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2008 Saturn Outlook problems

The most common problem on the 2008 Saturn Outlook is lights, typically around 45,000 miles. It has 1.2 times the complaints of a typical Outlook model year.

Typical year1.2x the typical complaints
Year score
64/100
Owner complaints
633
Recalls
5
Service bulletins
1,059
Worst area
Lights
Fuel economy
18-19mpg
Typical repair
$477

The worst 2008 Saturn Outlook problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

Specific symptoms reported on the 2008 Saturn Outlook

Headlights 257Airbag light 46Water leak 43Check engine light 41Transmission failure 27Won't shift 21Jerking 20Loss of power 19Slipping 16Stalling 15Wipers 15Overheating 14Won't start 10Hesitation 9Grinding brakes 8Fire or smoke 8Power steering loss 8Harsh shifting 7

Trouble codes owners of the 2008 Saturn Outlook mention

B0081 3P0776 3

Recalls 5

Structure: body: hatchback/liftgateReported June 30, 2015 · 691,144 vehicles affected
What is wrong
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured January 3, 2007, to February 29, 2012, 2009-2012 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured July 6, 2008, to March 9, 2012, 2007-2012 GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured September 15, 2006, to February 29, 2012, and 2007-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles manufactured August 17, 2006, to March 18, 2010. The affected vehicles, equipped with the power liftgate option, have gas struts that hold the power liftgate up when open. These struts may prematurely wear and the open liftgate may suddenly fall.
Risk
If the open liftgate unexpectedly falls, it may strike a person, increasing their risk of injury.
Remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power liftgate actuator motor control unit so that the motor will prevent the rapid closing of the lift gate, free of charge. The recall began on November 15, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1‑800‑521‑7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020, GMC customer service at 1‑800‑462‑8782, and Saturn customer service at 1‑800‑553‑6000. GM's number for this recall is 15240.

Recall number 15V415000 · Recall details

Air bags: side/windowReported March 17, 2014 · 1,176,407 vehicles affected
What is wrong
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2013 Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia and 2009-2013 Chevrolet Traverse and 2008-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles. In the affected vehicles, increased resistance in the driver and passenger seat mounted side impact air bag (SIAB) wiring harnesses may result in the SIAB and seat belt pretensioners not deploying in the event of a crash.
Risk
Failure of the side impact air bags and seat belt pretensioners to deploy in a crash increase the risk of injury to the driver and front seat occupant.
Remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected harness connections with soldered connections, free of charge. The recall began on June 16, 2014. Buick owners may contact the owner center at 1‑800‑521‑7300, Chevrolet owners at 1‑866‑694‑6546, Saturn at 1‑800‑553‑6000, and GMC owners at 1‑866‑996‑9463. GM's number for this recall is 14030. Note: Vehicles repaired as part of Customer Satisfaction Campaign 10085 and special coverage 10335 have already had the subject condition repaired and therefore are not included in the safety recall.

Recall number 14V118000 · Recall details

Electrical systemReported June 4, 2010 · 1,365,070 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Gm is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 buick, lucerne; cadillac dts; hummer h2; model year 2008-2009 buick enclave; cadillac cts; model year 2007-2009 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; gmc acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl; saturn outlook; and model year 2009 chevrolet traverse vehicles equipped with a heated washer fluid system (hwfs). A recall was implemented in 2008 to add a fuse to the control circuit harness to address the potential consequences of a printed circuit board (pcb) electrical short. However, there have been new reports of thermal incidents on hwfs modules after this improvement was installed. These incidents resulted from a new failure mode attributed to the device's thermal protection feature. The significance varies from minor distortion to considerable melting of the plastic around the hwfs fluid chamber.
Risk
It is possible for the heated washer module to ignite and a fire may occur.
Remedy
Dealers will permanently disable and remove the heated washer fluid module. An updated page for the owner manual will be provided and inserted in the owner manual to document that the feature has been permanently disabled and removed from the vehicle. The safety recall began on june 11, 2010. Owners may contact buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080, cadillac at 1‑866‑982‑2339, chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, saturn at 1‑800‑972‑8876, gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463 and hummer at 1‑800‑732‑5493 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.

