Stalls stops, with Engine power reduced, stabilitrak off. After turning or braking. Engine light with down arrow. Accident probability. DANGEROUS ESPECIALLY IF ON HIGHWAY OR COUNTRY RD!
2009 Saturn Vue
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2009 Saturn Vue do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 276.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Vue years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
99 reports with mileage · 19 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.
- Steering. Review the 38 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 35 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Vehicle Speed Control complaints
5 reportsWHILE IN MOTION ON A CITY STREET GOING UP HILL, THE CAR WAS HAVING A PROBLEM ACCELERATING UP HILL. WHEN GOING DOWNHILL, THE CAR WOULD STOP, AND THE BRAKES WOULD LOCK UP. HAVE TO USE ACCELERATION WHEN GOING DOWNHILL IN ORDER FOR IT TO MOVE. FINALLY WHEN I MADE IT HOME AND PARKED THERE WAS A LOUD NOISE (LIKE SOMETHING WAS SCRAPING…
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WHILE IN MOTION ON A CITY STREET GOING UP HILL, THE CAR WAS HAVING A PROBLEM ACCELERATING UP HILL. WHEN GOING DOWNHILL, THE CAR WOULD STOP, AND THE BRAKES WOULD LOCK UP. HAVE TO USE ACCELERATION WHEN GOING DOWNHILL IN ORDER FOR IT TO MOVE. FINALLY WHEN I MADE IT HOME AND PARKED THERE WAS A LOUD NOISE (LIKE SOMETHING WAS SCRAPING AGAINST SOMETHING). AND THEN THE SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT CAME ON. WHEN I GOT OUT THE CAR, IT SMELLED LIKE BURNT METAL. WHEN I GOOGLED THIS PROBLEM, IT APPEARS THAT A LOT OF SATURN VUE USERS HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUES AND IT APPEARS AS IF THE DEALERSHIPS ARE NOT SURE HOW TO FIX THIS PROBLEM.
I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, CRUISING AT 70 IN THE FAR LEFT HAND LANE, AND SUDDENLY MY VEHICLE SPEED DROPPED TO 40 MPH AND ERROR CODES STARTED FLASHING ON THE DASH (DECREASE ENGINE, ENGINE, STABILITY TRACK SYSTEM, TRACTION CONTROL, AND OTHERS I DON'T REMEMBER). WITH SEMI TRUCKS AND A HIGH VOLUME OF TRAFFIC BEHIND ME AND BLOWING…
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I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, CRUISING AT 70 IN THE FAR LEFT HAND LANE, AND SUDDENLY MY VEHICLE SPEED DROPPED TO 40 MPH AND ERROR CODES STARTED FLASHING ON THE DASH (DECREASE ENGINE, ENGINE, STABILITY TRACK SYSTEM, TRACTION CONTROL, AND OTHERS I DON'T REMEMBER). WITH SEMI TRUCKS AND A HIGH VOLUME OF TRAFFIC BEHIND ME AND BLOWING THEIR HORNS, I ATTEMPTED TO CHANGE LANES IN AN EFFORT TO PULL OVER ON THE RIGHT SHOULDER AS GEORGIA LAW STATES...BUT IT WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AND CONTINUED TO DECREASE. IT WAS BY THE GRACE OF GOD THAT I DID NOT GET HIT BY THE VEHICLES AND SEMI TRUCKS SLAMMING ON THEIR BRAKES TO AVOID HITTING ME. I NEARLY MISSED THE OFF RAMP. OFF ON THE EXIT RAMP WAS NOT ABLE TO MAKE THE LIGHT SO PULLED OVER TO RIGHT SIDE. MY CAR MADE A HIGH PITCHED SOUND LIKE IT DOES WHEN I REALLY STEP ON THE GAS, IT WAS REVVING AND NOW PULLING FORWARD. IT CONTINUED TO MAKE THIS NOISE WHILE I WAS AT A STOP LIGHT, NOT MOVING, TRIED PUTTING IT IN NEUTRAL, PARK, NOTHING WOULD MAKE THE REVVING STOP. FINALLY, LIGHT TURNED GREEN AND THE CAR JERKED ME FORWARD BUT THEN WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AGAIN AS I ATTEMPTED TO MAKE IT TO THE GAS STATION OFF THE EXIT. I PULLED INTO THE LOT AND AGAIN WHEN I BRAKED TO PUT IN REVERSE TO PARK IT STARTED REVVING HIGH AND JERKED FORWARD AGAIN THEN BACKWARDS. I TURNED OFF THE CAR AND LET SIT 10 MINUTES. TURNED IT ON, IT WOULD NOT GO AWAY THE ENGINE WAS IN REVVING SO HIGH I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BLOW. I TURN THE ENGINE OFF AND HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED FROM 30+ MILES AWAY FROM HOME. *TR
