2009 Saturn Aura Owner Complaints

Power steering quit working majority of the time but will randomly start working again but won't work for long.

NHTSA ID

11745091

Incident

Feb 10, 2026

My steering wheel started to randomly shake while I was driving this car through a car wash that I go through monthly. all of a sudden my wheel locked up and flashing warning signals appeared on my dashboard “SERVICE ESC” making me at a loss of electric power steering assist. I never got in an accident or anything. It just happened while I was driving through a car wash.. I know my vehicle should be involved in the loss of electric power steering assist as it has had every symptom and have had multiple 3rd party mechanics tell me the same thing that this is under a recall, but when I check I do not see this recall for my VIN. I was very concerned for my well being and am confused why this is not covered as I had a special coverage for this under my VIN : [XXX] . 2009 Saturn aura XE SEDAN. It is a consistent message I get on my vehicle when I start and am unfortunately not able to drive it because I do not want to put others at risk. Thank you. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11724705

Incident

Feb 28, 2026

The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle intermittently lost power steering functionality. The message "EPS Failure" was displayed. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14E044000 (Steering); however, the contact related the failure to the recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 64,194.

NHTSA ID

11712149

Incident

Jan 17, 2026

Mileage

64,194 mi

The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and making left or right turns on several occasions, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact stated that the steering wheel became firm and required added effort to turn the steering wheel while driving. The contact stated that simultaneously, the EPS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was turned off and restarted each time, but the failure reoccurred a short time later. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 150,000.

NHTSA ID

11710982

Incident

Jan 7, 2026

Mileage

150,000 mi

I was driving and all of a sudden I lost power steering and I had to get over pull over and I was freaking out I could have crashed my dash was saying service ecs

NHTSA ID

11696223

Incident

Oct 13, 2025

The car turned off while driving on the highway. The car just recently within the last year or so started giving us electrical problems. The mechanic on August 14, 2025. Replaced the alternator, the second within 3 years. The battery replaced twice within 3 years, as well. Internal dashboard light flickers. The car fails to start several times a month. The driver & passenger seats is not stable, it shifts or moves. The battery's pos and neg poles are extremely hot. Steering wheel stiffened up hard to maneuver. The above problems are ongoing throughout the years. My wife hears a popping sound coming from under the hood.

NHTSA ID

11686169

Incident

Sep 9, 2025

The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. The contact stated that while driving at speeds of 20 MPH or slower, the power steering function failed to operate as intended. The contact stated that the loss of power steering warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned off and then restarted the vehicle to regain power steering functionality. The contact found information on NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V153000 (Steering). The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA ID

11663626

Incident

Mar 29, 2025

Mileage

130,000 mi

The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. The contact stated that while coming to a stoplight, the transmission failed to shift properly, and the vehicle jerked. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized with the power steering warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 124,000.

NHTSA ID

11663160

Incident

May 27, 2025

Mileage

124,000 mi

Lost power steering while driving. The power steering warning came on. I pulled over and turned the car off. When I turned it back on the power steering returned. An inspection at the Zeigler Buick GMC of Lincolnwood in Chicago on 4/19/2025 confirmed that the power steering column needs replaced. I'm having it replaced, so the part will not be available for inspection. Thankfully, I was able to pull over right away after I lost power steering, so no damage was caused. This is the first issue I've ever had with my power steering in this car.

NHTSA ID

11655625

Incident

Apr 17, 2025

Electric power steering randomly disables assist but resumes with restart. Brake lights randomly illuminate and randomly stop working.

NHTSA ID

11624414

Incident

Nov 2, 2024

The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH and attempting to make a turn, the steering seized. The power steering warning light was illuminated. The message "Service ESC" was displayed. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the power steering became functional; however, the failure recurred while driving back to the residence. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the next available appointment was in 3 weeks. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V153000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000.

NHTSA ID

11575329

Incident

Mar 2, 2024

Mileage

119,000 mi

The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. The contact stated driving 55 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The power steering warning light was illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The contact turned off and inspected the vehicle and noticed that the power steering was electric. The contact's brother turned off, restarted the vehicle, and shook the steering wheel several times until the steering wheel became operable. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the residence at slow speeds. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed. The mechanic determined that the electric power steering assist system had failed, and the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V153000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 175,168.

NHTSA ID

11571488

Incident

Jan 29, 2024

Mileage

175,168 mi

The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the electronic power steering failed, causing the steering wheel to become difficult to turn in either direction. After immediately turning the vehicle off and restarting, the power steering failure was corrected and operated as designed. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken the local mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 85,000.

