NHTSA — Power Train: Automatic Transmission Problems

2003 Saturn Vue (Page 2 of 10)

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
54,313 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.

2003 Saturn Vue transmission problems

transmission problem

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2003 Saturn Vue Owner Comments (Page 2 of 10)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #180

Jan 102011

Vue 4-cyl

  • 90,000 miles

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

I brought a new 2003 Saturn Vue and my transmission failed and GM will not replace it. I know that there was a class action suit but have little information on where to go.

- Hoboken , NJ, USA

problem #179

Dec 012010

Vue

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Saturn Vue. While driving approximately 20 mph the vehicle stalled. The contact tried turning the ignition on and the vehicle would not respond. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The mechanic diagnoses the failure to be the transmission which needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

- Stanford, CT, USA

problem #178

Dec 302010

Vue

  • 112,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Saturn Vue. The contact attempted to accelerate from a stop but the vehicle would not accelerate. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the contact was told that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 112,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Utica, NY, USA

problem #177

Nov 092010

Vue 4-cyl

  • 69,000 miles

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

I bought a Saturn Vue 2003 with a vti transmission on April 1st 2009, with a 41000 miles. On November 09, 2010 the transmission failed. I had to tow the car to different places and no one is willing to do the work. The car has only about 69000 miles and it should be still under the new GM warranty to replace the transmission. I am a single mother who cannot afford to pay for a new car. Please help. Thank you. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- North Reading, MA, USA

problem #176

Oct 122010

Vue 4-cyl

  • 93,000 miles
Vti transmission.

- Gibsonville, NC, USA

problem #175

Aug 102009

Vue 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 83,509 miles
Power train-automatic vti transmission.

- Gibsonville, NC, USA

problem #174

Nov 042010

Vue

  • 98,000 miles

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

Tla contact owns a 2003 Saturn Vue. The contact stated that while driving was approximately 5 mph, the vehicle began making a noise and it suddenly stopped moving. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The dealer offered to give her a 50% discount on the repair costs. The VIN was unavailable. The current and failure mileages were approximately 98,000.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #173

Oct 202010

Vue

  • 82,400 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Saturn Vue. The contact stated that the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership but the dealer stated that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. The contact believed the failure to be the transmission but had no other problems outside of the check engine light. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The current mileage was 82,966. The failure mileage was 82,400.

- Perryville, MD, USA

problem #172

Oct 162010

Vue

  • 92,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Saturn Vue. While driving 15 mph, the contact stated that the vehicle suddenly shut off without warning; prior to the failure, the contact stated that the engine made a loud noise. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The current mileage was approximately 93,000 and the failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

- Saco, ME, USA

problem #171

Sep 102010

Vue

  • 43,000 miles
We have a 2003 Saturn Vue and it only has 43,000 miles on it and the second transmission has now gone out. Three years ago we had a new transmission put in and now for a second time it has broke. We had warranty on it and they replaced the first one and also had purchased the extended warranty, but now that Saturn is not in business they will not honor our warranty. We cannot afford a second transmission and we need this vehicle really bad as we have no other transportation for our children. We have read so many reviews on this that from 2003-2005 the Saturn Vue transmission continue to break. What do we do now since our warranty is not valid and we can't afford to have it fixed. It's not fair at all.

- Staten Island, NY, USA

problem #170

Oct 022010

Vue 4-cyl

  • 63,000 miles

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

2003 AWD 4 cylinder Saturn Vue, car began to lurch at stops at 63K miles. Car rpms began to fluctuate wildly even on highway. Car began to stall out on 35mph road, as though it could not stay in gear. This was one trip that turned into a one-way trip to the dealership.

- Williamsville, NY, USA

problem #169

Sep 242010

Vue 4-cyl

  • 97,000 miles
2003 Saturn Vue, transmission went without warning while my college student was driving it. Getting rebuilt transmission for $4,600. This is just wrong. I don't even have a job.

