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2008 Saturn Vue

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2008 Saturn Vue do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 276.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

329 reports with mileage · 77 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Power Train. Review the 120 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 88 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Steering. Review the 86 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

16 crash reports11 fire reports10 injury reports

Vehicle Speed Control complaints

18 reports
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Mileage unknown · Aug 6, 2021
EnginePower TrainVehicle Speed Control

My 2008 Saturn vue Engine size 3600cc, 6 cylinders has been feeling like the transmission is slipping when you get up to a certain speed and this could be very harmful to other drivers that are driving.. Sometimes the car won't go into park or reverse and I feel that since there are 3 RECALLS ON MY VEHICLE AND I WAS NEVER NOTIFI…

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My 2008 Saturn vue Engine size 3600cc, 6 cylinders has been feeling like the transmission is slipping when you get up to a certain speed and this could be very harmful to other drivers that are driving.. Sometimes the car won't go into park or reverse and I feel that since there are 3 RECALLS ON MY VEHICLE AND I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED THAT THE GM PLACE SHOULD HAVE TO FIX THIS Because someone could get hurt really badly if the transmission locks up while going down the road.

NHTSA ODI #11427977

216,000 miles · Mar 7, 2021
Electrical SystemUnknown Or OtherVehicle Speed ControlCrashInjury

I PUSH GAS PEDAL NO ACCEL THEN IT WOULD TAKE OFF. I HIT A TREE FROM THIS DOING THIS AND SL MM OST GOT HUT BY ANOTHER CAR FROM BEHIND

NHTSA ODI #11399651

119,850 miles · Dec 11, 2019
Unknown Or OtherVehicle Speed ControlCrashInjury

MY VUE WENT OUT OF CONTROL, AFTER I SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES, IT TOOK OFF LIKE A ROCKET , GOING FASTER AND FASTER UP TO 90 MILES PER HOUR, IT WOULD NOT STOP AND WOULD NOT SLOW DOWN, I THREW IT INTO NEUTRAL, AFTER 1 MIN THE ENGINE DIED, AND I COASTED FOR A FEW MIN

NHTSA ODI #11288495

140,000 miles · Nov 6, 2018
Power TrainVehicle Speed Control

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SATURN VUE. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY AND WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY IN THE PARK POSITION, THE VEHICLE ROLLED FORWARD. THE CONTACT APPLIED THE BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP THE VEHICLE. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY IN THE REVERSE POSITION, …

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SATURN VUE. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY AND WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY IN THE PARK POSITION, THE VEHICLE ROLLED FORWARD. THE CONTACT APPLIED THE BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP THE VEHICLE. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY IN THE REVERSE POSITION, THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO MOVE PARTIALLY AND STOPPED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO MOVE ANY FURTHER IN THE REVERSE POSITION. IN ADDITION, THE RPMS INCREASED RAPIDLY ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE BEYOND 30 MPH. A DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 140,000.

NHTSA ODI #11149630

100,000 miles · Feb 17, 2015
Vehicle Speed Control

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SATURN VUE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ACTIVATED, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CRUISE CONTROL WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED TWICE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MI…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SATURN VUE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ACTIVATED, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CRUISE CONTROL WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED TWICE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

NHTSA ODI #10683917

38,909 miles · Sep 5, 2014
EnginePower TrainVehicle Speed Control

VEHICLE STALLED WHILE DRIVING, WAS ABLE TO SAFELY PULL OVER TO SIDE OF ROAD. AFTER VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED, IT WOULD SHIFT INTO DIFFERENT GEARS BUT WOULD NOT MOVE. DEALER REPAIR SERVICE CENTER STATES: "38909 TRANSMISSION 3-5-R WAVED PLATE BROKEN AND DAMAGED" PARTS REPLACED: SEAL KIT, GASKETS, NUT, VALVES, COVER, SP…

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VEHICLE STALLED WHILE DRIVING, WAS ABLE TO SAFELY PULL OVER TO SIDE OF ROAD. AFTER VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED, IT WOULD SHIFT INTO DIFFERENT GEARS BUT WOULD NOT MOVE. DEALER REPAIR SERVICE CENTER STATES: "38909 TRANSMISSION 3-5-R WAVED PLATE BROKEN AND DAMAGED" PARTS REPLACED: SEAL KIT, GASKETS, NUT, VALVES, COVER, SPRING, PISTON, HOUSING, PISTON, PLATE KIT, PLATE TIMES 2 *TR

NHTSA ODI #10631168

100,000 miles · Jun 18, 2014
Power TrainUnknown Or OtherVehicle Speed Control

DRIVING AT SPEED AND THE TRANSMISSION JERKS CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SLOW DOWN IN TRAFFIC. VERY SCARY FEELING TO NOT KNOW WHAT IS CAUSING YOUR VEHICLE TO SUDDENLY FAIL AND LOOSING CONTROL OF YOUR SPEED DURING TRAVEL. TO HAVE SUCH A VITAL PART ABLE TO FAIL IN SUCH A CRITICAL FUNCTIONING OF THE VEHICLE IS DANGEROUS AND POTENTIALLY D…

