2004 saturn vue. Transmission gone, over 5 grand to fix due to there being problems with the vues, junk yards do not carry them. It was apparently a known defect yet they sold it to me. I still owe 110000 on the car and I cant drive nor do I have the cash to fix. With the dealerships gone I can't even take the piece of junk back to them. I found out that most shops do not work on these (3 of the 4 I called) due to the fact that even with a rebuilt one, you are still putting in a transmission that is faulty and they can't guarantee them. Since I now need another vehicle, this heap will certainly be repossessed.
2004 Saturn Vue transmission complaints
Page 3 of 4: complaints 41 to 70 of 93, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) in november of 2009 I had received a letter from saturn in which it states that my car is a recall, due to a faulty transmission and performance problems. (three month prior to the recall letter I had experienced some difficulties with the car.) saturn/gmc do not want to pay the repair in full,$5,927.03, they want me to pay the half of it. Neither do they help me to get a car of the same year or value. I wrote them a hand written letter and never received an answer from them. After three months I contacted them by phone, to ask what they are doing about the car,I was told that my case is dismissed?( I call that discrimination) I went to court and filed a small claims court against saturn. Three weeks after they were served the paperwork I received a letter from them that I would have to dismiss this claim since they go through bankruptcy. I am a divorced mature female, and have a small residential,light commercial and janitorial cleaning business. I need the car on a daily basis, and have to drive sometimes far to get to my clients. And since the economy has turned bad for lots of small business owners, like me, I barely make ends meet. I do not have the money to pay for a replacement transmission, nor do I have the other half of what the new transmission would cost. And since I did not design the car neither manufacture the car, I don't see why I have to pay for it. A recall needs to be taken care off from the company who puts them on the market. The time for my car is running out, and for me as well. If I have a serious accident on the road due to a transmission failure and performance issue, or if the transmission catches fire that would be horrible. If I loose all my clients if the car breaks down I won't be able to pay my rent, and end up living on the streets with my animals. Please can you help me to resolve this bad problem? I have run out of options. [xxx]
Driving at speeds between 30-45mph the RPM's rev up but the car slows down! On hills, it won't accelerate at all! Even in low gear it won't move. Rpm's jerk at high speeds as well. Had diagnostic done 5-7-10 they said that the transmission is failing between 2nd & 3rd gear, it's not reading any codes and the fluid is discolored. Estimating cost to fix is $3,000. Truck has less than 100,000 miles on it!! Problem occurs everyday -- transmission hasn't completely failed yet, but I fear is going to happen soon! I have no idea how I'm going to pay for this... I've only had this car 2 years. I think it is a safety concern when you're on the hwy and your car won't accelerate and people behind you are swerving to miss you and blowing at you.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 saturn vue. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle "pushed back" and slowed down when she attempted to accelerate. She also noticed that the check engine light remained illuminated. She drove on to the emergency lane and had the vehicle towed to her home. She called the manufacturer and was informed of a current lawsuit regarding the vti transmission and was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The vehicle had not been repaired when the complaint was filed. The current mileage was 42,623. The failure mileage was approximately 42,615.
I own a 2004 saturn vue with a variable transmission. It has 83,000 miles. I took it to the dealership to be looked at because of hearing all the transmission problems these cars have had. Somehow while they were looking at it the transmission went and I couldn't drive my car over 20 MPH. I was stuck there at the dealership and told I had to get a new transmission. Saturn will only pay for half so now after paying over $20,000 for this car I have to pay another $3,000 to get a new transmission. I was told then that the new transmission might have the same problems this one has had. This is unacceptable that they don't stand by their products and will not cover the whole replacement of something they know to be faulty.
On many occasions my 2004 saturn vue v6 awd appears to shudder when the automatic transmission is shifting from a lower gear at speeds usually less than 40mph. When this happens it is unnerving to say the least. I have read accounts of similar problems from other saturn owners and have found that a service bulletin was issued 2/09/06. Concerning torque converter shudder. I believe that a recall should be issued as my vehicle had only a bit over 50000 miles when the problem first occurred. I subsequently took it to the local saturn dealer and they could not find a problem although they had access to the service bulletin information. Shortly thereafter my extended warranty ran out and although they advised me to bring the vehicle back should the problem reoccur it is not at all clear whether the repair will be made at no cost to me. I believe that gm should fix this problem for all vehicles on a case by case basis whether under warranty or not, especially for vehicles under 100k miles. Any suggestions or assistance would be most helpful. ( the service bulletin number is 3713).
