Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||||
| 050308011 | 09/01/2005 | 10017501 | Information on identifying proper design level and torque spec change for front lower control arm. *tt | 11/09/2005 | |
| 050308003 | 02/01/2005 | 10017447 | Service manual update - lower control arm ball stud nut torque specification changes. *tt | 11/08/2005 | |
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||||
| 030308001 | 02/01/2004 | 030308001A | 10002176 | Squeak noise from front of vehicle. *tt *mj | 08/14/2003 |
| SUSPENSION - REAR | |||||
| 04067 | 11/05/2004 | 2365 | 10010623 | Replacement of rear lateral link assemblies. *tt parts update. *tt message update. *tt | 12/02/2004 |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | ||||||
| PE04052 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 07/22/2004 | 11/01/2004 | REAR SUSPENSION TOE CONTROL LINK | ||
| The office of defects investigation (odi) opened this preliminary evaluation to investigate allegations of rear suspension failure in the subject vehicles during certain severe driving maneuvers.the investigation was prompted by nhtsa-conducted ncap dynamic rollover test incidents involving my 2004 saturn vue vehicles and one consumer complaint that alleged when recovering from a road edge departure, the left-rear wheel of a my 2003 saturn vue | ||||||
| SUSPENSION - REAR | ||||||
| PE04052 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 07/22/2004 | 11/01/2004 | REAR SUSPENSION TOE CONTROL LINK | ||
| The office of defects investigation (odi) opened this preliminary evaluation to investigate allegations of rear suspension failure in the subject vehicles during certain severe driving maneuvers.the investigation was prompted by nhtsa-conducted ncap dynamic rollover test incidents involving my 2004 saturn vue vehicles and one consumer complaint that alleged when recovering from a road edge departure, the left-rear wheel of a my 2003 saturn vue | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||
| 12/02/2011 | 52000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2004 saturn vue. while driving approximately 10 mph, the vehicle exhibited a loud bang from the rear. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the technicians advised that the rear suspension link was fractured and caused the frame rail to fracture as well. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 52,000. | |||
| 12/02/2011 | 52000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 saturn vue. while driving approximately 10 mph, the vehicle exhibited a loud bang from the rear. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the technicians advised that the rear suspension link was fractured and caused the frame rail to fracture as well. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 52,000. kmj | |||
| 12/02/2011 | 52000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 saturn vue. while driving at approximately 10 mph the contact heard a loud bang coming from the rear of the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the technicians stated the rear suspension link had fractured and had caused the frame rail to fracture. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 52,000. ds | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||
| 03/27/2008 | 20000 | 1 | 10/01/2004 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 saturn vue. while driving various speeds, the alignment appears abnormal and causes the vehicle to steer in unintended directions. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that the strut mounts in the front suspension failed. the technician added that because the vehicle exceeded its warranty, the contact would have to replace the strut mounts at the cost of $450. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer did not assist. the failure mileage was 20,000 and current mileage was 27,000. updated 04/21/09. *lj updated 04/21/09.*jb | |||
| 03/28/2008 | 124072 | 1 | |
| Problem 1: my 2004 saturn awd v6 saturn vue has developed a shudder in the drive train that's prevalent in the 20 -25 and 30-35mph range under moderate acceleration or coasting. hooked up to a code reader, no codes appear; however, the torque converter is slipping as it displays a read out of over 8,000 rpm's when this occurs and the tachometer bounces back and forth with the shudder. frequency of occurrence is higher in hotter weather and when car has been driven for several minutes. slight whine also noticed by the transmission mechanic. problem 2: this problem was noticed on 03-28-08. vehicle was also purchased with defective horn. two + weeks after the car was purchased i was hit in the rear quarter panel by a careless teenager that did not look before he backed out of his parking space. i realized shortly after that my