NHTSA — Exterior Lighting Problems

2008 Saturn Outlook (Page 3 of 12)

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 10
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
43,673 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2008 Saturn Outlook lights problems

lights problem

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2008 Saturn Outlook Owner Comments (Page 3 of 12)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #196

Jul 132010

Outlook 6-cyl

  • 42,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Passenger side wiring harness melted. Cost me $200 dollars to repair. Not covered under extended warranty. Have studied and found that I can probably expect this to happen again. Am worried about future expense and, or fire...... would appreciate your assistance. Thank you in advance.

- Chiefland, FL, USA

problem #195

Sep 012011

Outlook 6-cyl

  • 50,500 miles
We own two 2008 Saturn Outlooks. Both had headlight failures in the first 6 months of ownership. Both had the headlight assemblies replaced. After approximately 3 years of ownership the headlights (non-brights) on both are failing, and it is not the bulbs. Mechanic "jiggles" the wires and headlights come on only to fail less than a week later. Numerous online searches show the harness to be at fault, with indications that the replacement part has been re-engineering to address the known defect.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #194

Nov 162011

Outlook 6-cyl

  • 55,000 miles
Driver side headlight wire harness arcs and causes light to fail. Replacing lightbulb temporarily fixes issue. Light fails and causes loss of light while driving at night. Also, potential fire hazard.

- Canton, MI, USA

problem #193

Dec 062011

Outlook 6-cyl

  • 42,265 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Passenger side low beam headlight harness (female socket) melted.

- West Chester, OH, USA

problem #192

Jan 012011

Outlook

  • 55,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Saturn Outlook. The contact stated that the driver's side headlight shut off while driving 75 mph. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the contact was informed that the wiring harness needed to be replaced. The wiring harness was replaced under warranty. The same failure occurred on the front passenger side approximately eleven months later. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer to have the failure repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered to cover half of the expenses. The failure mileage was 55,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Berthoud, CO, USA

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problem #191

Sep 102011

Outlook 6-cyl

  • miles
In early September, my front passenger side headlight was not working. Upon inspection by a local mechanic, the wiring harness was melted. I understand that several other Saturn Outlook owners have reported the same problem. Electrical tape was applied and a new bulb was installed. Two months later, the problem occurred again.

- Searingtown, NY, USA

problem #190

Feb 012010

Outlook

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Headlight wiring on the Saturn Outlook models fails prematurely as the housing melts and causing the headlights to fail. This is a safety issue for the lights, could be a fire hazard, however, I have not experienced that. I would think this impacts the Chevy traverse and GMC acadia too.

- Rochester Hills, MI, USA

problem #189

Dec 032011

Outlook 6-cyl

  • 56,000 miles
Passenger headlight fails intermittently. Appears to be due not to the bulb, but due to sub-grade wiring harness that melts over time.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #188

May 022010

Outlook 6-cyl

  • 50,000 miles
Front headlight on right side stopped working, replaced low beam bulb, lasted about 2 weeks, replaced it a 2nd time, again lasting about 1 week. Brought to dealer, they stated that it was a faulty wiring harness to the head light and is not covered under warranty. Brought vehicle to another dealer, who replaced wiring harness on right side under warranty. Now the left side is out and replaced bulb that lasted 1 day. Wiring harness needs replacement, which I am told is excess of $500. As warranty is now expired. Both wiring harnesses should have been replaced at the same time, GM knows of this problem and should have a recall of all model with these lighting problems.

- Smithown, NY, USA

problem #187

Nov 192011

Outlook 6-cyl

  • 63,394 miles
The passenger side headlight is not functioning. I have checked into replacing it and it will cost $100 for one replacement headlamp! I have also heard there is a problem with the wiring harness for this make/model/year, and it is very difficult to even access the light assembly. This is ridiculous.

- Germantown Hills, IL, USA

problem #186

Nov 102010

Outlook 6-cyl

  • 35,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

At approximately 35000 miles, the passenger side low beam headlamp stopped lighting. I assumed that the headlamp had blown, and left it alone until my state inspection was due, 2 months later. When I finally attempted to replace the bulb, I learned that the bulb was fine, but the harness had failed, and my 36000 mile warranty had expired.closer inspection revealed that the wiring harness on the passenger side low beam headlamp had melted, where the wires enter into the lamp base, and are held into the base with a poured plastic "backlight" type sealer, like the type seen poured over circuit boards, to prevent tampering. I accessed that socket, and cut the factory socket off of the wire harness. I replaced the socket with one that I purchased online, which was of a much heavier gauge than the inferior gauge of wire that came from the factory. It is now 1 year later, and the exact same thing has occurred on the driver's side. When I hold the factory lamp socket in my hand, and bend the wires at the socket base, the bulb works only intermittently, as if the copper wire inside the insulation has degraded so severely that a good contact can no longer be maintained. I have not yet ordered a replacement socket for the driver's side, and dread the labor that is involved in removing the tire, dropping the fender cowl, cutting the factory harness away from the factory lamp base, and rewiring the new lamp base to the factory harness.it is labor intensive, and it is dangerous. It is clear to me that the heat build up from the bulb, in combination with the undersized wiring entering the base, has created a melt hazard, which subsequently allows moisture into the copper strand wire, allowing the copper to corrode significantly, and ultimately the copper disintegrates completely, losing its connection altogether.

