I had just pulled out on a interstate highway, and the vehicle acted like it did not want to shift gears. The check engine light came on and I could not accelerate any faster than 40 MPH. I pulled off the side of the road and waited on a tow vehicle. The steering has been very stiff also in the last few months.
2008 Saturn Outlook transmission complaints
Page 4 of 5: complaints 71 to 100 of 127, newest first, as owners wrote them.
On november 28, 2013 we experienced our first symptom that something was not quite right on our 2008 saturn outlook. Upon acceleration our car started to rev excessively at around 35-40 MPH. We were able to continue to drive and the vehicle seemed to switch gears ok in every other gear...but really struggled when in the lower gears. We brought it into to see if possibly it just needed to have the transmission flushed and were advised against doing that. Instead, they topped of the transmission fluid and our vehicle seemed to run smoothly for exactly one week. And than boom, we had the exact same symptom where the vehicle could not shift out of lower gears and this time it had a burning type smell. I went online and, to my surprise, found page and page of discussions surrounding transmission issues with the 2007 and 2008 saturn outlook. In all cases, the symptoms were identical. In all cases, complete transmission rebuilds were the only solution. Most vehicles were just outside of their warranty, but in some cases, the mileage was as low as 30,000. Gm is fully aware of the situation, yet is doing nothing to rectify the matter. They know that they have a faulty "wave plate" in these cars that is causing the transmissions to completely break down. If you google "2008 saturn transmissions" you will find all of the evidence you want to support the need to investigate a possible recall. This is both dangerous and incredibly costly and something that gm needs to accept and step up and repair. Our vehicle has only 72,000 miles on it and we are looking at a minimum of $3,400 in repairs. The mechanic that is fixing our vehicle has had six outlooks in his shop alone. When I spoke to the customer service agent, [xxx] at gm 866‑790‑5700 ext [xxx], she freely and readily admitted that they were fully aware of the problem. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 saturn outlook. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the transmission began to slip gears with severe hesitation without warning. The vehicle failed to accelerate over 35 MPH. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who recommended that the transmission be rebuilt. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 60,365. Updated 2/11/14*cn according to the invoice, the reverse waveplate was broken. Updated 02/18/14
Power train warranty expired 11/1/13 and now my outlook won't go reverse, 3rd or 5th, check engine light illuminated, I'll take it tomorrow to the dealer and find out if it's the same problem everyone has been having with the TCM or if it's the reverse clutch plate (waved). I also have the other common problem with the leaky sunroof, water comes down the driver floor board by the parking brake. This is my first gm and it looks to me like it's going to be my last. I'm going back to toyota! I wish I had known all of these problems, I would had never bought this SUV if I knew this info exist online, live and learn! I can't believe gm knowingly allows these problems go on and won't do anything to correct it.
I was driving vehicle home from work when the car began to slow down. I pulled to the side of the road and could not engage the reverse or drive setting. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic who checked the vehicle out and told me the transmission would have to be replace for $3600. The vehicle is one year past the warranty but should not matter because I have owned several vehicles other than saturn with more than 100k miles and never had a transmission go out. This vehicle only has 67k miles and to have the trans go is pathetic. I feel gm should take care of this but I do not know who to call. This vehicle has been involved in other recalls like the wiper arm motor that I replaced and did not know it was being recalled. Therefore, I was wanting to know where I can send the bill for that.
My car has 89,000 miles and the transmission went out yesterday. I was traveling at 57mph when the cars engine revved to 7 rpms, and then slowed to 30 MPH. I was unable to maintain the speed limit because the car would not go above 25-30 MPH. It's gonna cost nearly $4,000 to fix and the "5yr" warranty expired in march. Very disappointed in gm for making such a terrible transmission. So many problems and very little help with the problem!
Without warning, I left a parking lot and my car seemed very sluggish. I noticed that it would not shift out of 1st gear. The check engine light came on, so I pulled over and killed the engine. I let it sit a few minutes and started the engine again. I had the same problem as I accelerated to go down the road. I didn't know what to do, so we called a wrecker and had it hauled to the transmission place. They called and told me the transmission would have to be rebuilt and the computer inside the transmission replaced and programmed. These repairs totaled just over $3,000. I am so angry because I have read on a saturn forum that this is a pretty common problem. I don't understand why gm won't do the right thing and recall the transmission. This is ridiculous to have this type problem on a 5-6 year old vehicle.
While driving on the highway at 60 MPH, the rpms went up to 6000....had to slow down to 20 MPH on highway....thank goodness it wasn't rush hour! Took it to dealer and the transmission is out!
After having stopped at a store, and putting my car into drive, it would not shift out of 1st gear / maybe 2nd and the check engine light came on. There is approximately 85,000 miles on the car and the transmission is gone! I have looked online and it appears to be a major problem with this vehicle.
