The 6t70 transmission prior to 2009 has a faulty weak wave plate. Caused my transmission to fail, began to start slipping at 3rd gear. Was able to exit the freeway, but the transmission completely stopped working in drive within 6 miles after the problem presented. I was in the middle of traffic with my children in the car, stopped at a traffic light. Ironically I was headed to the gm dealership. Gm has none of this problem and is aware of the problem. They made changes to the transmission in 2009, but have yet to address the faulty units still on the road.
2007 Saturn Aura: transmission slipping
10 of the 607 complaints about the 2007 Saturn Aura describe transmission slipping.
- owner complaints
- 10
- of this car's complaints
- 2%
- typical mileage
- 80,340
- recalls
- 2
Transmission slipping by model year
- 20096
- 20083
- 200710
What owners say
The gear shift would not go into to park, neutral , or reverse, the gear shift to the transmission broke. The steering column fluid is leaking, the front head light went out. The head gasket is wearing out, the car is rusting already on the body. The air conditioning fan is not blowing out cool air or heat. "the transmission feels like it slipping sometimes. I feel so betrayed to have been sold a car that needs so much work when all I wanted was a dependable car to get me to my part time job. Please advise? Thank you [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
One day prior to the incident (7/5/14) we noticed a transmission slip slightly when accelerating from what I believe was 2nd to 3rd gear. On sunday (7/6/14), while we were driving the vehicle to a repair shop it would no longer shift at all. We had to push it off the road and have a tow truck take it to the nearest gm dealership. Once diagnosed it was discovered the transmission wave plate had failed and would cost $4200 to replace the transmission. There is currently a tsb (technical service bulletin) on this issue, but no recall. I know there must be substantial issues with this since my mother's saturn aura with the same transmission had a wave plate failure 3 weeks ago, although her's was still under powertrain warranty and thus covered. We currently have a case # with gm customer service, but have yet to receive any resolution from the dealership or gm/saturn corporate.
My saturn stopped pulling when stopped, thankfully at our driveway. It would not go forward and the engine just revved. It would pull in reverse but not in drive. Attempted the manual mode but still did not pull and did not show gear indication on dash. Upon several times turning on and off it started pulling. The dealership could not recreate. Program update to TCM and $300 later we left. One month later the transmission slipping so bad it almost stalled in intersections creating a potentially dangerous scenario. We took it to the dealership the next day to have them say we need a new transmission. The dealership was unaware of a recall on the news regarding a transmission problem for the auras but not for this problem or model. This needs to be a recall since it is a safety hazard. Please consider a recall for this problem.
Vehicle would not accelerate past 20mph and would not go in reverse at all. According to repair facility, also slipping in forward gears. This is due to the 35r clutch being damaged by the wave plate which needs replacing and is a known issue with the vehicle.
Parked car and was leaving vehicle with keys in hand. Vehicle started rolling backward. Got back into car, reinserted keys and made sure gear shift was in park position, which it was. Has happened numerous times since. No problem getting into other gears or feeling like transmission is slipping. I did look up on this site and saw there is a recall notice for similar problem with other auras, but my VIN is not included.
Transmission has started to slip around the same time the recall was released concerning gear shifter cable. I am highly concerned that this is related and now my power train warranty has expired.
Our transmission started slipping and jumping between 40 and 50mph and attempts to stall out. In reverse, the vehicle will barely move without the transmission slipping and making horrible noises also attempting to stall out. The vehicle has less than 50,000 miles! This is ludicrous! The danger is that the vehicle could stall out at any time while driving, therefore, placing the driver in an unsafe situation with the potential of being struck by oncoming traffic; rear ended, etc. I spent hours this morning researching this issue extensively, via numerous consumer forums, and discovered that this is an extremely common issue with this particular vehicle. Gm's response, in one forum, was to have the system software upgraded, thereby fixing the problem. This apparently did not solve the problem in almost all posted cases but is the apparent "go to" response. I believe if there are hundreds of consumers experiencing the same issue with the same vehicle, and that issue is potentially dangerous, the manufacturer (gm) is responsible to correct the issue at no charge to the consumer. I do not believe it is a coincidence that so many vehicles "randomly" have the same dangerous transmission failure issue. When contacting gm's customer assistance department this morning, I was instructed that the local dealer (which they tried to contact with me on hold to no avail) would provide the software update free of charge (that's the standard solution for first time complaints apparently). After that is completed, and if it doesn't solve the dangerous transmission issue, we're basically on our own to replace a faulty transmission. Something must be done about this issue before someone has to die or get seriously injured by a faulty transmission failing for action to be taken. Thank you.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 saturn aura. The contact stated that the gear shift only shifted into neutral. The contact had the vehicle inspected by a mechanic and was informed that the vehicle needed a new transmission. The contact stated that the transmission had been slipping for several months and progressively got worse until the transmission failed. The contact stated that no warning lights ever illuminated on the instrument panel. The failure mileage was 81,000 and the current mileage was 86,000.
