2009 Saturn Outlook Engine Problems

The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Outlook. The contact stated that stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal sound and stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the timing belt had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under GM Campaign Number: 10287C since the campaign had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11618548

Incident

Jun 7, 2024

I was driving and my car started to lurch and went into reduced power mode. I quickly pulled over and turned off the engine. It was towed into the shop, and we found that the timing chain had broken. We had just had our engine mounts replaced and the oil changed. The vehicle has been well maintained. I have seen the issue with the timing chain failure is a common problem in Saturns/GM from internet research. It looks like there was a service bulletin to bring the car in if Service light comes on and you “think” it’s due to premature wear of timing chain. Now we are told the engine needs to be replaced because it was damaged by the timing chain failure and it seems like a known defect that should be covered because it exceeded the value of the car to have such a fix.

NHTSA ID

11561602

Incident

Dec 8, 2023

UNKNOWN We have only had this vehicle for approximately 4 months and have had soon many issues but the electrical system has been a problem non stop

NHTSA ID

11510488

Incident

Oct 12, 2022

I bought this 2009 Saturn Outlook yesterday from a used dealership they said there was nothing wrong with the car well I live over 100 miles away from where I bough it and about halfway home it’s it was dark outside I was driving on the highway going up a hill the motor was acting like it wanted to jump out f the car (I’m not sure exactly how to describe it) anyways it only did ur for just a second then stopped all went back to normal and today just died while driving and now it wont start wont even turn over

NHTSA ID

11476684

Incident

Jul 30, 2022

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY CAR SLOWED DOWN REALLY SLOW I PULLED OVER AND TURNED IT OFF. WHEN I TRIED TO TURN IT BACK ON IT WOULDN'T CRANK.

NHTSA ID

11406787

Incident

Apr 6, 2021

Mileage

185,000 mi

THE TIMING CHAIN IS GETTING STRETCHED IS WHAT THE CODES SAY AND NEEDS TO BE REPAIRED FEELS LIKE IT'S LOOSING POWER

NHTSA ID

11386008

Incident

Dec 30, 2020

Mileage

180,000 mi

IN 2016, I PURCHASED A 2009 SATURN OUTLOOK FROM A DEALER, WITH 90,000 MILES ON IT. TWO MONTHS LATER, "TRANSMISSION OVERHEATING, LET ENGINE IDLE" INDICATOR CAME ON, AND THE SATURN SHUT ITSELF DOWN AS I DROVE DOWN I-35! MECHANIC SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. THEY RESET MY CODES, AND ALL SEEMED OKAY. THIS HAPPENED A FEW MORE TIMES, BUT KNOW ONE COULD TELL ME WHAT WAS WRONG OTHER THAT BANK 1 LOW. FOR THE MOST PART IT DROVE WITHOUT PROBLEMS. REGULAR SERVICE MAINTENANCE, AND OIL CHANGES CONSISTENT WITH THE MANUAL. I RARELY DROVE IT AFTER THE SECOND YEAR OF OWNING IT. ON WAY HOME TO OREGON (PURCHASED OUTLOOK IN IOWA), I CONTINUOUSLY LOST POWER GOING UP THE PASSES. SEMI TRUCKS WERE PASSING ME, AS IF I WERE SITTING STILL. WITH NEW AIR-FILTER SYSTEM, MAF SENSOR, COILS, BOOTS, AND SPARK PLUGS INSTALLED I CONTINUED AT A SNAIL PACE ALL THE WAY TO OREGON. A TWO DAY TRIP TOOK ME SEVEN DAYS. NOBODY COULD TELL ME WHAT WAS WRONG OTHER THAN THE BANK 1 LOW, O2 SENSOR, WHICH I REPLACED THOSE AS WELL. I GET HOME AND SEVEN MONTHS LATER, I ALMOST GET HIT BY A SCHOOL BUS, BECAUSE MY SATURN STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION. THREE LIGHT CHANGES LATER, I MAKE IT ACROSS THE STREET TO THE COLLEGE. IT SHUDDERED ALL THE WAY, TILL I PARKED IT, WHERE I HAD TO WAIT TO BE TOWED THREE BLOCKS TO HOME. I PAID OVER $15,000 FOR A VEHICLE THAT LASTED ME UNDER 50,000 MILES. IT IS PAID IN FULL, AND IS NOW DEAD. STILL NO CLUE AS WHY. CODES SHOW BANK 1 AND 2 LOW ? BUT WHY WILL IT NOT START? WHY DID MY BATTERY DIE? I COULD NOT HAVE TAKEN BETTER CARE OF MY BABY, IF I TRIED! PLEASE, HELP ME FIX HER. THERE IS NO REASON FOR THIS VEHICLE TO BE OUT OF COMMISSION, YET IT IS AT 134,000 MILES. GM, PLEASE FIX THIS. THIS WAS FAULTY AT 90,500 MILES. I HAVE ALWAYS TAKEN GREAT CARE OF EVERY CAR I HAVE EVER OWNED. IT GOT WORSE AFTER I TOOK IT TO A CHEVY DEALER IN MISSOURI! CATALYTIC BANK 1 AND 2.

