2004 Saturn VUE engine problems

ENGINE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN VUE. WHILE THE CONTACT'S DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE, THE KEY FELL OUT OF THE IGNITION. THE FAILURE OCCURRED MORE THAN TWICE WHILE DRIVING. IN ADDITION, THE STEERING WHEEL MADE AN ABNORMAL SQUEAKY AND RATTLING SOUND WHILE BEING TURNED. EXCESSIVE FORCE HAD TO BE USED TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL. ALSO, THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR WAS ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, BUT THE POWER STEERING AND IGNITION FAILURES WERE NOT DIAGNOSED BECAUSE THEY DID NOT HAVE THE PROPER ELECTRIC TOOLS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 250,000.

NHTSA complaint #11192156 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

WHILE MY CAR IS RUNNING I CAN'T TAKE MY KEY OUT ALSO WHEN I TURN MY HEATER ON MY CAR WILL JERK ETC

NHTSA complaint #11175942 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

I PULLED UP TO A STOP SIGN AND THE ENGINE DIED. WHEN I TURNED THE KEY, I COULD HEAR THE PISTONS IMPACTING THE VALVES. THE TIMING CHAIN SLIPPED AND BECAUSE THIS IS AN INTERFERENCE ENGINE, IT DESTROYED THE ENGINE. MY MECHANIC HAS OFFERED A REMANUFACTURED ENGINE WITH A WARRANTY FOR $3000+ OR A USED JUNKYARD ENGINE FOR $2000+. THE VEHICLE IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION BUT WILL MOST LIKELY NEED TO BE SCRAPPED BECAUSE IT'S NOT LOGICAL TO SPEND THAT MUCH MONEY ON A CAR THAT IS ONLY WORTH $1800. ALL OF THIS AFTER I'VE SPENT OVER $1000 REPLACING THE WHOLE SUSPENSION, SHIFT CABLES, BRAKES, AND CALIPERS. THIS ENGINE AND TIMING CHAIN SETUP HAS BEEN USED IN MANY GM VEHICLES AND HAS BEEN RECALLED IN THE SATURN LS. BUT NOT IN ANY OF THE OTHER MODELS WHICH USE THE SAME SETUP. IT'S RIDICULOUS AND THEY SHOULD HAVE ALL BEEN RECALLED.

NHTSA complaint #10746132 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN VUE. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, AN ABNORMAL NOISE EMITTED FROM THE ENGINE WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,200.

NHTSA complaint #10702192 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

I CAN PULL MY KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION WHILE IT IS RUNNING. I WAS TOLD THAT MY CAR DOES NOT HAVE AN ACTIVE RECALL EVEN THOUGH IT IS DOING THE SAME THING AS THE SATURN VUES THEY ARE RECALLING.

NHTSA complaint #10664700 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED IN THE MORNING TO MOVE IT A SHORT DISTANCE. UPON ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE LATER IN THE MORNING, IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO START THE ENGINE. IT ATTEMPTED TO TURN OVER AND MADE SOME MUFFLED NOISES AND THEN WOULD ONLY CRANK WITH NO SIGN OF FIRING. UPON RESEARCHING THE ISSUE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT A TIMING FAILURE WAS LIKELY. ONCE THE TIMING COVER WAS OPENED IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE PLASTIC CHAIN GUIDE HAD BROKEN INTO FOUR PIECES. ADDITIONAL DAMAGE INCLUDED A PARTIALLY SHEARED OILER NOZZLE, STRIPPED BOLT HOLES FOR BOTH LOWER AND UPPER ATTACHMENT POINTS FOR THE PLASTIC CHAIN GUIDE, BENT INTAKE VALVES ON EVERY CYLINDER AND DINGS ON THE INTAKE SIDE OF THE PISTONS. AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT THE VEHICLE WAS ALSO FITTED WITH THE OLD STYLE TENSIONER (FLAT BOLT HEAD STYLE) AND THE ORIGINAL TIMING CHAIN OILER. THE TIMING CHAIN WAS EVALUATED AGAINST A NEW CHAIN AND WAS DETERMINED TO HAVE STRETCHED THE LENGTH OF ONE LINK. THE HEAD WAS PULLED AND SENT FOR REPAIR WHERE THE VALVE DAMAGE WAS EXPOSED; IN ADDITION THREE VALVE GUIDES WERE CRACKED AND THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT ABRADED AREA ON ONE OF THE CAM RACES. THE HEAD WAS DETERMINED TO BE A LOSS AND A NEW HEAD WAS PURCHASED. THERE APPEARS TO BE MINOR DAMAGE TO THE PISTON TOPS, AND THEY ARE CURRENTLY BEING EVALUATED. SO FAR THIS INCIDENT HAS COST APPROXIMATELY $1000 IN PARTS AND DIY LABOR. IT HAS CAUSED ME TO MISS OVER TWO WEEKS OF WORK ($600-$800) AS AN INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR WHO RELIES ON THIS VEHICLE. GIVEN THE EXTENT OF SIMILAR EXPERIENCES INVOLVING THE ECOTEC 2.2 L ENGINE THIS VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH, IT IS SURPRISING THAT THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL.

