SATURN Complaints

PASSENGER HEADLIGHT PROBLEMS, MULTIPLE TRIPS TO DEALERSHIP TO FIX, STILL NOT WORKING, APPEARS WIRING HARNESS IS MELTED. OTHER SATURN OUTLOOK OWNERS HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM. *TR

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND HER POWER STEERING WENT OUT ON HER 2004 SATURN ION. THIS MADE IT VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER. MY WIFE WAS DRIVING AT APPROX. 65 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY. IT WAS VERY DANGEROUS. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS AND FOUND A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME ISSUE. GM NEEDS TO DO A RECALL. APPARENTLY MY WIFE'S CAR HAS THE SAME STEERING AS THE CHEVY COBALT WHICH WAS RECALLED FOR THE VERY SAME THING. WHAT ABOUT ALL THE CONSUMERS THAT DON'T KNOW THEY ARE DRIVING THIS CAR AND THAT THEIR STEERING CAN GO OUT ON THEM AT ANY MOMENT? THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE! *TR

FAILURE IS HEADLIGHTS GO OUT WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE. THERE IS NO INDICATION OF THE HEADLIGHTS GOING OUT THEY JUST GO OUT COMPLETELY. BOTH LOW-BEAM HEADLIGHTS ON MY 2008 SATURN OUTLOOK WENT COMPLETELY OUT WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. LUCKILY NO ACCIDENTS WE'RE CAUSED BY THIS ISSUE. I RESEARCHED VARIOUS WEBSITES ONLY TO FIND GM HAS A TSB ON THIS ISSUE TSB# 09-08-42-004. I CONTACTED GM TODAY TO ADVISE I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THIS ISSUE REPAIRED THEY INFORMED ME THIS IS ONLY COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THIS SEEMS TO BE A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE TO ONLY BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND NOT UNDER A SAFETY RECALL. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP FOR A FAILURE WITH THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR AND WHEN THE MECHANIC ATTEMPTED TO TURN THE ENGINE OFF, IT WOULD NOT SHUT OFF. THE MECHANIC HAD TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY WHICH SHUT DOWN THE FUEL SYSTEM AND COMPUTER SYSTEM. THE MECHANIC REPROGRAMMED THE COMPUTER, KEY CODE PASS SYSTEM, REPLACED THE IGNITION AND THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR MOTOR. THE IGNITION REPAIR DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND FILED A COMPLAINT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 74,612 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 75,000. UPDATED 03/24/11*LJ UPDATED 12/30/11 *CN

THE POWER STEERING ON MY 2007 SATURN ION FROZE WHILE DRIVING IN LIGHT TRAFFIC. I STRONG-ARMED THE WHEEL TO MOVE IT FROM THE TRAFFIC LANE. I TURNED OFF THE IGNITION AND TURNED IT ON AGAIN. THE WARNING LIGHT SHUT OFF AND I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR HOME. THIS WAS THE FIRST INCIDENT. I LOOKED UP POWER STEERING IN THE OWNER MANUAL AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO HAVE THE VEHICLE SERVICED. (THE VEHICLE HAS 24, 281 MILES ON IT I PURCHASED IT NEW FROM A DEALERSHIP IN OCTOBER 2007.) *TR

2 COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE OUTLOOK...FIRST, THE AIRBAG. WE HAVE HAD IT FIXED 5 TIMES! THE DEALER RE-ROUTED IT, PUT IT BACK, REPLACED WIRING, BUT TO NO AVAIL. AND IT APPEARS AGAIN THAT IT NEEDS TO BE SERVICED. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR OVER A YEAR. THEN 2ND THE DRIVER'S SIDE LOW LIGHT BEAM WENT OUT....REPLACED BULB THREE TIMES AND IT DIDN'T HOLD A CHARGE FOR ABOUT A FEW DAYS EACH. GM DEFINITELY NEED TO LOOK AT THESE PROBLEMS. I AM VERY FRUSTRATED THAT A CAR THAT JUST GOES OUT OF WARRANTY HAS PROBLEMS THAT NEED MAJOR FIXING. *LN

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SATURN L200. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE EXHIBITED A VIOLENT JERK AND THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THEY INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE TIMING CHAIN HAD FRACTURED WITHIN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE TECHNICIAN REPLACED THE ENGINE BLOCK HEAD, HEAD GASKET AND VALVES AT THE CONTACTS EXPENSE. AFTER THE REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE, A RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR THE SIMILAR DEFECT UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 07V519000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE CONTACT WAS INTERESTED IN REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE PREVIOUS REPAIRS; HOWEVER, HIS VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR REIMBURSEMENT. UPDATED 06/05/12*LJ CONSUMER STATED RECALL SHOULD BE EXTENDED TO INCLUDE CONSUMERS VEHICLE VIN BECAUSE MANUFACTURING DEFECTS ARE SIMILAR. UPDATED 6/7/12 *SD

IN AMBIENT TEMPERATURE OF 29 DEGREES, MY VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. PASSLOCK LIGHT WAS BLINKING FOR 10 MINUTES AND THEN STOPPED. AFTER THAT, I WAS ABLE TO START THE CAR. THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE. *TR

UPON NOTICING A HEADLIGHT OUT ON MY WIFE'S 2008 SATURN OUTLOOK, IT WAS NOTED UPON DISASSEMBLY OF THE HEADLIGHT THAT THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT MELTING DAMAGE TO THE ELECTRICAL WIRING HARNESS TO THE PASSENGER SIDE HID HEADLIGHT FIXTURE. THE WIRING HARNESS WAS CHARRED AND BLACKENED IN THE AREA OF THE HEADLIGHT CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY. IT APPEARS THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT HEAT/ARCING DURING THE FAILURE EVENT. THE DAMAGED WIRING HARNESS CAUSED THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT TO BECOME NON FUNCTIONAL. THE VEHICLE HAS APPROXIMATELY 50000 MILES ON IT. THIS IS THE FIRST SUCH FAILURE FOR THIS VEHICLE, HOWEVER, UPON READING VARIOUS ONLINE POSTINGS ABOUT THIS MATTER, IT APPEARS TO BE A VERY COMMON FAILURE MODE IN THESE MODEL VEHICLES. THE HEADLIGHT WIRING HARNESS ASSEMBLY HAS BEEN REPLACED, ALONG WITH THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY DUE TO HEAT DAMAGE TO THE HEADLIGHT LAMP WIRING CONNECTOR. OLD PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE DUE TO BEING THROWN AWAY. *TR

AS I DROVE, UP HILL, WHILE USING THE SPEED CONTROL FEATURE, THE ENGINE BEGAN TO REV HIGH RPMS. IT THEN JERKED AND BEGAN TO OVERHEAT. I WAS ABLE TO SLOWLY DRIVE IT TO A SAFE LOCATION AND THEN HAVE IT TOWED TO A REPAIR FACILITY. AT THE REPAIR FACILITY I WAS TOLD IT WAS A TIMING CHAIN ISSUE. I BEGAN RESEARCHING THE ISSUE AND FOUND A RECALL HAD BEEN ISSUED FOR THAT ISSUE FOR THE 2001 SATURN L200. NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER : 07V519000 GM RECALL NUMBER:06074 I THEN READ THAT THE NORTH CAROLINA CONSUMER COUNCIL PETITIONED (NHTSA ACTION NUMBER : DP08002) TO HAVE THE RECALL EXPANDED TO INCLUDE ALL 1999 TO 2003 SATURN VEHICLES THAT USED THE SAME TIMING CHAIN. *TR