The contact owns a 2004 Saturn Vue. The contact stated that the light on the instrument panel was abnormally dim. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds over a bumpy road surface, the rear end of the vehicle was swaying from side to side. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle made an abnormally loud sound at start up, and it was difficult to remove the key from the ignition switch after turning off the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.
2004 Saturn Vue suspension problems
33 complaints (12% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 70,100. 6 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 33
- of this car's complaints
- 12%
- typical mileage
- 70,100
- crashes
- 6
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Rear16
- Front4
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Saturn Vue suspension problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2004 Saturn Vue suspension
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Rear suspension toe control link
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened this preliminary evaluation to investigate allegations of rear suspension failure in the subject vehicles during certain severe driving maneuvers.the investigation was prompted by the federal safety agency-conducted ncap dynamic rollover test incidents involving my 2004 saturn vue vehicles and one consumer complaint that alleged when recovering from a road edge departure, the left-rear wheel of a my 2003 saturn vue ?bent underneath the vehicle,? Resulting in a rollover crash.odi analysis indicates that rear suspension failure during the ncap tests was the result of wheel rim-pavement contact transmitting significant compressive forces to the toe control link, thus causing it to buckle.this failure occurred at low speed during a severe test used to assess roll stability.the forces generated during this type of wheel-rim pavement contact are more than six times the greatest forces measured during gm?s most severe vehicle development and validation testing.odi inspection and analysis of consumer complaint vehicles showed that damage to the toe control link appeared to be the result of vehicle crashes and did not precipitate the crashes.to date, odi is aware of no vehicle crashes or rollover incidents related to the alleged defect.additionally, the manufacturer has notified the agency that it is conducting a voluntary customer satisfaction service campaign to strengthen the rear suspension of the subject vehicles.a safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted. Accordingly, this investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that a safety-related defect does not exist. The agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances.see summary report attached for further detail.
PE04052
What 2004 Saturn Vue owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Going 40 MPH made a left turn, medium loud noise and front right control arm tore in 2 (been replaced and have part) and back left tire now tilted in at top about 1 inch( still trying to get fixed ).
I was driving from providence ri to athens oh. I was in west virginia around morgantown, driving from 68 west to 79 south ramp, and I was driving in the range of speed limits. Suddenly in the ramp, I felt car is turning unwantedly to the left, and I tried to bring it back to the road but I could not, and the car hit orthogonally the jersey barriers on the left hand side of the ramp. My airbags opened, one of my tires exploded, and front of my car completely wrecked. Fortunately, no one hit me from side and behind. I could really die, I see death in front of my eyes when I was turning with the car. I had replaced my control arm, shocks rotors, brake pads, all in the past two months of the accident. But this car was terribly bad in the turns and ramps before the accident. The suspension system did not work well in these cars in compare to their heights, and always you have the chance of collapsing. Fortunately, I did not collapse. It had happened a lot for me that I felt these car in not stable in ramps and turns, but I never thought a dangerous accident would happen to me. I also did not have collision insurance, and I had to sell my car for a 100 $ to a junk yards. I am almost sure there is some problem with their suspension systems, and I am requesting to investigate this issue in these cars.
Takata recall it starting making a whistle noise and it feel that it's slipping it is unsafe to drive
While driving straight down a state route (thankfully at low speed) the rear right wheel collapsed on our 2004 saturn vue. This was recalled and repaired in 2004 under recall campaign #04067001. Had this been at higher speeds, my wife could have been severely injured or killed.
Before we paid our 2nd payment our ABS system failed. The front breaks were crunching. It then threw out our wheel barrings, balljoints and rotors. Therefore it wouldn't pass inspection when it was due for it. The dealership did the original inspection there and they never changed the breaks. Which is an illegal practice. With all these problems we rarely drove the car. Till one day, less than having it under 1 year, it would no longer start.we lost out over$5,000 on payments and our large down payment too. They have been calling us ever since wanting us to pay for a car that won't start and won't pass inspection.
I was making a left turn when I heard a pop sound so I pulled over on another block so I wouldn't be in traffic. Once I pulled over I can see my tire leaning inwards. Once the car was jacked up with the car jack we could see that the bracket broke off of the lower control arm.
I was going to park into a parking space of a shopping mall and when I was going to straighten out the vue, the engine shut down and so did the ignition and I couldn't steer or stop in time before it hit a concrete base of a pole light fixture (that most of all shopping malls have throughout their lots). The right, passenger, side tire was bent so bad that it couldn't be driven and had to be towed...it smashed the fender, grill, bottom covering of the entire front plastic part along with tire rod end, strut, stabilizer bar, alignment, paint job and cost...fortunately, we have collision on this vehicle and only had to the first $1,000.00 for the complete job.
My wife was driving on the highway when the rear passenger wheel broke and slanted inward toward ghe vehicle. She was lucky she was not killed. It was determined to be the rear subframe failed. The vehicle is in decent condition with little to no corosion. There was no outside cause to this premature failure. The local dealer and gm refuse to assist in any repairs. After researching this I have found there was an actual dearh incident due to the same failure. I have a strong concern this could happen to someone else.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 saturn vue. While driving 20 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was merged to the side of the road where the contact noticed that the rear passenger side wheel was leaned into the wheel well. The dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 103,000.
Questions about the 2004 Saturn Vue suspension
Does the 2004 Saturn Vue have suspension problems?
Owners have filed 33 complaints about the suspension of the 2004 Saturn Vue, 12% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2004 Saturn Vue suspension problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 70,100 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2004 Saturn Vue suspension?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Saturn Vue have bad suspension?
The Saturn Vue model years with the most suspension complaints are 2003 (48 complaints), 2004 (33 complaints) and 2006 (13 complaints).
Other 2004 Saturn Vue problems
Transmission 93Electrical 78Engine 24Airbags 18Steering 16Body 11Brakes 10Fuel system 10Lights 8Visibility 7Acceleration 5Wheels 5Seat belts 4Driver assistance 2Locks 2Seats 2Tires 2
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