NHTSA complaint #10662623 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MY AUTO REPAIR SHOP BECAUSE OF THE RECENT ONSET OF AN UNUSUAL RUMBLING SOUND WHEN DECELERATING. AFTER A TEST DRIVE AND INSPECTION THE MECHANIC WROTE THESE COMMENTS ON THE REPAIR INVOICE. "DETERMINED FRONT FRAME RUSTED THROUGH CAUSING EXTREME MOVEMENT OF ENGINE CRADLE AND ENGINE ASSEMBLY. UNIBODY IS RUSTED OUT. THIS VEHICLE IS PROBABLY TOTALED AND THIS INFORMATION SHOULD BE GIVEN TO THE NHTSA. CAUTION: THIS VEHICLE IS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE AND SHOULD BE TAKEN OFF THE STREET IMMEDIATELY." BOTH THE MECHANIC AND MYSELF FEEL THAT THIS SHOULDN'T HAVE HAPPEDED TO A TEN YEAR OLD CAR WITH LESS THAN 86,000 MILES THAT HAS BEEN PRPERLY MAINTAINED. THE MECHANIC ALSO PHOTOGRAPHED THE DAMAGE. YOUR PROMPT ATTENTION WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.

NHTSA complaint #10621979 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

I TRIED TO RESTART MY ENGINE. ALTHOUGH IT TURNED OVER, IT WOULDN'T START. SO I TOOK MY CAR TO A CERTIFIED MECHANIC, AND HE CONCLUDED THAT THERE HAS BEEN A SHORTAGE IN THE SYSTEM, WHICH CAUSED A FUSE TO BE BLOWN. HE REPLACED THE FUSE, AND MY CAR STILL DIDN'T START. AFTER THAT, HE USED HIS DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE, AND SAW THAT I NEEDED A NEW IGNITION SWITCH, WHICH IS WHY IT DIDN'T START.

NHTSA complaint #10607230 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

THE TRANSMISSION FOR MY SATURN VUE (2004) WAS REPLACED IN 2010 WHEN MY VEHICLE HAD 77637 MILES. THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED IN 2010 AFTER RECEIVING A LETTER FROM SATURN NOTIFYING OF ISSUE WITH INTELLIGENCE (VTI) TRANSMISSION AND MY VEHICLE EXPERIENCING ISSUES. MY NOW SECOND TRANSMISSION IS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS THE FIRST TRANSMISSION HAD. THE MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THE VEHICLE HAS SAID THAT IT IS NOT NORMAL FOR A VEHICLE TO HAVE THE SAME TRANSMISSION ISSUE AND I KNOW MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS HAVE NOT EXPERIENCE THIS TYPE OF ISSUE WITH THEIR VEHICLES. THIS LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT THIS IS NOT NORMAL AND THAT THE ISSUE WITH THE INTELLIGENCE (VTI) TRANSMISSION HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED. I AM ASKING FOR GMC TO COVER THE COST TO REPLACE THE NEW DEFECTED TRANSMISSION FOR MY VEHICLE. I WOULD LIKE FOR THIS ISSUE TO BE ESCALATED. MY EXPERIENCE WITH GMC PRODUCT AND CUSTOMER SERVICES I RECEIVE FROM JAY HAS LEFT ME VERY DISAPPOINTED AND DISSATISFIED WITH GMC. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE IS ANYONE WHO CAN HELP ME FIGHT THIS ISSUE WITH GMC.

