CarComplaints.com Notes: The Saturn Aura was a mid-size car meant to replace the somewhat problematic L-Series. Unfortunately, the Aura brought its own problems: namely cheap brake parts that needed early replacement and a gear shifter that could say it’s in park while the transmission was still engaged.

Brake problems, including uneven wear and warped rotors that cause the car to wobble, are common complaints from 2007 owners. Did GM use metal for its rotors that can’t stand the heat? That’s what some say, and it’s hard to argue when reports show that rotors could start to warp as early as 500 miles off the dealer lot.

Meanwhile, a busted gear shifter cable lead to some unwanted rollaways. That’s because the shifter could say “Park” while the transmission was still in drive, reverse or neutral. A defect investigation into the issue was opened in 2011, eventually leading to a recall of 56,000 vehicles in 2014.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
71,359 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.

2007 Saturn Aura brakes problems

brakes problem

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2007 Saturn Aura Owner Comments (Page 4 of 5)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #21

May 012013

Aura 6-cyl

  • 42,000 miles

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

The brake lights were on without pushing the peddle and off when the peddle was pressed. I was lucky to notice the problem because it was night time. However, the problem did not happen for a mechanic.

- Perrysburg, OH, USA

problem #20

May 062013

Aura 6-cyl

  • 94,000 miles
Third brake light stays on when brake pedal in not pressed down and when pressed down brake light goes off and this occurs randomly. Also, at times brake pedal must be pressed down very hard to get selector into drive.

- Eastpointe, MI, USA

problem #19

Feb 152012

Aura 6-cyl

  • 52,000 miles
ESC warning light constantly flashes under braking. Cruise control would shut off or not go on for some reason. I was advised by another driver that brake lights were not functioning. When I checked the brake lights I found that they were constantly on but when I engaged the brakes the lights would go off. I was constantly complaining about being tailgated and now I know why. If you traveling on the highway at 60 mph and when you hit the brakes the brake lights go off instead of on then it's obvious what can happen with the car behind you. I called GM customer service and the tier 2 tech and the supervisor acted like they were not aware of the problem. I told them that the problem seems to be fairly wide spread and that the NHTSA was investigating the problem. They still claimed they weren't aware of the problem. I do not feel I should have to pay for this since this problem seems to be widespread. When is the NHTSA going to complete it's investigation because I really can't afford a large bill from the dealer. I bought the car with 21,00 miles and it now has 62,000...the ecs light problem started within a year of ownership. The cruise/ brake problem started probably a year ago.

- Florham Park, NJ, USA

problem #18

Jun 012013

Aura

  • miles

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

I will be driving my 2007 Saturn Aura and the brake lights will be illuminated while driving, and the brakes are not being used. I have also noticed that when I actually use the brakes the brake lights do not illuminate. Also this causes my cruise control not to work. It will either not work or it will work then shut off spontaneously while driving. I also noticed when I use the brakes and then engage the cruise control and it would turn on then when I let off the brakes and it would shut off.

- Mauston, WI, USA

problem #17

Apr 022013

Aura 6-cyl

  • 160,000 miles
In late March 2013, I took my car to curry's auto service in dulles, va to determine the cause of squealing sound when I back my car out off parking spaces. I was advised to have rear rotors resurfaced, rear pads replaced and replace shocks and struts. On April 2, 2013, while in ga for business/personal purposes I took my 2007 Saturn Aura xr to tires plus in suwanee, ga to have the necessary repair work. Despite the completed repair work, for the next few weeks the sound kept coming back only occurring when I back out off parking spaces. On April 27, 2013 I took my car to the tires plus in chantilly, va. They determined the rear rotors were not resurfaced properly and rear left shock was loose. On May 4, 2013 tires plus, chantilly, va location resurfaced the rear rotors and tightened the shock. Within two hours off the repair the squealing noise is back again. The consistent noise occurs daily whenever I back out off parking spaces. I have already invested over $1,100 in repairs with no resolution. Scanning the internet, I found numerous other complaints from other 2007 satura Aura owners with the same exact squealing issue.

