SATURN Complaints

PASSENGER HEADLAMP HARNESS IS DEFECTIVE AND HEADLAMP DOES NOT WORK. THIS IS A 2008 SATURN OUTLOOK OF COURSE IT IS NOT COVERED BECAUSE IT WAS JUST AFTER 50,000 MILES. THE WIRING IS EXPOSED TO THE HEADLAMP AND SHORTED OUT. *TR

DRIVERS SIDE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT WENT OUT. I HAVE 30,000 MILES ON MY 2008 SATURN OUTLOOK. REPLACED THE BULB. LIGHT WENT OUT AGAIN DURING 20 HOUR DRIVE HOME. TURNS OUT HARNESS IS MELTED AND THE BULB IS FINE. *TR

THE ISSUE IS IN CONNECTION WITH A 2003 SATURN ION. RECENTLY, WHILE DRIVING, THERE APPEARS TO BE A CLICK COMING FROM THE FRONT LEFT SIDE OF THE CAR, MOST LIKELY COMING FROM THE FUSE BOX. IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE CLICK, THERE IS THREE DINGS FOLLOWED BY A MESSAGE ON THE DASH "PWR STR". AFTER THIS HAS OCCURRED, THE VEHICLE LOSES ITS POWER STEERING ABILITIES, CAUSING SIGNIFICANT MORE FORCE TO BE USED WHEN OPERATING THE VEHICLE. TYPICALLY THIS IS FINE WHEN ON A STRAIGHT ROAD BUT OFTEN THIS IS NOT THE CASE AS I DRIVE ON ROADS WITH SHARP CURVES LEADING TO THE RISK OF SIGNIFICANT DANGER IF I WAS TO LOSE POWER STEERING WHILE TAKING ONE OF THESE TURNS. IF THE CAR IS TURNED OFF WHILE IN MOTION AND THEN TURNED ON AGAIN THE POWER STEERING DOES BEGIN TO WORK AGAIN ALTHOUGH OFTEN THE EVENTS OCCUR AGAIN AND THE CAR LOSES POWER STEERING. *TR

PASSENGER SIDE HEADLAMP INOPERABLE. WIRING HARNESS CONNECTOR TO HEADLAMP BURNT/MELTED. GM HAS A TSB #09-08-42-004 ON THE ISSUE WHICH SHOULD BE UPGRADED TO A RECALL. THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE A FIRE AND IS SAFETY RELATED SINCE IT AFFECTS THE HEADLAMP SYSTEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SATURN VUE. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH IN WHICH THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED BUT NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE OF THE AIR BAGS WAS NOT DIAGNOSED BUT THE VEHICLE WAS DEEMED AS DESTROYED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 80,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

WHILE DRIVING MY SON NOTICED A SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE THAT WAS NOT NORMAL. WHEN WE STOPPED I OPENED THE HOOD AND INVESTIGATED. WHEN IDILING IT SOUNDED LIKE A CHAIN SLAPPING, AT 1000 RPMS THE SOUND WAS LIKE A WHIR INSTEAD OF A SLAP. AFTER LISTENING FOR A FEW MOMENTS I DECIDED IT SOUNDED LIKE THE TIMING CHAIN. THE NEXT DAY MY WIFE BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO A CHEVROLET DEALER AND THEY DETERMINED THAT THE TENSIONER HAD FAILED AND THE CHAIN WAS INDEED SLAPPING AROUND, BUT IT HAD NOT DAMAGED A VALVE. I CHECKED ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND THAT SATURN ENGINES, SUCH AS MINE (2.2L ENGINES), DID INDEED HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE TIMING CHAIN. A RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR THAT ENGINE, BUT ONLY 2000-2002 MODEL YEAR. TOTAL COST TO REPAIR WAS ALMOST $1400.00

