While I was out running errands I was coming up to main intersection on the highway & lost all power. Engine was still running but I had no power at all. It stopped shifting. I was fortunate to be able to pull off the side of road before it came to a complete stop. I was stranded there for an hour before anyone could come get me. I ended up having to have it towed. This is my only means of transportation. I am a single woman in the south with no immediate family in this state. I had no way to get to work for 2 weeks and no income to rent a car. Everything that I have read online, in car forums and on complaint boards say this is a common problem with this vehicle. If so, why hasn't gm had a recall on these transmissions? I had to have a remanufactured transmission installed at a gm dealership that cost me $4200.00 that I did not have. The vehicle is only worth $3100, at best, at kelly blue book. Is there anything that can be done?
2003 Saturn Vue transmission complaints
Page 3 of 12: complaints 41 to 70 of 316, newest first, as owners wrote them.
2003 saturn vue transmission problems and more the date of sale: 12/05/2008. The loan officer claims states everything was ok with the vue before purchase per her review. However the transmission is slipping, rear hub bearing, noise coming from left side beginning jan 14, 2009- to current. We reported to the dealership and return to service department with the following report: brakes making noise all the time and burning smell from vents. Saturn dealership in concord repair: front brake rotor refinishing and the teach comments: unable to verify any smells this visit. A/c drain not restricted. Called gm in detroit, mi (no help) and they are aware that the vue was return because of the same complaints; my daughter met the lady who purchases the vue 2003 at a foster care meeting in concord in 2009, she ask about the rack that was on top of vue 3/24/2009: filed a claim with bbb auto line program: claim the warranty expired on 7/31/06. I purchase the vue in 2008. --what does that mean. On march 21, 2012 checked the transmission with transmission center in our area: advice could not confirm trans slippage, it needs rear hub bearing. We replace the hub bearing, but the noise and slippage continued. That summer (june 2012) I traveled to oakland with the debutantes (5 young ladies including my granddaughter to eat) in route in traffic the vue begin to lose its power and came to a complete stop. Car's going around us-it was crazy and nice men can and push the vue to the side of the road. Called the dealership today sunday july 8, 2013 and at 1:50pm pst.--spoke with the sales consultant who promises to have the owner call me back. He did and asks how I can help you. I explained once again the problem and he said" sounds like you need a new car". I disconnected the called...very disrespectfully--not funny. I've check the internet and called other transmission center: cost range $3,999.00. Please help me retrieve some or all of my money back. Respectfully [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of informatio
Motor transmission fails to move forward or backwards even though engine starts fine.
Much regret I ever purchased this saturn vue 2003, I left my home yesterday was left stranded in the road as the transmission started felt like skipping and when I had to stop for a vehicle coming in the road it wouldn't drive at all! Wouldn't go in gear for the drive or reverse!! So someone called a sheriff. I then called a friend who had to come and push vehicle out of road traffic. This transmission was replaced in 2010 it's as if it was never done! This is my only means of transportation for work so needless to say I am out of work yesterday, and today!!! Calling saturn service at 7:30 am sure they are going to jump right on it (sarcasm). The past month the electrical will blink on and off. Then after a while of driving it goes completely out. Until the next drive then the blinking starts. I hope no one has a young new driver attempting to drive these vehicles. They are by no means safe!!! My 16 year old daughter wouldn't have been able to handle what I went through with this vehicle yesterday. It would have put a young female at risk!!! I do not have thousands of dollars to sink into this vehicle I still owe $7,000 on an undriveable vehicle. I am a homeowner with a mortgage and a single parent that work hours have been cut back drastically at work. I didn't know about the lawsuit until now I now understand why when I went to try and trade this vehicle a few months back to no avail makes sense now why no car dealer wanted this vehicle!!! Everything makes sense why no one would trade! I have always been able to trade vehicles until now. This is my last gm vehicle. To say the least. I have no family here to help with my problem so I am certainly open for suggestions should someone have any??? Thanks
The transmission of this vehicle has caused a class action lawsuit already, but they are still being sold with these horrible transmissions. I bought my 2003 vue less than two weeks ago and while I was driving around to run errands my transmission would not go in gear in order to drive. It would go in reverse, but not forward.
Saturn notified me that my saturn vue vti transmission had a problem and offered to repair it for 1/2 price or give me a credit towards a new car. I decided to have it repaired on 8/17/2011 at a gm dealer. After 20 months and 27,000 miles, the transmission broke again. I spoke with gm, they said that the problem with the vti transmission was never fixed so that means the new one installed was defective. I asked the gm rep to see what they can do and they will not do anything. Why would they replace a defective product with another defective product and then wash their hand of the matter? Gm should be held accountable for this fraud. This problem should have been listed as a recall and more information should have been given to the consumer. Especially after "we the people" bailed out gm from bankruptcy. There are 100's of accounts on the internet from saturn vue owners who have had the same experience. I would expect the government to look into this and do what's right.