Recall number 10V240000 · Recall details

Electrical systemReported August 28, 2008 · 857,735 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Gm is recalling 857,735 my 2006-2008 buick lucerne; cadillac dts; hummer h2; my 2007-2008 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; gmc acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl, saturn outlook; and my 2008 buick enclave vehicles equipped with a heated wiper washer fluid system. A short circuit on the printed circuit board for the washer fluid heater may overheat the control-circuit ground wire.
Risk
This may cause other electrical features to malfunction, create an odor, or cause smoke increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will install a wire harness with an in-line fuse free of charge. The recall began on september 12, 2008. Owners may contact buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080; cadillac at 1‑800‑982‑2339 or http://www.cadillac.com; chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438; saturn at 1‑800‑972‑8876 or http://www.saturn.com, gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9436; or hummer at 1‑800‑732‑5493; or through their website at http://www.gmownercenter.com .

Recall number 08V441000 · Recall details

Visibility: windshield wiper/washer: linkagesReported August 14, 2008 · 88,809 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Gm is recalling 88,809 my 2008 buick enclave, and my 2007-2008 gmc acadia and saturn outlook vehicles currently or previously registered in the following states: alaska, colorado, connecticut, delaware, idaho, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, montana, nebraska, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, north dakota, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, south dakota, utah, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, wyoming, and the district of columbia. If a buildup of snow or ice on the windshield or on the wipers restricts the movement of the wiper arm, the windshield wiper linkage may become detached from the motor shaft and the wipers may become inoperative.
Risk
If this were to occur, driver visibility could be reduced, which could result in a vehicle crash.
Remedy
Dealers will install a new wiper crank arm, driver's side link, and a crank arm nut. The recall began o october 13, 2008. Owners may contact buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080, gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463, saturn at 1‑800‑972‑8876, or through their website at http://www.gmownercenter.com .

Recall number 08V410000 · Recall details

See all 5 recalls for the 2008 Saturn Outlook

Defect investigations

Loss of Headlamp IlluminationOpened June 4, 2012, closed July 24, 2014

As of July 16, 2014, out of a population of 248,453 subject vehicles, the federal safety agency received 473 consumer complaints of inoperative head lamp. Many of these complaints indicated that the head lamp harness suffered damage from overheating. After reviewing the complaints, ODI found: -69% (328) alleged that a single head lamp was inoperative. -18% (86) alleged that both head lamps were inoperative but not at the same time. -9% (41) alleged that both head lamps were inoperative but the complaints did not indicate whether the failures had occurred at the same time. -4% (17) alleged that both head lamps were inoperative at the same time. -One additional complaint cited wire harness damage to both sides but did not specify an outage -No crashes or loss of vehicle control were reported. -Any alleged thermal damages were limited to melting of the head lamp harness and the head lamp housing. -A head lamp would intermittently fail to come on or flickers before becoming completely inoperative. For the seventeen complaints that alleged simultaneous failure of both head lamps while attempting to turn them on or while driving, the head lamp failures likely had occurred one at a time. The subject vehicle's head lamps are connected in a parallel circuit and each circuit is fused. Therefore, failure of one head lamp or its harness should not affect the other head lamp operation. Over the last 25 years, ODI has opened numerous defect investigations of the loss of headlamp illumination.Investigations that resulted in safety recalls involved simultaneous loss of illumination from both headlamps. the federal safety agency does not consider the loss of a single headlamp as presenting an unreasonable safety risk-such failures are readily detectable by the driver while allowing the vehicle to retain forward visibility and conspicuity from the remaining headlamp.There is typically enough time between the failure of the first headlamp and the second during which the vehicle operator can obtain the needed repairs. Based on the information currently available, the federal safety agency does not believe that the headlamp condition as alleged by the petitioner indicates the likelihood of a safety-related defect that would warrant a formal investigation.Therefore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize the federal safety agency's limited resources to best accomplish the agency's safety mission, the petition is denied.Further specifics can be found in the Federal Register Notice ODI complaint ID numbers are referenced on the next page.

DP12003

Non-crash engine compartment firesOpened June 12, 2008, closed September 8, 2008

In a letter dated august 27, 2008, general motors corp. (gm) notified the federal safety agency that it will conduct a safety recall (the federal safety agency recall number 08v‑441) to address a safety relateddefect that can result in engine compartment fire in approximately 850,000 vehicles equipped with a heated windshield washer fluid option.the subject vehicles of this investigation comprise over three-quarters of the recall population. According to gm, a short circuit on the printed circuit board for the windshield washer fluid heater module may overheat the control-circuit ground wire. This may cause other electrical features to malfunction, create an odor or cause smoke and in rare cases it may cause a fire.as a remedy, gm dealers will install a wire harness with an in-line fuse. In addition to the subject vehicles, several other gm models with the heated windshield washer fluid option are included in recall 08v‑441: my 2006-2008 buick lucerne (manufactured august 2005 through november 2007); my 2008 buick enclave (manufactured february 2007 through april 2007); my 2006-2008 cadillac dts (manufactured may 2007 through november 2007); my 2007-2008 saturn outlook (manufactured august 2006 through april 2007); and my 2007-2008 gmc acadia (manufactured august 2006 through april 2007) vehicles.gm is instructing owners to take their vehicle to a dealer for service if they experience symptoms of windshield washer heater module short circuits. Gm's recall resolves the safety defect concerns pursued by this investigation.this engineering analysis is closed.

