2003 Saturn VUE review from North America

I own a 2003 Saturn Vue. In July of 2007 I began experiencing problems with the transmission hesitating, shuddering, and making a grinding noise. I immediately took it to my local dealership. They admitted that it was a problem with the transmission and they put in an additive, flushed the system, etc. The service technician even admitted at that time that I may need a new transmission at some point, but not to worry because I was still under the extended GM warranty and because I had already brought it in with transmission issues, I had begun a "paper trail." He stated that even if I fell outside the 5 year warranty date, which was within a year, Saturn would most likely honor it because my car has such low mileage. To date, I have 43,000 miles.

On May 9, 2008, my transmission went out completely. I had it towed to the dealership, since it was not drivable. I received a phone call from the dealership today and was informed that it is a transmission problem (transmission valve body), but that the warranty had expired on April 13, 2008, so Saturn would not be paying for the repairs. I have not been quoted a price as of yet, because the repairs may be covered through an extended warranty plan that I purchased, however I would still have to pay a $200 deductible.

I am just sick about this. I still owe $11,000 on this vehicle and would like to trade it in, but would be stuck in an upside down loan. I am a single parent of two children living on a teacher's salary in California.