2002 Saturn VUE V6 AWD review from North America

I thought I was nuts until reading a few of the posts from other people out there.

I've experienced numerous problems since buying it used in 2005.

1) Replaced all catalytic converters less than a month ago (luckily still covered by the 80,000 mile federal guideline - replaced by manufacturer for free - took a week though)

2) All kinds of noise - squeaking and grinding - from my steering column.

3) Noise coming from my front end (I'm assuming bearings or something, they were all replaced about 5,000 miles before I got the car - roughly 25,00 miles ago)

4) Service engine soon light randomly coming on - I thought I might have a faulty sensor or something... there are so many reviews complaining about this on here. It costs between $50 - $75 just to run a diagnostic to figure out why the light is on. I've done this 6 times in the last year.

5) Noise from the driver side window. A seal or something makes horrible noise when you're driving at highway speeds. Dealer took it out and said they couldn't hear anything.

6) Hard shifts during stop and go traffic. I've got the V6 AWD VUE and I notice a lot of times the car shifts very very hard. It seems like the RPM's will hang and I have to let off the gas pedal and then reapply pressure to the gas pedal to force the car to shift. I've had the transmission looked at by a Saturn dealer and an independent mechanic and neither can determine why this is happening. This is an extremely frustrating point about this car.

7) Last night, lost acceleration power, headlights, dashboard, radio, basically everything electric in the vehicle on my way home. The car limped back to my driveway (luckily I was about a mile from home), but is now sitting in the dealership as I wait to hear what else has gone wrong.

Honestly, I really like the look and the features of the car. When it's running well and not making all kinds of noise it's an excellent car.

However with the problems I've had owning this thing for just a year now I am never going to purchase another VUE again - and will definitely look long and hard before I purchase another Saturn. \

At first I really thought I might just have gotten stuck with a lemon, but reading so many of these reviews I have to believe it's not just MY car - it's just a poorly designed vehicle.