EA08010

Technical service bulletins for the 2008 Saturn Outlook 1,059

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

See all 1,059 bulletins for the 2008 Saturn Outlook

2008 Saturn Outlook fuel economy

Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.

EngineDriveCityHighwayCombined
3.6L 6‑cylFWD162419
3.6L 6‑cyl4WD162218

What 2008 Saturn Outlook owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Oct 30, 2024 · Transmission · PA

Transmission is failing. Reverse is slipping. Low torque trying back up inclines. Known problem with 2008 Acadia, Enclave, Traverse & Outlook per transmission shop who test drove and scanned. No code via dashboard, but scan tools and professional diagnostics verify failure. Techem has been replaced in February 2019, by GM service @ owners expense when forward drive failed.

Filed Nov 14, 2023 · Airbags · IL

Over this summer I went to start my truck and all the airbags pop out expect for the steering wheel air bag and dashboard air bag

Filed Oct 3, 2023 · Transmission · OH

This has been a big problem for all Saturn owners. The transmissions are always going out in them. This transmission is starting to slip. I’m surprised there is no recalls. Very disappointed.

Filed Apr 26, 2022 · Airbags, Electrical · MA

airbag sensor on passenger seat stays off even when passenger is in seat. I have read many complaints from same vehicle since they were new. Also has electrical issues intermittently possibly from water leaking thru sunroof

Filed Feb 9, 2022 · Visibility · 197,357 miles · OH

The contact owns a 2008 Saturn Outlook. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front windshield wiper failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with windshield wiper motor failure. The contact was informed that the windshield wiper motor cover assembly needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V609000 (Visibility) however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was 197,357.

Filed Sep 25, 2021 · Airbags, Electrical · SC

Unknown

Filed Aug 31, 2021 · Airbags · 180,000 miles · WA

The contact owns a 2008 Saturn Outlook. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the airbag warning light illuminated and remained illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the MDS was not communicating with the airbags. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.

Filed Aug 26, 2021 · Tires · 155,692 miles · MI

The contact owns a 2008 Saturn Outlook. The contact stated while inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that all 4 tires had started cracking along the tread. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15T002000 (Tires) however, the tires were not included. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 155,692.

Filed Aug 23, 2021 · Electrical, Lights · OR

My low beam headlight started to intermittently go out for a while. Then it went out completely. I go to replace the bulb only to find that the bulb wasn’t the actual issue. The harness, wires, and socket to the bulb were blackened, burnt and melted. So now it all needs to be replaced. I’ve seen on several forums that has happened to so many people that have a car manufactured by GM. The original wiring is not quality enough for the heat and current that goes through there.

Filed Jul 21, 2021 · Steering · 138,000 miles · ID

The contact owns a 2008 Saturn Outlook. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact pulled over however, the steering functionality did not return. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed and repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 138,000.

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Other model years

2007200820092010

Questions about the 2008 Saturn Outlook

Is the 2008 Saturn Outlook reliable?

Owners have filed 633 complaints about the 2008 Saturn Outlook, 1.2 times a typical Outlook model year.

What is the 2008 Saturn Outlook year score?

The 2008 Saturn Outlook scores 64 out of 100 (average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Saturn Outlook: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.

What is the most common problem with the 2008 Saturn Outlook?

Lights, with 247 complaints, typically around 45,000 miles. Next is electrical (164).

How many recalls does the 2008 Saturn Outlook have?

5 recalls, covering structure, air bags and electrical system.

What year does the Saturn Outlook have the most lights problems?

The Saturn Outlook model years with the most lights complaints are 2008 (247 complaints), 2007 (154 complaints) and 2009 (75 complaints).

What gas mileage does the 2008 Saturn Outlook get?

Official estimates for the 2008 Saturn Outlook range from 18 to 19 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.6L 6-cyl, FWD) gets 16 city and 24 highway.

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