2008 Saturn Astra

The contact owns a 2008 Saturn Astra. The contact stated that while shifted to park(P), the vehicle occasionally started rolling forward or backwards. The contact engaged the parking brake. Additionally, the contact was unable to start the vehicle and had to jiggle the key to start it. The contact stated that the gear shift lever was shifted from park(P) to neutral(N) several times before the vehicle started. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The contact stated that recently the check engine and low tire pressure warning lights were illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 61,830.

I BOUGHT THIS 2008 SATURN ASTRA XR USED IN 2014 FROM A CAR DEALERSHIP. WITHIN A FEW WEEKS I BEGAN HAVING PROBLEMS STARTING THE CAR. AND IT STALLED WHILE DRIVING. I TOOK IT TO MANY REPAIR SHOPS FOR DIAGNOSTICS AND REPAIRS BUT AFTER SPENDING HUNDREDS AND THEN THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS REPLACING VARIOUS PARTS AND COMPONENTS IT STILL CONTINUED HAVING THE SAME EXACT PROBLEMS THAT ALL THE GENIUS MECHANICS COULDN'T FIGURE OUT THE CAUSE. I SUSPECT THAT THE CAR DEALERSHIP SOLD ME A TRADE-IN CAR THAT WAS INVOLVED IN A WATER FLOOD DAMAGE SITUATION AND ALL OR MOST OF THE HIDDEN WIRING AND ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS WERE PROBABLY CORRODED AND RUSTED. BUT NONE OF THE GENIUS MECHANICS WHO WORKED ON MY CAR EVEN SUSPECTED THAT ALL THE PROBLEMS WITH MY CAR COULD'VE BEEN CAUSED BY WATER FLOOD DAMAGE. THEY JUST KEPT REPLACING MANY OLD PARTS WITH NEW PARTS AND CHARGING ME LOTS OF MONEY. PLEASE HELP ME FIND OUT OR FIGURE OUT IF MY CAR WAS INVOLVED IN A WATER FLOOD DAMAGE SITUATION THAT IS STILL CAUSING THESE STARTING PROBLEMS. IT TAKES ME 15 MINUTES TO OVER AN HOUR TO START THIS CAR EACH TIME FOR ALL THESE YEARS SINCE I BOUGHT IT USED IN 2014. TODAY IS FRIDAY 3-19-2021, THANK YOU

PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED TWICE IN FOUR MONTH PERIOD. ON BOTH OCCASIONS THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION GOING 30-40 MPH. WITHOUT WARNING THE ASSISTED POWER STEERING CEASED OPERATION. IN A MATTER OF SECONDS, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME STIFF, DIFFICULT TO TURN, AND THE TURNING RANGE SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED. NO WARNING LIGHTS APPEARED. ON THE FIRST OCCASION, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTO REPAIR SHOP. NO DISCERNIBLE ISSUES WERE FOUND. THE MECHANIC CHECKED ALL FUSES AND FOUND NO FAULT. THE MECHANIC DECIDED TO REPLACE A FULLY FUNCTIONING FUSE, WHICH FIXED THE ISSUE FOR APPROXIMATELY THREE AND A HALF MONTHS. A FEW DAYS AGO, WITHOUT WARNING, WHILE DRIVING UNDER THE SAME CONDITIONS AS THE FIRST OCCURRENCE, THE ISSUE RETURNED-POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILED. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY IN THE SHOP AGAIN. THE REASON FOR THE POWER STEERING FAILURE REMAINS UNCLEAR.

2008 SATURN ASTRA XR 2DR, 5 SPEED MANUAL, 98K MILES. P2138 CODE AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS REPEATEDLY OCCURRED, RESULTING IN FIVE REPLACEMENT ACCELERATOR PEDALS TO DATE, WITH A SIXTH PEDAL REQUIRED. ACCELERATOR PEDALS HAVE FAILED IN AS LITTLE AS LESS THAN ONE WEEK OF OPERATION, OR AS LONG AS THREE YEARS OF OPERATION. ALL PEDAL ASSEMBLIES BEING REPLACED WERE OEM DEALER PARTS. WIRING HARNESS WAS INSPECTED FOR WATER INTRUSION PER TSB 07-06-04-019E, AND DETERMINED TO BE A NON-ISSUE. AS THIS IS A MANUAL TRANSMISSION CAR, THE FIRST 1/3-1/2 OF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL PRODUCES NO ACCELERATION, MAKING PROPER CLUTCH TO ENGINE RPM ENGAGEMENT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT AND UNSAFE. ADDTIONALLY, THE CAR MAY OR MAY NOT REMAIN IN REDUCED POWER MODE WHILE DRIVING, WHICH HAS RESULTED IN THE CAR GOING FROM PART THROTTLE TO WIDE OPEN THROTTLE CONDITIONS WITH NO ADDITIONAL DRIVER INPUT, CREATING MULTIPLE NEAR-COLLISIONS. VEHICLE BEHAVIOR DUE TO THIS ISSUE IS ERRATIC AND UNPREDICTABLE, AND THEREFORE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. ISSUE DOES NOT APPEAR TO CORRELATE WITH WEATHER, TEMPERATURE, TERRAIN, TIME OF OPERATION, OR ANY OTHER CAUSE.