- Herndon, VA, USA

problem #16

Apr 242013

Aura 6-cyl

  • 72,000 miles
I noticed this morning as I was driving to work (dark, 5 am, cst) that the brake light in the back window stays lit. It would go off for about three seconds when the brake pedal was pressed, but then it would come back on and stay lit until the pedal is pressed again. I've done a little research and noticed that this is widespread and common in this car.

- Longview, TX, USA

problem #15

Apr 022012

Aura

  • miles

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

Last year sometime in 2012 I started noticing my brake light staying on. I have taken it to the dealership and they have looked at the problem three times. The problem stay exists to this day. Still trying to get the issue resolved.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #14

Apr 012013

Aura

  • 108,756 miles
Brake light come on when ever stay until whenever did service bulletin 4 times in the last year works temporary I have been dealing with this for 2 1/2 years change everything did every thing by the book.

- Montague, MI, USA

problem #13

May 052009

Aura 6-cyl

  • 20,000 miles
The brake lights do not function properly and are unpredictable. The manufacture warranty replaced the brake module once, but we have the same problem on-going. My research has informed me that this is a widespread issue and one that needs to be recalled. The cheap connectors in the brake module corrode and cause may issues: 1. the brake likes will often stay on while not pressing the brake. Then they will turn off when the brake is pressed. This happens most often, but is also inconsistent at times. The lights simply are not reliable and do not work as they should. 2. the cruise control will not function due to faulty brake engagement signal. 3. it is difficult to shift the gear selector due to the sane issue. You must press extremely hard on the brake to get it to shift and this leads to abnormal sounds and operation of the brake lever. We have an extended warranty, but we don't feel it acceptable to pay $100 deductible to fix an ongoing problem over and over again. This has led to us not using the vehicle much due to safety concerns. The car has about 50K miles on it after 6 years. The service bulletin says not to replace the module, but rather grease the connectors. Seems like a pretty clear cause (replace cheap connectors with ones that will last and not corrode... not replace module with another inadequate one). Please recall. Thank you.

- Tallahassee, FL, USA

problem #12

Nov 222010

Aura 6-cyl

  • 67,000 miles
Cruise control would not set. Noticed center brake light was on without stepping on brake. Stepped on the brake and brake lights went out. Was able to set cruise control but shortly after setting the brake lights came on and cruise control released. Determined brake lights were on continuously until brake pedal depressed then brake lights would go out momentarily until brake pedal was depressed further. Determined brake pedal switch was operating correctly and adjusted correctly. Service rep replaced control computer: Approximately 5 months later problem recurred. GM service bulletin claims problem is connector on computer board that develops corrosion. Applying dielectric grease is supposed to solve the problem; it does but just temporarily - must be reapplied every few months.

- Ridgecrest, CA, USA

problem #11

Mar 012013

Aura

  • 97,000 miles

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

While driving the car turned all the way off and steering wheel locked had to put in neutral and turn off and back on. Also the brake lights are always on and when I press on the brake the light go off. This car is becoming so problematic the shift is also stuck a lot of the time where I can not even shift it out of park, I have to press down hard on brake to release the park. Hopefully complaints from many people will cause a recall this is not safe.

- Lomita, CA, USA

problem #10

Jul 052011

Aura

  • 90,000 miles
Thanks to the service bulletin about the 2007 Saturn Auras brake light failure is what prompted me to share my story. About two years ago I was driving on the Washington DC beltway (I-495) on the Maryland side. I had family following me in another car as we were traveling up to baltimore. My family kept telling me my brake lights stayed on while I was driving, but when I came to a stop my brake lights went off. Considering how congested DC traffic is I am very lucky I did not get or cause an accident. I had my car repaired at sterling Chevrolet in sterling, va...and was told they really couldn't explain why it happened.

- Herndon, VA, USA

problem #9

May 202009

Aura

  • 45,000 miles
The back brakes lights come on when not in use. This is more obvious when it is dark because you can see the brake light in the back window. And when you brake the light goes off. Very dangerous and I have taken the car to a mechanic and they have not been able to find the problem and the dealer won't cover it. This has been ongoing for several years. I have actually thought of selling the car because its so frustrating.