- Upper Darby, PA, USA

problem #168

Dec 282009

Vue 4-cyl

  • miles
I own a 2003 Saturn Vue 4 cylinder fwd. I bought it in October 2009 only to find after 2 months that the SUV was a total rip off. The transmission failed and I had to spend 5000 dollars and wait for months because the kind of transmission was not easily available. I really wonder how a car with such serious defects still available in the market" can't NHTSA do anything in this regard? GM used a faulty transmission and they winded up the company putting all customers at distress. No service, no parts and how come the cars are not at recall? I searched NHTSA website and didn't find a recall on this model for faulty transmission. In the last 10 years no other model would have received this enormous complaints. Roll over risk on this model is too high as the SUV really sways at even small turns at low speed. Aren't these reasons enough for a recall" you have to stop this model from being sold anymore as unaware customers like me get totally deceived and are left helpless only to spend thousands out of pocket in this tough economy. If the cars are to remain, GM should be able to provide adequate service and support.

- Ronkonkoma, NY, USA

problem #167

Apr 042004

Vue

  • 20,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Saturn Vue. While driving approximately 35 mph, the contact heard a whining noise coming from under the hood. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they performed a diagnostic and detected a transmission failure. The dealer previously replaced the transmission one year prior to the failure. The contact and dealer were waiting for the warranty company to determine if the vehicle would possibly be honored under the service warranty coverage before the transmission repair was performed at the expense of the owner. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

- Dracut, MA, USA

problem #166

Jul 112010

Vue

  • 54,213 miles
2003 Saturn Vue cvt transmission failure, car had 54,000 miles, first transmission replaced at about 30,000.

- Petersburg, AK, USA

problem #165

Feb 122008

Vue 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 73,270 miles
2003 Saturn Vue. Consumer states problem with transmission the consumer stated on February 12, 2008 with 73,270 miles on the vehicle, the transmission failed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and upon inspection, it was declared that the transmission was irreparably damaged. The dealer stated it failed due to a defective part that was covered by a recall. The dealer replaced the transmission within two days. However, on October 1, 2009, the transmission began having a problem shifting into drive from park. It would take a few seconds to engage. By then end of the day, it was taking approximately 20 seconds to engage. The next few days were progressively worse to the point it would not engage for 10 minutes. On October 13, 2009, the consumer was informed the vehicle needed a new transmission and once again, the failure was due to a defective part. GM stated the second transmission was out of warranty and they would not provided assistance. Updated 10/20/10.

- Kensington, CT, USA

problem #164

Jan 012010

Vue

  • miles
2003 Saturn Vue-transmission grinds. It takes several attempts to start the vehicle and when it does start, it stalls going into drive. Can drive in reverse without any problems but car will not immediately drive when put in "drive." It can be anywhere between a 30 second to 3-5 minute delay before the car will actually drive. The transmission has now been replaced 3 times since 2004 due to other defects (jerky gear shifting, stalling for several seconds). Each time the car works for a little while (a year or so) but the jerking begins again. This last transmission is the absolute worse! though I'm required to put an approximate incident date, this problem has been ongoing since my purchase in 2004. The stalling of it going into drive just started 2010.

- Hanover, NH, USA

problem #163

Jul 192010

Vue

  • Automatic transmission
  • 113,200 miles
2003 Saturn Vue, auto transmission.... transmission failed at 99,400 miles. Saturn dealership repaired the transmission because of the 100K warranty. I had to pay 25% of the new transmission, which was $1,000. The brand new transmission came with a 12,000 warranty. Four days ago, the brand new factory transmission started to slip and whine. Car taken back to dealership in raleigh, nc. Vue now has 113,204 miles. Informed that transmission is out of the parameters of the warranty and the repair cost will be $5900!!! I called corporate headquarters and they couldn't care less about my situation. Now I am out of a vehicle. Saturn knew of the faulty transmission in these vehicles but put a bandaid on the situation. People work hard for the money to purchase these vehicles just to be taken advantage of. I will never buy another Saturn!

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #162

Jul 062010

Vue

  • 99,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Saturn Vue. After shifting the vehicle into drive, the vehicle was hesitant to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to a local repair facility where the contact was informed that the transmission would need to be replaced. There were no prior warning of the failure and the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 99,000 and the current mileage was 103,000.

- Bellevue, NE, USA

problem #161

Jun 112010

Vue

  • 105,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Saturn Vue. She stated while driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle began to lose power and decelerated. The vehicle would not accelerate past 25 mph. The vehicle was taken to a local repair facility where the mechanic advised the transmission would need to be replaced and referred her to her dealer. The dealer stated the vehicle would first need a diagnostic test before determining the cause of the failure, at her expense. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure and current mileages were 105,000.

- Barberton, OH, USA

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