SATURN Complaints

I PURCHASED THIS CAR BRAND NEW IN 2003 AND AM THE ONLY DRIVER. OTHER THAN THE NOW DEFUNCT TRANSMISSION, THE CAR IS IN EXCELLENT SHAPE, BOTH INSIDE AND OUT. WHILE DRIVING APPX. 70MPH ON THE FREEWAY, MY VUE LOST POWER DOWN TO 30MPH AND RPMS INCREASED TO OVER 5000. THE "CHECK ENGINE" AND "REDUCED POWER" WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. I MANAGED TO DRIVE THE CAR TO THE RECOMMENDED GM SERVICE CENTER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE VTI TRANSMISSION HAD FAILED. SERVICE ADVISOR CONTACTED GM AND WAS TOLD THEY WOULDN'T PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE. CAR IS STILL AT GM SERVICE CENTER AS THERE IS NO WAY TO REPAIR THE TRANSMISSION AND ASSURE ME THAT THE $5000 IT WILL COST ME WILL LAST SINCE THEY CAN NOT GET A NEW TRANSMISSION, ONLY REBUILD ANOTHER ONE THAT HAS FAILED. THIS CAR IS ONLY 8 YEARS OLD WITH 114K MILES AND BASED ON MY HISTORY WITH SATURN VEHICLES, MY EXPECTATION WAS THAT IT SHOULD HAVE LASTED AT LEAST ANOTHER 3 YEARS AND 50K MILES. ALSO, BASED ON THE INFORMATION I HAVE READ ONLINE FROM OTHER VUE OWNERS WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM, IT APPEARS THAT GM IS NOT CONSISTENT WITH THE LEVEL OF RESPONSE OR ASSISTANCE TO US. HOW CAN IT BE THAT SOMEONE WITH 120K MILES GETS THEIR REPAIR/REPLACEMENT AT NO CHARGE AND OTHERS WITH LESS MILEAGE CAN NOT? THERE IS NO CONSISTENCY, IT IS A CRAP SHOOT AS TO THE RESPONSE YOU WILL RECEIVE. I STILL HAVE THE LETTERS I RECEIVED FROM SATURN NOTIFYING ME THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS DESTINED TO FAIL. GM SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR PROVIDING RELIEF TO ALL OF US, EQUALLY, SINCE THEY KNEW THAT EVENTUALLY WE WOULD ALL BE AFFECTED. I AM INCLUDED IN THE CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT WITH LAKIN CHAPMAN. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SATURN OUTLOOK. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 25 MPH WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE, STABILITY AND TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED FOLLOWED BY THE VEHICLE STALLING. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AFTER TWENTY MINUTES AND TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER CONFIRMED THAT THE CRANKSHAFT SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED ALONG WITH THE COMPUTER MODULE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 49,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 49,712.

PULLED VEHICLE IN PARKING LOT AND WHEN PLACED IN PARK MY LOCKS DID NOT POP UP, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS ODD SO I TURNED THE CAR OFF. COULD NOT RESTART THE CAR. HAD SOMEONE LOOK AT IT AND HE COULD START IT IN NEUTRAL, BUT ONCE HE DROVE AROUND AND PARKED AGAIN, CAR WOULD NOT GO INTO PARK OR REVERSE....ONLY DRIVE. HAD TO PLACE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE SO THE CAR WOULD NOT ROLL. WHEN I SHIFTED THE GEAR IT WOULD NOT CATCH. I COULD PULL IT ALL THE WAY DOWN FROM PARK TO DRIVE. *TR

I CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP, THE CAR WAS IN DRIVE. I ACCELERATED AND MY CAR DROVE BACKWARDS, IN REVERSE. I WAS FRIGHTENED AND DEEPLY CONCERNED. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR, NO REPAIR WAS DONE ON THIS SERIOUS PROBLEM. THE WORK ORDER STATES, THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE CONCERN. *TR

FOR DAYS LEADING UP TO EVENT, I WOULD SHIFT INTO PARK BUT CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD OR BACKWARDS. IT TOOK SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO ACTUALLY SHIFT THE CAR INTO PARK, E.G. IF I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE, WHILE GEAR SHIFT WAS IN PARK POSITION, CAR WOULD IDLE FORWARD OR BACK. ON THE DAY OF PART FAILURE, I ARRIVED HOME FROM WORK, COULD NOT GET THE CAR INTO PARK, SO I SET THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND TURNED CAR OFF. AFTER 10 MINUTES, I TRIED TO LEAVE FOR A DR'S APPT AND CAR WOULD NOT START. I HAD TO HAVE CAR TOWED AND REPLACE GEAR SHIFT CABLE. MECHANIC SAID IT WAS COMPLETELY FRAYED. *TR

