Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2006 Saturn Vue submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 103 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 103, in the owner's own words
The key can be removed from the vehicle while being driven. Also the ignition doesn't "click" off when vehicle is parked and key is removed causing the battery to drain. There have been several recalls for this issue but not with the 2006 year model. This is a dangerous problem and there are very limited resources to get it resolved.
ignition gets stuck with key and locks steering wheel, now it wont shut off all the way to left and kills my battery looks like there has been MANY ignition issues and recalls with saturns which this is pretty important to have working to drive and be safe esp as a female in this world ..getting stuck or with a dead battery isnt good $300-400 at a gmc to fix this issue I feel personally this should be considered a recall fix
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AFFECTED . SOME DASH PANEL LIGHTS NOT WORKING & AIRBAG LIGHT STAYING ON
THERE IS A RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE, 2006 SATURN VUE FOR 2014 AND I WAS TOLD THIS CAN NO LONGER BE FIXED. IT IS A RECAL NUMBER 14506 AND I NEED TO KNOW WHERE I CAN GET THIS REPAIRED. I CAN REMOVE MY KEY WHILE THE IGNITION IS STILL RUNNING.
PURCHASED 2006 SATURN VUE REDLINE V6 3.5 AWD SUV USED ON FEBRUARY 5, 2019. SURPRISED DAYS LATER & SINCE TO SAFETY CONCERN INVOLVING BODY CONTROL MODULE. WITHOUT WARNING, LEADS TO LOSS OF POWER STEERING, INSTRUMENT PANEL GAUGES & LIGHTS, INTERIOR & EXTERIOR LIGHTING, DOME, HEAD AND BRAKE LIGHTS. SEEMS TO EFFECT ALL ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS UNDER CONTROL OF THIS MODULE, UNCERTAIN OF ALL INVOLVED. ASSUME THIS WOULD INCLUDE AIRBAGS AND OTHER SAFETY FEATURES. SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED LOSS OF POWER STEERING LEADS TO POTENTIAL LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL AT HIGH SPEEDS. INTERNET SEARCHES REVEAL COUNTLESS ENCOUNTERS BY OWNERS TO THIS SAME ISSUE. DURING COLD WEATHER ESPECIALLY, INITIAL START UP OF VEHICLE IN MORNING OR AFTER EXTENDED (FEW HOURS) PARKED, LEADS TO LOSS OF ALL ELECTRICAL POWER, 3 MINUTES AFTER START UP, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM SEEMS POSSESSED. ALL LIGHTS, INTERIOR/EXTERIOR FLASH FOR SEVERAL MINUTES. AFTER, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON, BELIEVE CODE IS P0685. SEEMS TO INDICATE PCM. ALSO CAUSES LOSS OF POWER AFTER DRIVING FOR PERIOD OF TIME. I HAVE PERSONALLY LOST POWER STEERING AND ELECTRICAL POWER AT 65 MPH AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. NO SPEEDOMETER, NO ANYTHING. NEARLY LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE, NARROWLY AVOIDING HEAD ON COLLISION WITH CEMENT MEDIAN DIVIDER. CANNOT BELIEVE THERE IS NO RECALL! CANNOT BELIEVE THERE HAS BEEN NO FIX FOR OWNERS WITHOUT COST. WHAT WILL THIS TAKE? DEATH OF AN OWNER?
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SATURN VUE. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, AN ABNORMAL CLICKING NOISE WAS HEARD FROM ALL FOUR DOORS AND THE INTERIOR DOME LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED. IN ADDITION, WHEN THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE, TWO SMALL LOCK ICONS DISPLAYED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO EAST HILLS CHEVROLET OF FREEPORT (42 EAST SUNRISE HIGHWAY, FREEPORT, NY 11520), BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.