- Bensalem, PA, USA

problem #185

Oct 012011

Outlook

  • 58,000 miles
The passenger headlight burned out and was replaced. Two weeks later the same light burned out. This time all the wiring was pulled out and it was discovered that the wiring harness was melted. Looking on online it has been shown to be a big problem. As I am driving my 3 children around, I would like my headlights to work and not be melting in my car. Please have GMC fix this problem. A car that cost as much as mine should have working lights and non-melting parts.

- Moore, SC, USA

problem #184

Nov 182011

Outlook 6-cyl

  • 40,000 miles
The headlight burned out. When I went to replace it I noticed the wire was burnt. After reading on the internet, many people have this problem with Saturn Outlook. Should be a recall. I have 40, 000 miles and my warranty just expired. This is my wife's car, please don't wait until there is a fire or someone is injured to do a recall.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #183

Nov 012011

Outlook 6-cyl

  • 50,000 miles
Headlamp failed, wiring melted. Next time the car may go up in flames. Dangerous!!!!!

- Reno, NV, USA

problem #182

Nov 102011

Outlook 6-cyl

  • 39,000 miles
Discovered the drivers side harness had melted when changing the dim headlamp.

- Mount Horeb, WI, USA

problem #181

Nov 262009

Outlook

  • 37,000 miles
The headlamp on my 2008 Saturn Outlook has gone out multiple times over the last two years that I have owned the vehicle. I have had to have the wiring harness replaced more than 3 times. The first time the new harness lasted a couple of months. The last two times, it only lasted about a week before burning up again. The harness that holds the lamp gets too hot and melts which is an electrical safety issue.

- Centennial, CO, USA

problem #180

Oct 012011

Outlook 6-cyl

  • 40,000 miles
Head light has burned out, we were told it was faulty wiring in the assembly.

- Concord, NC, USA

problem #179

Dec 102010

Outlook 6-cyl

  • 40,568 miles
My 2008 Saturn Outlook lost both headlights in December 2010 within a couple of days of each other. The dealer informed us the bulbs had burned out and when they burned out they burned/corroded the wiring harnesses connected to them, necessitating a $200 repair. Less than a year later, in November 2011, the right headlight went out again. When we took it to the dealer on November 4, 2011, they informed us the bulb had burned out and the harness had burned out again, and said the repair would be more than $200. We have seen this problem documented by many Saturn owners on Saturn fan sites, and also read to contact NHTSA to notify you of this common and potentially dangerous safety problem with the Saturn Outlook so that you could consider ordering GM to recall these vehicles. I hope you will order a recall and order GM to solve an unnecessary design problem that is a nuisance at best and could potentially lead to a fire or lost visibility that could result in accidents at worst. Thank you for your consideration.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #178

Aug 022011

Outlook 6-cyl

  • 65,187 miles
Complete loss of low beam headlights under similar or identical circumstances as other voqs and various websites forums. Inspection revealed melted wiring harness connectors inside the headlamp assembly at the low beam headlamp bulb. Vehicle date of manufacture 10-2007. No known body work. Passenger low beam headlight connector is not melted as bad as the driver side low beam headlight connector. Appears to be coming predominantly from the black wire going into the connector. All insulation is melted away. Connector melted and brittle that it fell apart removing the bulb. Bulb part # appears to be H11, 12V 55W U 64211 L+dot. Osram. Germany E1 25S. W0 Q3. Driver head light assembly casting date September 2007. Part number 25876413, which appears to have been superseded. Appears manufactured under automotive lighting with number LH hal 6143101907C2824. The inside connector area of the bulb itself also appears melted. The bulb is available for inspection. The headlamp assembly is still in use on the vehicle after receiving a pigtail splice repair and new bulb. The passenger side headlamp is now working and has received no repairs. Updated IVOQ 11/29/11

- Fuquay Varina , NC, USA

problem #177

Oct 122011

Outlook 6-cyl

  • 71,000 miles
The drivers side headlamp failed. I purchased a new lamp with a direct replacement, same wattage and type. During replacement, I noticed that the connector was discolored and plastic was starting to melt. I cleaned the connector and replaced the lamp. Two weeks later the same lamp failed. The connector was melted further, rendering it unusable. I had to replace the connector assembly. The wire is very thin and I have read other reports that the wires had melted.

- Oakland, NJ, USA

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