVEN MORE MIND BOGGLING WAS THE FACT THAT IT IS NOT CURRENTLY A SAFETY RECALL. THEY MADE ME FEEL LIKE IT WAS NOT SAFE FOR ME TO EVEN DRIVE MY VEHICLE ANYMORE AND MY ONLY OPTION WAS TO PAY OUT OF POCKET TO "UPGRADE WHEEL WELL LINERS." I HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE ONLINE, AND SOME PEOPLE HAVE EVEN STATED THAT AFTER UPGRADING THEIR LINERS, THEY STILL ENCOUNTER THE SAME PROBLEM. I AM WORRIED FOR THE SAFETY OF MY FAMILY. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS PROBLEM. I FEEL THAT GM/SATURN NEED TO OWN UP TO THIS AND RECTIFY THE PROBLEM. THANK YOU. *TR

NOTICED A STRONG FUEL ODOR AFTER DRIVING AND WHEN PARKED COMING FROM THE REAR OF MY VEHICLE. TOOK IT TO A GM DEALER. DEALER FOUND A FRACTURE IN THE PLASTIC HOSE OF THE FUEL PUMP, CAUSING A FUEL LEAK. FOUND OUT THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS EXACT PROBLEM IN OTHER STATES BUT MY STATE WAS NOT INCLUDED. I FEEL IT SHOULD BE. A FUEL LEAK IS A SAFETY HAZARD. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SATURN AURA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE GEAR SHIFTER WAS MOVED INTO ANY POSITION, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT RESPOND UNTIL AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THERE WAS A RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH THE FAILURE UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 12V460000 (POWER TRAIN: AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION: GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)). THE CONTACT'S VIN WAS INCLUDED HOWEVER, AN AUTHORIZED DEALER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WOULD BE A CHARGE TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE TO DETERMINE WHETHER THERE WAS A SAFETY DEFECT PRESENT OR NOT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

THIS VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED BRAND NEW AND DRIVEN VERY LITTLE. PROTECTED IN CLOSED IN GARAGE. DROVE TO COLORADO SPRINGS FOR VACATION AND WENT TO VISIT RELATIVES. PARKED VEHICLE IN FRONT OF RELATIVE HOME AND THE KEY COULDN'T BE TURNED TO SHUT OFF THE CAR. FORTUNATELY THERE WAS A NEIGHBOR OF MY RELATIVES THAT NEW HOW TO SHUT IT OFF BY DISCONNECTING THE BATTERY CABLES. TO START THE CAR THE CABLES HAD TO BE HOOKED BACK UP. DROVE TO FERGUSON BUICK GMC IN COLORADO SPRINGS AND THEY CHECKED IT. THE TUMBLER CAME APART, WON'T TURN OFF , REPLACED IGNITION LOCK. WAS CHARGED FOR HOUSING KIT (15857948), CODE CYL, CYLINDER KIT (20869121), LABOR AND COST OF PARTS TOTALLED $614.22. WITH ONLY 16, 607 MILES FROM 2006 TO 2012 THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. TODAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2012, I WENT TO DRIVE MY VEHICLE AND WHEN I STARTED THE ENGINE ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE DASH AND MESSAGE ABOUT STEERING OFF TRAC KEEPS FLASHING AND IT SAID SOMETHING ABOUT STEERING FLUID, BRAKES AND THE LIGHTS WERE GOING CRAZY. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE IT SO I DROVE IT BACK INTO MY GARAGE. COULDN'T DRIVE IT LIKE THAT. NOW WHAT IS WRONG. THIS VEHILCE HAS BEEN PAID FOR SINCE 2008 AND ONLY HAS 19, 000 MILES ON IT. MY HUSBAND BOUGHT ME THIS VEHICLE AS A SURPRISE AND LITTLE DID HE KNOW HE WOULD GET PANCREATIC CANCER THE FOLLOWING YEAR. HE WANTED ME TO HAVE A DEPENDABLE EXTRA VEHICLE. I CANNOT KEEP PAYING MONEY TO FIX A VEHICLE THAT I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE. MAY GET STRANDED SOMEWHERE. I WOULDN'T FEEL IN GOOD CONSCIOUS TO EVEN SELL IT TO ANYONE. NOT WORTH WHAT HE PAID FOR IT. *TR

WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MILES PER HOUR ON THE ROAD, THE CAR SUDDENLY DECELERATED TO 25 MILES PER HOUR AND WOULD ACCELERATE PAST 25 MPH. WE THEN DROVE 25 MPH IN PRIMARILY 35 MPH SPEED LIMIT ROADS BACK HOME. FORTUNATELY, WE WERE LESS THAN 10 MILES FROM OUR HOME. THE CAR WILL NOT DRIVE IN REVERSE EITHER. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SATURN AURA. THE CONTACT STATED HE RECEIVED NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 12V460000 (POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL). AFTER CONTACTING THE MANUFACTURER THEY ADVISED HIM THAT THERE WERE NO PARTS AVAILABLE AND HE HAD TO WAIT UNTIL JANUARY 2013. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED DUE TO THE CONSEQUENCE THAT WAS DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 39,000.

BEGAN SMELLING AN ODOR OF GASOLINE WHEN I GOT OUT OF MY CAR. DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF IT UNTIL IT HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES. TOOK MY CAR (2007 SATURN ION) TO A GM DEALER FOR OTHER, UNRELATED ISSUES AND THE SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME THE FUEL PUMP MODULE WAS CRACKED. I CONTACTED GM AFTER LEARNING ABOUT THE RECALL FOR THE SAME PROBLEM ON CARS IN OTHER "WARM WEATHER" STATES. HOWEVER, THEY TOLD ME BECAUSE IT WAS NOT PART OF THE "RECALL" THEY WOULD NOT HELP COVER THE COST OF REPAIR EVEN THOUGH IT IS A SAFETY/FIRE HAZARD. I'VE READ SIMILAR COMPLAINTS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, SO THIS IS OBVIOUSLY AFFECTING MORE PEOPLE THAN GM WILL ADMIT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SATURN L-SERIES. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN A GARAGE THE CONTACT SMELLED A STRONG FUEL ODOR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MECHANIC STATED THE FUEL CAP AND FUEL FILTER HAD TO BE REPLACED. AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN A MECHANIC TWICE WHO STATED THE EMISSION CONTROL MODULE SEAL ON THE FUEL TANK WOULD HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THE FUEL TANK HAD TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE THE EMISSION CONTROL MODULE SEAL WAS NOT SOLD SEPARATELY. THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE FUEL TANK. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 137,000. UPDATED 01/02/2013*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED AFTER THE FUEL TANK WAS REMOVED, THERE WERE GAS STREAKS FOUND WHERE THE GAS LEAKED OUT AROUND THE EMISSION SEAL AND ON TOP OF THE TANK. GAS HAD RAN DOWN THE SIDE OF THE GAS TANK CAUSING FIRE HAZARD. UPDATED 1/7/2013*JS

TRANSMISSION STARTED SHIFTING HARD BUT WAS NOT DOING IT ALL THE TIME, I TOOK A FRIEND HOME BACKED OUT OF HIS DRIVEWAY AND THE VEHICLE STARTED BUCKING AND JUMPING AND NOT SHIFTING WHEN I GOT ABOUT A BLOCK DOWN THE ROAD THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COME ON AND IT WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF 1ST GEAR, I TOOK IT TO A PARTS STORE AND HAD THE SCANNER PUT ON IT AND IT COME UP WITH THE CODE PO796 WHICH IS THE 3-5 PRESSURE PLATE, THIS SUV HAS NEVER PULLED OR TOWED ANYTHING SO THERE SHOULD BE NO REASON WHY IT WENT OUT. MY PREVIOUS SUV WAS A SATURN OUTLOOK 2007 AND THE 3-5 WAVE PLATE WENT OUT OF IT, IT IS PRETTY CLEAR THAT THERE IS A DEFECT FROM THE FACTORY ON THESE PLATES AND THEY ARE UNSAFE THIS REPAIR HAS COST ME 3400.00 AND I JUST BOUGHT THE SUV IN JULY, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE LOOKED INTO AND INVESTIGATED BECAUSE IT IS PRETTY CLEAR THAT THE PLATES ARE DEFECTIVE AND GM NEEDS TO STAND BEHIND THESE WITH A RECALL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SATURN ION. WHILE PARKED, THE CONTACT NOTICED AN OVERPOWERING GASOLINE FUEL SMELL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MECHANIC ADVISED THAT THE FUEL PUMP WAS LEAKING AND WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THE FAILURE UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 09V419000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP) THAT COULD HAVE BEEN RELATED TO THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000.