Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | |||||
| 03-00-89-033 | 02/01/2008 | 030089033J | 10021114 | Trailer, recreational and disabled vehicle towing information. *kb updated 08-15-07. *kb updated 10/09/07. *nj updated 4/3/08. *nj | 03/05/2007 |
| 4014 | 10021074 | Parts update - timing chain tensioner design change. *kb | 03/01/2007 | ||
| 3119 | 01/01/2004 | 10010010 | No selection fir saturn when programming a saturn vehilcle. *sc | 11/03/2004 | |
| 040089012 | 04/01/2004 | 10006520 | Saturn field product reminder- vehicle fix it right the first time issues, parts restriction information and technical bulletins released in january, february, and march 2004. *mr | 05/05/2004 | |
| 030089025 | 09/01/2003 | 10004402 | Clarification of labor codes used for reprogramming vehicle controllers. various models including the 2004 l-series. *tt | 12/05/2003 | |
| 030089033A | 09/01/2005 | 030089033B | 10003910 | Trailer, recreational and disabled vehicle towing information. *tt *sc | 11/06/2003 |
| 030089032 | 12/01/2004 | 030089033A | 10003912 | Recreational and disabled vehicle towing information. *tt | 11/06/2003 |
| 02SE03 | 06/06/2002 | 633520 | Subject regarding recreational and disabled vehicle towing information. *jg | 09/23/2002 | |
| 02I09 | 06/01/2002 | 633369 | Subject regarding california vehicle code requirements regarding tire chain disclosure. vehicles that should not be operated with chains. *jg | 09/23/2002 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | |||
| 04/23/2012 | 160002 | ||
| Timing chain broke on the vehicle while driving it. | |||
| 01/05/2012 | 102000 | ||
| While driving 20 mph heard a clunk by the back rear passenger tire, the top of the right rear tire was tilted in. appeared to have a broken lateral arm which was attached to the frame. if i would have been going any rate of speed this could have been a serious issue. i feel this is a serious safety hazard. i contacted saturn who took my claim and admitted there was a recall on the lateral arm in 2005. this supposely was taken in to a dealership and fixed. i didn't own this vehicle then. saturn refuses to be responsible for this issue and said it very likely couldve been a faultly part but since it has been taken care of in 2005 no longer responsible. i feel i could have killed myself, lost control and/or hurt someone else if i would have lost control | |||
| 12/03/2011 | 121848 | ||
| My saturn vue 2003 experiences serious hestitation in power when traveling over 45 mph. the dangerous sputtering gets harder when i need to drive more than 45 mph such as when i have to travel on parkways or expressways. on december 3, 2011, i entered exit 36 of the grand central parkway and maintained a steady speed of 55 mph in light traffic. as the traffic increased to exit 17, the car began to hestitate and appear to want to come to a stop. it was difficult to maintain a decreased spead of 45 mph to avoid the sputtering and halting. i got into the right lane and exited the parkway as my car jolted then came to a sudden halt. i turned the car off, waited 15 minutes, put my car in drive and it would not drive forward. i put it in reverse and manuevered it into an open space along the curb on 78th avenue. i tried again and only with heavy pressure on the gas pedal was the car able to move forward enough to allow me to straighten into a position to be towed. i called aaa and was towed to a saturn authorized service provider, northshore chevrolet of smithtown, where it sits to this day. the brand new 2010 vt1 transmission needs to be replaced. | |||
| 07/26/2011 | 103000 | ||
| My car has 103000 on it and has been very well maintained. it suddenly died with no warning while i was driving up a hill. i had it towed to the shop, where they ran a diagnostic. i have a transmission leak, a bad intake manifold that causes the engine to run incredibly lean, and a sensor problem. this car is babied, and with such low mileage should not be experiencing any issues with the intake manifold and the transmission. the sensor i can understand failing, but the amount of issues that this vehicle has had, and the amount of complaints i have seen from other owners of the 2003 saturn vue v6 awd is staggering. these are clearly vehicles with issues and saturn owners should receive some sort of compensation for the amount of money we are putting out to make repairs for shoddy worksmanship. | |||
| 02/01/2011 | |||
| 2003 saturn vue 4wd. key not turning, hard to start. have to keep making new keys to work. contacted saturn dealer and they said nothing was ever done on my vechile. i purchased it used approx 2 years ago from capital ford auto credit. i am being told that the recall is closed and there is nothing they can do unless i pay for it. since there was a recall and nothing was done, i don't think this is exceptable. i am a single mother of 4 and i need a safe dependable car that is what i thought when i purchased this vehicle. along with the other recalls as well. this was happening to me off and on, but now it was every time i get in my car. it takes like 10 minutes to start. today i went to make a new key, but to make a new key every couple months and to know the consequences of not having the recall fixed it crazy. and now that i am checking into this and finding out nothing ever was done on any recall, i would great appreciate it if all was fixed now. thank you. | |||
| 03/16/2011 | 49765 | ||
| 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 | |||
| 01/16/2011 | 90000 | ||
