10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
85,329 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.

2009 Saturn Aura drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2009 Saturn Aura:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2009 Saturn Aura Owner Comments (Page 2 of 4)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #41

May 082017

Aura

  • 75,442 miles

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

Yielding onto a highway, vehicle suddenly felt like it had no forward momentum when applying gas but corrected itself. Next, traveling on a highway, the transmission felt like it was in neutral. Once pulled over and restarted, there was no 3rd, 5th or reverse gear. Vehicle had to be towed. Massively expensive transmission rebuild.

- Elkton, MD, USA

problem #40

Mar 112017

Aura

  • miles
Car gear shift cable has snapped causing the ability to put car in park and turn off car without it being in park and allowing the car to roll. This is a recall for 2009 Saturn Aura but not for one with my VIN even though it is that problem is the exact thing that is recalled.

- Belvidere, IL, USA

problem #39

Mar 012017

Aura

  • 92,500 miles
With only 92500 miles use, vehicle 6 speed transmission started making a hard sound when shifting from 4th gear to 5th gear, especially when moving at highway speeds and accelerating. Dealer inspected and found that 35R piston and wave plate are defective. Recommending transmission overhaul to correct. This is the same defect noted in previous NHTSA actions for this vehicle although dealer claims VIN number is not covered by current actions.

- Hockessin, DE, USA

problem #38

Oct 032016

Aura

  • 140,000 miles

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

The contact owned a 2009 Saturn Aura. The contact stated that the steering wheel was extremely tight and the power steering failed several times without warning. In addition, the shift lever failed to function properly. When the vehicle was placed in park, it rolled and the contact had to quickly apply the emergency brake to stop the vehicle. While driving 30 mph, a fire erupted under the hood. The contact was able to pull the vehicle into a fuel station. The fire department extinguished the flames. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. The vehicle was not diagnosed by a dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 140,000.

- Dalton, IL, USA

problem #37

Aug 042016

Aura

  • 171 miles
Need double check my car

- Seattle, WA, USA

Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...

problem #36

Aug 052016

Aura

  • 86,000 miles
For two days when starting it made a weird noise but it sounded like the fan to the A/C might be going. Then my warning gauges started appearing warning of my air bag and oil. The next time I went to start the car the car would not start at all and the lights inside the car flashed and the car made a strange noise.

- Manassas, VA, USA

problem #35

Mar 152016

Aura

  • 72,000 miles

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

One evening I got in my car and it refused to start. After a few minutes of troubleshooting I tried starting in neutral which worked. Since that night the vehicle does not go into park. The gear position indicator does not match the current gear. The only way to park the car is to set the gear shift to park and set the parking brake. You can then take the key out. To start it again you have turn the key on and move the selector neutral. This is a hazard because you need to remember to set the parking brake when you turn the car off or it will roll away. Even if you set the car in park while the engine is running the car will reverse or roll away if you don't apply the brake or set the parking brake.

- Orange, MA, USA

problem #34

Mar 232016

Aura

  • 74,000 miles
Cracked wave plate requiring a rebuild of the transmission. Lost all gears except for 1st while driving on city street.GM refused to cover the repair completely even though they do for some 2009 Saturn Auras that have the exact same problem.

- Grand Rapids, Mi, MI, USA

problem #33

Mar 222016

Aura

  • 82,500 miles
I was on my way home from work, during rush hour, on March 22, 2016 and noticed that I was having difficulty accelerating past 40 mph. The vehicle felt as if it was not shifting gears. I thought about going directly to the dealer for service but could not accelerate past 25 mph at that point. I was able to make it home safely and had the car towed to the dealer the very next day. The dealer called to inform me that there were several issues with the most expensive being a transmission tear down with repair or replacement. This should be covered under service bulletin #14404. I am very disappointed with the number of recalls I have had on my vehicle. It has just been paid off and now I feel it is turning into a money pit and a death trap. I have received service bulletin #15356 but not #14404 which seems to apply to my issue. Prior to this date, I had not experienced any known transmission issues.

- Southfield, MI, USA

problem #32

Oct 262015

Aura

  • 71,910 miles
Went to take daughter to school vehicle would not move in reverse or drive. Yesterday transmission bucked all day while driving. Looked on internet I'm not the only one with this problem on this same vehicle. I called the dealer they said no recall for this problem want me to pay $3000 or better to fix a problem that they know about. If GM knows about it why is there no recall on the faulty part? please help me and the other dissatisfied customers that got screwed on these vehicles and launch a recall for another flaw by GM. They are making money on their mistakes and that is wrong.

- Cocoa, FL, USA

problem #31

Oct 122015

Aura

  • 88,889 miles

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

The car would not start, would not even turn over. We though it was a starter problem but noticed when we shifted to neutral it would start right up. We also notice the shifting did not seem to lock into gear as it normally does. Then we noticed that if we put the car in park and were on even a slight hill the car would keep rolling. The doors normally unlock when the car is placed in park but that stopped happening. We checked to see if there was a recall for this problem and there was one issued in 2009 for the exact problem we were having. We took it to the nearest dealer who said our car wasn't included in the recall even though it stated in the recall the exact make, model and year.