NHTSA ID

11568840

Incident

Jan 15, 2024

Mileage

85,000 mi

Transmission fluid leaking and sometimes doesn’t want to accelerate

NHTSA ID

11529690

Incident

Mar 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the steering wheel became firm with a message stating that the steering fluid level was low. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 171,000.

NHTSA ID

11521606

Incident

May 11, 2023

Mileage

171,000 mi

The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. Additionally, while driving 50-55 MPH, the transmission jolted. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 14V252000 (Electrical System, Exterior Lighting, Vehicle Speed Control, Electronic Stability Control), 14V153000 (Steering), 12V460000 (Power Train), and 09V073000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000.

NHTSA ID

11513242

Incident

Feb 22, 2023

Mileage

126,000 mi

Power steering keeps going off. Have to restart car to get it to work. Now it won’t work at all.

NHTSA ID

11499210

Incident

Dec 26, 2022

Wife has repeatedly mentioned loss of power steering and for a petite woman each incident was quite scary for her. I drove it for two days before it happened to me. It was much worse than simply a car with no power steering, which I've owned before. It seemed like something was actively working to prevent the steering wheel from turning. The force required was at my own limits to steer adequately. The next time the car was started it was fine. However, it goes out while driving; about 40 MPH, in my case, as I was merging onto the highway. As others have mentioned, my VIN is not included in the recall for the torque angle steering sensor. I also must advocate for the recall to be widened. Obviously GM purposely narrowed the recall, knowing the later vehicles had parts that were not substantially different.

NHTSA ID

11498624

Incident

Dec 19, 2022

I went to the shop, and they said that my transmission was slipping, & that I didn’t have a third gear. Also they stated that it was a recall. There are leaks

NHTSA ID

11492115

Incident

Nov 1, 2022

Car will be driving fine and speed will drop dramatically .. safety issue in traffic can cause serious collision..

NHTSA ID

11490978

Incident

Jul 1, 2022

The contact's partner owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. The contact's partner noticed that the brake lights randomly would illuminate. The contact stated that the failure occurred at various speeds and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V252000 (Electrical System, Exterior Lighting, Vehicle Speed Control, Electronic Stability Control). Additionally, when the contact's partner was coming to stop while driving, the power steering failed. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V153000 (Steering). The failure of the power steering occurred once. The failure of the brake lights was a recurring failure. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 230,000.

NHTSA ID

11469051

Incident

Jan 17, 2021

Mileage

230,000 mi

The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. The contact stated that while her mother was turning into a gas station, the steering wheel lost power steering inadvertently. The steering warning light illuminated. The contact stated that upon turning off and restarting the vehicle, the steering wheel regained power steering. The contact's mother attempted to purchase a power steering fluid but became aware that the vehicle power steering was electrical. The contact stated that the steering wheel was making abnormal whining sounds and was jerking while driving. The contact contacted an independent mechanic who informed her that the failure was related to an unknown steering recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 133,149.

NHTSA ID

11453803

Incident

Feb 17, 2022

Mileage

133,149 mi

Steering occasionally gives out without warning. There is a recall for this make, model, and year of vehicle, but my VIN search says it is not included. This recall needs to be expanded to include a wider range of VIN numbers.

NHTSA ID

11453137

Incident

Feb 18, 2022

The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed the vehicle stalled without warning. Additionally, while driving and making either right or left turns, the vehicle pulled in the opposite direction. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The Bureau of Automotive Repair was contacted and the contact was notified of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V252000 (Electrical System, Exterior Lighting, Vehicle Speed Control, Electronic Stability Control) and 14V153000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 133,000.

NHTSA ID

11452105

Incident

Jul 15, 2021

Mileage

133,000 mi

Power Steering has failed. Yes, it is available for inspection. Can not properly control the steering, difficult to go around a corner. Problem is constant - but not yet inspected. Warning lights for Traction control and Check Engine appear, and Service Power Steering appears on the Information Station, but not prior to the failure. Problem started around Dec 15, 2021 after parking it overnight. Started it the next morning and that is when the problem started. A Recall posted in May 2014 calls for repair of some 2007 & 2008 cars for this problem, but not for this particular car, built in April 2009. Seems as though all Saturn cars using these same parts should have been recalled. Thank you

NHTSA ID

11451893

Incident

Dec 15, 2021