horn was not properly working. there was no way i could have sounded the horn to alert him that he was about to back into me if had wanted to. had it repaired recently in which the horn was found to be completely non-operational. once repaired, it was apparent that all was working well with the horn as it honks when the doors are locked. we did not realize that the car would do that at the time that we purchased it. that should have been a big clue to the dealership that it was not functioning properly. i've been told that selling a car without a properly functioning horn is a safety violation. i'm appalled that this was not caught by the dealership! more over, they stuck me with an expensive bill to replace something that should have been operational at the time of sale! problem 3: repaired on 05-22-08. also, both lower control arm bushings had to be replaced as they were found to have separated. major front end noises heard prior to this getting fixed and slop in the front end when driving. felt like car might loose control when cornering! *tr | |||
| 04/04/2008 | 15000 | 1 | |
| 1. brakes. i have had the front brakes and rotors replaced/cut down on this car on the average of about every 20k. i consider this abnormal wear and before you respond with driving conditions, and my other saturn sl needed brakes on the average of 60k with the same driving conditions. when i questioned soe they told me that it was my driving habits, but as of the recent events, i have begun to question their diagnosis of any problems related to my car. 2. transmission shifting/wobble/shimmy/vibration. i have complained since new that this transmission has shifted rough, and i was told working as designed. nobody has been able to find anything wrong yet this problem still exists. 3. tire wear related to recall. i had to request that my vehicle have the recall performed on it. yet, after doing research and watching my tires wear. sometimes in less that 15k something i would consider prematurely, even for performance tires, and reading several owner sites my wear is indicative of a service not being performed. 4. wheel bearing wear. i have had to have my front wheel bearings replaced 2x in the last 30k. the first occurrence was at 72k when the first replacement was made, and the 2nd was at 99k it was during the 72k service i complained my rotors warping(since i had 2 sets replaced/cut previously) and i was told it was just worn tires and they would not even consider the brake issue, until i purchased new tires. i purchased new tires and the wobbly sound was louder than now that there was new tires on the vehicle. so then recommended replacing the rotors, when i asked about brake pads they told me it was unnecessary. seemingly illogical, since you had to remove the brake pads anyway, and tired of arguing i did not push the issue, as i needed my car, and loaner availability seemed to dry up since i was out so far out of the factory warranty. *tr | |||
| 12/29/2004 | 0 | ||
| In the past year, i have already had to repair the rear suspension twice, the front suspension, my back seat latch, and my rotors. my vue is the worst vehicle i have ever purchased. when driving in any bad weather i have no traction and slip all over the road. | |||
| SUSPENSION - REAR | |||
| 08/20/2011 | 85000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2004 saturn vue. the contact was driving approximately 5 mph when a loud bang was heard. the vehicle was maneuvered to the shoulder of the road, but the contact could not locate the failure. the contact continued to drive and noticed that the steering wheel was difficult to control. the vehicle was again maneuvered to the shoulder of the road where the contact noticed that the rear passenger wheel was detached from the frame. the vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed nor repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but offered no assistance. the failure and current mileages were 85,000. kmj | |||
| 08/20/2011 | 85000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2004 saturn vue. the contact stated that the driver was driving approximately 5 mph, when a loud bang was heard. the vehicle was maneuvered to the shoulder of the road, but the driver could not locate the failure. the driver continued to drive and noticed that the steering was difficult to control. the vehicle was again maneuvered to the shoulder of the road, where the driver noticed that the rear passenger wheel was detached from the frame. the vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but offered no assistance. the failure and current mileages were 85,000. sm. | |||
| 05/05/2011 | 128861 | ||
| We have a 2004 saturn vue, and while driving heard noise, but didnt notice anything right away. when parked, realized that the tires were bowed outward. brought it to a mechanic, and found out the rear suspension was sheared off. | |||
