2004 Saturn VUE FWD review from North America

I thought that I had been fortunate in purchasing the Vue. However, 12 days after the purchase, I noticed a growling noise in the transmission when I shifted from 1st to 2nd gear. I noticed this just as I was to leave town for 4 days to travel in another vehicle.

I expressed my concern to my salesman when he happened to call to see how I was doing. He said I should contact the service department which was not very good customer service on his part. I received a call from Saturn and was told that the service manager would contact me. Four days later, I received a phone call.

When I brought the car in, we drove around for a while. I left it there and when I went to pick it up, I was told that the noise was occurring due to the way I drove the car. He asked if I had been driving a manual for long. I told him I had driven a manual for 17 years.

I called the dealership to express my displeasure with the diagnosis. After driving my Vue and another on the lot, the same noise occurred in both. Cautiously and in a non-commital way, they stated that it seemed to be common to the Vue. They stated that some people are more lenient with noises than others. I stated that this was a brand new car and there shouldn't be any noises that I had to be lenient with. I also expressed my concern about this turning into a bigger problem.

At this point, they are supposed to call me when the engineer comes to this area. I want to set up an appointment with him. I feel quite down about my future prospects with this car regardless of the warranty.

I love the way the exterior of the Vue looks, its size, and its functionality. However, if the engine or transmission fails all of that becomes moot.