The car turned off while driving on the highway. The car just recently within the last year or so started giving us electrical problems. The mechanic on August 14, 2025. Replaced the alternator, the second within 3 years. The battery replaced twice within 3 years, as well. Internal dashboard light flickers. The car fails to start several times a month. The driver & passenger seats is not stable, it shifts or moves. The battery's pos and neg poles are extremely hot. Steering wheel stiffened up hard to maneuver. The above problems are ongoing throughout the years. My wife hears a popping sound coming from under the hood.
Saturn Aura stalling problems
39 of the 1,440 owner complaints about the Saturn Aura describe engine stalls while driving, most of them for the 2007 model year.
- owner complaints
- 39
- worst model year
- 2007
- typical mileage
- 100,000
By model year
Often reported together
Check engine light 12Transmission failure 6Won't start 5Misfire 4Loss of power 3Jerking 3Won't shift 2Slipping 2
Trouble codes mentioned
P0716 1P0700 1P0017 1P0016 1
What owners say
While driving the car doesn’t switch gear properly. The car made a stalling noise and as soon as I remove my foot from the gas pedal it’s automatically braking.
The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed the vehicle stalled without warning. Additionally, while driving and making either right or left turns, the vehicle pulled in the opposite direction. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The Bureau of Automotive Repair was contacted and the contact was notified of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V252000 (Electrical System, Exterior Lighting, Vehicle Speed Control, Electronic Stability Control) and 14V153000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 133,000.
Car reads service ECM, reduced engine power, service traction. Throttle body has been replaced, but the previous issues occurred. Car seems to want to stall.upon reducing speed to slow down. Then when I try to accelerate, I cant accelerate when engine is still on. Car will idle up and down and reduce power. If car is in park for a few minutes, error messages stated above will also appear. Car reduced engine power on highway while at 60mph, hard to steer. Car will hesitate when slowing down to make turns at reduced speed.
The vehicle has been in and out of repair for the same problem, engines have been replaced but no solution has been found. When driving around 60mph the engine would stall and 'engine power reduced' and 'traction off' would flash, reducing the car speed and making acceleration near impossible- sometimes multiple times in one trip. Car accelerates very slowly and causes traffic buildup. Rpm is at 5 (x1000)/min at just 30mph and the engine is making loud noises. Sometimes when stalled or at a red light the engine will cut out completely and the car will die. Almost consistently the car will rattle and shake in a pulsing matter. As previously mentioned I have brought it in to local repair shops and no one has been able to find a solution. Often times the engine is replaced but the problem comes back after a couple weeks.
I was having trouble with my engine light coming on and reduced engine power and traction control off and throwing codes. Mostly 0641, 0107, 0106 and 1682. I have a code reader and was always able to clear them. I they came back right away I would disconnect the negative cable and that would seem to work. Sometimes I would drive for a couple weeks to a month or two with no problems. Then on aug. 21, 2017 the engine light came on again and I had a hard time getting it started again. When I did it was running rough. So I drove it to my local dealer, they reset the codes and updated the ECM. The next night I was driving, car was running smooth, no problems. I pulled into a parking lot and the engine light and reduced power and traction off warning came on. It was running rough and stalled. I tried to restart it and the was a fairly loud noise from under the hood. There were codes set 1682, 0452, 0641, and 0107. I tried to clear them with my code reader but they wouldn't clear. I un did the negative cable and that didn't work. I tried to restart the car and all I got was a mild clicking sound I noticed a burning smell from under the hood, so I thought the ECM burnt up. Since I was unable to get it started I called a tow truck and had it towed back to the dealer. The next day the when I contacted the dealer they asked me if I wanted to have the repairs needed from the previous day done. None of the noted repairs had anything to do withe the car dying. I told them to just figure out why the car will not start. While they were working on it I called gm owner assistance because at this point I had some feelings of mistrust. The dealer called me after 3 hours and told me they were not going to charge me the service fee and my engine was seized. I was flabbergasted. I asked them how could the engine just seize up with no warning. I
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 saturn aura. While driving approximately 25 MPH approaching a stop, the vehicle stalled and the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle restarted normally after a few minutes. The contact also stated that the failure occurred three other times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer (axel rod buick/gmc in parma, ohio) where it was diagnosed that the total control module failed and needed replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 113,400.
Vehicle intermittently stalls while traveling. Causing the inability to steer properly, always receive beeping alert with service ESC in instrument panel.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 saturn aura. While driving various speeds, the vehicle stalled and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted. In addition, the contact mentioned that an abnormal sound emitted from the vehicle and it locked and unlocked independently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 112,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 saturn aura. While in an intersection and attempting to drive, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was placed in park and would not shift out of the park position. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission shift cable fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was previously repaired under the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v224000 (power train), but the remedy failed to repair the vehicle. The contact mentioned that the shift cable fractured prior to the recall repair and after the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000. The VIN was not available.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Saturn Aura stalling
Which Saturn Aura years have engine stalls while driving problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2007 (21 complaints), 2009 (10 complaints) and 2008 (8 complaints).
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used Saturn Aura?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history