Comments: 1-15, 16-30, 31-45, 46-60, 61-75, 76-78
I have a 2004 Saturn Vue that I purchased in the Fall of 04. I have not had a single problem with it, have gotten excellent gas mileage, etc. The car is approaching 18,000 miles and I have had it for about 18 months.
I love my car!
I own a 2004 vue, 4 cylinder 5-speed standard transmission.
Having previously owned a 2002 vue, I was surprised how much better the 2004 handled. The fuel economy is great, and the only problem I've had is a poorly installed hazard switch.
I think GM/Saturn should try a little harder to ensure problems are properly handled because I feel this is a well engineered vehicle. If more attention were given to quality assurance, I'm sure the depreciation on these cars would improve. Maybe the Saturn plant should have been built in Oshawa after all.
Stan Leonowicz.
I own a 2004 Saturn Vue with the 2.2 liter engine and manual transmission. The vehicle has close to 30,000 miles on it, and I've had no problems whatsoever. Pluses include the sport package, people and cargo carrying ability, polymer panels, comfortable, controlled ride, and the excellent Saturn Service Department. I would recommend the Vue to anyone and think it deserves a second look.
Finally, I'm proud to support GM employees and retirees by purchasing GM vehicles.
I bought my used 2003 Saturn Vue (standard) vehicle in 2004. The only problem I ver had was back in 2005, a year ago, when I could not turn the ignition key into the "on" position inside of the ignition switch. As a result, I was stranded and I had to call the dealer. The dealership called the tow truck service, who then arrived to picked up my car and transport it back to the dealership. It was the dealership, and who also took care of the ignitions switch repair for me.
Evrything worked out. I have enjoyed my Saturn Vue!
In Nov 2002 I bought my 2003 4 Cyl, Manual Vue. In the SECOND week the 1st gear would not shift. I had it towed to the dealer and they said a hose came loose so they replaced it, no charge. Two days later the gear wouldn't shift. I took it back and the dealer said the hoses were not bled correctly, so they "corrected" it again. A few days later, you guessed it, 1st gear wouldn't shift. Again we took it back to the dealer. They brought in technicians from the Tennessee plant to look at it. I told them I didn't want it. They gave me a courtesy car while they worked on it. I got my car back the next day and guess what? THE 1ST GEAR WOULD NOT SHIFT! They replaced the vehicle with one with better features, gave me the same price as the 1st one (which was cheaper) and when I asked what they were going to do with the defective VUE, the reply was that they were going to fix it and resell it. HA!
I was in love with my 2004 Saturn VUE. Then it got bad on me. I was in Maryland on a short visit and once I got off the freeway, stopped and put my foot on the clutch it went dead, I couldn't shift. The car was at 44000 miles. My beloved was towed to the local dealer who was prepared to charge me $1400 to fix the slave cylinder and an additional $160 for the battery that was now totally dead. Lucky I invested in an extended warranty and the deductible was $100. At any rate, I retrieved my car a few days later and was able to drive back to NJ, but the car would not down-shift. Moreover, it would not go into gear while the engine was running. I have to turn the engine off and then put the car into gear to get it to move. All the workers at Saturn were pleasant, but I feel like I purchased a lemon, From what I read here on the posts above, this may not be the end of this heartache.
I purchased my 2005 4 cyl. vue brand new from the Saturn dealership. I was real happy with my purchase until my vehicle reached around 45,000 miles. My manual transmission would not shift for me. At first I related it to cold weather, but then noticed it had nothing to do with the temperature outside. I took it to the dealership where I purchased the vehicle and they told me nothing was wrong with it. My problems became worse. By the time I took it back again, it would barely stay in gear without popping out after I shifted. After I took it back a second time they told me it was my master cylinder and also my hydraulic system that was bad. They charged me $550 to replace. This will be the last Saturn I purchase.
I have a 2006 Saturn Vue with FWD and auto. Several times we have been unable to turn the ignition key to start the vehicle. It takes several aggressive turns of the steering wheel, from side to side, to correct the problem. The dealer has replaced the ignition switch assembly, but the problem persists. Apparently there are no service bulletins or recalls concerning this. Have others experienced this problem?
I bought a new Saturn Vue 2003. Within the first 2 weeks, the check engine light came on and I had to drive a long distance on reduced power. I had to bring it in twice until they finally did something to the onboard computer to fix things.
I also replaced the front windshield within the first year. They are very fragile on this vehicle and you have to be careful.
The real problems started after about 1.5 years. There was a slight noise when turning the steering wheel. Within a month, it turned into a very loud click/click/click. It was obvious that something was being forced. So I got my handy grease gun and went under the suv to apply some grease. To my surprise, all of the joints are "maintenance free". What a crock! So basically I had to peel off the sealed rubber boot at the end of the link assembly and apply grease with my finger. Nice. The dealer would like to change the link assembly for the proper fix. Doesn't sound like "maintenance free".
Within 2.5 years, there are major rattles and clanging coming from the front suspension. Its either link assemblies, strut mounts, bushings or caliper pins. Or it could be all of the above. These are well known problems on this vehicle. And after 2.5 years!!! I refuse to change anything. The damn tires can fall off before I change suspension parts on a 2 year old car. After 3.5 years - this morning - I tried to put my key in the ignition and was surprised to see a piece of metal from the ignition keyhole somehow suspended in the hole. I luckily was able to oil it and get it to move back into place. Ingnition module by mattel.
I just don't get what Saturn is doing. Its really obvious that this car is not made to last. I don't mind seeing these problems after 6 or 7 years, but 1.5 years? Sorry GM. Never again. I'll trade it in for a short term lease to burn my gm points one last time, and then I'm off to the competition.
