The passenger headlamp stopped working. We found out that this is because the wire and socket melted and burned. I'm relieved that it has not caused a major vehicle fire. 40,000 miles.
2008 Saturn Outlook electrical complaints
Page 6 of 7: complaints 131 to 160 of 164, newest first, as owners wrote them.
My passenger headlight turned off around 11/12/10, the bulb was replaced. Two weeks later the same headlight turned off again. I took it back to the chevrolet dealer and they want me to pay $285 to fix the problem. I don't think that its right to make us pay for something that is completely faulty. This is really serious and can cause and accident.
Drivers side light bulb burned out. After investigation, the wire bundle to the light overheated/burnt and melted, resulting in the halogen bulb failure. Unbelievable amount of online complaints involving the same issue, which repeats itself, even after the dealer replaces the wiring harness. The wiring harness is plastic, under-engineered and repeatedly fails. This item needs to be recalled and repaced with a metal wiring harness. Reference saturn' s tsb #09-08-42-004. This is a known problem and a serious safety issue.
2008 saturn outlook xe. Harness to both headlights (low beam) has melted which now I have no headlights.
Driver's side wiring harness melted on headlight, saturn outlook 2008.
My husband and I will be taking our 2008 saturn outlook in for the 5th time, yes I said 5th time, to get the headlight fixed. The drivers side has had a bulb replaced as well as the wiring harness replaced...same with the passenger side. It only has 40,000 miles on it and we have owned it less than a year. We are lucky that our dealership is taking pity on us, and fixing it for free because our warranty just expired. Please recall this. This is a dangerous defect that needs to be fixed!
The headlight harness attachment to the light bulb has burned on both sides of my vehicle. This caused the light to go out and melt the insulation near the coupling.
One evening while driving my children home from an event, we smelled a toxic burning type smell. When we arrived home, I saw that the front headlamp was out (a bit surprising for a 2 year old vehicle). The dealer discovered that the wiring harness connector was burned. A bit frightening and not tro mention costly. Although the car was 2 years old, it has just above 36,000 miles and thus out of warranty. My fault for not getting to the dealer immediately when the mileage would have been just below the 36,000 mile mark.
My passenger headlight turned off at about 30,000 miles, the bulb was replaced. Two weeks later the same headlight turned off again. I took it back to the dealer when they told me it was under warranty and would replace the faulty wire harness. Now my car is at about 57,000 miles, no warranty and my driver side headlight keeps turning off. I called the chevrolet dealer and they want me to pay $100 just to look at it and then pay for whatever needs to be done to fix the problem. I don't think that its right to make us pay for something that is completely faulty. This is really serious and can cause and accident.
1. Passenger side low beam went out. 2. Replaced it thinking the bulb was dead. 3. 2 days later, the new bulb was out. 4. Went digging back under the wheel well and through some funky arm bending and twisting of the neck I could see that one of the female lugs on the connector was burnt. 5. Used electrical tape to temp fix the light. It went out 1 day later and not even driving the vehicle for that 2 day period. 6. Went in and started an internet search and discovered I am not the only one with this major gm problem. I have already got a warning for the police to fix the headlight out. I shouldn't have to worry when it will go out again and hopefully not get a ticket or even worse. A crash.
2008 saturn outlook driver side low beam headlight went dark due to exposed wires in the wire harness near the bulb socket.
The wiring harness on the passengers side low beam has melted twice. It was last replaced two weeks ago, and has since gone out again, I suspect that it has melted again but will not know for sure until I take the car back to the shop. Why are these harness melting and why hasn't gm made a recommendation to fix this problem.
2008 outlook had a burned out low beam on the driver side at 31,750 miles. Dealer confirmed that the wiring harness was melted causing the failure and need replacing. Gm needs to recall both wiring harnesses as I am sure the next one will go and it will be past the warranty. This is clearly a safety defect having a lights wiring harness melt. Apparently, this is a common problem with '08 outlooks. Please issue a recall!
Driver side low beam headlight is not working even after light bulb was changed. Taken in to dealer and told that the left front wiring harness is melted.
