NHTSA — Exterior Lighting: Brake Lights Problems

CarComplaints.com Seal Of This Might Hurt

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.

2.0

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
80,677 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 lights problems

lights problem

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2007 Saturn Aura Owner Comments

problem #9

Jul 012018

Aura 6-cyl

  • 130,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2007 Saturn Aura. The contact stated that the brake lights did not illuminate when applying pressure to the brake pedal. Also, the brake lights illuminated when the brakes were not being applied. The contact spoke with an independent mechanic and was informed that the failure would not be covered under warranty. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 130,000.

- Forest, MS, USA

problem #8

Nov 172016

Aura

  • 85,000 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Saturn Aura. The contact stated that the exterior brake lights failed to illuminate and an abnormal noise was heard after the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Prior to the failure, the vehicle was remedied per NHTSA campaign number: 14V252000 (electrical system, electronic stability control, exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control). The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #7

Jul 152015

Aura

  • 128,000 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Saturn Aura. The contact stated that the brake lights illuminated without the brake pedal being depressed. The failure was persistent. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V252000 (electrical system, electronic stability control, exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 128,000.

- Batavia, NY, USA

problem #6

Mar 032014

Aura

  • 96,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2007 Saturn Aura. The contact stated that the brake lights illuminated while the vehicle was in motion and dimmed when the brake pedal was depressed. In addition, the air bag indicator would not illuminate when the seat was occupied. The dealer was unable to diagnose the cause of the failures. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 96,000.

- Newaygo, MI, USA

problem #5

Aug 222011

Aura 6-cyl

  • 64,215 miles
Service ESC warning light. I was flagged by another vehicle in the evening that my brake lights were not working. When you press the brake pedal the brake light goes off. When you release the brake pedal the brake lights go on. I took my car to joseph Chevrolet in cincinnati oh. Joseph chev replaced the body control module on Aug 22, 2011. It cost me $535.72. They did not inform me that other vehicles were having the same problem. In September 2013 the brake lights again were not working properly. I filed a complaint to GM file # 71-1220534971 because this can cause a serious injury. I took my vehicle to joseph chev again but they could not replicate the problem and acted like they didn't have any idea what was wrong. Again after my 3rd visit to joseph Chevrolet with my car and a new file # 71-1300874571 joseph chev charged me $269.16 to replace the brake switch and repair wiring at bpp switch. I pleaded with joseph chev and GM that the car was unsafe driving with brake lights not working properly and they should not be charging me over $800 for a defect that is happening on other Saturn Aura vehicles. Having brake lights I thought was a basic function. They would not help me out with the charges. I had to spend the money because the car was unsafe to drive.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

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problem #4

Sep 252013

Aura

  • 92,875 miles
Intermittently the brake lights do not function correctly. When the vehicle is in park the brake light remains on. When thee vehicle is in drive, the brake light stays on. When accelerating, the brake light remains on. Other symptoms may include extended pedal travel required to shift out of park and cruise control does not function correctly.

- Byron Center, MI, USA

problem #3

May 072012

Aura 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles

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

The contact owns a 2007 Saturn Aura. The contact stated that the brakes light would illuminate when the brake was not being depressed and would not illuminate when the brake was being pressed. The dealer was unable to determine what caused the failure. The dealer stated that they would try replacing the brake light switch. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown, but the current mileage was 58,000. Updated 09/05/13 the dealer replaced wires and termiinals within the circuit and reclaibrated the brake pedal position sensor. So far, there have been no more problems.

- Minster, OH, USA

problem #2

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 #1

Jan 132010

Aura

  • 60,000 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Saturn Aura. The contact stated while driving, the brake lights came on and when she engaged the brake pedal, the brake lights shut off. The failure was diagnosed three times by a mechanic and the brake light switch was replaced; however, the failure was not corrected. The dealer stated the problem was within the brake light switch and the repair was not permanent. The brake master cylinder was also defective because the rubber around the cylinder had to be replaced when the brake fluid leaked. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 60,000 and the current mileage was 81,000.

- East Tawes, MI, USA

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