And the irony is that when I trade the thing in, it will become part of the 100000 mile certified warranty offered by GM for used cars. You may think this is generous on GMs part, but my opinion is that without it, dealers won't be able to unload a lot of the lemons GM has produced in the last few years. And of course, its just a sales ploy. The 4 year old lemon that you would normally pay 6K for will now go for 9K because you have a great extended warranty (you will pay an extra 3K transparently since that extended warranty offered by GM has a real value - and the dealers know it). But you will still be faced with the hassle of bringing the thing in every other week to get servicing for the stuff that will break using the 3K you prepaid to have all of the work done. Make sense?
The Saturn Vue truly sucks. And don't ever buy one if you like to baby your new car and keep it for 10+ years.
I am an owner of a 2003 Saturn VUE and have just recently encounter two of the key failures posted on this site (both problems began at 40K+ miles). All four of my wheel bearings had to be replaced ($1,500) and the two fuel sensors failed causing my gas gauge to read only half of the fuel in the tank ($500.00). I contacted the main customer service center at Saturn for assistance regarding the faulty products and I received a -$1,000 warranty coverage for the wheel bearings (reduce to labor only for $500.00) and had to pass on the sensor repairs as I couldn't afford the second additional $500.00 charge to fix them. As it's clear that both of these products on the VUE are of poor quantity, I don't understand why a recall hasn't been issued to resolve these chronic problems.
In addition, the plastic mount for the hazard button failed the first time is pushed the button and the hazard button fell into the dash. I asked about having it fixed and I was told, "Oh yeah, we are seeing a lot of these fail lately, its $59.00 plus labor to replace it". I refused to have such a simple item be replaced for such a charge. After months of seeing the button deep in the dash, I opened the plastic dash cover and taped the button back into the broken.05 cent plastic mounting and repaired it. Now the thing is solid and will never fall into the dash again. I can't believe that Saturn would sacrifice so much of their customer base to save on these poor/cheap products. It's clear to me that I will never buy a Saturn again and have lost any taste for any GM product.
So, in other words, your car is out of warranty and yet you still managed to get Saturn to cough up $1000 for a repair? And you're complaining?
I'm not suggesting that wheel bearings SHOULD fail (it's a common VUE problem), but it might be time to have a little satisfaction. Saturn was under no obligation whatsoever to help you out with the repair, but they did. And yet here you are complaining about it.
Cars are complex machines, no matter who builds them, and periodically require repair. Yep, maybe a Honda will have a few less repairs over the years--but you won't find a comparably equipped Honda for the price you paid for the Saturn. Time to grow up a little and begin accepting some responsibility.
The 2002 Vue I purchased definitely is a different kind of car for a different kind of person. Within the first two years, Shakes, rattles, grinds, road noise, poor bearings, differential howling, ignition problems, you really have to be a different kind of person to buy one of these things, I have never heard of a vehicle with so many problems in so little time. Never again general motors you lost my business, period.
I bought a 2002 Vue (4cyl, 5spd) a couple of years ago with 60,000 kms on it. Continuous headaches ensue. The front end groaned loudly whenever you corner. Saturn Kitchener, where we got it, said not their problem. When I took it in to Brampton Saturn, they said $1200 for new front end strut bearings and an alignment - and this might not fix the problem. You want me to drop $1200 into the front end of a car with 60,000kms on it, and you can't even tell me what the problem is? Saturn Canada said, 'the vehicle is off warranty, we are not responsible, we have no plans to address anything like this... have a nice day.'
The Vue got the same mileage as a buddy's Subaru Impreza wagon on a ride down to Florida, it carries the baby comfortably, I think it looks cool. Am I disappointed? I look at the Honda sitting in the driveway next to the Vue with 250,000 kms on it, and only a muffler change on the books, and I regret giving them a chance.
The Vue still creaks and groans, but the tires don't wear unevenly, it now has 120,000kms on it, creaking and groaning all the way (unless it's a really cold winter day). I'm not embarrassed when I drive the Honda.
I won't buy another Saturn, it's a shame, the Vue is a pretty vehicle that fits a niche I like (4cyl, 5spd), too bad about the greedy dealers, indifferent head office and what looks like some shoddy engineering. Saturn: think indifferent.
All dealers and companies will do as little as they can get away with, it's just with the Honda I never had to deal with them in the first place.
I'm not sure if I wish I'd read this before I purchased a used 2003 VUE or not. So far the car is a dream, it's got 39.000 miles on it and looks and runs like it was brand new. I have a cousin that has a 2000 Saturn (not a VUE though) she has over 120,000 miles on her car and has nothing, but good things to say about it. She's the main reason I decided on purchasing a Saturn. If anyone has anything nice to say about their VUE, I'd sure like to hear it.
I have an '03 V6 AWD Vue with 99,000 miles. I tow with it, so it has had a harder life than most. I had a few of the same problems discussed here while under warranty - rear differential, steering creak, warped front rotors. Since out of warranty I diagnosed and replaced a crankshaft sensor, replaced warped rotors again, and now have the ABS light coming on sometimes. I had the gas gauge issue, but easy fix with Techron Fuel Injection Cleaner. The driver seat warmer no longer works, but it is summer, so who cares? Overall I have had it good with this vehicle. I don't know what is triggering the ABS light. I have checked the alternator, battery and wiring, all appear fine. On the positive, I like the way the car handles and the lack of oil burning. It has been an inexpensive car with no big bills yet. I use Mobil 1 oil and tranny fluid, maybe that helps. I would buy another, but bring it in for every detectable problem while under warranty. I have a '96 SL2 with 212,000 miles and it has been virtually maintenance free.