1a. The headlights on our 2008 saturn outlook started malfunctioning when on auto in july 2010. 1b. Our transmission doesn't properly engage, either. 2a. Our headlights went completely out on the left side, even when on manual, last friday evening. They had been working earlier in manual, so we were unaware until pulled over by an mp and cited. We were unable to drive our outlook at night. Saturn finally agreed to fix the wiring harness on wednesday, but they will not fix the new bulb that shorted out due to the wiring problem. It caused us to not be able to safely or legally drive at night. 2b. The transmission often does not engage, especially when we are stopped and then try to cross traffic to turn left. This has caused several near misses and one minor accident for us. It usually occurs when we are stopped and needing to speed up to merge or cross traffic. 3a. Currently, saturn is replacing the wiring harness but not the light burned out because of the wiring problem, stating this is a maintenance issue. They are also addressing leaks in the water and fuel pumps. 3b. Unless the transmission problem is fixed by the leaks repair, they have not done anything to correct the transmission problem.
My 2008 saturn outlook has had problems with the headlights. I had two headlights malfunction at the same time. I went to replace the bulbs and one of lights started to work without replacement. The second bulb had a burn mark and the connector on the wiring harness was melted. I plugged the bulb back it and it work, though a bit dimmer. This is the 3rd or 4th time I've had problems with the headlights. I had thought they replaced the wiring harness before under warranty. I'm assuming they will be doing the same since the bulbs still work and the connector is melted on the one harness.
The right front headlight went out, replaced the bulb and realized the connector was melted. Two weeks later the left front bulb went out, brought it to the dealership and the connecter was melted. So both sides had electrical melting. Cost to repair is $352.
I have a 2008 saturn outlook and the right low beam went out and I found that the connector had melted. The very next day in the evening the left low beam went out and I was without low beam lights. I had both wiring harnesses replaced at a cost of almost $400 on 8/27/10 I hope this fixes my problem. Major safety issue in my opinion. I had to drive with high beams and that was not good for other drivers and they were angry with me. Needs recall.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 saturn outlook. The contact stated that the driver side headlamp failed. The contact attempted to change the light bulb and discovered that the wiring harness had overheated and burned. The dealer advised that the vehicle could be repaired but at the contacts expense. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 70,000 and the current mileage was 70,458. Updated 12/01/10. *lj updated 12/14/10
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 saturn outlook. The contact stated the vehicle would not start and was towed to the dealer. The dealer advised that the battery was defective and replaced the battery with a new one. One week later, the failure recurred. The vehicle was again towed to the dealer where a third battery was installed. The dealer informed the owner that the battery received was defective and they had received an entire defective batch of batteries. The failure recurred and the vehicle was towed back to the dealer for a fourth battery replacement. The current and failure mileage was approximately 17,000.
2008 saturn outlook headlight wiring harness failure. At 35,000 miles the driver side headlight wiring harness has melted from overheating with the oem stock bulb attached. Upon inspection the wire and housing are deformed and failing. I replaced the bulb to rule out the possibility of a simple bulb burn out. Now the entire wiring harness assembly will have to be replaced just as the bumper to bumper warranty is set to expire. Also a quick search on google for gm saturn headlight harness points to several complaints of the exact issue. So this is not an isolated case, just cheap wiring.
I have a 2008 saturn and the low bean harness on the passenger side was melted and the light bulb shorted out. The gm dealer, gerry lane, was aware of this problem due to a service bulletin and said it is normally a $300-$400 job, but they will replace it as a good gesture for a charge of $50. The service bulletin is "tsb #09-08-42-004 "low beam headlamp replacement/diagnosis (inspect fuse, bulb, harness, replace harness and fill connector cavity for low beam bulb connector with nyogel grease) - (may 29, 2009). Document id: 2284787. Applies to models 2007-2009 saturn outlook. This should be a recall and could be dangerous by creating a fire next to the engine compartment. Customers should not have to pay for this, especially since they know this is a frequently occurring safety condition.
Drivers side headlight keeps burning out. Had bulb replaced twice but then realized it has bad wiring. The wires leading into the bulb are bad and melting the plastic around them and causing burn marks.
I own a 2008 saturn outlook. The headlights, low beam, have been going out for no reason. I thought the bulbs burnt out, but when I went to replace them, they came back on. I simply moved the wire harness and they turned back on. On one occasion the headlamps went out as we were driving at night. This issue is extremely dangerous, and it appears to be happening to other saturn outlook owners as well. I feel a recall is needed!!!!!!!