I AM THE 2ND OWNER OF MY SATURN VUE 2006. SINCE I ACQUIRED THE VEHICLE I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REMOVE THE KEY WHILE THE VEHICLES IS: RUNNING, STATIONARY OR DRIVING, IN-GEAR OR NOT. I'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT OF THIS AS A UNIQUE FEATURE (IT'S BEEN SURPRISINGLY HELPFUL!). TODAY I SAW SOMETHING ABOUT A "GM IGNITION SWITCH RECALL" (NO, I DON'T LIVE UNDER A ROCK, I JUST MISSED THIS). I ENTERED MY VIN AND IT DIDN'T COME BACK WITH A RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH IT, SO THIS MIGHT NOT EVEN BE AN ISSUE? I JUST WANT TO BE CERTAIN IN CASE THIS IS A DANGEROUS "FEATURE". THANK YOU FOR CHECKING FOR ME!
2006 SATURN VUE IGNITION SWITCH TURNS EXTREMELY HARD MOST OF THE RIME WHEN TRYING TO START THE CAR. I CAN ALSO REMOVE THE IGNITION KEY WHEN THE KEY IS NOT IN THE 'OFF' POSITION. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THE REASON IT TURNS SO HARD IS BECAUSE IT'S A SAFETY MECHANISM. I HAVE TO ROCK THE KEY BACK AND FORTH FOR A COUPLE OF MINUTES, SOMETIMES. OTHER TIMES, I ONLY HAVE TO ROCK IT ONCE OR TWICE. I CAN FEEL IT 'CATCHING' AND NOT WANTING TO MOVE PAST THE OFF POSITION. BEING ABLE TO REMOVE THE KEY WITHOUT IT BEING IN THE 'OFF' POSITION IS A SAFETY ISSUE. THE KEY HAS ALWAYS TURNED HARD SINE I PURCHASED THE CAR IN 2009. IT HAS GOTTEN MUCH WORSE IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS. THIS HAPPENS WHETHER I AM PARKED ON A CITY STREET, OR ANY OTHER PLACE INCLUDING INCLINES AND DECLINES, MY DRIVEWAY, ETC. THE IGNITION IS IN THE OFF POSITION AND I AM TRYING TO START IT WHEN IT TURNS EXTREMELY HARD.
I WAS DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED ABOUT 60 MILES PER HOUR STEPPED DOWN ON ACCELERATOR A LITTLE HARDER IN ORDER TO PASS SOMEBODY AND THE THROTTLE STUCK WIDE OPEN ENGINE WAS RACING CAR WAS SPEEDING UP. I TRIED TO USE THE BRAKES BUT THEY WERE INSUFFICIENT I SHIFTED THE CAR TO NEUTRAL PULL OVER AND THEN TURN THE ENGINE OFF WHEN I START IT AGAIN THE PROBLEM WAS GONE. I DO NOT WISH TO DRIVE THIS CAR UNTIL THIS IS FIXED
MY CARS HUBCAPS HAVE FELL OFF SEVERAL TIMES AND J CAN'T FIND A SIZE THAT FITS 2 OF THEM SO I DON'T HAVE ANY. MY IGNITION SWITCH GETS STUCK WHILE PARKED AND I'VE BEEN LOCKED OUT IF MY CAR SEVERAL TIMES. THERE ARE TIMES WHERE IT WON'T TURN AT ALL AND I HAVE TO LOCK THE STEERING WHEEL AND TRY TO JIGGY THE KEY FOREVER. THE KEY DOESN'T TURN ALL THE WAY TO THE OFF SWITCH AND THE KEY CAN BE REMOVED WHILE DRIVING. NOW MY PASSENGER SIDE DOOR WON'T UP. I USE THE KEY TO UNLOCK THE DOOR AND THE THING POPS UP BUT THE DOOR WON'T OPEN AND SINCE I ONLY HAVE ONE DOOR WITH A KEY HOLE ALL THE OTHER DOORS STAY LOCKED AS WELL. SO I'VE SPENT HUNDREDS ON LOCKSMITHS OR I HAVE TO KEEP PULLING THE HANDLE OR BANGING ON THE DOOR OR MY HUSBAND PUSHES THE DOOR AN SHAKES THE ENTIRE CAR. THIS IS EMBARRASSING AND FRUSTRATING AS WELL AS DANGEROUS SINCE J CAN'T LOCK MY DOORS. SOMETIMES WHEN I LEAVE THE DOORS UNLOCKED THEY LOCK ON THEIR OWN AFTER I WALK AWAY. I HAVE TO CRAWL THROUGH THE PASSENGERS SIDE DOOR TO GET IN WHEN THE DRIVERS DOOR WON'T OPEN. THIS CAR HAS A MIND OF ITS OWN!
