NHTSA — Electrical System Problems

2008 Saturn Vue (Page 4 of 4)

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 4
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
74,247 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 Vue electrical problems

electrical problem

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2008 Saturn Vue Owner Comments (Page 4 of 4)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #18

Mar 302013

Vue

  • 63,000 miles

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

We had problems before March 30, they were still under warranty. Sadly, the dealer never told us we would be stiffed with time in certified GM pre-owned warranty nor any of the issues we have had. Got car May 2011 and has been in and out of shops since approximately September of 2011. We have replaced sway bar links 3 times in less than 1 1/2 years. Tires, battery, windshield wiper motor linkage, electrical issues, replaced driver side air bag. The kicker was the transmission on March 30 2013 while husband was deployed. Had both of my children in the car when it just stopped- on the road. Had it towed to davidson in watertown NY. Diagnostic done 4/1/13 revealed 4 codes from tranny, had to remove it to test further. We have never received any recall info at any pint since 2011; most of them seem to be listed under 2008; we have no idea haow we would have known about them, or if the issues have ever been fixed. The tranny went right after power train warranty conveniently expired- it was the 3-5 wave plate, which I just read on internet was a recall. GM case manager, [xxx],was supposedly trying to assist me. He also was in contact with [xxx], service manager @ davidson. As soon as they knew I had a loan secured for $4000, no one could help all of the sudden! I was told by GM that I would get help with cost; either certificate with smaller amount for trade in, or 30% of repair cost. I said repair cost to lower my loan. Then neither would help me and both became unprofessional. I have sent letters to GM with no response. Also, I had to pay for rental car. It is noted that clutch spring and piston also damaged. I feel that we were given this car under false pretenses as far as safety and being GM certified pre-owned. Multiple issues. The dealership had to know these issues, prior to scamming us, to make this car certified GM advertised!! information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Fort Drum, NY, USA

problem #17

Dec 142013

Vue 6-cyl

  • 99,000 miles
We were driving I55 South near batesville, Ms. At about 7:30pm when the lights started dimming and all the lights on the dash lite up airbags, check engine etc. I immediately pulled off at the batesville, Ms. Exit and headed East to the walmart..the mechanic checked the battery and decoded the SUV and said that the problem was the wiring harnesses which rest on top of the battery.the main brain of the SUV literally rest on top of the battery.the mechanic shook the harness and the SUV cranked but the lights were dim and we drove it home.I looked at it the next day and the harness is fastened to the top of the battery and it wasn't completely fastened.when the person installed the new battery at autozone it must have not gotten completely fastened.I looked further and noticed that the conduit on all three branches had disintegrated and wires were exposed.there was a wire tie that was clipped below to the battery box and since the conduit disintegrated this causes the wires to pull out from the brain of the SUV.I pulled the wires back up and wrapped these three branches with tape separately.at the bottom where the three went together, I put extra tape and another wire tie to the battery casing.it still jars loose on occasion and I can tell when the light dims at the odometer.I generally raise the hood and push on the first harness until the light stops dimming on the odometer.I won't drive this SUV out of town.I think this was a poor design and GM could have put the brain somewhere else.I retired from GM's delphi packard electric division and used to check first piece sample wiring harnesses.I am thinking they probably used the wrong conduits because they weren't heat resistant, but these wires shouldn't shake loose unless they are unseated or broken.these three connections can completely shut the SUV off even when you are driving if they come loose.

- Clinton, MS, USA

problem #16

Feb 112014

Vue 6-cyl

  • 75,337 miles
The vehicle became difficult to start with the interior lights blinking wildly. While driving, the vehicle would hesitate and surge. Had new ignition switch installed. Axle shaft seal leaking transmission fluid. Transmission failed shortly thereafter (NHTSA compl #10565714).

- Gilbert, AZ, USA

problem #15

Mar 062013

Vue 6-cyl

  • 17,000 miles

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

While driving I noticed the tachometer, speedometer, compass, and outside temp gauges were not working. I arrived at my stop and turned the engine off. Upon starting the engine and proceeding on home the gauges all worked fine and have done so since that day. After this happened, I noticed the automatic door locks no longer work. (which is a good thing in my opinion). This car has always had a history of the compass and temp gauge acting up. If it ain't broke they cannot fix it so they said at the dealer. Along with the gauges not working at times, I cannot get the change oil light to reset. I just gave up on that as I did on the other gauges. I have chalked it up to another cheap GM product with poor customer relations at the Saturn dealer before going out of business. No more GM products for me.

