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2006 Saturn Relay problems

The most common problem on the 2006 Saturn Relay is brakes, typically around 34,500 miles. Its complaint count is close to a typical Relay model year.

Typical yearClose to a typical year
Year score
65/100
Owner complaints
19
Recalls
1
Service bulletins
659
Worst area
Brakes
Fuel economy
17-19mpg

The worst 2006 Saturn Relay problems

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

  • Brakes
    4
  • Transmission
    4
  • Body
    3
  • Fuel system
    3
  • Locks
    3

Problems by type

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

  • Brakes
    4
  • Transmission
    4
  • Body
    3
  • Fuel system
    3
  • Locks
    3
  • Airbags
    2
  • Driver assistance
    2
  • Electrical
    2
  • Engine
    2
  • Steering
    2
  • Lights
    1
  • Seats
    1

Recalls 1

Equipment: other: labelsReported December 7, 2005 · 32,068 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Certain trucks and sport utility vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were shipped with tire and loading information labels listing an inacccurate vehicle capacity weight.
Risk
A misprinted label could lead to improper vehicle loading specifications or tire inflation which could result in a tire failure, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Owners will be provided with corrected labels and installation instructions. At the customer's option, a dealer can install the label for them. The recall began on march 31, 2006. Owners may contact buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080, cadillac at 1‑866‑982‑2339, chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463, hummer at 1‑800‑732‑5493, pontiac at 1‑800‑620‑7668, saturn at 1‑800‑972‑8876, or isuzu at 1‑800‑255‑6727.

Recall number 05V552000 · Recall details

See all 1 recalls for the 2006 Saturn Relay

Defect investigations

Power sliding doorOpened December 11, 2007, closed February 23, 2009

Odi evaluated general motors' (gm) data, conducted consumer interviews, inspected and tested my 2005-2007 gm minivans with regard to the alleged defect of a power sliding door (psd) opening while the vehicle is out of park.odi identified a high warranty claim rate.however, these claims are related to various problems associated with doors not properly opening or closing and not specifically to doors opening while driving.the condition of the psd reversing direction during the closing sequence is consistent with an obstruction of the door, or with improper alignment of the door, and this is addressed in gm technical service bulletin # 07-08-64-007 and bulletins # 07-08-64-007a through d.odi's evaluation of the psd system notes numerous safeguards to preclude both unintentional and intentional power opening of the psd while the vehicle is in motion.a safety-defect trend has not been identified at this time.accordingly, this investigation is closed.[see document file for additional information regarding this resume.]

EA07019

Power sliding door openingOpened August 16, 2007, closed December 11, 2007

Odi has received reports that the power sliding doors opened without command while the vehicle was in motion on model year 2005 and 2006 general motors minivans (chevrolet uplander/venture, pontiac montana sv6/montana, buick terraza, and saturn relay).some reports indicate that the door may not have been closed and latched before driving away causing the door to reverse (open) at low vehicle speeds.however, other reports indicate that the door was initially shut then opened after driving for several minutes and/or miles at vehicle speeds between 20 and 70 MPH.odi has upgraded this preliminary evaluation to an engineering analysis (ea07-019) to further assess this issue.

PE07044

Technical service bulletins for the 2006 Saturn Relay 659

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

See all 659 bulletins for the 2006 Saturn Relay

2006 Saturn Relay fuel economy

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

EngineDriveCityHighwayCombined
3.5L 6‑cylFWD162319
3.9L 6‑cylFWD162319
3.5L 6‑cyl4WD152117

What 2006 Saturn Relay owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Oct 1, 2017 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 130,000 miles · OH

Service ABS and service traction control lights came on and have remained on for several days. Further messages continue flashing on the driver information center. This has been a recurring problem over the past year after ABS wheel sensors and the associated wiring were replaced. With the numerous complaints on the internet - I was thinking that surely a tsb or recall on these issues has been overlooked or simply ignored by the mechanics and service writers at the gm dealerships nationwide. I know that a tech ll scanner is required to check for any trouble codes for these very complex systems, but what is the known definitive fix for these potentially serious problems ? The lights and messages began appearing after moderate braking and while vehicle is/was in motion or stationary while turning or on a straight ahead stretch of roadway. Varied road conditions and wet or dry weather conditions were seemingly not contributing factors.

Filed Mar 12, 2014 · Transmission · 128,800 miles · NY

After starting vehicle, with foot on brake, gear selection lever would not move from park and parking brake would not disengage as result. Shut down engine, restarted with same result. After several more attempts to move the shift lever, it finally released from park but had difficulty moving directly into reverse gear - it had to be "rowed" thru all gears to settle to reverse, and the transmission did not seem to engage in reverse initially. When it did engage reverse gear, the transmission "jumped," lurching the car (the parking brake had disengaged when gear selection lever finally moved from park). This is an intermittent problem, and seems to sometimes coincide with other drivetrain issue previously described.

