Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2009 Saturn Vue submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 10 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.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
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!
DRIVING VEHICLE AROUND 55MPH VEERED OFF ONTO LOOSE GRAVEL. HIT A DRAIN CULVERT FLEW INTO THE AIR, SLAMMED DOWN INTO A DITCH, AND HIT SEVERAL CUT TELEPHONE POLES USED AS LANDSCAPE DECORATIONS WITH NO FRONT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT. RECEIVED MEDICAL ATTENTION AND FILED POLICE REPORTS. *TR
THE SELLING DEALERSHIP LISTS THIS VEHICLES CURRENT CONDITION AS, "SUBURB CONDITION." THE FOLLOWING INSPECTION COMMENTS WERE PROVIDED TO ME WHEN AT THIS DEALERSHIP: A) DRIVERS SIDE SUN VISOR BROKEN, DOESN'T STAY IN PLACE; B) LEFT FRONT HEADLIGHT OUT; C) NO HEAT CONTROL (ALWAYS BLOWING COLD); D) DRIVERS SIDE LUMBAR ADJUSTER BROKEN OFF; E) AIR FILTER DIRTY; F) FRONT AND REAR BRAKES AT 3 MM. RECOMMEND FRONT AND REAR PADS AND ROTORS; G) "SMALL" OIL LEAK NEAR TRANSFER CASE; H) FRONT SWAY BAR LINKS "RATTLE" OVER BUMPS. AN ESTIMATE WAS PROVIDED FOR PARTS AND LABOR COSTS, BUT DID NOT INCLUDE PARTS AND LABOR COSTS FOR FIXING THE HEAT OR THE ENGINE LEAK(S). ALSO, LABOR COSTS WERE NOT PROVIDED FOR REPAIRING THE LUMBAR SUPPORT. THE TOTAL COST FOR THESE REPAIRS IS SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS. BASED ON THESE INSPECTION RESULTS, AND MY OWN OBSERVATION (I.E. THE TIRES DOT DATES AND WEAR INDICATE INSTABILITY IN CARS PERFORMANCE AND SAFETY), THE CURRENT CONDITION OF THIS VEHICLE IS NOT "SUBURB."
THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DUE TO A CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS A SURE FIX, I PAID 700 TO REPLACE AND A DAY AFTER PICKING UP FROM MY MECHANIC IT IS DOING IT AGAIN. IT WAS HESITANT AT FIRST BUT THEN IT STARTED AGAIN AND GOT WORSE. THE RPM ACCELERATING BUT SPEEDOMETER SLOWING DOWN. I TOOK IT BACK TO MY MECHANIC, HE READ SOMETHING TO ME ABOUT THE REPLACEMENT OF CONVERTER, IT SAID TO DRIVE IT FOR 1 HOUR AT HIGH SPEEDS TO BURN OFF INSIDE THE NEW CONVERTER, RESET THE LIGHT WHICH SHOULD FIX THE PROBLEM. I HAD ALREADY DRIVEN FOR 1 HOUR BECAUSE I LIVE AN HOUR AWAY. I HEAD HOME AND AS I'M GETTING ON THE ENTRANCE RAMP TO I-75 SOMETHING CAME THROUGH MY VENTS AND IN MY THROAT AND CHEST AND I START COUGHING REALLY BAD AND TIGHTNESS IN CHEST. I GOT UP TO 55MPH AND THE TRUCK STARTED JERKING AND I NOTICED THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DOWN TO THE FLOOR AND MY BRAKES LOCKED UP. IT WILL NOT GO MORE THAN 20-30MPH. I PULLED OVER TO THE SHOULDER AND WHILE STILL IN DRIVE THE TRUCK WILL NOT MOVE. CHECK ENGINE, ABS AND TRACTION LIGHTS CAME ON. I CALLED MECHANIC AND HE SUGGESTED I ROLL DOWN MY WINDOWS AND GET SOME AIR BECAUSE I WAS COUGHING SO BAD AND HAVE IT TOWED TO BE SAFE. CALLED ONSTAR AND NOW ABS CODES, TOLD TO TAKE IN FOR SERVICE WITHIN 7 DAYS, I ADVISED HER CANNOT DRIVE OVER 20MPH AND REQUESTED A TOW. A STATE TROOPER STOPPED TO ASSIST ME, SAID TO GET IN SAFER PLACE SO HE HELD TRAFFIC AND DROVE BEHIND ME TO GET OFF INTERSTATE WHILE I WAIT FOR TOW TRUCK. 7:32PM IN THE MIDST OF RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC AND 50 MILES FROM HOME. I WAS HORRIFIED! I WAITED 2 HOURS FOR A TOW THAT NEVER SHOWED, HAD TO GET A RIDE HOME AGAIN. EVENTUALLY GOT VEHICLE TO A GM DEALER. I RCVD A CALL FROM THE SERVICE DEPT WITH A QUOTE OF $5K OF REPAIRS TO INCLUDE A BRAKE JOB BECAUSE REAR PADS WERE METAL TO METAL. HAD BRAKES CHECKED 1WEEK BEFORE AND HAD 30% LEFT, LEADS ME TO BELIEVE IT WAS BRAKE DUST MAKING ME SICK.