| I am appealing with all due respect for a complete remedy from general motors. in 2007 i purchased a 2003 from saturn of marietta in marietta georgia. initially i expressed the desire for another vehicle (a honda suv) but the sales people at the dealership were adamant about this particular and finally talked me into it. they told me it was better than a honda suv, etc. in march 2008 i moved to charlotte n.c. because of a job opportunity. then in the summer of 2009 the vehicle began making a very peculiar noise. i took it to two transmission shops who refused to work on it. at the time i did not understand why they refused this work. however, i was blessed when the second one told me that he had heard of some issue with these cars and recommended i take it to the saturn of south boulevard. i did so. it took me the entire summer to scratch and save to get the transmission repaired. when i took it to the dealership they advised me that gm would take care of the bulk of the costs because of the extended warranty to second owners on the vehicle. that's all they told me. in august of 2009 i finally was able to save enough money to pick up the car which they repair the transmission to the tune of approximately $3400.00. fast forward to approximately on january 16, 2011 the car began making the same peculiar noises. now this is only 27,000 miles and 18 months later. so i took it to 3 repair shops including steve moore chevrolet on south boulevard (because they do all the work for saturn now i was told). the issue has now reoccurred. only two weeks ago i found out that the car was initially put on the street with the wrong transmission which is why it has issues. and i also found out that in 2009 someone should have told me about some $5000 reimbursement so i could have traded it in. driving is dangerous because it can stop while driving on the highway. | |||
| 12/10/2010 | 76500 | ||
| After rainy days the entire dirver side floor is soaked with water, overhead on roof is also wet along side the driver door and sunroof casuing the driver side seat to become wet. i'm concernd about a mold forming in my vehicle, which is used to transport children daily | |||
| 11/03/2010 | 158000 | ||
| With no advance warning as i was getting on to the highway my car would not shift into 3rd gear and immediately started losing power. i had to hurry and pull in to the emergency lane (which is only about 4 feet wide) on the left side of the road. the car was still running but would not drive faster than 10 miles per hour. eventually i made it off of the highway and to a gas station. it has been at the mechanics for two days now without a diagnosis. | |||
| 08/27/2010 | 119000 | ||
| My 2003 saturn vue was having trouble with the transmission took it back to the car dealor were we bought it they said they fixed it we never got any papaer work from them this happened twice in less than 6 months well they are no longer in business called gmc and sent letters because we were told there were a recall on the transmiisin and we never recieved a recall well they sent a note to us but told us we were over the miles they honored thats not our fault we were never notifed of a recall now i have a saturn in my drive way with no drive and still have to make payments this is not fair they should replace the transmiison no matter how many miles over it is and we bought it used im at wits end with everybody else that has a 2003 saturn with the same problems just read all the complaints they should be held responisable | |||
| 03/10/2010 | 60000 | ||
| Must change tires every 10k, around 30k car started making grinding noise toward rear. recall for suspension locks stopped working at 50k. transmission started acting up at 60k. changed thermostate at65k. now we drove it and one day the check engine light and reduced power light came on and the car stalled. now it starts but wont go very fast , around 10-15 mph. | |||
| 05/12/2010 | |||
| The transmission was replaced last fall due to a problem that saturn was already aware of. the vehicle had been rolling back when stopped just like a standard. on 5/6/10, the vehicle started rolling back again, the windshield wipers started acting funny, and the service engine light came on. on 5/12/10, the vehicle was being driven, when the operator noticed a smell like burning plastic and saw smoke coming from the steering column. she pulled into a large parking lot, parked, turned off the vehicle, and called her sister-in-law, who advised her to call the fire department. the engine company responded, and, using a thermal imager, found the signal light / head light switch to be approximately 350 degrees. there was a small bubble of melted plastic and the insulation on some of the wires was melted. the part number found on the component was abd29790608 22679804 | |||
| 04/12/2010 | 85047 | ||
| My 2003 saturn vue is shutting down without warning or notice even on the expressway. my check engine light came on one day and went out and since then my car will shut off and not start back up. the car will attempt to turn over but not run as if it is not getting any gas. i had to be pushed into a cvs paking lot because i was in the right turning lane. after waiting 15 to 20 minutes later, the car started up, i put the car in drive and it shuts down again.it took me 30 minutes to go 2.5 miles because the car constantly shut down four times. the total time it took me to go 10 miles from my home, to my destination, and back was 3 hours. i took the car to a repair shop and was originally told it was the fuel pump; test revealed this was not the problem but it could be a bad crankshaft sensor, or an engine control module and the approximate cost would be over $600 depending on the problem. a car shutting down while driving is very dangerous for me and to others. i am literally afraid of driving my own car now due to this problem. while researching this problem online it appears this problem is occurring frequently and a recall should be in order. | |||