NHTSA ID

11176129

Incident

Dec 3, 2018

Mileage

134,000 mi

TAKATA RECALL I BOUGHT MY VEHICLE AT THE END OF MAY, 2018. MY ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AT THE BEGINING OF OCTOBER, 2018. I HAD GOT IN MY VEHICLE AND STAYED THE ENGINE AMD IT CAME ON. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK IT TO ADVANCE AUTO TO GET THEM TO HOOK THE HAND HELD COMPUTER TO THE VEHICLE TO SEE WHAT WAS WRONG. IT CODED 2 CODES. ONE WAS FOR THE TIMING CHAIN AND THE OTHER FOR THE CATALYST. THEY SAID I SHOULD TAKE IT TO A BIG CAR SHOP SO THEY COULD PUT IT OM THE BETTER COMPUTER. IT CODES THE SAME CODES. THE MECHANIC SAID THIS IS AN ISSUE WITH THESE GM ENGINS. HOWEVER, THEY ARE NOT ON RECALL. I STILL OWE AROUND 9,000 DOLLARS ON THIS VEHICLE. I AM NOT IN A SITUATION THAT I CAN SPEND OVER. $2,000 ON THIS VEHICLE. IN LISTENING TO THE MECHANIC AND DOING MY OWN RESEARCH, I HAVE FOUND THIS TO BE A REAL PROBLEM. I BELIEVE IT NEEDS TO BE FIXED AT THE COST OF THE MANUFACTURER.

NHTSA ID

11140693

Incident

Oct 5, 2018

Mileage

121,190 mi

WE ALWAYS CHANGE OUR OIL ON TIME. TOOK IT TO THE OIL CHANGE PLACE HE SAID THERE WAS BARELY ANY OIL IN IT , WE STILL HAD 200 MILE BEFORE RECOMMEND OIL CHANGE. THEN THE WHILE DRIVING THE ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON, WE TOOK IT AND MY MECHANIC SAID THAT'S THIS MOTOR IS BURNING OIL. AND CAN AFFECT ENGINE TIMING CHAIN.THE MECHANIC SAID TO START PUTTING SYNTHETIC OIL IN PER GM. WE WE'RE NEVER NOTIFIED ABOUT OIL ISSUES OR CHANGING WHAT TYPE OF OIL TO USE. NOW WE ARE GOING TO NEED AN ENGINE TIMING CHAIN WHICH IS EXTREMELY COSTLY. WE HAVEN'T BEGUN THIS PROCESS YET. BUT FROM WHAT'S I UNDERSTAND GM USB HAVING TONS OF ISSUES WITH MOTOR. AND WE HAVEN'T NEVER BEEN NOTIFIED ABOUT ANY PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE OR CARE.

NHTSA ID

11113380

Incident

Jul 1, 2018

Mileage

104,070 mi

WHEN I WAS ENTERING MOVING TRAFFIC FROM A COMPLETELY STOPPED POSITION, A CAR WAS COMING FASTER THAN I REALIZED SO I FLOORED THE ACCELERATOR AND THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED: 1.ALL POWER TO MY CAR SHUT OFF AND THE CAR ROLLED FORWARD SLOWING DOWN. 2.ALL OF THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS AND SYMBOLS LIT UP. 3.MY CAR JOLTED STRONGLY ONCE, SPUTTERED (MANY TIMES), AND HICCUPPED (MANY TIMES). THE JOLT WAS SO STRONG THAT IT THREW ME FORWARD AND MADE MY SEATBELT CATCH ME. 4.AT THE SAME TIME AS # 3, THE GPS REBOOTED ITSELF 3 TIMES IN A ROW AND ALL OF THE CAR DOOR LOCKS UNLOCKED AND LOCKED THEMSELVES 3 TIMES IN A ROW. 5.I GENTLY PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR AND THE CAR ACCELERATED BUT THE CAR FELT WEAK AND I FELT UNCERTAIN. I WAS NOT SURE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF I TRIED TO ACCELERATE NORMALLY SO I PUT ON MY EMERGENCY BLINKERS AND SLOWLY DROVE HOME.

NHTSA ID

10875449

Incident

Apr 5, 2016

Mileage

78,700 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 SATURN OUTLOOK. WHILE PLACING THE VEHICLE IN PARK POSITION, THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL SOUND COMING FROM THE AIR CONDITIONING AND HEATING VENTS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE EVAPORATION CORE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 66,603. ...UPDATED 03-10-16 *BF *TR

NHTSA ID

10818855

Incident

Sep 8, 2015

Mileage

66,603 mi

I WAS WAITING AT A STOPLIGHT AND HEARD AN UNUSUAL NOISE FROM THE ENGINE. WHEN I ACCELERATED ON THE GAS PEDDLE, I NOTICED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT NORMALLY AND WOULD NOT EXCEED OVER 30 MPH. I MADE IT TO WORK BUT WHEN I TRIED TO REVERSE OUT OF THE PARKING LOT, THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE AT ALL AND DISPLAYED "CHECK ENGINE LIGHT" ICON. I HAD TO PUSH IT OUT OF THE PARKING LOT THEN DRIVE FORWARD SLOWLY BACK HOME. I CALLED AROUND TOWN TO CHECK THE BEST SOLUTION FOR THE PROBLEM. I ALSO CHECKED ONLINE AND DISCOVERED THAT OTHER SATURN OUTLOOK OWNERS HAD THE SAME ISSUE AND THE SAME BROKEN PART WHEN IT WAS DIAGNOSED AND REPAIRED WHICH LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT GENERAL MOTORS IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND FAILED TO RECALL MY VEHICLE AND ADD THE FAILED TRANSMISSION PROBLEM TO THE RECALL LIST. *TR

NHTSA ID

10667196

Incident

Dec 17, 2014

Mileage

78,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 SATURN OUTLOOK. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE OIL PRESSURE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE OIL SENDING UNIT AND BRACKET NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 51,000.

NHTSA ID

10621499

Incident

Jul 15, 2014

Mileage

51,000 mi

JULY 6, 2014 ? RPM / MPG AS I WAS IN THE HOV LANE I TRIED TO ACCELERATE. I COULD HEAR THE CAR TRANSITIONING, BUT THE RPMS AND MILES PER HOUR DID NOT MATCH. AT 3300 RPM THE CAR WAS STUCK AT 60 MILES PER HOUR AND WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF THIRD GEAR. WHEN I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE GAS THE CAR SLOWED DOWN BUT THE NEEDLE WAS STILL ON 60 MILES PER HOUR. THE CAR RANDOMLY JERKED AS IF IT WAS PUSHING ITSELF FROM BEHIND. WHEN I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE RPM WAS 2200 AND THE MILES READ 20 EVEN THOUGH I WAS NOT MOVING. IN ADDITION, I HAD A FULL TANK OF GAS WHEN I BEGAN DRIVING AND WHEN I CAME TO A STOP OF THE GAS HAD BEEN USED. *TR

NHTSA ID

10609461

Incident

Jul 6, 2014

Mileage

108,000 mi

ENGINE WOULD STUTTER AT AROUND 70MPH. ISSUE RESOLVED BY CONTINUING TO REPLACE IGNITION COILS. FINALLY A TECHNICAL NOTE WAS ISSUED SAYING THE ECM HAD AN ISSUE THAT WOULD OVERHEAT AND MELT THE IGNITION COILS. LAST VISIT TO DEALER IN JAN 2014 REPLACED ALL IGNITION COILS AND THE ECM. ISSUE HAS NOT RETURNED YET. IF GM KNOW ABOUT THIS ISSUE, SHOULD THEY DO A RECALL BECAUSE IT'S A COMMON PROBLEM ACCORDING TO THE DEALER. *TR