TWO NIGHTS AGO WHEN I PARKED THE CAR I NOTICED THAT THE DOORS DIDN'T UNLOCK WHEN I PLACED THE CAR IN PARK. I SHUT THE CAR OFF, MANUALLY UNLOCKED THE DOOR, PULLED THE HOOD RELEASE AND STEPPED OUT. THE CAR ROLLED A LITTLE. I JUMPED BACK IN AND APPLIED THE PARKING BRAKE. I TRIED TO START THE CAR TO MOVE IT FORWARD BUT IT WOULD NOT START, LIKE THE BATTERY WAS DEAD. AFTER CHECKING THE BATTERY CONNECTIONS ETC. I REALIZED THAT THE REMOTE KEY FOB OPERATED THE LOCKS JUST FINE SO POSSIBLY NO BATTERY ISSUE. I MOVED THE SHIFTER TO N TURNED THE KEY AND IT STARTED RIGHT UP. MOVED THE SHIFTER TO PARK, AGAIN NOTHING. I MOVED IT TO PARK ONE MORE TIME AND THE DOORS UNLOCKED JUST LIKE NORMAL. SINCE THAT NIGHT EVERYTIME I PARK THE CAR I HAVE TO PLAY WITH THE SELECTOR/SHIFTER A LITTLE TO GET THE TRANS. INTO PARK.I AM NOW GOING TO ALWAYS APPLY THE PARKING BRAKE UNTIL RESOLVED. *TR

FRONT STABILIZER BAR BROKE UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. 1 INCH THICK BAR SNAPPED LEAVING PARTS DRAGGING, ABS SYSTEM INACTIVE AND CAR UNEXPECTEDLY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. LUCKILY THE CAR WAS NOT BEING DRIVEN AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. *TR

I PULLED INTO A PARKING SPACE, PUT MY CAR INTO PARK(2008 SATURN AURA)TURNED THE KEY OFF TOOK THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION AND EXITED THE VEHICLE, THE CAR STARTED ROLLING BACKWARDS AS I HAD PARKED ON A SLIGHT HILL, THE CAR ROLLED BACKWARDS AND ALMOST KNOCKED ME DOWN AS I HAD NOT CLOSED THE DOOR YET. THE CAR ROLLED APPROX 15-20 FEET BEFORE I COULD RE-ENTERED THE VEHICLE AND APPLY THE PARKING BRAKE. I TRIED TO RESTART THE CAR AS IT WAS NOW PART WAY INTO THE STREET AND BLOCKING THE SIDEWALK. THE CAR WOULD NOT RESTART, THE SHIFT LEVER WAS IN THE PARK POSITION. WHEN I SHIFTED THE SHIFT LEVER FROM PARK DOWN TO DRIVE AND BACK TO PARK IT FELT LIKE IT WAS NOT ENGAGING ALL THE WAY INTO THE PARK POSITION, JUST BEFORE THE LEVER GOT TO THE PARK POSITION THERE WAS A LITTLE RESISTANCE AND IT FELT LIKE SOMETHING WAS MAKING IT NOT GO ALL THE WAY INTO PARK EVEN THOUGH THE SELECTOR WAS AT THE PARK POINT IN THE COLUMN. I OPENED THE HOOD AND LOOKED AROUND & NOTICED THE SHIFT CABLE CASING JUST BEFORE THE MOUNTING BRACKET WAS BROKEN. I WAS ABLE TO PUSH THE ROD BY THE MOUNTING BRACKET WHERE IT CONNECTS TO THE TRANSMISSION SLIGHTLY AND HEARD A CLICK NOISE. I RE-ENTERED THE VEHICLE AND IT STARTED IT AS IT WAS NOW ENGAGED FULLY INTO PARK. I PUT THE CAR INTO DRIVE AND DROVE IT 4 BLOCKS TO MY HOUSE AND PARKED IT IN MY DRIVEWAY WHERE I SHUT IT OFF, APPLIED THE PARKING BRAKE, OPENED THE HOOK AND MANUALLY PUSHED THE ROD INTO THE PARK POSITION. I FEEL THAT THE 2008 SATURN AURA SHOULD BE RECALLED AS THIS IS A HIGHLY DANGEROUS CONDITION AND I'VE BEEN READING THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN HAVING THIS EXACT SAME PROBLEM WITH MANY DIFFERENT YEAR SATURN AURA'S. I HAVE FOUND THE 2009 AURA'S HAVE A RECALL. WHY NOT 2008? I FEEL THAT EVERY SATURN WITH THIS STYLE SHIFT CABLE SHOULD BE RECALLED AND CABLE REPLACED ! NOT TO MENTION, THERE SHOULD BE A REDESIGNING OF THIS CABLE SO THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN. *TR

THE STEERING WHEEL JERKED AND THEN I WAS NO LONGER ABLE TO STEER THE VEHICLE. FORTUNATELY I WAS JUST PULLING OUT OF A DRIVEWAY. I KEPT TRYING TO TURN THE CAR, BUT THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT TURN. I TRIED TO SEARCH FOR BULLETINS/RECALLS, BUT THE SATURN VUE WAS NOT AN OPTION IN YOUR MODELS OF SATURNS. *TR

THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING CONTINUALLY FAILS RESULTING IN DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE EARLIER RECALL FOR COBALTS AS THE PARTS ARE IDENTICAL. *TR