WAS ON INTERSTATE WITH MY 10 YR OLD DAUGHTER WITH ME WITH CRUISE SET AT 75MPH, LANE WAS MERGING, SO I ACCELERATED TO GET PAST A SEMI TO GET OVER. LET UP OFF GAS AND CAR KEPT ACCELERATING FASTER. HIT BRAKE AND NOTHING HAPPENED. CAR STILL KEPT ACCELERATING. TURNED OFF CRUISE AND LAID ON BRAKE BUT CAR STILL KEPT ACCELERATING. SPEED…
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WAS ON INTERSTATE WITH MY 10 YR OLD DAUGHTER WITH ME WITH CRUISE SET AT 75MPH, LANE WAS MERGING, SO I ACCELERATED TO GET PAST A SEMI TO GET OVER. LET UP OFF GAS AND CAR KEPT ACCELERATING FASTER. HIT BRAKE AND NOTHING HAPPENED. CAR STILL KEPT ACCELERATING. TURNED OFF CRUISE AND LAID ON BRAKE BUT CAR STILL KEPT ACCELERATING. SPEED REACHED 110MPH AND CARS WERE IN FRONT OF ME IN ALL LANES. FINALLY PUT IN NEUTRAL AND ENGINE REVVED UP UNTIL FINALLY A LOUD POP NOISE AND IT STOPPED ACCELERATING. THIS IS THE 3RD TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. HOWEVER THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT I WAS UNABLE TO GET IT TO STOP ACCELERATING. I WAS IN FEAR FOR THE LIFE OF MY DAUGHTER AND MYSELF! I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE ISSUE. THEY RECOMMENDED PUTTING A NEW THROTTLE BODY IN AND DOING A FULL SYSTEM FLUSH WHICH WILL COST AROUND $800. I JUST HAD THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED A FEW MONTHS AGO AND WORK DONE TO CORRECT TRACTION CONTROL, STABILITRAK AND ABS ISSUE. I HAVE DONE A SEARCH ON THE INTERNET AND HAVE FOUND OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL CAR THAT HAVE HAD THE SAME COMPLAINT ABOUT THE ACCELERATOR STICKING AND CAR SPEEDING UP ON ITS OWN AND NOT BEING ABLE TO STOP IT BY BRAKING. HOWEVER THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPT WAS UNABLE TO FIND ANY RELATED RECALLS. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 SATURN VUE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AS THE ENGINE POWER REDUCED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAIL…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 SATURN VUE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AS THE ENGINE POWER REDUCED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 140,000.
Official recalls
208V616000 · Steering:linkages:knuckle:spindle:arm
Nov 24, 2008
GM IS RECALLING 2,149 MY 2009 SATURN VUE VEHICLES. SOME OF THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE BEEN BUILT WITH AN INCORRECT RIGHT AND/OR LEFT FRONT STEERING KNUCKLE. AS A RESULT OF THE INCORRECT KNUCKLE AND RESULTING INADEQUATE CLEARANCE, THE TIE ROD BALL STUD COULD PULL OUT OF, OR FRACTURE, THE TIE ROD HOUSING. THIS COULD CAUSE THE TIE ROD TO SEPARATE FROM THE KNUCKLE.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: ALTHOUGH STEERING CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE COULD BE MAINTAINED AFTER A TIE ROD SEPARATION BY THE UNAFFECTED WHEEL ON SMOOTH ROADS OR DURING LIGHT BRAKING, WITH MORE SIGNIFICANT SUSPENSION OR BRAKING INPUTS, THE AFFECTED WHEEL COULD TURN OUT AND SKID. IF A VEHICLE BUILT WITH TWO INCORRECT STEERING KNUCKLES HAD BOTH TIE RODS SEPARATE AT THE SAME TIME, STEERING CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE WOULD BE LOST, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE STEERING KNUCKLES AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE STEERING KNUCKLE(S) AND TIE ROD(S). THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 8, 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> .
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> .
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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