- Saddlebrooke, AZ, USA

problem #14

May 152010

Vue 6-cyl

  • 30,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Saturn Vue. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle failed to accelerate. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnosis. The technician stated that the transmission would have to be replaced. After the repair the contact noticed hesitation while accelerating. The vehicle was taken to the dealer a second time where repairs were performed to the transmission. The contact was unaware of the exact repairs. Additionally, the contact stated the oil pressure light illuminated on the instrument panel. The dealer performed an oil change but the failure continued. The contact stated that the battery was replaced three times because the vehicle would not start. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #13

Oct 272011

Vue

  • 7,000 miles
Electrical issues with rear wiper and heating element(defogger) system. Pressing the rear defogger switch to turn on the heating element would instead start delivering windshield washing fluid continuously. Pressing the rear wiper switch would start the wiper in a very erratic and scary way. Whole system works in a spooky way.

- Bloomfield Hills, MI, USA

problem #12

Dec 142011

Vue

  • 8,000 miles

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

Battery completely dead; there is an electrical circuit drawing power from the battery all the time causing it to drain with no start situation. This could become a safety issue if the car does not start in the middle of the night in a parking lot. Took it to mechanic several times but the electrical draw could not be identified.

- Bloomfield Hills, MI, USA

problem #11

May 012011

Vue

  • 79,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Saturn Vue. The contact stated that the battery failed numerous times. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic where the mechanic advised that an electrical failure could have been causing the battery to drain prematurely. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and recommended to have the dealer perform a diagnostic. The vehicle was not repaired or diagnosed for the failure. The failure mileage was 79,000 and the current mileage was 93,430.

- Topeka , KS, USA

problem #10

Dec 052011

Vue

  • 48,000 miles
Passenger headlight went out. I attempted to fix it, but a new bulb doesn't resolve the issue. The protective cover over the wiring going to the light is melted and there are noticeable burn marks around the light and light housing.

- Tomball, TX, USA

problem #9

Aug 302009

Vue

  • 27,000 miles
When the vehicle is running, there are times when the air conditioner blows nothing but extremely hot air. It does not matter what you do with the controls. The fan is on high and the lights on the controls blink.

- Overton, NE, USA

problem #8

Aug 212011

Vue

  • 57,300 miles

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

While driving in the rain with the air conditioner going, the air conditioner all of a sudden started blowing hot air and at the highest fan speed. At first we could not turn down the speed and then as we played with the dials we were able to get it down to the lowest speed. Because the air flow is always moving in the Vue (according to the owners manual) were were not able to shut the fan off completely. Even turning the air control unit to manual the heat continued to blow. The top of the unit was getting extremely hot to the touch. We were stopping for lunch with and when we returned after the meal the unit had reset itself and we had no more problems on the return trip from va to oh. On 8/23/11 the problem occurred again and only turning off the engine reset the unit. Took the Vue in for service and they reprogrammed the air conditioner, evaced (?) the unit and recharged with freon. Two weeks later, on 9/6 /11 the same thing occurred twice within 6 hours. Will be calling the dealership again.

- Hanoverton, OH, USA

problem #7

Jun 222010

Vue

  • 60,500 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Saturn Vue. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, it would begin to shake and stall. In order to stop the vehicle from shaking, the contact would shut it off and restart it. A system warning light would illuminate on the instrument panel whenever the failure occurred. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the computer was updated and the battery was replaced. The failure continued. The vehicle was taken to another authorized dealer where the computer was again updated. The failure continued. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,500.

- Washington Dc, DC, USA

problem #6

Nov 152010

Vue

  • miles
When I'd use the windshield wipers, I lose all power to the drivers side headlight and the blinker would not work, all while the fluid is running out the back windshield wiper connection. I had the Vue in for the same issue 4 times and was told this was a warranty issue at the beginning and when they finally fixed the grounding box and replaced the so called lifetime headlamp, I was charged $364. Not warranty covered. This started at around 36,000. GM screwed us Saturn owners big time.