- Beacon Falls, CT, USA

problem #30

Oct 072015

Aura

  • 90,000 miles
After existing the freeway I stopped at a light. Once I tried to accelerate, the transmission started to slip. I was able to achieve 20-25mph before the engine would rev up to 6000-7000 RPM without accelerating significantly. Once I got home, I found I could no longer go in reverse either. Vehicle does not accelerate above 25mph normally or go in reverse. I took the car to a repair shop and they identified that the wave plate in the transmission was an issue. There is a 3-5-R wave plate fracture issue with GM automatic transmissions that this car seems to be affected by, but not covered by GM's service bulletin / extended warranty. GM obviously has not identified all vehicles that have this issue. I am at 6.5 years and 90,000 miles and have a broken transmission.

- Oxford, MI, USA

problem #29

Sep 042015

Aura

  • 72,600 miles
When accelerating up to speed limit of 45 transmission shifted from third to fourth with a sharp thunk that shook the vehicle. I just had dealer service transmission {flush}. it hesitates when shifting into fourth gear a fraction of a second at slightly elevated engine speed {200-300} RPM then engages and shifts into fifth and sixth normal every time I drive it. The harsh shift only occurred once.

- Springboro, OH, USA

problem #28

Aug 102015

Aura

  • 63,470 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. The contact stated that the shift lever failed to switch into the park position without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the shift cable needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 12V460000 (power train). The failure mileage was 63,470.

- Detroit, MI, USA

problem #27

Jul 212015

Aura

  • 110,800 miles
Car has had intermittent transmission issues for years, mainly stutters and slipping. At the dealership, we'd just get a shoulder shrug and were told it was not repeatable, despite our several visits for the same issue. Well it acted up more than normal as my wife was driving around town (bucked and raced with no power), barely making it home. She refused to drive it the next day, so I did. It drove to work fine. While running errands on the way home (2 miles, no highway, 35 mph), it really hesitated from the green light and the engine would race as power to the wheels was lost (coasting slowly through the intersection). Then suddenly it would engage and act normal until it shifted to the next gear....and repeat. So, I found a wide spot in the road with no traffic and attempted to turn around, but the turning radius was not tight enough for the available space and I stopped at the edge of the road and put it into reverse. It was as if I put it into neutral. The engine raced and before I realized what was happening and catch it, the front end of the car had fallen off the edge of the road into the ditch with the car's rear end 90 degrees to one lane of traffic. The front end was embedded into the far bank of the ditch, but it was retrievable by the towtruck. The garage said it was the 35R clutch plates and needed an entirely new/rebuilt transmission to the tune of $4900 installed!!!!

- Monterey, CA, USA

problem #26

May 262015

Aura

  • 60,500 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. While driving 40 mph, the gear became stuck in second gear. The failure occurred sporadically. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 12V460000 (power train); however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,500.

- Akron, OH, USA

problem #25

May 262015

Aura

  • 79,820 miles
Transmission shifter cable failure exactly as per GM recall for the 2007/2008 Saturn Aura with the 4 speed transmission. My GM dealer says my vehicle is not covered due to it being a 2009 with the 6 speed transmission although the fault is exactly the same.

- Fishers, IN, USA

problem #24

May 192015

Aura 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 67,782 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start and failed to shift into park. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission shift cable was defective. The contact was made aware of NHTSA campaign number: 12V460000 (power train); however, the VIN was not available. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 67,782. Updated 7/21/15 the consumer would like to be reimbursed for the repairs documented in the recall. Updated 11/9/2015

- Pinckney, MI, USA

problem #23

May 102015

Aura

  • 79,997 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. While driving at 65 mph, the vehicle lost power. In addition, the accelerator pedal was depressed. The vehicle failed to accelerate but increased in rpms. In addition, the contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the gear shifter was shifted into reverse but the vehicle failed to move backwards. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the output shaft in the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 79,997.

- Coventry, RI, USA

problem #22

Apr 222015

Aura

  • 67,390 miles
Transmission plates and gears blew out. This happened while driving and could have easily caused an accident had I been on a more crowded road and/or going a faster speed. There is a service bulletin from GM (#307164) regarding harsh shifting or no reverse which may be a broken clutch wave plate dated 3/1/2011 action #10038284. What that bulletin fails to indicate is that the damaged/broken wave plate can cause the gear to "explode" taking out the other gear. Since a service bulletin was issued it is highly likely that this is a known problem. My car has 67K miles (7K out of warranty). Clutch wave plate broken. This issue needs to be looked into. If GM knows this is a problem (which the bulletin indicates) then they should be responsible for any and all repairs for same. This is a major complaint by many on various forums.

- Williamstown, NJ, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...

Not what you are looking for?