NHTSA complaint #10564878 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN VUE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NEED REPLACING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER OF THE TRANSMISSION WAS NO LONGER IN BUSINESS. THE VEHICLE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BUT PROVIDED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 115,000. UPDATED 07/06/12 *BF THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED SHE RETURNED TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES, TO FIX THE FUEL GAUGE PROBLEM. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED, WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE A FAULTY 02 SENSOR. UPDATED 10/02/12

NHTSA complaint #10462725 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

THE TRANSMISSION IS FAULTY, AND COSTS MORE TO REPAIR THAN THE PRICE OF THE ENTIRE VEHICLE.

NHTSA complaint #10433759 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS

TIMING BELT BROKE AND CAUSED VEHICLE TO STALL WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AT 45MPH, THIS IN TURN CAUSED MAJOR VALVE DAMAGE TO VEHICLE. POOR ENGINEER DESIGN/FLAWED. STILL PAYING PAYMENTS AND NOW OWE LARGE REPAIR BILL. IT WAS 1,500 MI OUT OF EXTENDED WARRANTY I PURCHASED AT THE DEALER. I HAVE ONLY OWNED THE VEHICLE BARELY 2 YEARS AND IT HAS BEEN IN FOR MANY MISC. REPAIRS INCLUDING BOTH BRAKE CYLINDERS.

NHTSA complaint #10427969 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM

WHEN THE CAR IS IDLING, THE AC STOPS ALTOGETHER. WHEN THE CAR IS IN MOTION, IT SOMETIMES WORKS AND SOMETIMES DOES NOT. WHEN IT DOES WORK, IT DOES RUN AT FULL CAPACITY AND WILL SOMETIMES EVEN BLOW HOT AIR EVEN THOUGH THE AC IS TURNED ON. IT IS HIT OR MISS WHEN TURNING THE VENT SETTINGS AS IT DOESN'T ALWAYS REDIRECT THE AIR FLOW. ALSO, IT IS HIT OR MISS FOR THE AC TO TURN OFF WHEN SWITCHED TO THE OFF POSITION (HOT OR COLD AIR MAY CONTINUE TO BLOW).

NHTSA complaint #10418543 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

I WOULD LIKE TO FILE A COMPLAINT ON MY 2004 SATURN VUE. I HAVE DONE A LOT OF LOOKING AROUND ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND THAT THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF TIMING CHAIN FAILURES ON THE SATURNS. I RECENTLY HAD MINE GO OUT ON MY VUE AT 90,000 MILES AND AM IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING IT FIXED WHICH COULD COST ME UPWARDS OF $2,000. IS THERE ANY FORM OF A RECALL O THIS AND WHAT ARE IF ANY ARE MY OPTIONS FOR EITHER SATURN FIXING IT OR REIMBURSING ME ANY AMOUNT. COULD YOU PLEASE CONTACT ME WITH ANY INFORMATION YOU HAVE . THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR HELP.

NHTSA complaint #10295918 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

REPEATED FAILURE OF IGNITION CONTROL MODULE/COIL PACK ON 2004 VUE 2.2 ECOTEC MOTOR CAUSED DAMAGE TO CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND O2 SENSOR JANUARY 6, 2009 THEN AGAIN MARCH 31, 2009.

NHTSA complaint #10263982 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

CAR HAD A STRANGE TICKING NOISE ,DROPPED THE CAR OFF AT SATURN DEALER SHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT I NEEDED TO REPLACE A TIMING CHAIN,FOR A FEE OF 1,000 DOLLARS ,I SEARCHED NHTSA AND FOUND A RECALL EXACTLY LIKE THIS ONE BUT FOR A 2001 ONLY. MY CAR IS A 2004 AND ONLY HAS 34,000 MILES.

