2003 Saturn VUE AWD from North America - Comments

First week of ownership:

Engine mount bolt only finger tight, allowing engine to move around making noise.

Instrument cluster was scratched and was replaced.

At 10,000 miles:

Driveshaft replaced for being out of balance.

Passenger rear window literally blew out.

At 18,000 miles:

Front strut bearings replaced.

Rear differential module replaced.

Transmission cooler leaked, and was repaired.

After much research, I bought TWO V-6 AWD Vues in Jan '03. They appeared to be a great value. I cannot adequately express my extreme disappointment.

These cars were my first, and now my LAST Saturn...

I've had all these problems too. Seems most VUE's have the exact same problems. A boat load of bad parts were put into these vehicles. VTI transmissions are crap. Driveshafts, wheel bearings, struts, rear differentials. We've all had these problems. Come on Saturn, what happened to a quality vehicle???

I thought I was the only one experiencing the type of problems being described since I presumed Saturn was a quality car backed by it's name.

Since buying the 2003 V6 AWD Vue just over a year ago, I've had to make over 13 trips to the dealership for the following problems:

-series of loud metal popping sounds coming from underneath the truck when idle that remains a mystery to resolve by svc dept

-replacement of wheel bearings (2 times)

-shaking caused by binding/grinding rear differential... replaced drive module

-heated seats internally shorting and heating element replaced (replaced 2 times and 6 visits for this problem alone as each time they claimed seat was fixed, it was not... common problem was svc dept not competent to diagnose problem properly as well)

-right and left washer spray nozzle broken & replaced separately within a span of 1 week apart during dead of winter

-replaced squeaky gas pedal 2x

-faulty fuel gage caused by corroded parts replaced 2x.

I am so regretting my Saturn purchase and will never again buy a GM car. I can't believe the type of lemons Saturn produces as it sounds like the problems I'm experiencing are experienced by others as well.

I am also experiencing issues with my 03 Vue. Suspension, struts, bearings, in shop 8 times, window motor, and recently my fuel sensor quit working at16,000 miles. I have had the Vue 15 months. Last night spoke to customer assistance area rep. and was told that problems would not warranty Lemon Law buy back according to off-set calculations. I expressed my regrets about Saturn not living up to its reputation of being so customer oriented. I have tried to trade in this vehicle several times. I am not getting anywhere near the NADA value for the car, and the reason is always, "Its because it's a Saturn." I have made a 20,000 dollar mistake and I am depressed over it.

I have a 2004 Saturn Vue AWD. With just 2,500 miles on it I have it in the shop today for a faulty rear differential module. I hope this won't be the start of a string of problems.

These comments are astounding! We've got a 2002 Saturn VUE with a manual transmission and front-wheel drive and it has been excellent. Gas mileage never dips below 25-mpg and it drives like a sports car.

Some of our fortune must lie in the fact that our VUE is dealer serviced at regular intervals.

From everything I've read, the VTi transmission must have be on loan from Yugo. I think the 5-speed manual is the only way to go.

My biggest problems are still with the dealer. There is one dealership for the entire Oklahoma City metro area (pop. 1,000,000), and it is in a semi-remote location. My gosh, Tyler, TX even has ONE dealership!

The biggest complaint I have is about the depreciation. After reading all of the comments on this website, I can understand why resale values are depressed.

I bought a 2003 AWD V6 VUE in June of 2004. Within only 24000 miles I have replaced a Hazard switch, two rear ABS sensors, an entire instrument cluster, front strut mounts, tie-rod ends and on Christmas Eve morning the engine began spewing oil everywhere. The entire car filled with smoke and the vehicle had to be towed. Even without all the mechanical problems this vehicle has had I still am VERY disapointed in it. It is a complete and total rattle trap that groans, grunts and squeaks with every bump in the road. The gas tank is WAY too small considering that even though it is supposed to get 25 MPG I have never seen better than 21 MPG. By the way, who was the Einstein that thought the AC compressor should run when the heat is set to the floor position? Duh? No wonder the gas mileage stinks! To say the very least it has been a very disappointing purchase.

What happened to "A Different Kind of Car Company".These things are falling apart as they rack up miles and all they can do is overcharge for more of the same bad parts that failed ($309 for a wheel bearing?),and $94/hr in Canada to do it.

I had to replace sway bar links (2nd time) rear wheel bearing/ABS sensor (even though problem was first reported under warranty, but not diagnosed) and drive-shaft hanger bearing for a total of over $1500.They also say diff. module is shot and will take another $1800!

GM Canada denied assistance because I was 300 kilometers over warranty.

Consumer guru Phil Edmondston calls Saturn "A Dead Man Walking" on his lemonaidcars. com website.No wonder!

I currently own a 2003 Saturn Vue. Everything was fine with it until it passed the warranty of 35000 miles. In April 2005, at 37000 miles, I couldn't shift. A cable snapped and they replaced it for $550.00. Then on September 15th, while driving, lost clutch and couldn't shift. Towed it and they told me it was the slave cylinder in the clutch hydraulics (about $1200.00). On the 19th they repaired what they told me was wrong with it.. took it for a test drive and then tell me it won't shift and it will now cost another $1600.00 to fix. We've gone back and forth with Saturn customer service and they offered us a $100.00 maintenance coupon for our oil changes.