| 08/10/2009 | 70100 | 1 | |
| 2004 saturn vue rear suspension causes wheel to collapse due to shearing of bolt under constant load. this problem spurred a voluntary gm recall in 2004. my vehicle had the recall work completed. in august, 2009, the wheel collapsed again while my wife and kids were in the car. i'm not sure how they drove it home with that condition without a rollover or accident. i had the repair made free of charge after much argument but am concerned that in 4-5 years, bolt fatigue will cause the situation to repeat once again. i have the sheared bolt head in my possession . i am writing due to concern that many many others will again, soon, this year, experience the same wheel collapse after having their voluntary recall repairs made in 2004. it seems like a mandatory recall of the gm voluntary recall is in order. excerpt from consumer affairs article, august 5, 2004: general motors is voluntarily recalling the saturn vue to fix a problem with the rear suspension. in doing so, it may be hoping to avoid litigation that could result from accidents occurring while government safety agencies conduct their own investigations. the recall affects 246,433 vues in the 2002-2004 model years, including 231,123 in the united states and 15,310 in canada. it all started when a saturn vue owner wrote to the national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa) to complain that the rear wheels of his car collapsed on a tight turn, causing the vehicle to roll over. the agency decided to conduct a test of its own, taking tight turns at 45 mph, and sure enough, the rear suspension collapsed and the car rolled over. the same thing happened when a two-wheel drive model of the vue was put through the same test. read more: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/recalls04/vue_recall.html#ixzz0h1hxnun0. *tr | |||
| 08/10/2009 | 70100 | 1 | |
| 2004 saturn vue rear suspension causes wheel to collapse due to shearing of bolt under constant load. this problem spurred a voluntary gm recall in 2004. my vehicle had the recall work completed. in august, 2009, the wheel collapsed again while my wife and kids were in the car. i'm not sure how they drove it home with that condition without a rollover or accident. i had the repair made free of charge at the dealer after much arguing but am concerned that in 4-5 years, bolt fatigue will cause the situation to repeat once again. i have the sheared bolt head in my possession. i am writing due to concern that many many others will again soon, this year, experience the same wheel collapse after having their voluntary recall repairs made in 2004. it seem like a mandatory recall of the 2004 gm voluntary recall is in order. excerpt from caug 5, 2004 onsumer affairs article: general motors is voluntarily recalling the saturn vue to fix a problem with the rear suspension. in doing so, it may be hoping to avoid litigation that could result from accidents occurring while government safety agencies conduct their own investigations. the recall affects 246,433 vues in the 2002-2004 model years, including 231,123 in the united states and 15,310 in canada. it all started when a saturn vue owner wrote to the national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa) to complain that the rear wheels of his car collapsed on a tight turn, causing the vehicle to roll over. the agency decided to conduct a test of its own, taking tight turns at 45 mph, and sure enough, the rear suspension collapsed and the car rolled over. the same thing happened when a two-wheel drive model of the vue was put through the same test. read more: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/recalls04/vue_recall.html#ixzz0h1hxnun0. *tr | |||
| 10/09/2007 | 18938 | 1 | 12/04/2004 |
| 2004 saturn vue with 18,938 miles. the vehicle was sitting in my driveway when i heard a very loud bang. i thought someone threw a rock at my car. i failed to find reason for noise until i drove my car out of the driveway. when i pulled out, the rear end was very loose, swaying from side to side, and it felt like there was no control. returned to my driveway and found a washer laying on the ground. the loud noise i heard must have been a bolt(s) that sheared, while the car was just sitting. took vehicle to dealer where they determined that both bolts for the lateral links were broken and twisted. tech replaced both rear lateral links and set toe. *tr | |||
| 11/11/2006 | 50000 | 2 | 07/30/2004 |
| 2004 saturn vue: at 50,000 miles the rear bearing / hub assemblies on both sides, start to fail. they gradually start making a lot of noise and need to be replaced before they either fall apart, lock up a wheel or cause an accident. i believe this should be a recall item and fixed under warranty. *nm | |||