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DRIVING AT SPEED AND THE TRANSMISSION JERKS CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SLOW DOWN IN TRAFFIC. VERY SCARY FEELING TO NOT KNOW WHAT IS CAUSING YOUR VEHICLE TO SUDDENLY FAIL AND LOOSING CONTROL OF YOUR SPEED DURING TRAVEL. TO HAVE SUCH A VITAL PART ABLE TO FAIL IN SUCH A CRITICAL FUNCTIONING OF THE VEHICLE IS DANGEROUS AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS TO DRIVERS ON THE ROADS AS WELL AS THE OCCUPANTS OF THE VEHICLE. PLEASE DON'T ALLOW THIS TO BECOME A FATALITY BEFORE ACTION IS TAKEN. THE WAVE PLATE ON THESE GM VEHICLES IS BREAKING INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION. CAUSING COMPLETE IN MOTION FAILURE OF VEHICLE AT SPEED. THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10599122

89,212 miles · Jun 16, 2014
EnginePower TrainVehicle Speed Control

UPON TRYING TO ACCELERATE, THE "KICKED" AND JERKED, THEN SLOWED SLIGHTLY. WHEN TRAVELING UPHILL, AND PARKING, TRANSMISSION SEEMED NOT TO HAVE ENOUGH POWER. ROLLS BACKWARDS WHILE IDLE BEFORE TAKING OFF. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10598695

54,383 miles · May 19, 2014
Power TrainVehicle Speed Control

ON APRIL 12, 2014 I WAS DRIVING ON A MAJOR BOULEVARD TOWARDS INTERSTATE 5 WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTED ITSELF INTO NEUTRAL AND REVVED THE ENGINE TO AN EXTREMELY HIGH RPM. IT WAS HOVERING QUITE CLOSE TO THE RED DANGER ZONE ON THE GAUGE. AS IT WAS DOING THIS I LOST FORWARD POWER AND WAS MOVING FORWARD ON MOMENTUM ONLY. IT THEN FE…

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ON APRIL 12, 2014 I WAS DRIVING ON A MAJOR BOULEVARD TOWARDS INTERSTATE 5 WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTED ITSELF INTO NEUTRAL AND REVVED THE ENGINE TO AN EXTREMELY HIGH RPM. IT WAS HOVERING QUITE CLOSE TO THE RED DANGER ZONE ON THE GAUGE. AS IT WAS DOING THIS I LOST FORWARD POWER AND WAS MOVING FORWARD ON MOMENTUM ONLY. IT THEN FELT LIKE IT DROPPED IN AND OUT OF GEAR SEVERAL TIMES IN QUICK SUCCESSION. I WAS CLOSE TO A PARKING LOT SO I HIT THE BRAKES LIGHTLY TO DECREASE MY SPEED AND MANAGED TO TURN THE CAR INTO THE PARKING LOT AND INTO A PARKING SPACE JUST AS THE TRANSMISSION APPEARED TO RE-ENGAGE. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED THE CAR OFF AND CALLED EMERGENCY ROADSIDE SERVICE TO TOW THE CAR TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR FORWARD INTO A SERVICE BAY BUT ADVISED ME THAT REVERSE WAS COMPLETELY GONE. ALTHOUGH I DID NOT CRASH OR SUSTAIN AN INJURY, IT WAS ONLY BECAUSE I GOT LUCKY AND HAD A SAFE PLACE TO TURN INTO. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED 5 MINUTES LATER ON THE FREEWAY, I WOULD HAVE LIKELY DIED AS THAT SECTION OF INTERSTATE 5 HAS CONSTRUCTION WORK AND NO SHOULDER, SO I WOULD HAVE BEEN STRANDED AND BLOCKING TRAFFIC ON A FREEWAY WITH OTHER VEHICLES AND BIG RIGS TRAVELING BETWEEN 55 AND 80 MILES PER HOUR. IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN A MIRACLE FOR NO ONE TO HIT ME IN THAT SITUATION. THE VEHICLE IS A 2008 WITH JUST OVER 50K MILES ON IT - WAY TOO SOON FOR SUCH A MAJOR TRANSMISSION FAILURE. *JS

NHTSA ODI #10592564

76,300 miles · May 12, 2014
Power TrainVehicle Speed Control

I WAS DRIVING WITH MY FAMILY IN THE CAR, GOING AROUND ANOTHER STALLED VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN I WAS NOT ABLE TO ACCELERATE PAST 25 MPH. MY VEHICLE ACTED LIKE IT WENT INTO NEUTRAL, WHEN IT SHOULD HAVE GONE INTO 3RD GEAR. I WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITH ONLY BRAKES AND STEERING. IF THIS HAD H…

