SATURN Complaints

I PURCHASED A USED 2003 SATURN VUE 2.2L IN 2006. IN MAY 2010 WITH 95,000 MILES ON IT, IT STARTED RUNNING ROUGH. I WAS LEAVING FOR WORK ONE MORNING AND IT DIED AS I LEFT MY DRIVEWAY. CALLED MY AUTO SHOP AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT TO THE SHOP FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE WHOLE WAY THERE THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT WAS FLASHING. THE DIAGNOSIS WAS THAT 2 CYLINDERS WERE MISFIRING AND HAD FAILED AND THAT MEANT THE IGNITION CONTROL MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. ALONG WITH THAT THE SPARK PLUGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE OF THE DAMAGE DONE BY THE MISFIRING. TOTAL COST: $350. PICKED UP THE CAR AND "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND WAS STEADY. IT HAPPENED TO BE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND SO I COULDN'T TAKE MY CAR BACK IN RIGHT AWAY. TOOK IT IN ON THE FOLLOWING WEDNESDAY, MIND YOU I GOT IT BACK ON FRIDAY NIGHT. NOW IT IS THE DOWNSTREAM O2 SENSOR, UPSTREAM O2 SENSOR AND POSSIBLY THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. WAS ADVISED TO DEFINITELY REPLACE THE DOWNSTREAM O2 SENSOR, BUT WAS TOLD THAT THE UPSTREAM O2 SENSOR AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER COULD REPAIR THEMSELVES AFTER RUNNING A WHILE. AFTER FINDING A RECALL ON MY YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL CALLED THE SATURN CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WAS TOLD MY VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL AND BECAUSE I HAD PURCHASED IT USED THEY WOULD NOT REPLACE OR HELP ME IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FASHION. WITH THE SAME EXACT ISSUE AS THE RECALL, I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY MY CAR WOULD NOT BE INCLUDED. *TR

WAS DRIVING ALONG ONE DAY HEARD A CHIME IN MY CAR,LOOKED AT THE DASH...IT SAID "PWR STRNG" AND AT THAT VERY MOMENT I HAD LOST MY POWER STEERING. FROM THEN ON UNTIL THE PRESENT IT GOES OUT AND COMES BACK ON AFTER I HAVE SHUT THE CAR OFF BUT ONLY FOR A SHORT TIME,THEN IT GOES RIGHT BACK OUT AGAIN. *TR

HEADLIGHTS IN SATURN OUTLOOK 2010 FAILED. PROBLEM WITH WIRING ASSEMBLY. SMELL OF ELECTRICAL FIRE (NO FLAME, JUST SMELL). FOLLOWED WITH VISUAL INSPECTION TO SEE COMPONENTS IN BACK OF HEADLAMP SCORCHED. VERY EXPENSIVE TO SERVICE WITH NO APPARENT ROOT CAUSE ADDRESSED. *TR

1. MY VEHICLE BEGAN HAVING PROBLEMS STARTING IN HOT WEATHER LAST SUMMER. 2. LAST MONDAY, MAY 24, 2010, MY CAR WOULD NOT START AT THE END OF THE DAY. USUALLY IF I WAITED TEN MINUTES OR SO AND TRIED AGAIN, THE VEHICLE STARTED. THIS TIME I ATTEMPT THREE TIMES IN A THIRTY MINUTE PERIOD AND THE CAR DID NOT START. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED IT. FORTUNATELY THE NEXT DAY, THERE WERE SIMILAR CONDITIONS AND MY VEHICLE WOULD NOT START IN THE AFTERNOON. 3. THERE WERE NO CODES THERE SHOWED UP ON THE CAR'S COMPUTER. DUE TO THE VOLTAGES NOT MATCHING BETWEEN MY VEHICLE AND THE MANUFACTURER'S SPECIFICATION, THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE IGNITION SWITCH. I HAVE NOT HAD ANY PROBLEMS SINCE EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE BEEN FOUR OR FIVE DAYS OF HOT WEATHER. *TR

THE POWER STEERING IN MY 2006 SATURN ION WOULD FAIL INTERMITTENTLY BEGINNING IN AUGUST OF 2009. THERE WOULD BE A CLICKING NOISE IN MY STEERING COLUMN, THE POWER STEERING ALERT INDICATOR WOULD FLASH AND THEN THE POWER STEERING WOULD FAIL. THE PROBLEM PERSISTED WITH THE FAILURES OCCURRING MORE FREQUENTLY AND LONGER IN LENGTH OF FAILURE TIME. THEY OCCURRED AT RANDOM SPEEDS AND DURING DIFFERENT TIMES OF A DRIVE, (I.E. IN THE MIDDLE OF A TURN, ON A STRAIGHT PATH, WHEN I START THE CAR, LONGER INTO THE DRIVE, ETC..) AS OF APRIL OF 2010, THE POWER STEERING IS MORE OR LESS GONE. I DON'T HAVE POWER STEERING MORE THAN I DO HAVE POWER STEERING. I TOOK IT INTO THE DEALER TO FIND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS AND THEY SAID IT WAS A FAULTY CONTROL MODULE. IT IS AN $800 REPAIR. I AM WONDERING WHY THE EXACT SAME PART WAS RECALLED IN THE CHEVY COBALT AND NOT THE SATURN ION. THIS CAR, AND OTHERS LIKE IT WITH THIS PART IN INSTALLED, ARE NOT SAFE TO DRIVE WITH THE POWER STEERING CONSTANTLY FAILING. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 SATURN L200. WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 55 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED AN UNUSUALLY OVERPOWERING GASOLINE FUEL SMELL. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND WAS UNABLE TO PROVIDE A REASON AS TO WHY THE GASOLINE ODOR WAS EMITTING FROM THE VEHICLE WITHOUT A DIAGNOSTIC. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT YET TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 98,000.

-TOTAL FAILURE OF THE VTI TRANSMISSION (SATURN VUE 2003, 4 CYL). .... THE COST OF THE REPAIR IS $5900 AND... MY 2003 SATURN VUE VTI TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 100,000K MILES. ... *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE POWER STEERING FAILED AND SHE WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO NOTIFIED THE DEALER OF THE FAILURE. THE DEALER CONFIRMED THAT THE COMPUTER NEEDED TO BE REPROGRAMMED. THERE WERE NO RELATED RECALLS; THEREFORE, THE CONTACT WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIR COST. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 84,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 85,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SATURN ION. WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 15 MPH, THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD AND THE WHEELS LOCKED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO MOVE THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROADWAY SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE. WHEN RESTARTING, THE VEHICLE APPEARED TO HAVE RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION HOWEVER; THE FAILURE RECURRED WITHIN ONE MILE OF TRAVEL. THE DEALER ADVISED THE POWER STEERING MOTOR MAY HAVE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BUT HE WOULD HAVE TO PERFORM A DIAGNOSTIC TEST TO CONFIRM THE FAILURE. THERE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED .THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 88,900 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 89,093.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SATURN AURA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, THE VEHICLE WOULD INTERMITTENTLY EXHIBIT ABNORMAL SHAKING AND JERKING. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE ENGINE WOULD BEGIN TO REV UNUSUALLY LOUD WITHOUT WARRANT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN IN TO BE EXAMINED FOR THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 25,000.