| 10/14/2006 | 45169 | 1 | 01/24/2004 |
| 2004 saturn vue was purchase 1/24/04. we noticed a very loud noise so we took it into the dealership. they said we needed to have a rear wheel bearing replaced. we have never had this repaired on an auto before. the car has 45169 miles which seems a small amount to need a bearing replaced. the repair cost us $400. in addition, our daytime running lights no longer work. they didn't work once while under warranty. saturn told us it was a bulb. they aren't working again (now out of warranty) and now we are told it isn't the bulb, but they will not repair under warranty. we also had to have the rotors resurfaced in 11/05. we are not happy with our first experience with a saturn vehicle. the saturn employees are great, but the vehicle isn't. i wish i'd never bought the car. we were all set to buy a saturn relay in the spring, but now are thinking buick, or maybe our first foreign car. thanks! *jb | |||
| 10/23/2005 | 4 | 04/30/2004 | |
| 2004 vue multiple issues... first issue less then 100 miles on vehicle, depressed brakes car continued to creep at stop sign. diagnostics at saturn dealership: split in brake line, replaced under warranty. second issue: less then 300 miles on vehicle, quick stop caused rear seat safety harness to become disconnected from vehicle wall.. daughter was not restrained and slid forward in seat. saturn diagnostics: someone was not doing their job the day it was made... they tightened screw back into wall of car and have not had issues since... this was uncalled for and should have been caught during safety inspection. third issue: saw details on news about recall on this model of vue, contacted saturn dealership about it and was told that we would be getting information in the mail about repairs. fourth issue: about 20,000 on vue, went to store and was functional, came out and car would not start, over half a tank of gas in vehicle and gauge shows empty, bought gas can and put 5 more gallons of gas in car. still shows empty and car would not start, no word on reason for failure beaches it happened today (10/23/05). *nm | |||
| 12/29/2004 | 0 | ||
| In the past year, i have already had to repair the rear suspension twice, the front suspension, my back seat latch, and my rotors. my vue is the worst vehicle i have ever purchased. when driving in any bad weather i have no traction and slip all over the road. | |||
| 12/12/2004 | 15500 | 1 | |
| While driving 60 mph and switching lanes rear wheel turned inward, causing the rear suspension to fail. as a result, the vehicle lost control and crashed into a guard rail. upon impact, airbags deployed. *ak | |||
| 08/09/2004 | 1000 | 1 | |
| Vehicle was recalled, and it will be 45-60 days before the part will be available, they will send her a letter. manufacturer stated to consumer that they did not have to do recall repairs on the . suspension seal. they were not forced to do this, and would not do it on their own.*ak | |||
| 08/09/2004 | 1000 | 1 | |
| Vehicle was recalled, and there will be 45-60 days before the part will be available, they will send consumer a letter. manufacturer stated to consumer they did not have to do recall repairs on the . rear suspension seal. they were not forced to do this, and they would not do it on their own.*ak | |||
| 07/26/2004 | 1 | 05/05/2004 | |
| My son was driving my 2004 saturn vue on monday, july 26, he apparently hit a patch of gravel which caused him to lose control. when he attempted to regain control of the vehicle it went into the ditch on the opposite side of the road where the passenger side rear wheel collapsed and the vehicle overturned. there is extensive damage to the vehicle on the front end and passenger side, as well as to the shift casing inside the vue from when my son's knee slammed into it. the vehicle is still being estimated for insurance purposes (either to total it or repair it).*ak | |||
| 07/14/2004 | 1 | 03/29/2004 | |
| I was involved in a car accident on july 14, 2004 while in my 2004 saturn vue front wheel drive. i was hit on the rear passenger tire area and the back tire bent under the car and my saturn was tipped over and spun around with the drivers side down on the pavement. this was not a high speed accident. i was probably about 20miles per hour and the person that hit was probably between 25-35mph. my saturn vue sustained about $10,500 damage some of which was the rear suspension. i do not yet know of the final outcome with the insurance whether it will be repaired or totalled. i just happened to read the kansas city star today 7-27-04 abiyt tge government safety agency investigating the saturn vue and this fit the description completely.*ak | |||