It seems that all the problems that I've had are transmission and clutch related and Saturn doesn't see it as a defect in the model and year.

Has anyone else had the same problems and they get no satisfaction from customer service? This is the only Saturn we will ever purchase. You try to buy American and look what happens.

You do not understand why customers complain, even though they have loaners and repairs performed under warranty? Sounds typical of an employee of an auto dealership. It may not be to you, but to me it is a major inconvenience to have to drop my car off at a dealer for service. Between work and kids, I have precious free time that I do not want to spend screwing around at the car dealers. That is why I drive a modern new car to begin with. Then you have to worry about the repair being performed correctly the first time, and will the car suffer from the same problem over and over again. That is why people like me complain about having our newer cars in the shop for repairs.

I have a 2003 Saturn Vue FWD. It currently has 29,000 miles on it and has had the following problems since purchased. Windshield washer sprayer had to be replaced (fell off), ignition switch/column had to be replaced (could not turn key- it was like I had the wrong key in the ignition (vehicle had to be towed), rear wiper motor had to be replaced and just last week, there was a large puddle of oil under my vehicle. Turns out the oil and antifreeze somehow mixed together due to an oil cooler problem (o-rings??) -Vehicle had to be towed to the dealership.

The service at the dealership has been very good, but to have this many problems with a new vehicle is unacceptable - especially the oil and antifreeze problem. Oil and antifreeze went through the whole engine and radiator! Who knows what other problems I will have down the line! -- Last Saturn I will ever buy!

My wife and I bought a Saturn Vue AWD 4 cylinder in August 2003. I have been extremely happy with everything else with the car except this one problem. The problem has been compounded by the dealership (Syracuse, NY) when they do not have a loaner when the same problem reoccurs.

There is a problem that sporadically occurs where the transmission slips as if it is in neutral. There is no apparent reason and or situation that it occurs (speed, weather etc.). Whenever I ask them what they did when we bring it in and all I ever get is a vague answer about not being sure because it is not occurring (definition of sporadic occurrence) now and something about resetting the computer. This has not solved the problem and my wife seems to get stuck in poor, unsafe areas repeatedly. This problem is often seen with other odd electronic malfunctions such as door locks not working.

Although I have had two Saturns myself (1995 SC2 & 2002 L100) and have been extremely happy with them, I may never buy another Saturn or American car ever again due to how miserable their service has been in this case. You should not buy a Vue if you have the choice.

We bought our 2003 Saturn Vue V6 AWD in 9/03 and have had to have both rear wheel bearing assemblies replaced. The driver side in Nov 04, and the passenger side just this month. We have only 21,000 miles on it. Our dealership has provided excellent service, but it is frustrating to have to have it in for such repairs with such low mileage.

We also find some oil change places will not change our oil due to the type of oil filter we have.

We also find it a very noisy car. We will not buy another Saturn product.

A similar thing happened with my redline. I started to notice that when I was driving, the engine would suddenly seemed like it went into neutral, couldn't get it to speed up or anything... happened a few times... i either had to restart the car or shift to get it working again... very scary.

Anyway, took it to the local dealer and they said the computer was messed up-did the repair. Three days later, the same thing happened. OK, since it never happened in their presence, they were non-believing..it sat at the dealer for almost a week when they took it out for a test drive... they no sooner got it out of the driveway and the engine did it's thing. They ended up pushing it back into the lot.

After spending two more days consulting with SATURN, they decided to replace the transmission saying whatever was wrong is inside the transmission.

Have had it back for about two weeks and it is running fine.

Hope this helps you guys out.

I have a 2003 Saturn Vue and have had boatloads of problems. The sway bar end links have been replaced twice, and now the car is making the same noise as before (I assume they are binding yet again). Also have had major computer malfunction at just 2,000 miles over warranty- had to replace computer, get new ignition switch and keys because it all stopped working at once. The transmission whines like crazy, but not all the time. I had a 1992 Saturn SL1 that was fantastic and is still being driven by a friend with 250,000 plus miles and the original clutch. I was confident my 2003 Saturn purchase would be just as reliable. WRONG!! This will be my last Saturn and I let everyone know that.

I own a 2004 Vue, otherwise known by friends as my lemon on wheels. I have had it in the shop at Saturn over 10 times for one problem. In the summer, when it's hot and the AC is running if the steering wheel is turned left or right remotely sharply there is a horrible metal grinding noise. Saturn cannot replicate it and I know I'm not crazy, others hear it too! They've replaced many different parts to try and fix it, telling me that all those things were bad on it. If these parts were bad, then WHY were they on the car? The whole thing is falling apart, steering, transmission, windshield wiper motors, I'm just afraid of what will break down next. Anyone want to buy a 2004 Saturn Vue???