Filed Mar 12, 2014 · Transmission · 129,100 miles · NY

Attempted low/moderate acceleration from stop; transmission seemed to slip with engine RPM increasing but no transfer of power beyond about initial half-foot of forward motion, then hard shifted into gear (lurched the vehicle) and accelerated rapidly. This event was initially intermittent and not able to be reproduced by mechanic. It has now become frequent and affects shifting at highway speeds as well as from stop, making control of acceleration unpredictable is hard shifting through most gears when this is occurring, although at other times it shifts very smoothly throughout, making it more difficult to reproduce for mechanic.

Filed Mar 12, 2014 · Electrical, Lights · 128,500 miles · NY

Noted that driving lights flashed with wipers on delay setting. At next use, low oil pressure light & warning sounded but lights did not flash with delay wipers. Turning off engine and pulling hood latch & closing hood ended low pressure warning (oil pressure/ level were correct-false alarm). 2 days later, lights again flashed with wipers on delay but no oil pressure warning. Continued this back-and-forth (either oil warning or light flash with wiper use, but not concomitant) for 2 months, then low pressure warnings became constant, and the lights no longer flashed with the wipers at all.the low oil pressure warning can often be stopped by either turning off engine and carefully restarting or pulling hood latch and slamming hood. Shifting gears may also trigger the low pressure warning if it isn't already on.

Filed Jan 5, 2014 · Airbags · 125,000 miles · VA · crash

My 18 year old son had an accident. He rolled the van multiple times, hit trees ,damaged all sides, and roof of the van. The only door that would easily open was the drivers door. The front axle broke, windshield broken. The insurance appraiser said all panels were damaged and could not believe none of the air bags opened. The saturn relay 2006 was a total loss.

Filed Feb 13, 2013 · Engine · 86,000 miles · OR · 1 injury

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 saturn relay. The contact stated that within three months, the interior of the vehicle darkened by three shades. The contact stated that there was a strong metallic smell inside the vehicle that had even affected her breathing. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that there was a foreign hose attached to the catalytic converter that could have been the cause of the toxic leak. The contact became very ill and strong traces of cadmium, lead and mercury were found in her blood system. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 86,000.

Filed Oct 24, 2011 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 111,000 miles · IN

I started getting "service traction control system" warning message and light with "service ABS system" warning message and light and "service stability system". All are always at the same time. Shutting off the engine and restarting (per owners manual) temporarily causes the lights and messages to turn off, but they always return later. This problem is well documented in saturn forums and is happening with many, many owners.

Filed May 10, 2011 · Locks · 53,000 miles · MN

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 saturn relay. The contact stated that both the driver and passenger side automatic sliding doors would not shut. When activated, the door would start to close but would not latch and then would reopen. The contact stated it takes a couple of hours and attempts before the door would close. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technicians were unable to duplicate the failure. The technicians performed adjustments to the door but the failure persisted. The vehicle was not further repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 53,000.

Filed Jun 8, 2010 · Steering · 82,000 miles · KY

My 2006 saturn ion all of a sudden lost its power steering while I was driving! I almost crashed! And now it going to cost over 500 or more to fix. I could have been killed, I was going up a hill on a curve. Just all of a sudden the bell rang and it popped up pwr str. I got the car stopped and turned it off when I turned it back on it was fine for about 5 feet and again it did it. I got home and checked the fuse and made sure it was ok. Today I drove all over and it was ok and then all of a sudden again it came on and the steering wheel locked up!

Filed Dec 10, 2009 · Transmission · 139,000 miles · MD

Awd disabled when needed in snow. It seems to be caused by icy slush. I confirmed with the dealer that the hub assembly's awd sensor can get covered up with mud or slush and the awd system will disable. Any awd system that gets disabled by slush is ludicrously designed, and borderline negligent with regards to safety.

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Questions about the 2006 Saturn Relay

Is the 2006 Saturn Relay reliable?

Owners have filed 19 complaints about the 2006 Saturn Relay, close to a typical Relay model year.

What is the 2006 Saturn Relay year score?

The 2006 Saturn Relay scores 65 out of 100 (average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Saturn Relay: 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 2006 Saturn Relay?

Brakes, with 4 complaints, typically around 34,500 miles. Next is transmission (4).

How many recalls does the 2006 Saturn Relay have?

1 recall, covering equipment.

What gas mileage does the 2006 Saturn Relay get?

Official estimates for the 2006 Saturn Relay range from 17 to 19 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.5L 6-cyl, FWD) gets 16 city and 23 highway.

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