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I WAS DRIVING WITH MY FAMILY IN THE CAR, GOING AROUND ANOTHER STALLED VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN I WAS NOT ABLE TO ACCELERATE PAST 25 MPH. MY VEHICLE ACTED LIKE IT WENT INTO NEUTRAL, WHEN IT SHOULD HAVE GONE INTO 3RD GEAR. I WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITH ONLY BRAKES AND STEERING. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED WHILE TRYING TO MERGE ONTO THE HIGHWAY, I COULD HAVE BEEN REAR ENDED. FROM THE RESEARCH I HAVE DONE ONLINE IT APPEARS THAT GM IS AWARE OF A FAULTY 3-5-R WAVE-PLATE USED WITHIN MANY OF THEIR 6 FORWARD GEAR TRANSMISSIONS USED ON VEHICLES FROM 2007 TO 2009. I BELIEVE THIS PART SHOULD BE REPLACED THROUGH A RECALL TO AVOID ANY SERIOUS FUTURE INJURIES IN ALL VEHICLES USING THIS TRANSMISSION WITH THE FAULTY WAVE-PLATE. I BELIEVE THIS INCLUDES 6T70 AND 6T75 TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES FROM 2007-2209. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10587756

Official recalls

3

09V233000 · Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch

Jun 25, 2009

GM IS RECALLING 44,451 MY 2008 SATURN VUE VEHICLES WITH BODY COLOR OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLES. THE OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLES MAY STICK OR BIND. IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR, THE DOOR MAY NOT LATCH WHEN CLOSED.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: DRIVING WITH AN UNLATCHED DOOR COULD RESULT IN AN UNBELTED OCCUPANT FALLING OUT OF THE VEHICLE, CAUSING INCREASED RISK OF INJURY.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLES WITH CHROME DOOR HANDLES FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE AUGUST 18, 2009. OWNER MAY CONTACT SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876 OR AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.

08V470000 · Steering:hydraulic Power Assist:hose, Piping, And Connections

Sep 17, 2008

GM IS RECALLING 42,408 MY 2008-2009 SATURN VUE VEHICLES. SOME OF THESE VEHICLES HAVE A CONDITION IN WHICH THE NUT SECURING THE POWER STEERING LINE TO THE POWER STEERING PUMP MAY LOOSEN. IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR, THERE MAY BE A POWER STEERING FLUID LEAK.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THE FLUID COULD CONTACT HOT EXHAUST COMPONENTS RESULTING IN A POSSIBLE ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE NUT SECURING THE POWER STEERING LINE TO THE POWER STEERING PUMP. IF THERE ARE NO SIGNS OF A FLUID LEAK, DEALERS WILL TIGHTEN THE NUT. IF A FLUID LEAK IS PRESENT, DEALER WILL TIGHTEN THE NUT AND CHECK THE FLUID LEVEL. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 26, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876 OR THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE AT <A HREF=HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM>HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM</A> .

08V200000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission

May 5, 2008

GM IS RECALLING 26 MY 2008 SATURN VUE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A 6T70 6-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. SOME OF THESE VEHICLES HAVE A CONDITION IN WHICH THE TRANSMISSION CASE SIDE BORE THAT HOLDS THE PARK PAWL PIVOT PIN MAY HAVE A CASTING POROSITY. THIS CONDITION, COUPLED WITH NORMAL OPERATING STRESSES, COULD LEAD TO FAILURE, ELIMINATING THE ABILITY TO SECURE THE TRANSMISSION IN 'PARK' POSITION.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: IF THIS HAPPENS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS PARKED ON A NON-LEVEL SURFACE, THE VEHICLE COULD ROLL WITHOUT WARNING AND CAUSE INJURY TO PEOPLE IN ITS PATH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 5, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876, OR THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE AT <A HREF=HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM>HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM</A> .

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

PE09016 · Outside Door Handles Stick Unlatched

Opened Mar 10, 2009 · Closed Jul 2, 2009

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch

BY LETTER DATED JUNE 23, 2009, GENERAL MOTORS NOTIFIED THE AGENCY THAT IT WILL CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL (NHTSA RECALL NUMBER 09V233) TO REPLACE THE OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLES ON CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008 SATURN VUE VEHICLES. THE EXTERIOR DOOR HANDLE ON CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008 SATURN VUE VEHICLES CAN STICK IN THE UNLATCHED POSITION.THE DOOR MAY OPEN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. THE AGENCY OPENED ITS INVESTIGATION BASED ON TWO COMPLAINTS OF DOOR LATCH FAILURE THAT CAUSED THE DOOR TO OPEN WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION.THE AGENCY ALSO RECEIVED EARLY WARNING (EWR) REPORTS ON THIS ISSUE.CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008 SATURN VUE VEHICLES HAVE PAINTED BODY-COLOR OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLES THAT MAY STICK OR BIND.IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR, THE DOOR MAY NOT LATCH WHEN CLOSED.DRIVING WITH AN UNLATCHED DOOR COULD RESULT IN AN OCCUPANT FALLING PARTLY OR FULLY OUT OF THE VEHICLE, CAUSING INCREASED RISK OF INJURY.BASED ON THE ABOVE SAFETY RECALL, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.