I own a 2008 saturn outlook, which I purchased new in august of 2007. In february of 2010, I noticed my right low-beam headlight/daytime running light was out. I contacted my local saturn service center and was told that there had been "some problems with the wiring harness" and I should bring it in for a replacement harness, since it was still under warranty, which I did. In april 2010, the left low beam headlight/daytime running light went out. I again contacted saturn and asked if, assuming this was the same problem, it would be covered by warranty, since they had already acknowledged that a problem existed with this harness (the vehicle was about 2,000 miles over warranty by this time). I was told that, since there had been no recall, it would not be a warranty item, and that I would have to pay for the repairs myself. Since the saturn dealer is about 50 miles away, and it was not going to be covered by warranty, I opted to have it repaired at a shop much closer to home. After determining that the bulb was functional, they ordered a new wiring harness, and installed it in less than an hour (to the tune of $171.44). I asked to see the old harness, and upon inspection, I observed that the housing around one of the connection points was clearly burnt and melted. I have heard of numerous other reports of this failure, much like the recalled wiring harness for the heated windshield wipers. This harness defect clearly is a safety issue and should be recalled.
Wire harness for front head lights defective. I was charged $25.00 to get the pass side fixed six weeks ago, now they want $200.00 to fix the driver side for the same problem.
We have a 2008 saturn outlook. The headlights keep going out. The wiring harness is bad and the expense to replace is very high ($750). This is a common problem and many people have submitted complaints and commented in forums on the web. The problem occurs at random times. During daylight, but more dangerously while driving at night on the highway. There is no warning. I have replaced 7 bulbs in the last 6 months and tonight both lights stopped working while driving home. In order to get home in safety I had to switch to high beam lights. There is an obvious flaw with this line of vehicles.
I continually have an issue with a non-working driver's side headlight. I have replaced the light bulb twice, but this only works for 1-2 weeks before it goes out again. The dealer has identified it as a harness short with the headlight assembly, but the whole assembly needs to be replaced. My 2008 saturn outlook had 39000 miles on it with and a manufacturers extended warranty (given to me as part of another ongoing water leak issue that is also not covered by this warranty) and they stated that this is not a covered item. I have spoken with the dealership and customer service and was told that this is a $500+ dollar repair that is not covered on a 2 year old vehicle. Most of the time I only have one working headlight and this is a safety issue. I have done some research on the internet and this seems to be a known and ongoing issue that is not being addressed by general motors.
Saturn outlook xr headlights went out when wire on left front headlight melted wiring.. This happened in january 2010 when the right front went out and melted the wiring. Cost to replace the one in january $640.00 and was told today to replace the left front will be $750.00. This is a defect and should be recalled as you can look at many web sites and many people are having this problem. We noticed that this only happens when the lights are on high beam only.
I purchased this 2008 vehicle in july 2008, used but "new" with a bit over 16,000 miles on it from a dealership in syracuse that is no longer active. My vehicle has always been well cared for and serviced accordingly. Starting jan. 31, 2010, the engine began to make a loud knock. It did not matter if I warmed the vehicle, or if it was warm weather or cold. On some instances it seemed to not accelerate on the highway as it should. Often hesitating to "go". It has been into the dealership four different occasions, for a total of 21 days out-of-service cumulatively, soon to be more. The first time they gave it back the next day as they stated they could not duplicate the noise. Three days later the knock was back. The second time it went in they had for 7 days, could not duplicate. 2 days later back again...the third time the dealership locally here put a new timing chain in. They said it was "slack". However, this did not fix the issue. It was supposed to go back in for the same engine knocking, etc. Before it could go in I was driving at night with small children in the car on a highway and had no headlights. After taking it to the dealership they say the wiring harness melted and they have no idea why. They take the vehicle in again for a fourth time. Tell me its fixed. New wiring harness. Pick up vehicle..same engine knock present. They now say maybe its a lifter? Cam? Don't have parts. Give me this same vehicle to continue to drive. Something is fishy here. How many vehicles does it take for a safety recall or investigation????? Does someone have to die?! Headlights going out at night on highway, engine not accelerating....major safety issues. Multiple complaints. I'd rather not have someone called to the scene of my death or the deaths of my children because of a known defect that is not being addressed! Also, another 2008 saturn outlook is at the same dealership for similar problems...
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