I was driving my outlook at approximately 30 miles an hour and it would not shift into the next gear. I had to pull to the side of the road and limped the car into a parking lot thinking maybe the transmission fluid was low. That was checked and was found to be at a normal level. Leaving the parking lot we learned that there was now no reverse. The only gear that functioned was first gear. We drove at low speed to the dealership and on 8/26/13 I was told that the car needed a new transmission at approximately $3500 - $4000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 saturn outlook. The contact stated that while driving 10 MPH, the vehicle began to surge and lunged forward. The contact attempted to put the vehicle in reverse in order to park in his driveway but the vehicle would not accelerate while in the reverse. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 66,000.
Could not shift to next gear and the car jumps/shakes when shifting. Going on 3rd repair, its just costing me to much money to fix and still need to drive the car...
Was driving my in-laws 2008 saturn outlook at about 40 MPH and then engine revved and would not shift. Was on busy highway and had to pull over. Turned car off and back on and tried to drive and engine would not shift past 30 MPH and then starting going in and out of shifting and not moving at all. Had to pull back over and then get a tow. This happened with no warning.
Vehicle transmission failed while on 500 mile trip home to dallas. After pulling off the freeway in wichita for dinner, the vehicle wouldn't accelerate and slipped out of gear at about 30 MPH. Had to tow it to a dealer. Was told the transmission had "fallen apart" and needed to be rebuilt or replaced at a cost of about $3,600. I have done some research and found this to be a rather common problem.
After having 2008 saturn outlook acting "oddly". My husband took for a ride. At stop sign went to accelerate onto road. Car would not move. Had to call for tow. And wave vehicles to pass. Five days without a vehicle and counting.
Was driving on the hwy & the vehicle started lurching & the engine light came on. The vehicle then started running rough. I took it right away (same day) to an auto shop & had a diagnostic done. On the way home the vehicle locked in the 1st gear & I was only able to go approximately 10 MPH. It showed the speed sensor was out. I took it to a transmission shop to have the repairs done where it was found that the whole transmission needs to be repaired. The wave plate is bad, which is a known issue with gm with these models. It is a cost of $3500.00 to repair & could have had serious injury to myself & my children. I want to know why a recall has not been done on this? And why gm is not be held accountable for these repair costs?
The vehicle makes a rubbing/grinding noise that interferes with turning (especially left). It feels like you cannot complete the turn or stop. This caused problems when the gears would shift also. Feeling like you cannot accelerate or stop in a reasonable amount of time. Mechanic says the entire transmission needs to be replaced.
While accelerating in speed after being stopped at a red light the vehicle went to shift and the engine rpms went up excessively, and the jerked hard when shifting. It progressively got worse as we tried to make it home. We added transmission fluid because it looked low. The next day the engine light came on. I took it to a transmission repair shop who put it on the diagnostic machine. The said that it showed a solenoid stuck open, but was concerned that the fail safe didn't work properly. They said I should have had reverse, and second to get me off the road safely. However, the reverse didn't kick in unless the vehicle was rolling backwards. They are telling me that the whole transmission will need to be replaced. The car has less than 60000 miles on it.
Vehicle has not been shifting correctly for the past year or so. Took it to a gm dealership last week and was told the wave plate in the transmission was cracked. Began researching this problem and found a forum where hundreds of other gm owners have experienced this problem. After reading, it appears that when my car would not shift into reverse two years ago, it was the beginning of the problem. I didn't recognize that as a transmission problem and when I mentioned it to the dealership (which is no longer a gm dealership since they no longer have saturn), it was dismissed because it only happened one time. I continued to have issues with the shifting but didn't take to authorized gm dealership so they don't have record of it. Recently, RPM's were randomly jumping above 4 on the highway every 10 minutes and I felt lucky to make it home from a recent trip in the mountains. Of course, gm is not willing to take any responsibility and will not provide any financial assistance to repair car but I don't understand how so many people can be experiencing these problems and it not be a recall issue? Really upset that my two children were in the car and scared to death we were going to wreck or get stranded!
While in a stopped position, I tried to accelerate and my transmission would not go into gear. I was stuck not being able to pull over to get out of traffic, because my car wouldn't go into gear. I put it into park, then back into drive several times, and I finally got it to creep enough in low gear to get it to the side of the road. This could have been a disaster if I were trying to pull out into traffic. The car was in the shop prior due to the transmission slipping. This was not covered and cost me $3000. I am still not sure this corrected the problem and I don't feel safe in this car. This car has been in the shop several times for a front leak at the driver's door from the sunroof, which still leaks with heavy rain. Also, the constant squealing when turning the wheel which no mechanic will acknowledge. Nothing has ever been done to correct this. I assume it is the power steering pump. The car doesn't have good acceleration power compared to any other SUV model. It drags with no pick up.