ALL FOUR HEAD LIGHTS OUT OF NOWHERE JUST STARTED TO FLASH AND IT WENT FROM A FLASH TO OUT NOT COMING ON AT ALL AND I HAVE CHECKED ALL FUSES RELAYS AND LIGHTBULBS JUST DRIVING DOWN A DRY ROAD NO WATER AT ALL
IGNITION KEY FALLS OUT WHILE VEHICLE IS RUNNING AND IN GEAR, DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION.
ON THE FIRST START OF THE DAY, AT OR BELOW 24 DEGREES F, THE INTERIOR ITEMS FLASH ON AND OFF UNTIL THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WARMED UP. I ALSO LEARNED THAT IF THE IGNITION WAS ON FOR ABOUT 3 MINUTES IT WAS THE SAME AS IF IT WAS RUNNING. I LIVE IN NASHVILLE AND FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS IT ONLY OCCURRED WHEN THE OUTSIDE TEMP WAS 24 DEGREES OR BELOW. THE FLASHING ON AND OFF OF THE LIGHTS AND EQUIPMENT IS THE BODY CONTROL MODULE PROTECTING THEM WHEN THE CHARGE RATE IS TOO HIGH. IT WAS CONSIDERED AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM AND WHO CAN TROUBLESHOOT AT OR BELOW 24 DEGREES? A MONTH AGO (JULY) IT STARTED ALL THE TIME, NO FLASHING, NO STEERING, NO DASH INSTRUMENTS, ETC. LONGER STORY SHORT WITH THE PLUG REMOVED FROM THE ALTERNATOR (IT CONTROLS THE FIELD VOLTAGE THROUGH THE ECM/PCM) THE ALTERNATOR WAS STILL PUTTING OUT 18.5 VOLTS. THIS DEFINITELY SHOULD NOT OCCUR BUT SOMETHING WAS BAD WRONG INSIDE THE ALTERNATOR. IT WAS BOILING THE ACID OUT OF THE BATTERY TOO. ONCE THE ALTERNATOR WAS REMOVED (BENCH CHECKED FAILED) AND REPLACED IT ALL WENT AWAY. IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE WEATHER GETS BELOW 24 DEGREES AGAIN. THIS ALTERNATOR IS MANUFACTURED BY GM, IS DISCONTINUED AND NO LONGER AVAILABLE FROM GM. ONLY REMANUFACTURED UNITS FROM CHINA ARE AVAILABLE AT THE AFTERMARKET PARTS STORES. THERE IS NO TROUBLESHOOTING PROCEDURE IN THE MAINTENANCE MANUAL FOR THIS PROBLEM. THE ALTERNATOR PLUG CAN BE DISCONNECTED WITHOUT ANY DISASSEMBLY. THIS WAS THE SECOND FAILURE OF THE ALTERNATOR ON THIS VUE THE FIRST OCCURRED AT 87,000 MILES. IT SEEMS THERE IS A DESIGN FLAW IN THE COMPONENTS OF THIS ALTERNATOR.
WHILE I WAS SITTING IN MY CAR WAITING FOR MY DAUGHTER TO GET OUT OF WORK, THE CAR WAS RUNNING, WHEN THERE WAS SMOKE POURING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. I IMMEDIATELY SHUT THE CAR OFF AND THE SMOKE DISSIPATED. THIS WAS 2 DAYS AGO AND NOW MY WIPERS DO NOT WORK. MY MECHANIC SAID THAT THE AIR BAG WIRES HAD CAUGHT FIRE AND BURNED OUT THE WIPERS.