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
I TURNED THE CORNER TO ENTER MY STREET, THERE IS A SLIGHT "S" CURVE TO ENTER MY STREET. I WAS NO MORE THAN 50 YARDS FROM THE CORNER WHEN MY VEHICLE REVVED LOUDLY, RPM TO 3500 AND ACCELERATED , I MANAGED TO AVOID MORE DAMAGED THAN WAS DONE, BUT IN THE INTERIM I HIT A 3' TALL BRICK MAIL BOX AND CAUSED DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE. THE GENTLEMAN WHOSE MAIL BOX I HIT SUGGESTED I RESEARCH RECALLS, - AND I FOUND A TON OF "LIKE" INCIDENCES WITH THESE VEHICLES AND TRANSMISSIONS. IT IS AMAZING NO ONE HAS BEEN KILLED. GENERAL CONSENSUS IS GM IS NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THESE SITUATIONS. GM KNOWS THE TRANSMISSION IS DEFECTIVE, BUT REFUSES TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE. PEOPLE HAVE BEEN LEFT STRANDED WITH A NON WORKING VEHICLE AND STILL OWING MONEY FOR THIS. THERE IS EVIDENCE OF FAILURE ON A CONTINUAL BASIS, BUT GM IS ABANDONING THE CAUSE. DISGUSTING SINCE WE THE TAX PAYERS BAILED THEM OUT WITH THEIR SUB STANDARD PRODUCT! *TR
WAS DRIVING ALONG 35 MPH. VEHICLE STARTED TO SMOKE PULL OVER PUT THE CAR IN PARK WHEN I GOT OUT TO CHECK TO SEE WHERE THE SMOKE WAS COMING FROM I SAW FLAMES UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE WITH MINUTES THE VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE WHOLE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE WAS CONSUMED BY FLAMES. *TR
GOING ONTO 105 FWY, NOTICED SMOKE FROM REAR VIEW MIRROR, PEDESTRIAN WAVING ME DOWN, 2 PEOPLE CAME UP W/EXT. FIRE IN ENGINE CAR WENT UP IMMEDIATELY, FOUND THERE WAS RECALL OF HOSE BECOMING LOSE THAT CAN CAUSE FIRE IN CAB, INS. DETERMINED THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED, WENT THROUGH GM, REP. SAYING THERE NOT SURE WHAT THERE GOING TO DO, I WOULD THINK THEY WOULD STAND BY THERE NAME AND REPLACE MY VEHICLE, I HAD JUST DROPPED MY DAUGHTER OFF BEFORE THE FIRE STARTED AND BARELY ESCAPED MYSELF. I WILL BE SEEKING LEGAL COUNCIL IF I'M NOT HAPPY WITH GM SOLUTION. I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SETTLE WITH GM AS I TOLD REP. *TR
I STARTED THE ENGINE AND HEARD A CLANG. I GOT OUT AND LOOKED UNDER MY CAR AND THERE WAS A PART OF THE AIR CONDITIONER COMPRESSOR (PART OF THE CLUTCH) LAYING ON THE GROUND. I TOOK IT IN FOR SERVICE AND WAS TOLD THE BEARINGS FAILED AND IT WAS FALLING APART. I NOTICED ON EDMOND'S THAT OTHERS WERE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE SAME MILEAGE FOR THE SAME MODEL SO I THOUGHT I SHOULD DOCUMENT THIS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 SATURN VUE. DURING A ROUTINE OIL CHANGE, THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THERE WERE PIECES OF METAL IN THE OIL FILTER. THE VEHICLE DIDN'T MALFUNCTION OR AFFECT HIS ABILITY TO DRIVE AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. HE SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE DEALER ON 03/02/2010. HE HAD NOT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER TO-DATE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 5,325. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,266.
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
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