Was driving on hwy. At 60 MPH when engine began to rev and then when I came to stoplight and took off, the car would not go over 30 MPH.and would jerk and then as I continued to try to get speed because of others behind me-it would not go. Had to drive 30 MPH for two hours to get only 40 miles. Transmission needs to be replaced and gm is not standing behind their product. This is a hazard and there are sooo many complaints with problems just like this and no recall yet-really-so will one be made when someone is killed in an accident. Also when this began I had a 1/2 tank of gas, when I got to dealership-2 hours later-the car was on e!!!!!!!! Horrible gas mileage on this too now. Passenger airbag says needs to be serviced-was like this when we purchased and dealer said they would fix-never did and this is a safety concern because it means the passenger is not safe in this vehicle, but then again, none of us are because of gm-am going to begin process with small claims court regarding all of these issues. Horrible vehicle and gm should be ashamed-no wonder I always bought non american made cars-shame on us for thinking gm would be good since it was made in USA.
Saturn 2008 outlook started to have problems when shifting gears. Feels like going into 3rd gear is the problem and sometimes in reverse. Sounds like a rev of the engine and then a hard shift into the gear. There have been many posts online about this and unfortunately gm is not consistent with how they resolve. This sounds like it should be a courtesy fix or recall.
We were passing another vehicle on the interstate and the transmission stopped working but the engine continued to operate at full RPM's. We slowed and pulled over across traffic. The transmission would engage for a second but the car did not move more than a few feet.
My 2008 outlook started to jerk driving down the road and then had very high rpms but no acceleration in the middle of an intersection I could not move and then the check engine light came on. I took it to a chevrolet dealership and it had a broken wave plate and the transmission had to be rebuilt which took 2 weeks. I was lucky enough to still be covered under the powertrain warranty by only 2 weeks. The service manager told me they have seen hundreds of these as it is a known problem with this car. Why has there not been a recall yet if this is happening to everyone.
While accelerating vehicle abruptly reduced speed and did not move this caused vehicles following my car to immediately slow down to nearly miss rear ending my vehicle.
Vehicle transmission slips when shifting from 2nd gear to 3rd gear.
We were traveling down a highway when all of a sudden the vehicle RPM revs up and the engine gears are no longer engaged. We could only drive 30mph to prevent the RPM's from going too high. Also, no reverse gear. Towed into gm dealership and transmission broken down and the wave plate is what was damaged. Wave plate replaced and gm refused to pay for all of repair. Said it was not their problem since powertrain warranty went out 2 months ago. They have a service bulletin out, but still refuse to acknowledge this is a problem with this vehicle. There should be a recall from gm on this faulty part since they refuse to admit that there are issues with these model's transmission. The following is the service bulletin listed for this problem. Bulletin no.: 09-07-30-012a date: january 12, 2010 subject: no reverse, 3rd or 5th, check engine light illuminated, dtc p0776 (replace 3-5 reverse clutch plate (waved) models: 2008-2009 buick enclave 2008-2009 chevrolet equinox, malibu 2009 chevrolet traverse 2007-2009 gmc acadia 2007-2009 pontiac g6 2008-2009 pontiac torrent 2007-2009 saturn aura, outlook 2008-2009 saturn vue all equipped with 6t70/75 6-speed automatic transmission (rpos mh2, mh4, mh6 or my9).
I have had my the children in the car when the service stabilitrac warning came on causing jerking in heavy city traffic and wouldn't allow me to go. Had it towed and the mechanic said the entire timing component was bad, this was a chevy dealership. Next I was traveling on a freeway with my children approaching an officer at the scene of a wreck my car revved very high and wouldn't shift anymore....not only with an officer at a accident but also reduced to one lane traffic due to construction. When this happened it nearly caused a collision. I had to attempt to coast to the side of the road. Mechanic said transmission needed to be rebuilt. I have spoke to saturn and informed then of all my issues...evenafter transmission repairs my car continues to jerk and stall in traffic to the point I was almost t boned by a semi!! I have had my fill of my children at risk from a poorly built car! My passenger airbag won't even kick on and is having problems. All my problems started at 50,000 miles!! My sun roof was leading and I had water gushing down my pillars had to pay for that to be serviced as well!
Delayed shifting when pressing down accelerator to increase speed to change lanes while on freeway. Took car in for service and was told transmission wave plate was inoperative.
This complaint is in regards to tsb 09-07-30-012b for a 2008 saturn outlook . This issue with the clutch wave plate caused my entire automatic transmission to fail as well as major damage to transfer case that could not be repaired. The endstate was a complete replacement of the automatic transmission as well as the transfer case with a cost of over $6k. The mileage on this vehicle was 74,563 and all required maintenance conducted in a timely manner. The transmission failed while on the freeway traveling at 65mph almost causing an major accident because of the power train failure.
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