NHTSA complaint #10241149 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

SATURN VUE AWD 2004 PISTON ROD BECAME BENT , ACCORDING TO A MECHANIC THAT LOOKED AT THE CAR, ALTHOUGH THERE WAS PLENTY OF OIL IN THE CAM CASE, THE ENGINE WIL NOT RUN AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE WERE ANY RECALLS ON THIS MODEL VEHICLE CONCERNING THE ENGINE.

NHTSA complaint #10216162 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

I HAVE UNFORTUNATELY OWNED MY SATURN 2004 VUE FOR 2 YEARS. THE FIRST 3 MONTHS OF HAVING IT, AFTER HAVING TO REPLACE MY 2003 VUE FOR ALL THE PROBLEMS IT HAD WAS IN THE SHOP THE FIRST 4 MONTHS OF PURCHASE. THE POWER ENGINE FAILURE LIGHT WOULD GO ON AND I WOULD LOSE ALL POWER TO THE CAR. THEY HAD NO IDEA HOW TO FIX IT. THEN THE BACK WINDSHIELD SHATTERED. THE GAS MILEAGE IS HORRIBLE AND THE WHOLE GAS TANK AND ODOMETER HAS HAD TO BE REPLACED. I WOULD FEEL THE CAR UP WITH GAS AND THE ODOMETER WOULD GO TO FULL AND MOVE BACK UP TO HALF FULL. THE CAR IS IN THE SHOP AGAIN FOR THROTTLE AND ENGINE PROBLEMS AGAIN. HAVE HAD THE REAL DISPLEASURE OF WORKING WITH A VERY RUDE LADY AT SATURN BY THE NAME OF MARCIA WHO CLEARLY DOES NOT CARE ABOUT ONES SAFETY IN THEIR VEHICLE. ACCORDING TO SATURN THE NEWER VEHICLES HAVE HAD THESE PROBLEMS FIXED. HOWEVER, I MUST SAY HAVING BEEN A SATURN OWNER FOR 12 YEARS NOW MY FAITH IN THEIR PRODUCT IS GONE.

NHTSA complaint #10177110 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

CHIME SOUNDS WHEN STARTING VEHICLE AND PLACING INTO REVERSE OR DRIVE. CAR SOMETIMES STALLS WHEN CHIME IS SOUNDING. ACCORDING TO MANUFACTURER, THE CHIME INDICATES A PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINE. ACCORDING TO MANUFACTURER, SATURN, IT IS COVERED BY TSB 1700388. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE AUGUST OF 2005. INCREASE IN FREQUENCY AND SEVERITY. DEALER UNABLE TO FIX PROBLEM EVEN WHEN FOLLOWING TSB.

NHTSA complaint #10154333 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

NEW 2004 SATURN VUE(2WD) WITH 3.5 LITER V6, PURCHASED IN JULY 2004 1ST SYMPTOM: POOR FUEL EFFICIENCY 16MPG CITY INSTEAD OF 20MPG; WORSE DURING RAIN 22-24MPG HWY INSTEAD OF 28MPG; 19MPG OVERALL AVERAGE -DEALER RESPONSE NORMAL FOR FIRST 5K MILES, I'M NOW OVER 8K 2ND SYMPTOM: ENGINE BACKFIRES AFTER COLD START; WORSE DURING RAIN -DEALER RESPONSE NO TROUBLE FOUND, CHANGED OIL 3RD SYMPTOM: SLOW TO START WHEN PARKED ON SLIGHT UPWARD INCLINE -HAVEN'T NOTIFIED DEALER YET 4TH SYMPTOM: LOW COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON BUT COOLANT LEVEL WAS OK -WILL BE TAKING IT IN TO DEALER I'M CONCERNED ABOUT TAKING IT IN FOR SERVICE AFTER READING SIMILAR REPORTS ON THIS VEHICLE AND NUMEROUS TALES OF POOR RESOLUTION. PLEASE NOTIFY OR POST ABOUT ANY NEW BULLETINS OR RESOLUTIONS THAT MAY BE HELPFUL.