I THOUGHT I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE ABOUT THE IGNITION SWITCH. WHEN I'M DRIVING ALONG, IT'S POSSIBLE TO PULL THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION, AND THAT SHOULDN'T HAPPEN! WHEN STOPPED, THE KEY CAN ALSO BE PULLED COMPLETELY OUT BEFORE THE IGNITION SWITCH HAS COME TO THE OFF POSITION. IT IS VERY HARD TO THEN GET THE KEY BACK IN.
SITTING IN TRAFFIC AT A LIGHT IN DRIVE WITH BRAKES APPLIED NOT MOVING,1989 CHEVY PICK UP TRUCK ,HIT MY BACK BUMPER,THE LIGHT ON MY DASH INDICATED THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED,AND A LIGHT ON MY DASH SAID PASSENGER AIR BAG IS OFF,THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY.TOOK MY CAR TO THE NEAREST CHEVROLET DEALER KENDALL OF NAMPA IDAHO,THEY SAID CODE# BOO92 5256 CAME UP AND THEY SAID THE HEATING ELEMENT FOR THE PASSENGER SEAT WENT OUT (NO ONE WAS SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT , AND I NEVER USE THE HEATED SEATS ) THE DEALER SAID THE HEATED SEATS ARE CONNECTED TO MY AIR BAGS AND MY AIR BAGS CAN'T BE TURNED ON UNTIL THE HEAT ELEMENT FOR THE SEAT IS REPAIRED. I THOUGHT THAT A FEDERAL LAW WAS PASSED IN THE EARLY 1990'S THAT THE AIR BAG SYSTEM WAS TO BE ON IT'S OWN CIRCUIT SO IT CAN NOT BE TURNED OFF BY ANY OTHER CIRCUITS? I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS TRUE I BOUGHT THIS CAR IN 2006 BRAND NEW ,AND I FEEL THE CHEVROLET CORPORATION SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIRS. PLEASE RESPOND AS FAST AS YOU CAN BECAUSE I HAVE ONLY ONE CAR, AND THE GUY THAT HIT ME HIS INSURANCE IS LOOKING INTO IT .THANK GOD I WASN'T HURT OR THE GUY THAT HIT ME,THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LOOK INTO THIS MATTER FOR ME. HAVE A GOOD DAY.
UPON INITIAL STARTUP, ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS DO NOT WORK IN THE DASH AND LIGHT AND POWER STEERING. AFTER IT WARMS UP, IT WILL BEGIN TO WORK. SPARKS AND BURNING SMELLS HAVE COME FROM THE DASH AREA. THIS PROBLEM IS PARTICULARLY BAD IN COLD WEATHER. IF YOU ATTEMPT TO DRIVE IT BEFORE THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS WARM UP AND START TO WORK THE SPARKS ARE REALLY BAD AND YOU HAVE NO POWER STEERING. THIS PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE VERY COMMON AS I HAVE SEEN SEVERAL POSTS ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND OTHER COMPLAINT BOARDS. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN OCCURRING FOR AT LEAST A YEAR AND A HALF BUT IT'S PARTICULARLY NOTICEABLE IN THE WINTER..183K MILES.
THE KEY FALLS OUT OF THE IGNITION. THE KEY SYSTEM IS UNSAFE.
SMOKE COMING OUT OF STEERING WHEEL, WHILE IN MOTION ON A CITY STREET.