Transmission dont work.
It dosent matter what time of day it is but when I turn on car there is a whinding noise that is very distinctive sound and seems to be getting louder in park and neutral. When I put car in drive it goes away put in park comes back. I also have rattling in left front driver side around tie road end area. When I turn to the right but not turning left at this time. I was told by some one the saturn vue 4cylinder have some real problems with transmission and that they are going out. *tr ## VIN passed ##
2003 saturn vue. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle transmission issues *tgw in march of 2004, the consumer received a letter from saturn stating there was a problem with vehicles equipped with vti transmissions and it would require repair or replacement. The transmission was replaced at that time by saturn. However, since then the transmission has been replaced four times. Gm informed the consumer, they would charge him half for replacing the transmission. Also, the link bushings were replaced.
Grinding/rubbing noise from transmission when in park or neutral.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn vue. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the transmission slipped into second gear and would not shift to the other gears. The contact stated that the transmission also slipped into neutral while driving as well. The contact took the vehicle to a local mechanic for a diagnostic test. The mechanic stated that there was nothing that could be done to the transmission due to the defective components and that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact called a local dealer and the dealer stated that the vehicle had two prior transmission replacements. The dealer also confirmed that the transmission needed to be replaced again. The failure mileage was 105,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn vue. The contact stated that the vehicle would not respond when attempting to accelerate. In addition, the vehicle could only be driven in first or second gears. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where they advised him that he needed the transmission replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they advised him that they would possibly repurchase the vehicle back from the contact. The failure mileage was approximately 109,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn vue. While traveling 65 MPH, the contact attempted to accelerate and noticed that the vehicle would slightly hesitate before accelerating. Shortly after, the contact noticed a warning light displaying reduced engine power. The contact brought the vehicle to a complete stop and the vehicle would no longer accelerate. The vehicle was not diagnosed or serviced for the failure. The current and failure mileages were 87,000.
Purchased this vehicle in august 2010 with 85000 miles on it, one week after buying the vehicle the body control module went out. Around six months later the coil pack went out, two months after that the front bearings went out. At about eight months the tumbler in the ignition went out. At about nine months the thermostat went out. We now are being told that the rack and pinion and transmission are bad at 116000 miles and less than 18 months since our purchase date. After extensive research I have found that we are not the only ones having these sort of issues. I also have been told that there was a class action lawsuit against the maker of the vehicle in which we were not notified of. I feel that this vehicle is unsafe and it seems quite rare that one would have so many issues with a vehicle in a short amount of time.
My saturn vue 2003 experiences serious hesitation in power when traveling over 45 MPH. The dangerous sputtering gets harder when I need to drive more than 45 MPH such as when I have to travel on parkways or expressways. On december 3, 2011, I entered exit 36 of the grand central parkway and maintained a steady speed of 55 MPH in light traffic. As the traffic increased to exit 17, the car began to hesitate and appear to want to come to a stop. It was difficult to maintain a decreased speed of 45 MPH to avoid the sputtering and halting. I got into the right lane and exited the parkway as my car jolted then came to a sudden halt. I turned the car off, waited 15 minutes, put my car in drive and it would not drive forward. I put it in reverse and maneuvered it into an open space along the curb on 78th avenue. I tried again and only with heavy pressure on the gas pedal was the car able to move forward enough to allow me to straighten into a position to be towed. I called aaa and was towed to a saturn authorized service provider, northshore chevrolet of smithtown, where it sits to this day. The brand new 2010 vt1 transmission needs to be replaced.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn vue. The contact stated that at engine startup, a knocking noise was emitted from the transmission. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the dealer confirmed that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted and the vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 95,477 and the current mileage was 96,105.
On the 27th of august 2011 the power train (vti transmission) quit working. I was at a traffic light and had applied my brakes, when the light turned green the vti transmission would not engage. I was left stranded with only reverse. Saturn had issued a vti transmission letter several years before that stated they knew their was a defect with the vti transmission and all transmission work would be 100% covered. Now the new owner of gm states he doesn't have to honor that vti transmission letter. Since that incident the vti transmission has gone out three more times.
This vehicle was 6 cylinder model with awd. It has a standard 5 speed automatic transmission. The transmission went out (slipped) completely going up a low rise. After stopping and starting up again, it worked again for another few hundred yards and then went out again just as we went into an intersection. We were able to pull over and call for a tow. A total replacement of the transmission was required at considerable expense.