- Ferndale, WA, USA

problem #8

Jul 182011

Aura 6-cyl

  • 40,000 miles
In September 2010 and again in July 2011, my car began having difficulty with back up lights (non existent) and brake lights. The brake lights would remain on when driving and would go off when the brake pedal was applied. This also seemed to happen if the cruise control was engaged. Other drivers flagged me down to alert me to this dangerous situation. The chimsel light in the rear window remained lit while driving and turned off if brake pedal was applied. I took my car to a local GM dealer twice..it took 2 weeks each time, to locate the problem, which was eventually identified as a faulty body control module. This was a very expensive repair, that had to be completed twice. 2007 Saturn Auras should be recalled for this issue. I have not used my cruise control since July 2011, as I am afraid to start this whole expensive and dangerous sequence again.

- Fowlerville, MI, USA

problem #7

Feb 012013

Aura 6-cyl

  • 70,000 miles
My Saturn is exhibiting the brake light problem reported in media. I have videos and photos showing the brake lights on without pedal depressed and most concerning the brake lights not coming on when brake pedal pushed. I've had car serviced at dealership twice and have followed the tsb on wire corrosion and problem still exists. It existed this morning. I borrowed a tech 2 computer and have video and photos of the problem with the brake sensor. The brake pedal position reads a negative position of -50 and this turns on the brake light. When brake lights acting normal it reads a brake pedal position of +3. as you push the brakes down the pedal position increases from the starting negative value until it gets to 50 and then the brake lights turn on. So I have a 100 point travel where the brake lights work the opposite. I have this all on video. Also, when this problem is appearing, if I depress the brake pedal and release it, the brake light goes off. I then count to five and the brake light comes on. This is probably due to the computer going into some alarm mode. If I drive down the street pushing brake pedal every five seconds, the brake light stays off. I will return the vehicle to dealer and show my video. The problem is intermittent and goes away when the car/cockpit warms up. It doesn't happen all the time and when it does happen it goes away after about five miles of driving. Updated 03/27/13

- Rochester Hills, MI, USA

problem #6

Feb 222013

Aura

  • 37,000 miles
Over the past few weeks, the brake lights have been working sporadically. Sometimes they stay on, sometimes they do not come on, and sometimes they work opposite (when you press the brakes they go off and when your are not on the brakes they come on). This is an extreme safety hazard. It has gone to a dealer once already and I have already made a second appointment with them for the same issue. From the research I have done this is a common issue for at least 3 GM models. This is dangerous when the brake lights do not work. I drive on the pa turnpike every morning at speeds of 55-65 mph and if my brake lights do not work when I go to slow down, I am at risk of someone hitting me at a high rate of speed. Please look into this issue. It seems this is a common issue with the Saturn Aura, Pontiac G6, and Chevy Malibu.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #5

Nov 142012

Aura 6-cyl

  • 45,000 miles
At various times the brake lights would come on while driving. When the brake pedal was pressed the brake lights would then go turn off. Within seconds of taking your foot off the pedal the brake lights would come back on. Essentially the pedal was doing the opposite that it should.(brake lights would be on while driving and off while braking). This issue also caused the cruise control to turn off randomly and to not engage when selected. Eventually the problem became bad enough the vehicle was taken to dealership where it was diagnosed with the brake pedal position sensor had internal fault causing wrong voltage being returned to the BCM. The sensor was replaced at a cost of $227.33.

- Canal Winchester, OH, USA

problem #4

May 012012

Aura

  • 60,000 miles
While driving along w/cruise control on it suddenly shuts off, and my brake lights come on without applying my brakes, the brake lights stay on until I apply my brakes then with my foot on the brake the lights go off I take my foot off the brake & the brake lights go on & stay on until I apply the brakes again & the cruise will not work when the brake light are on & when I first start the car I have to push real hard on the brake pedal to get the car out of park. This has been happening almost everyday for months now. I've had mechanics check it out they replaced stop light switch & cleaned contacts & reset computer but nothing works, General Motors should have to correct this problem before somebody gets in a bad accident.

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #3

Dec 122012

Aura

  • 99,500 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Saturn Aura. The contact was driving approximately 5 mph downhill in snowy weather when the wheels seized and the tires would no longer move. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician stated that the brake system would have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 99,500.

- St Paul, MN, USA

problem #2

Sep 012012

Aura

  • 44,800 miles
Brake lights staying on/ engine power reduced with on any warning almost rear ended.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

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