I WAS STRANDED SEVERAL TIMES BY THE IGNITION SWITCH REFUSING TO TURN OR ENGAGE TO START THE ENGINE. I CHECKED RECALL NOTICES AND NOTICED THAT OTHER YEARS, LIKE THE 2004, HAD RECEIVED RECALL NOTICES TO HAVE THE IGNITION LOCK CYLINDER REPLACED. I NEVER RECEIVED A RECALL AND I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF I MISSED A RECALL NOTIFICATION. I HAD TO PAY $332.30 (INCLUDING LABOR) IN JULY, 2016 TO HAVE THE IGNITION LOCK CYLINDER REPLACED, INCLUDING HAVING THE LOCK CYLINDER REKEYED TO MY ORIGINAL KEYS. MY MECHANIC TOLD ME HE HAD JUST HAD ANOTHER PERSON IN THE PREVIOUS WEEK WITH THE EXACT SAME ISSUE. IS THERE ANY RECOURSE FOR ME? *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SATURN VUE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 55 MPH, A PUFF OF SMOKE AND AN ABNORMAL ODOR EMITTED FROM THE STEERING WHEEL WITHOUT WARNING. IN ADDITION, THE HIGH BEAM INDICATOR FLASHED ON AND OFF INDEPENDENTLY. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT ON ANOTHER OCCASION, THE HIGH BEAM AND LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS OPERATED INDEPENDENTLY AND FAILED TO SHUT OFF AS THE VEHICLE WAS OFF. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO SHUT OFF THE LIGHTS BY STARTING THE VEHICLE AND THEN SHUTTING IT OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 162,007.
7-25-2016, I WAKEUP TO USE BATHROOM, THEN LOOKING OUT TO MY BACKYARD I SEE MY LIGHTS ON MY SATURN VUE ARE ON. SO I QUICKLY GET MY KEYS AND TRY TURNING LIGHTS OFF BUT THEY WOULDN'T TURN OFF, THEN I GO OUTSIDE TO VEHICLE TO TURN THEM OFF BUT THEY STILL WOULDN'T GO OUT. SO MY HUSBAND WAKES UP AND COMES OUTSIDE AND TURN VEHICLE ON AND SWITCHES SWITCH BACK AND FORWARD AND THEN THEY GO OUT. BUT WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THIS VEHICLE WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?
WHEN YOU TRY TO START THE CAR WHEN IT'S COLD, ALL OF THE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR LIGHTS COME ON, RADIO COMES ON, AND THEN THE LIGHTS AND RADIO GO OFF AND THE POWER STEERING STOPS WORKING. AFTER A FEW ATTEMPTS AND ABOUT 5 MINUTES PASS, IT WORKS PROPERLY. SOME TIMES, UNEXPECTEDLY, ALL THE LIGHTS IN THE CAR START FLASHING, I REPLACED THE IGNITION SWITCH, BODY CONTROL MODULE, THE ALTERNATOR, AND HAVE A BRAND NEW BATTERY (2 IN 6MO). NOTHING CHANGES.
WHEN IT IS COLD, IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN THE KEY IN THE IGNITION. ITS TAKES APPROX. 30-45 MINUTES TO TRY AND GET THE KEY TO TURN OVER. ALSO, ONCE THE CAR IS ON IT IS EXTREMELY EASY FOR THE KEY TO COME OUT OF THE IGNITION WHILE THE CAR IS RUNNING. MY TRANSMISSION ALSO SHAKES UNCONTROLLABLY IN THE PARK OF BRAKE POSITION. WHEN GOING UP AND HILLS OR DRIVING ON ROUGH ROADS MY SPEED DECREASES WITH OUT MY CONTROL. MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH. I HAVE HAD TO GO IT CHECKED BUT, WAS TOLD THAT THE PROBLEMS THEY ARE MENTIONED ARE NOT PROBLEMS AT ALL AND THEY CAN NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THE ENGINE LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON.
WHEN YOU TRY TO START THE CAR WHEN IT'S COLD, ALL OF THE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR LIGHTS COME ON, RADIO COMES ON, AND THEN THE LIGHTS AND RADIO GO OFF AND THE POWER STEERING STOPS WORKING. AFTER A FEW ATTEMPTS AND ABOUT 5 MINUTES PASS, IT WORKS PROPERLY. SOME TIMES, UNEXPECTEDLY, ALL THE LIGHTS IN THE CAR START FLASHING, THE LOCKS ON THE DOORS LOCK AND UNLOCK REPEATEDLY WHILE DRIVING. WE'VE REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION, THE IGNITION SWITCH, THE ALTERNATOR, AND HAVE A BRAND NEW BATTERY (2X IN 6MO). THIS CAR IS POSSESSED! I WORRY FOR THE SAFETY OF MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER WHILE DRIVING THIS CAR.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .