Multiple time my vehicle became wet in the inside due to a sun roof drainage tube issue. My vehicle stopped while in motion and there was a burning smell. Now none of my windows will go up and the car no longer starts. I have a loud knocking sound coming from the dash when I turn the heater or AC on. Now my dash shows service theft deterrent system. The first time I thought maybe the tube was clogged. I now come to find out that is was/is a on going issue with GM. I could've lost my life or been possibly rear-ended at highway speed due to GM not knowing how to make a sunroof.
2008 Saturn Outlook: fire, smoke or burning smell
8 of the 633 complaints about the 2008 Saturn Outlook describe fire, smoke or burning smell.
- owner complaints
- 8
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- typical mileage
- 80,000
- recalls
- 2
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls and 157 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year
- 20092
- 20088
- 20079
What owners say
Issues with my outlook alternator caught engine on fire, electrical issues with stabilizer/tracking controls, windows/mirror and mainly check engine light comes on while driving and transmission slips into low or 2nd gear. I had to pull to emergency lane and have vehicle towed twice. Dealer states its an issue with obd/obi codes and clears code. Vehicle continues to do this almost daily, weekly. Water leaks through sunroof, front window glass, under dash on feet of driver and passenger; water leaks via dvd system while driving and stationary. Alternator caught on fire while driving and I coasted into a driveway and lifted hood the flames started, fire dept. Contacted immediately to put out. Damage to vehicle wires, tubes, etc under hood. Passenger side front window and mirror will not push out of roll down due to electrical issue driving and stationary. Recall on struts for auto lift gate, but real issue is module to lift liftgate was a fee to be repaired. What did recall cover with lift gate? These issues happen no stop since 2012 when vehicle was purchased used. I drove on interstate and and check engine light came on, transmission went to low gear and I almost was hit because vehicle jerked when this happened and power/speed instantly dropped.
The truck ABS light came on and a fire started. I got everyone out and the fire blew up and everything burned down to the body. We had it towed by police to prevent a further fire. It looks like it started near the battery in the back of the truck . I had no problems prior to this happening . It just all of the sudden caught on fire.
There is a leak in both corners of the sunroof allowing water to leak down into the console affecting the performance of the airbags. There are drain holes on both sides of the sun roof but the water dosent go down. The water damaged several wires under the passenger seat and it also damaged the fuel box. I did not know this until I started the car and saw smoke coming from the passenger side floorand under glove box. I took it to the repair shop where he showed me the burned fuse box and also a puddle of water underneath the passenger seat and the wires under the seat were also burned . This car has a defect in the sunroof allowing water to drain into the consol onto wires and they catch fire.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 saturn outlook. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the low pressure warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle lost acceleration. The contact continued to drive and heard a loud pop before the vehicle stalled. The contact coasted to the side of the road and exited the vehicle before flames erupted in the engine compartment. The fire extinguished on its own. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not operable, and was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 84,415.
Headlamp failed, wiring melted. Next time the car may go up in flames. Dangerous!!!!!
Low beam continues to go out and there is a continual smell of burning wires in my 2008 saturn outlook. The wiring harness has been replaced once. Wiring harness was replaced because it was burnt.
2008 saturn outlook xr headlight wire harness has now burned out on both my headlights. I am concerned that the vehicle could have it's engine compartment catch on fire.
Service bulletins that may apply
- This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on OnStar Module 2G Sunset Information.
- Electrical system
- Vehicle Wide Programming (VWP) is a new process to update software on GM Vehicles
- This bulletin provides information on identifying Non-GM Engine Calibrations for Gasoline Engines using...
- This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Service Programming System (SPS)...
- The intent of this service bulletin is to identify aftermarket ALDL or DLC interface devices as potential...
- This bulletin provides information for electrical ground repairs using new General Motors replacement...
- Electrical system
Related recalls
Electrical system
- 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 system
- 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
Questions about the 2008 Saturn Outlook fire or smoke
Is fire, smoke or burning smell a common problem on the 2008 Saturn Outlook?
8 of 633 owner complaints about the 2008 Saturn Outlook (1%) mention fire, smoke or burning smell. The model year with the most reports is 2007.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2008 Saturn Outlook?
There are 2 recalls and 157 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms 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 8Power steering loss 8Harsh shifting 7
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