I HAVE A 2007 SATURN OUTLOOK XR, WHICH HAS HAD THE HEADLIGHT WIRING HARNESS REPLACED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE IN 2009. NOW IN MARCH OF 2011 I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND ON MY WAY THERE JUST HAPPEN TO NOTICE THE HEADLIGHT WAS OUT. THE CHEVY DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS THE SAME THING AS THE OTHER SIDE, THE WIRING WAS COMPLETELY MELTED AND THE WHOLE THING WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE MOST OF IT COVERED BY MY EXTENDED WARRANTY, BUT I WAS STILL OUT MY DEDUCTIBLE AND I HAD TO PAY FOR THE LIGHTBULB. WHEN I HAD THE FIRST HEADLAMP REPLACED THE TECHNICIAN INFORMED ME IT WAS VERY DANGEROUS AND COULD HAVE STARTED A FIRE. THIS SEEMS LIKE SOMETHING GM SHOULD BE AWARE OF AND SHOLD LOOK INTO, BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT. I WAS ACTUALLY UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT THE FIRST DEALERSHIP, WHICH WAS A SATURN, REPLACED BOTH OF MY HEADLAMPS, BUT CHEVY IS INFORMING ME THAT IS NOT THE CASE. SO I AM NOT SURE WHO IS TELLING THE TRUTH. *TR

POWER STEERING WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING..LIGHT CAME ON..HAD TO PULL OVER..WAIT..THEN RESTARTED CAR THEN POWER STEERING WORKED..THEN 20 MINUTES LATER IT DID IT AGAIN..I HAD TO DO THE SAME THING ALL OVER AGAIN..EACH TIME MAKING IT VERY HARD TO STEER THIS CAR..ESPECIALLY WHILE DRIVING OVER 25MPH..WORST PART.. MY CHILDREN(13 & 10)WERE IN THE CAR WITH ME WHEN THIS HAPPENED..THIS CAR HAS ONLY A LITTLE OVER 64,000 MILES ON IT..I'VE SEEN WHERE THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME ISSUE BUT YET SATURN/GM HAVEN'T ISSUED A RECALL FOR THIS..WHY?? I'VE EVEN SEEN WHERE 14 PEOPLE HAVE DIED AS A RESULT OF THIS..THIS IS SCARY! EXACTLY HOW MANY NEEDS TO HAVE A WRECK BEFORE SOMETHING IS DONE ABOUT THIS???WHAT'S THE PRICE OF A HUMANS LIFE? *TR

IT WAS RAINING ON MARCH 22ND AND I WAS DRIVING WITH MY FRONT WIPERS GOING AND MY PASSENGER SIDE WIPER JUST STOPPED WORKING!!!! I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY IT HAPPENED AND HOW IT COULD HAPPEN BUT I'M LOOKING AT AN EXPENSIVE FIX. *TR

MY 2004 SATURN VUE AWD, EQUIPPED WITH A 5-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION (ENGINE/TRANSMISSION SUPPLIED TO GM BY HONDA) HAS 44,550 ORIGINAL MILES ON THE ODOMETER WHEN I RECENTLY EXPERIENCED A TRANSMISSION VIBRATION OR SHAKING MOTION (JUDDER OR SHUDDER) WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 20 AND 45 MPH. GM HAS ISSUED CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM RECALL 10285 - V2386 IN FEBRUARY 2001 FOR THIS EXACT SAME PROBLEM BUT IT ONLY COVERS 2005, 2006 AND 2007 VUES. THE RECALL REPROGRAMS THE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THE EXACT SAME ENGINE/TRANSMISSION IS USED IN THE 2004, 2005, 2006, AND 2007 VUES YET GM HAS CHOSEN TO IGNORE 2004 VUE OWNERS WITH THE PROBLEM. I HAVE WRITTEN TO GM'S CUSTOMER & RELATIONSHIP SERVICES BUT THEIR ONLY REPLY IS "YOUR VIN IS NOT COVERED". SOMEONE NEEDS TO FORCE GM TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE 2004 SATURN VUE WITH THE HONDA SUPPLIED ENGINE/AUTO TRANSMISSION HAS THIS PROBLEM AND MAKE THEM REPROGRAM THE 2004 POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE AS THEY HAVE DONE WITH THE OTHER MODEL YEARS.