2003 Saturn Vue

2003 SATURN VUE CVT/VTI TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. ALREADY "FIXED" AT A SATURN DEALER 2 YEARS AGO AFTER COMPLETE FAILURE WHILE DRIVING ON A CURVY 55 MPH COUNTRY ROAD. AN ACCIDENT WAS POSSIBLE AT THAT TIME AND LUCKILY I HAD A PARKING LOT PULL OFF TO ACCESS. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER AND WAS NEVER NOTIFIED OF A HIGHLY APPARENT KNOW DEFECT. THIS SATURN WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE THE TRANSMISSION ONCE AGAIN FAILED WITHOUT NOTICE AND ONLY AFTER A SATURN DEALERSHIP "FIXED" THIS PROBLEM 2 YEARS PRIOR AND NOT MANY MILES LATER. LUCKILY, I WAS RETURNING HOME AFTER RETURNING MY 7 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER TO HER MOTHER JUST TEN MINUTES AND 6 MILES EARLIER. IF SHE WAS IN THE BACK SEAT IT IS HIGHLY LIKELY SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY SERIOUSLY INJURED OR DEAD. THE PASSENGER WAS INJURED AND RUSHED TO THE HOSPITAL. I WAS BANGED UP AS THE DRIVER. THIS VTI TRANSMISSION IS AN EPIC FAILURE! HOW MANY PEOPLE NEED TO LOSE THEIR LIVES BEFORE SOMETHING IS DONE. I WAS COMPLETELY UNAWARE OF THE WIDESPREAD PROBLEM UNTIL I DID A LITTLE RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET. BEYOND SHOCKING, TO SAY THE LEAST. I AM CONTACTING AN ATTORNEY AND INQUIRING ABOUT BEING STUCK WITH THIS UNSAFE LEMON. I HAVE BEEN REFERRED BY SATURN TO A LOCAL GM DEALER FOR SERVICE VIA MAIL, SO I WILL START THERE. I AM DISMAYED THAT THERE HAS BEEN NOTHING DONE WITH THIS EVEN AFTER A CLASS ACTION SUIT WAS AWARDED WHICH I WAS UNAWARE OF UNTIL TONIGHT 4/6/11. CAN YOU LIVE WITH THE GUILT OF KNOWING ABOUT AN ONGOING AND EVIDENT PROBLEM AND THE LIVES THAT WILL LIKELY BE LOST DUE TO KNOWN PROBLEM. WHY IN THE WORLD HAS THERE NOT BEEN A RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM. TOYOTA HAS A FEW GAS PEDAL ISSUES AND BINGO. I WOULD RATHER BE DRIVING ONE OF THOSE AFTER SEEING AND EXPERIENCING WHAT I HAVE RECENTLY. HOW MANY OF THESE TICKING TIME BOMBS ARE STILL OUT ON THE ROAD. I SEE SEVERAL ALMOST DAILY. THERE IS ANOTHER FORM OF A DOMESTIC TERRORIST AND IT IS THE POOR UNASSUMING SATURN DRIVERS. THIS CAR FELL SHY OF BEING A TOTAL. INSURANCE COMPANIES WILL HAVE INTEREST. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SATURN VUE. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 10 MPH ON A SNOW AND ICE COVERED ROAD SURFACE WHEN HE APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT PANEL ILLUMINATED. THERE WAS A COMPLETE LOSS OF THE POWER STEERING AND BRAKES. THE CONTACT ENGAGED THE BRAKES SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE THE VEHICLE STOPPED. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO EXIT THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE DOOR, THE AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCKS WOULD NOT RELEASE. ALL OF THE INTERIOR DOOR LOCKS BECAME INOPERATIVE. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO EXIT THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE DOOR BY APPLYING EXCESSIVE FORCE WITH A HAMMER TO THE DOOR LOCK MECHANISM. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THEY INFORMED HIM THAT THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO A COMPUTERIZED SYSTEM MALFUNCTION. THE TECHNICIAN ATTEMPTED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE BUT TO NO AVAIL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 172,000.

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

WE PURCHASED A 2003 SATURN VUE FROM AN INDIVIDUAL ON FEBRUARY 14, 2011. WE HAD THE CAR ALMOST ONE MONTH AND WE WERE OUT TO EAT ON A SUNDAY IN HENDERSONVILLE TN WHEN MY HUSBAND GOES TO PUT OUR VUE INTO REVERSE TO PULL OUT OF A STALL AND IT WOULD BACK UP IT JUST WOULD NOT GO FORWARD. WE THOUGHT MAYBE IT WAS LOW ON TRANSMISSION FLUID. WE FILLED IT WITH SOME AND IT STILL DIDNT MOVE FORWARD ONLY REVERSE. WELL WE CALL FOR IT TO BE TOWED TO THE NEAREST SATURN DEALER IN GOODLETTSVILLE TN. NOW GM IS GIVING US THE RUNAROUND ABOUT GIVING US ANY MONEY AT ALL ON THIS VEHICLE. WE FURTHER FOUND OUT UPON INVESTIGATION ON THE INTERNET THAT SATURN ADMITTED THERE WAS TROUBLES WITH THE TRANSMISSION BUT THEY WERE NEVER MADE TO RECALL THESE TRANSMISSIONS. NOW AS A CONSUMER THAT MAKES ME MAD, WE WENT ON CRAIGSLIST AND THERE ARE A TON OF THESE BEING SOLD RIGHT HERE IN TENNESSEE. MORE SUCKERS THAT HAVE NO CLUE WHAT THEY ARE GETTING INTO. WHAT IF MY HUSBAND WERE TO HAVE BEEN IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC THAT DAY AND A SEMI RAMMED INTO HIM BECAUSE HE COULD ONLY GO BACKWARDS???????? THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE!!!!!!! I AM MAD AS A CONSUMER AND I DONT WANT ANYONE ELSE TO GO THROUGH THIS NIGHTMARE! *TR

I BOUGHT A 2003 SATURN VUE NEW IN 2003, IN 2006 THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT , THE SATURN DEALER SHIP REPLACED IT. THEN IN 2008 THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AGAIN AND THE DEALER SHIP SAID IT WAS KNOW LONGER UNDER WARRANTY . WHY CAN THEY NOT RECALL THESE SUV'S TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION IT COST 4500 DOLLARS IF YOU CAN FIND ONE. MY CAR STILL LOOKS LIKE NEW BUT JUST DOESN'T RUN , I'M AM SO DISCUSSED AND NOW SATURN IS NO LONGER IN BUSINESS SO ARE WE JUST OUT OF LUCK? *TR

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 RECURRED. 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. *TR

MY 2003 SATURN VUE SEEMS TO BE HAVING TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. IT IS SLOW TO START, LACK OF POWER, AND HAVE NOTICED WHILE IN GEAR RPM'S UP TO 5000 - 6000. AFTER IT SITS IT SEEMS TO BE ABLE TO CHANGE GEARS BUT RPM'S STILL TOO HIGH WHEN IT DOES SHIFT. I TOOK IT TO ONE SHOP THAT WAS NOT WILLING TO WORK ON IT BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT FAMILIAR ENOUGH WITH SATURNS, HE DID TELL ME THAT THEY RAN A DIAGNOSTICS TEST AND IT CAME BACK WITH A "TRANSMISSION CODE". IT IS NOW AT ANOTHER SHOP FOR FURTHER DIAGNOSIS. *LN

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SATURN VUE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO DECELERATE BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT DOWNSHIFT. THE CONTACT THEN ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT GEARS. THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED OVER AND TOWED HOME. THE CONTACT REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION BUT THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO HAVE THE FAILURE DIAGNOSED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 109,000.