THE HORN ON MY VEHICLE DOES NOT OPERATE, CREATING AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR THE DRIVER, AS WELL AS OTHER VEHICLES AND PEDESTRIANS ON THE ROAD. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM, ADDRESSED BY GM "SPECIAL COVERAGE 10276". UNFORTUNATELY, THAT SPECIAL COVERAGE DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM, AND GM IMPLEMENTED AN EXTREMELY LOW MILEAGE LIMIT SO IT DOES NOT APPLY TO MANY AFFECTED VEHICLES. THIS PERVASIVE PROBLEM HAS BEEN KNOWN BY GM FOR YEARS BOTH IN THE USA (WITH THE SATURN ASTRA) AS WELL AS THE IDENTICAL VAUXHALL ASTRA AND OPEL ASTRA IN EUROPE.

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SATURN ASTRA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V063000 (AIR BAGS). THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE REPAIR. THE CONTACT WAITED FOR MONTHS AND WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHEN THE MANUFACTURER WOULD SUPPLY THE PARTS TO THE DEALER. IN ADDITION, THERE WAS PREMATURE DETERIORATION ON THE INTERNAL WIRING ASSOCIATED WITH THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE DOOR. THE WIRES FRACTURED AND PREVENTED THE REAR WINDOWS FROM STAYING UP OR DOWN WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT HAD TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO ENSURE THAT THE REAR WINDOWS REMAINED UP. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ELECTRICAL FAILURE WITH THE WIRES AND INDICATED THAT IT WAS NOT A SAFETY CONCERN. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED TO DETERMINE WHEN THE PARTS WOULD BE SUPPLIED TO THE DEALER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

VEHICLE HORN IS INTERMITTENTLY INOPERABLE. I HAVE HAD TWO NEAR MISSES DUE TO THE NON FUNCTIONING HORN. WHEN IT IS NOT FUNCTIONING, DEPRESSING THE HORN BUTTON TURNS THE RADIO VOLUME INSTEAD. AT THE SAME TIME THE LEFT STEERING WHEEL BUTTONS ARE INOPERABLE. OCCASIONALLY THE RADIO VOLUME WILL LOWER ON ITS OWN, THEN RETURN TO NORMAL. THIS PROBLEM IS COMMON OVERSEES IN THE OPEL / VAUXHALL VERSIONS OF THE ASTRA. REPLACEMENT OF THE WIRING HARNESS AND CIM MODULE HAVE ONLY TEMPORARILY RESOLVED THE ISSUES THERE. THIS ISSUE HAS PERSISTED ON AND OFF IN MY VEHICLE FOR SEVERAL YEARS.THE CONDITION EXISTS WHILE STATIONARY AND IN MOTION. THE CAR IS MOSTLY DRIVEN SHORT TRIPS IN CITY TRAFFIC. THE CAR IS 8 YEARS OLD, 52,000 MILES.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN- I HAVE HAD THE PEDAL PRESSURE SENSOR (IN MY 2008 SATURN ASTRA) REPLACED 5-6 TIMES OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS. THE CAR LITERALLY WILL LOSE ALL ACCELERATION AND CAUSE THE CAR TO SLOW DOWN VERY QUICKLY AND IS A SERIOUS LIFE THREATENING SAFETY CONCERN. PREVIOUS TIMES IT HAS OCCURRED I HAD TO PUSH MY CAR OFF OF THE FREEWAY AND OUT OF TRAFFIC. THE RECENT EXPERIENCE WAS ON 6/24/16 AND I HAD MY 2 WEEK OLD SON IN THE CAR SEAT. WE ALMOST WERE IN A SERIOUS COLLISION WITH A SEMI-TRUCK BECAUSE YET AGAIN THE CAR LOST ACCELERATION AND DECREASED SPEED DRASTICALLY. MY NEWBORN SON'S LIFE WAS THREATENED (AS A SEMI-TRUCK VS. A SATURN ASTRA IS LIKE AN ANT VS. A HUMAN) AND NOW I AM VERY ANGRY. SATURN AND CHEVY SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE AND FOLLOW THRU ON A RECALL BEFORE THIS ISSUE CAUSES DEATH OR INJURY; OR PERHAPS IT ALREADY HAS. THE CHEVY DEALERSHIP IN TEMPE REFUSES TO ADDRESS THE CONCERN AND CALL ME BACK. I TOOK THE SATURN TO THIS DEALERSHIP WHILE THE CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY TO FIX THE PEDAL PRESSURE SEVERAL TIMES. NOW THAT IT IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY I AM COMPLETELY IGNORED AND ALL I HAVE ASKED FOR IS A PHONE NUMBER FOR CORPORATE AND/OR FOR WHO EXACTLY ADDRESSES LIFE-THREATENING SAFETY CONCERNS (AS CHEVY BOUGHT OUT SATURN). ALL I HAVE ASKED FOR IS WHO TO CONTACT AND WHAT THE NEXT STEPS ARE TO TAKE AND THE DEALERSHIP CANNOT EVEN FOLLOW THRU ON THIS. HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF YOU COULD NOT AFFORD A NEW CAR AND BOUGHT A COMPLETE PIECE OF TRASH (OVERPAID) THAT THREATENS YOUR LIFE EVERY 6 MONTHS? PLEASE..SOMEONE HELP. IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN OR EVEN IF YOU DON'T; WHOEVER READS THIS SHOULD BE EMPATHETIC TO MY HUGE CONCERN WITH THIS DEATH TRAP.

"TAKATA RECALL" THIS CAR HAS ELECTRONIC PROBLEMS, DASHBOARD LIGHTS BLINKING, GAGE HAND'S GO UP AND DOWN. THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT CABLE BROKE. I WAS IN A PARKING LOT PARKED,STARTED CAR WENT TO PUT CAR IN GEAR,GEAR SHIFT WAS LOOSE,WOULDN'T CATCH,CALLED TOTRUCK,TO PULL CAR, WAS TOLD BY THE DRIVER,THAT THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT CABLE WAS BROKEN.