I purchased this saturn with 32k on it, two days after having the vehicle it started overheating and the air conditioner went out. I contacted the dealership because it was still under factory warranty. It took them a week to fix the vehicle because they had to completely rewire a few things. One month after that happened, I noticed when I turned I felt a popping in the floor board on the driver side. I again contacted the dealer and they had me bring the vehicle in and stated something was loose in the axel shaft and they 'fixed' the popping by tightening it up. Three months following the above events, I noticed the popping started again. I took the vehicle to the dealership and they replaced the front ball joint, rack, and pinion. I drove away from the dealership and immediately had to turn around and return the vehicle because the problem continued. At that point they had the vehicle for five months straight. They say they replaced everything from the steering column down. Every time I called for an update they always had a different answer. I have replaced the rotors on this car 3 times now and it only has 60k. The service airbag light continues to stay on. The dealership says they replaced the airbag coil but yet it continues to come on. Now the transmission is slipping constantly in 5th and 6th gear. This car has been the worst car I have ever owned. I will never purchase another gm product again. I have had nothing but issues with this car since the day I brought it home. My husband was called to deploy to iraq and we had a 2 week old baby so we had to get a bigger car before he left. We only had 3 days when he was called up to leave (he was inactive reserve and was called up). I did not have time to research this car before we bought it. If I could do it all over again I would never even consider this car. Reading into it now, it seems a lot of people have had the same issues with this car.
Service bulletins that may apply
- This service bulletin provides information on some vehicles that may rock or move slightly forward or...
- This bulletin provides information on the harmful effects of water or ethylene glycol in transmission fluid.
- Power train
- This service bulletin provides information on OEM and Remanufactured Engine and Automatic...
- Power train
- This Warranty Admin service bulletin provides guidelines for Dealers Not Required and for Dealers Required...
- This bulletin provides information on Policies Applicable to All U.S. Dealers for Engine and Transmission...
- This Bulletin provides guidelines for Dealers Not Required and for Dealers Required to Contact the PQC for...
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on April 29, 2014, that they are recalling 56,214 model year 2007 and 2008 Saturn Aura vehicles. On May 22, 2014, GM increased the recall to include an additional 1,074,899 model year 2004-2008 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured from May 16, 2003, through October 5, 2007, model year 2004-2007 Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured from June 25, 2003, through April 5, 2007, and model year 2005-2008 Pontiac G6 vehicles manufactured from May 26, 2004, through September 28, 2007, and equipped with 4-speed transmissions. The total number vehicles being recalled is now 1,131,113.
- Risk
- If the transmission shift cable fractures while the vehicle is being driven, the transmission gear selection may not match the indicated gear and the vehicle may move in an unintended or unexpected direction, increasing the risk of a crash. Furthermore, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, despite selecting the PARK position, the transmission may not be in PARK. If the vehicle is not in the "PARK" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and GM dealers will replace the shift cable assembly and mounting bracket, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact General Motors at 1‑800‑553‑6000. GM's number for this recall is 14152.
Recall number 14V224000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: gear position indication (PRNDL)
- What is wrong
- General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Saturn Aura and model year 2008-2010 Chevrolet Malibu and Pontiac G6 vehicles, equipped with a 4-speed automatic transmission. On these vehicles, the tabs on the transmission shift cable end may fracture and separate.
- Risk
- If the tabs were to fracture and separate, the shift lever and the actual position of the transmission gear may not match. The driver would be able to move the shifter to 'PARK' and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in 'PARK.' The vehicle may not be able to be restarted and the vehicle could roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible crash without prior warning.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will install a retainer over the cable end or replace the shift cable as necessary. This service will be performed free of charge. Notification to owners began on on November 9, 2012. Owners were instructed to not bring their vehicles for repair until January 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1‑800‑521‑7300.
Recall number 12V460000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2007 Saturn Aura slipping
Is transmission slipping a common problem on the 2007 Saturn Aura?
10 of 607 owner complaints about the 2007 Saturn Aura (2%) mention transmission slipping. The model year with the most reports is 2007.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2007 Saturn Aura?
There are 2 recalls and 71 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2007 Saturn Aura
Airbag light 56Check engine light 49Adaptive cruise 43Won't start 38Won't shift 35Fuel pump 21Stalling 21Transmission failure 19Jerking 18Door locks 13Fuel smell 13Loss of power 13Harsh shifting 12Engine failure 11Fuel leak 10Grinding brakes 8Headlights 8Power steering loss 8Fire or smoke 7Steering lock-up 7ABS 5No deployment 5Knocking 5Premature wear 5
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