NHTSA ID

10588621

Incident

Jun 6, 2012

Mileage

60,000 mi

THE ENGINE ON THIS VEHICLE HAS ISSUES WITH THE CYLINDERS AND MISFIRES. THIS ISSUE FIRST STARTED LAST YEAR AND WAS TAKEN INTO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE AT ABOUT 45,000 MILES. THE DEALER COULD REPLICATE THE ISSUE AT SPEEDS OF ABOUT 55 MPH WHERE THE ENGINE WOULD MISFIRE AND CAUSE A LACK OF POWER. HOWEVER DUE TO A LACK OF ENGINE CODES THEY COULD NOT BEGIN TO SOLVE THE ISSUE AS TO WHY THIS WAS HAPPENING. LAST WEEK THE ISSUE BECAME WORSE AND RESULTED IN A LOSS OF POWER ON THE HIGHWAY. FORTUNATELY THERE IS NOW A CODE FOR THE ENGINE ISSUE SO WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE CYLINDER MISFIRES AND IT CAN NOW BE FIXED. THIS IS A DANGEROUS ISSUE FOR DRIVERS AS THERE CAN BE A DISCERNIBLE ENGINE PROBLEM THAT CAN NOT BE DIAGNOSED BY GM'S DIAGNOSTIC EQUIPMENT UNTIL THERE SUCH A LOSS OF POWER RESULTING IN A SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10583985

Incident

Apr 18, 2014

Mileage

45,000 mi

TRANSMISSION SLIPS AND CAR BUCKS,SHUTTERS, AND SKIPS AT A RPM AT AROUND 1400-1600 RPM'S. *TR

NHTSA ID

10486747

Incident

Jul 25, 2012

Mileage

45,000 mi

I BROUGHT A SATURN OUTLOOK IN 2009 AND HAD NUMEROUS ISSUES SIMILAR TO WHAT HAS BEEN DETAILED IN THIS WEBSITE. - BOTH HEADLIGHTS FAILED TO WORK - ONE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY & COST OF SECOND ONE REIMBURSED BY GM UNDER THE RECALL - STARTER FAILED - COVERED UNDER WARRANTY - FAILED WATER PUMP AT 73K - I PAID FOR REPLACEMENT - STEERING GEAR AND PUMP REPLACEMENT BECAUSE THE STEERING LOCKS UP AT LOW SPEED @ 78K MY THIRD VEHICLE BUT FIRST GM AND THE EXPERIENCE WITH SATURN/GM HAVE BEEN FRUSTRATING. I SEE OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED SIMILAR FAILURE ON THIS MODE. DOCUMENTING THESE VEHICLES FOR FUTURE USE OR POSSIBLE HELP FROM GM OR DOT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10485183

Incident

Nov 19, 2012

Mileage

78,000 mi

I HAVE A 2009 SATURN OUTLOOK. MYSELF AND SEVERAL OTHERS HAVE HAD OUTLOOKS AND GMC ACADIAS THAT HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE WATER PUMPS. THIS SEEMS LIKE EITHER A DESIGN OR DEFECTIVE PART ISSUE WITH THESE GM CARS. IT SEEMS LIKE A RECALL SHOULD BE DONE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10472763

Incident

Jul 9, 2012

Mileage

30,000 mi

OWNER NOTICED A WHINING NOISE WHEN TURNING AT LOW SPEEDS. DEALER DIAGNOSED A FAILED STEERING RACK (PINION), LEAKING POWER STEERING PUMP, AND LEAKING WATER PUMP. VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED NEW IN 2009 AND CURRENTLY HAS 39,000 MILES (NO LONGER UNDER BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY). *TR

NHTSA ID

10470187

Incident

Jun 1, 2012

Mileage

37,000 mi

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WHILE DRIVING AND VEH IMMEDIATELY LOST POWER. COULD NOT DRIVE OVER 30MPH, AND ENGINE BEGAN SMOKING. DEALER STATED FUEL INJECTOR WAS "DUMPING GAS". (GUESS THAT WOULD EXPLAIN THE BAD GAS MILEAGE). FUEL INJECTOR AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER CHANGED. 5 MONTHS LATER CHECK ENGINE CAME ON AGAIN AT 44,000MI. DEALER STATES COMPRESSION PROBLEM WITH FUEL INJECTOR. THE FUEL INJECTOR WAS REPLACED AGAIN, BUT NOW THE DEALER IS SAYING THERE IS ALSO A PROBLEM WITH CAM SHAFT. MY VEH IS STILL IN THE SHOP AS OF TODAY, SO I AM STILL NOT SURE IF THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN RESOLVED. *JS

NHTSA ID

10452478

Incident

Oct 14, 2010

Mileage

32,000 mi