NHTSA complaint #10116691 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

ENGINE STALLED AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, WHICH WAS DANGEROUS WHILE ON THE ROAD. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR A CHECK UP, BUT THE CAUSE WAS UNDETERMINED.*AK VEHICLE ACCELERATED TOO FAST WHEN PRESSING GAS PEDAL TO START AUTO AFTER STALLING. *BF

NHTSA complaint #10113257 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

NEW VEHICLE WITH LESS THAN 2,500 MILES-2004 VUE. THEY WANT TO "FIX" REPLACE/REPAIR ENGINE FAILURE. WE KNOW THAT OTHER SYSTEMS CAN/WILL BE AFFECTED BY TOTAL BREAKDOWN ON INTERSTATE-IMMEDIATE ENGINE BLOW-NO POWER ETC. WE ARE NOT SATISFIED WITH THE "OFFER" OF REPAIR AND MINIMUM "WARRANTY" COVERAGE AS "ADDITIONALLY COURTESY OFFER".

NHTSA complaint #10100362 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

I PURCHASED A 2004 SATURN VIEW, NEW, AUGUST 21, 2004. ON SEPTEMBER 18, 2004 I DROVE THROUGH WATER ON THE ROAD, ANKLE DEEP. THE ENGINE STOPPED, AND IT HAD TO BE TOWED. THE CAR HAD 2,000 MILES ON IT. THE MECHANIC WHO WAS SENT BY SATURN'S 800 ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE NUMBER LOOKED AT THE CAR AND SAID I PROBABLY BURNED OUT THE ALTERNATOR BECAUSE IT'S ON THE BOTTOM. HE SAID THE PROBLEM WAS TO BE RECTIFIED ON THE 2005 MODEL. WHEN I CALLED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT ON 9/20 THE SERVICE PERSON (EITHER JACOB OR BRIAN) I SPOKE TO SAID THAT THE AIR INTAKE, NEAR THE BOTTOM HAD SUCKED ROAD WATER INTO THE ENGINE AND DAMAGED THE ENGINE. IT WAS PROBABLY BECAUSE WHEN I DROVE THROUGH THE WATER IT CREATED A WAVE AND THE WAVE WATER WAS SUCKED INTO THE AIR INTAKE. THEY WOULDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS WRONG UNTIL THE ENGINE WAS TAKEN APART. HE ALSO SAID IT WOULD NOT BE COVERED BY THE WARRANTY BECAUSE IT IS NOT A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT (ALTHOUGH I WOULD BEG TO DIFFER SINCE WHAT MANUFACTURER PUTS AN AIR INTAKE WHERE ROAD WATER CAN BE SUCKED INTO THE ENGINE) AND HE ALSO SAID THE L300 MODEL ALSO HAVE THEIR AIR INTAKE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ENGINE. I CONTACTED SATURN IN TENNESSEE (CLAIM 1-13554677) AND AN AREA SERVICE MANAGER NAMED MARCIA TOLD ME THAT AFTER THEY REVIEWED MY SITUATION THEY WERE NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING FOR ME. WHAT I HAVE IS AN SUV WITH AN AIR INTAKE THAT IS IN A POSITION WHERE EVERY TIME THERE'S WATER, I RISK DAMAGING MY ENGINE , AND THE LAST 3 YEARS WE'VE AVERAGED 103 INCHES OF SNOW EACH WINTER). I DID ASK SATURN TO GET ME OUT OF THIS VEHICLE AS IT IS NOT FIT FOR PERFORMANCE AS WARRANTED FOR AN SUV, BUT THEY SAID NO. THIS VEHICLE, BY EXPLANATION FROM THE MECHANIC AND SERVICE PERSON, WAS DEFECTIVELY DESIGNED WHICH CAUSED THE AIR INTAKE TO SUCK WATER INTO THE ENGINE DAMAGING IT. I WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR LOOKING INTO THIS AND HOPEFULLY BEING ABLE TO OFFER ME A SOLUTION TO MY HAVING TO RETAIN A DEFECTIVELY DESIGNED, UNRELIABLE VEHICLE.

NHTSA complaint #10093256 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.