- Mechanicsburg, PA, USA

problem #5

Mar 052009

Vue

  • 20,000 miles
While driving our 2008 Saturn Vue all the instrument panel monitors disappeared - didn't know what gear, speed or gas gauge etc. Took it in to the dealers' where they figured it was the computer- as they could not reset it. After many days, this was not the problem so they put the original one back in. After talking to several friends who had a similar problem with a 2008 Chevy Blazer, they discovered that it was fluid in the throttle box -when we mentioned this to the service manager, the problem was quickly resolved! another time the engine light came on - we discovered that the problem was simply that the gas cap has not been replaced properly. Seems it is very sensitive.

- Windsor Ontario, 00, USA

problem #4

Jul 142010

Vue

  • 15,880 miles
My 2008 Saturn Vue xr has had numerous issues with the instrument panel. In May 2010, the entire instrument panel (speedometer, RPM, odometer, radio, etc.) went out while I was driving down the road. I took it to the dealership where they replaced a computer component in the instrument panel. Now in July 2010 (2 months later) I was driving down the road and looked at my speedometer which said I was going 80 mph. I was clearly not going 80 mph, so right away I knew something was wrong. I stopped the car and even when the car was completely stopped the speedomter read 30 mph. It even stayed on 30 mph when I turned the car off. I took the car back to the dealership and am being told that they need to replace the exact same part that they just replaced two months ago. Clearly this part is faulty and it is a definite safety concern when you are driving down the road and are unable to tell how fast you are going. I have seen other complaints on this website regarding a similiar issue.

- Foothill Ranch, CA, USA

problem #3

Feb 012010

Vue

  • miles
Ltr fwd email fm (al) re 2008 Saturn Vue. Vehicle experienced several defects and received notice that GM extended warranty will no longer cover this vehicle, reply to mobile, al ofc. The consumer stated the vehicle stalled when he attempted to accelerate, the vehicle had electrical problems, the front end made popping noises and a strange noise was coming from the dash.

- Eight Mile, AL, USA

problem #2

Nov 142008

Vue

  • 7,500 miles
On 9/24/08 I purchased a 2008 Saturn Vue xr AWD with 5945 miles on it at the time of purchase. It was a corporate fleet vehicle prior to my purchase. It has a "preferred package" including a factory-installed remote start. In the short 4 months I own it I have experienced a problem with the instrument cluster panel at least 10 times or more. Specifically, the instrument cluster display does not illuminate at all. No speedometer, no fuel gage, RPM's or turn signals yet the vehicle is in drive and running. What I've been experiencing typically happens when I use the remote keyless entry (rke) to remote start the vehicle & particularly when it's extremely cold or the vehicle has been sitting overnight for several hours. I remote start the vehicle then within 6-8 minutes I enter the vehicle using the unlock key on the remote. I put the key in the ignition and turn it to the "on" position which should then allow the vehicle to operate normally once it is put in gear. My vehicle's instrument cluster panel is completely dark with no display whatsoever yet the vehicle is running and in motion. One day I tried to remote start it as I usually do but it would not work even though I was in range and then when I put the key in the ignition it still would not start. On another day I was driving when suddenly the dashboard just went completely black for about 5 seconds and then came back on again. I have brought my Vue back to the dealership 3 times already and they say they cannot duplicate the problem and there is nothing that they can do. I just have to wait until it happens again. Unacceptable response on Saturn/GM's behalf. I know there is an electrical problem but they won't listen to me. I have also had a control arm bushing replaced already. The rear windshield washer fluid does not come out which they say was clogged & fixed. Thanks to NHTSA's website I was able to find a power steering recall that the dealer didn't address - my entire reservoir needed replacement.

- Whitestone, NY, USA

problem #1

Oct 202008

Vue 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
The contact owns a 2008 Saturn Vue. The contact stated that the exterior thermostat has never worked since the vehicle was purchased. The dealer attempted to make repairs on several occasions, but was unsuccessful. The current mileage was 14,000 updated 1/6/09 updated 01/14/09.

- Mt Pleasant, MI, USA

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