2002 Saturn VUE from North America - Comments

I purchased an 2002 Saturn Vue from a dealership; of course they told me it was a wonderful car and all the salesmen had one too.

I purchased the vehicle because I recently had a baby and needed something with more space.

Approx. a year after I had it, the throttle body goes out on me, which caused the service engine soon light as well as the reduced power light to come on. At this point the car drives a max of 10mph.

So I take it to the Saturn dealership for the first time, the first of many many many times. They tell me that the ECM has gone out and it will be replaced at no out of pocket expense to me, because this part has gone out in a other Vue's and Saturn has decided to warranty the repair.

Three days later they call me and tell me the repair is done and my car is ready. I go down to pick it up, and as soon as I turn the car on, the "service engine" lights up. At this point I go inside and tell the service tech, he comes out and says they have to keep it to see why the light's on.

The next day they call and tell me that the throttle body has gone out as well to the tune of just under $1200.00. The next day they call and tell me that that part is no longer being manufactured by GM, and all they can do is replace it with a used part, but hey they say good news... the used part is only $900.00 but only has a 30 day warranty.

So a used part replaced a week later, I drive away, wouldn't you know it, the Service light comes on within 30 minutes. I take it back to the service dept. They shut the light off... tell me it was a sensor and it should be fine.

Many check engine lights turned off and many "sensor" problems later, and about 28 days, I take it in again. This time they tell me they know I am concerned about the cost, and the warranty shortly going to be gone on this used part, they assure me that they will "take care of me" if the part goes out in the next "couple" of months, that they will replace it. They tell me they have what they need from the numerous codes they have gotten to replace this part. But again the part is not being manufactured, so they best they can do is replace it with another used one that will no doubt give me trouble.

SOOOO I call Saturn Corp. office; bound to get to get something done about this. In 2 days I find out that the part is being manufactured, that it was on hold with a release date of the next day. Had the technicians at my dealership told me this, I would have opted to wait for a new part rather than chance a used one breaking down on me while I am driving my 1 yr old child.

I call my dealership let them know what I have discovered and they pretty much tell me that I am liable for the cost and installation of the new part; so much for taking care of me...

I am currently awaiting a call from Saturns Corporate office to let me know if they are going to cover any if not all of the cost of this new part. Wish me luck.

I don't know if I will have any in reading other peoples experiences with them. Saturns are shotty and I wouldn't recommend them to anyone, and their customer service is horrible to say the least.

It's a cheaply made car.

A money pit.

Saturn customer service is horrible.

You never know when you are going to break down, very unreliable.

I really feel for you and your problems with your 2002 VUE. I also had the exact same problems with the throttle body, the engine lights, and the car going into 'limp mode' (10 MPH) multiple times, not to mention a multitude of other problems (please read my comments on this site dated 7/29/08). Unfortunately, I also contacted Saturn Corporate and got absolutely nowhere --- they 'out-in-out' refused to work with the dealer to allow me a decent trade-in value on another car in their used car lot even though they acknowledged all the problems I was encountering --- they told me that I have to work out a deal with the dealer myself and, of course, the dealer has access to all the warranty repair records and essentially told me that he wouldn't touch my car with a 10 foot pole. I can only suggest that you, like myself with young children, cannot afford to live and drive with such poor reliability, therefore take your monetary losses (rather than a possible loss of life), and trade in that 'junker' on something more reliable. Not only would I classify it as unsafe, but just wait until the transmission starts to 'act up' --- you will go broke as well. One lady on this site was told that it would cost $7000! After being fed-up with the whole thing, I wound up purchasing a used Nissan Pathfinder which has far better reliability ratings.

And, please don't forget to tell everyone you know and care about --- " Don't even think about purchasing a Saturn".

I only wish I had done more research on the Saturn Vue before I got it. I bought a 2002 and I have had nothing but problems, my "service engine" light came on after I pulled out of the lot, I've had an oil leak (twice totaling over 2000 dollars), coolant leak, problems with the key ignition, and now I feel the Vue lose power when I'm changing gears. I'm so afraid of what's going to be wrong with the car now, it's in the service department now checking for the cause of the coolant leak and my stomach is sick waiting to hear how much this is going to cost me now. I bought this car because I wanted to feel safe (I don't). I would never buy another Saturn Vue and would discourage anyone else from doing so!!!

I am in the same boat. My throttle body went out on December 20, 2008. I had it towed to the dealer (I am the original owner), and they told me the part was on national back-order and should be in by the end of January/beginning of February 2009. I rented a car based on this information. When I called the dealer the end of January, they told me the part wouldn't be in until April! I tried the used part route, but was unable to find one (even though there are many posted on the Internet, when you call they say "the last one was just shipped out". I've been calling the Saturn Corporate customer service line, but they no longer seem to be returning my calls. I'm a loyal Saturn owner (since 1993), but have since gone out an purchased a Honda. In the meantime, I've got a non-running vehicle sitting on the dealer's lot for more than 4 months now...