I purchased this car brand new in 2003 and am the only driver. Other than the now defunct transmission, the car is in excellent shape, both inside and out. While driving appx. 70mph on the freeway, my vue lost power down to 30mph and rpms increased to over 5000. The "check engine" and "reduced power" warning lights illuminated. I managed to drive the car to the recommended gm service center and was told that the vti transmission had failed. Service advisor contacted gm and was told they wouldn't provide any assistance. Car is still at gm service center as there is no way to repair the transmission and assure me that the $5000 it will cost me will last since they can not get a new transmission, only rebuild another one that has failed. This car is only 8 years old with 114k miles and based on my history with saturn vehicles, my expectation was that it should have lasted at least another 3 years and 50k miles. Also, based on the information I have read online from other vue owners with this same problem, it appears that gm is not consistent with the level of response or assistance to us. How can it be that someone with 120k miles gets their repair/replacement at no charge and others with less mileage can not? There is no consistency, it is a crap shoot as to the response you will receive. I still have the letters I received from saturn notifying me that this is a known issue and the transmission was destined to fail. Gm should be held responsible for providing relief to all of us, equally, since they knew that eventually we would all be affected. I am included in the class-action lawsuit with lakin chapman.
2003 saturn vue. Consumer states problem with vehicle transmission
My car has 103,000 on it and has been very well maintained. It suddenly died with no warning while I was driving up a hill. I had it towed to the shop, where they ran a diagnostic. I have a transmission leak, a bad intake manifold that causes the engine to run incredibly lean, and a sensor problem. This car is babied, and with such low mileage should not be experiencing any issues with the intake manifold and the transmission. The sensor I can understand failing, but the amount of issues that this vehicle has had, and the amount of complaints I have seen from other owners of the 2003 saturn vue v6 awd is staggering. These are clearly vehicles with issues and saturn owners should receive some sort of compensation for the amount of money we are putting out to make repairs for shoddy workmanship.
Transmission blew out on freeway with my kids in it. It had only less than 80000 miles on it. Saturn covered only half of cost for new transmission, should been recall. They should have covered for full cost of this failed transmission. Should not happen in first place. Very dangerous car. Please investigate.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn vue. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while driving 45 MPH. Additionally, the front driver and passenger side doors were unable to be opened from the inside of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostic testing where the dealer advised that the transmission would need replacing as well as the door hinges. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The transmission was replaced but the doors were not repaired. The failure mileage was 77,000 and the current mileage was 106,000.
I bought a 2003 saturn vue in 2008 with 120,000 miles on it. It had a 3 month power tam warranty. 1 month after that expired the transmission went out. Furious, I called the saturn dealership. They were amazing. They understood and put a new transmission in, paid for the towing and even reimbursed me for the rental car expense. The new transmission went out 3 years later, and I put less than 20,000 miles on it. I was denied any assistance from gm because of the mileage on the car. Mileage? I bought it used! Now I am stuck with a car that is worth nothing but the spare parts?! There is a long history of this model blowing out transmission and gm does nothing about it!? This is not an owner's problem, its a manufacturer problem and they offer 0 back for a trade in rebate?! This is impossible to believe and only further proves that the american auto industry cuts corners as well as scams its customers. This is a shameful company, and I hope this complaint is heard. I'm sure I'm not the only one.
We purchased our 2003 saturn new. The transmission was replaced right after we purchased it. We have had trouble with the car not wanting to get in to gear along with the ignition not turning on. The vehicle has been having trouble getting into gear for quite sometime. We had it services once with no transmission problems seen. We were told the ignition would cost us 600 plus to repair. It only has around 86000 miles on it and am very disappointed to see all the reviews/complaints on this model. No one is being held accountable for their actions. My daughter was heading to college on saturday, aug 20, 2011. The day before she was leaving for a 2 hour trip, the car would not go in drive.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn vue. The contact stated that the vehicle would not respond when placed in a particular gear. As a result, the vehicle would not move. The dealer and manufacturer denied any assistance with repairs to the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 52,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn vue. The contact stated while driving various speeds the vehicle would start to jerk without any warning. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer who advised him that he would need to replace the transmission. The transmission was replaced on three occasions within 1.5 years. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
My wife & I bought a used 03 saturn vue with only 39,000 miles on jun 20. Great condition until jul 19, the car started acting strange. We took it to a mechanic and they though it may be the transmission to take it to a transmission specialist. We did & sure enough it is. We are on a tight budget and unable to even get another loan. We came across a website that the 03 saturn vue had a recall and a lawsuit. Why are these dealers still selling saturn's with a defective transmission? We made our 1st car payment on jul 15 and now it is just sitting there. Any advice would be greatly appreciative!
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn vue. The contact stated that while stopped at a light the vehicle began to shake. Also, the contact also stated that the vehicle would momentarily hesitate before accelerating. The failure occurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostics. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000.
We own a 2003 saturn vue that has 86,013 miles on it. We purchased the vehicle new at the local saturn dealership. On may 31, 2011 while we were on the highway our car would not go over 10 MPH. We took it into the dealership the next day and was told the vti transmission was out.
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