Tl*the contact owns 2004 saturn vue. The driver stated that she received a letter dated november 2009 regarding the transmission being repaired within 5 years, at no cost. The driver stated that her 5 years has expired. The transmission has failed and the dealer is willing to pay 50% of the repair cost. The contact doesn't agree with the cost. The contact also stated that the transmission failed about 2 years ago. The failure mileage was 50,000. The current mileage was 70,000. Updated 04/09/10. *lj the consumer stated the transmission should be repaired at 100%. Updated 05/06/10.*jb updated 06/14/10.
I bought a 2004 saturn vue 4 months ago. I also bought a extended warranty thro wyns. My transmission has now gone out. I have 100,260 miles on it. The warranty was for 100,000. Saturn says I am out of the warranty coverage but wyns will cover the cost of the transmission minus my $100 co pay. They however will not cover it until saturn faxes them the bulletin on this transmission problem. Saturn called me back and said that they will not fax this information to wyns and will not mail me the warranty information to me. Saturn stated to me if I took it to another repair facility that they would loose out on the money of repairing my transmission. So now I cant get my extended warranty company to fix it because they have no proof that the warranty is no good at my mileage. I bought the vehicle at west 40 auto sales who did not tell me about any problems or bulletins on this vehicle.
I have a 2004 saturn vue that came out of park with no keys in the ignition and my 4yr old son fell out of vehicle and was ran over. We are able to take the key out of the ignition without it being in the "off position" and put the vehicle in neutral, reverse, and drive without applying my foot on the brake. The vehicle has not been repaired and is parked on the advice of my attorneys. *tr the key was removed from the accessory position with the shifter in park. Being in the accessory position allowed the shifter to be moved from park without an application of the brake pedal. *smch
I was driving on speed of 55 MPH and then the car suddenly stop abruptly . I took to the dealer, they said it is a vit transmission manufacturer problem on the saturn 2004 vue. This is very danger situation because the transmission stop without any warning.
While driving my kids to school on the highway, my 2004 saturn vue started to slow down in traffic. My car completely stopped and would not go forward. All the cars behind me had to swerve around me quickly as not to hit us. A cop and another car stopped to physically push my car to the side of the road. The police officer then had to push my car to an auto repair shop off the highway. They told me that my transmission was gone. After the auto repair charged me for a diagnostic, I was told that my transmission has to be repaired and that gm has had issues with these engines.. I cant understand how toyota can issue a recall, but gm can't. Will it take someone "important" to get killed in one of gm's cars before our government does anything for the common people?
2004 saturn vue transmission failure estimated 150,000 cars have this failure faulty transmission wire installed in autos from 2002 thru 2005.
Transmission failed with no warning on my 2004 saturn vue with 100,000 miles. The dealer tells me its my problem because they don't have to issue a recall unless they feel its a safety hazard. Well I was in the middle of a busy highway going 65mph when the transmission just stopped. My RPM's revved really high but the car would not go forward anymore. I was almost hit 3 times trying to get off the highway with this faulty transmission and I am 6 months pregnant and had 2 toddlers int he back seat! I would say this is a serious safety hazard!
Transmission was replaced at 30,000 miles while under warranty. Now at 69,000 miles the transmission failed again. When it failed this time I looked online and found that gm had extended the tranny warranty to 5yrs/75,000 miles. I called saturn about it and they said my VIN didn't qualify for the extension even though it was not 5 years until september this year. Now in november of this year I got a letter saying that it now qualifies for the extension. Now it's over the 5 year time period. I now have a lawyer who says that gm will give half of the money to fix it but I have to go to a saturn dealer but I have to pay to tow it. In the beginning the lawyer said I would get a heck of a lot more then just half the repair costs plus recover monies for a rental car. How am I going to get the other half plus the tow fees up front to pay. Why isn't there a recall to eliminate this vti tranny. They will only replace it with the same kind but with a stronger drive chain. This is not the fix. They don't want to have to replace the engine in order to upgrade to a different tranny. Someone please help all of us with this problem.
I have a 2004 saturn vue & the transmission just died. It is a vti transmission & saturn is aware that it has issues. I would think with so many people complaining about the same issue that a recall would have been done. Now I am stuck with a car that will cost $5,000 to fix.
Transmission in 2004 saturn vue has gone out twice now, the 2nd transmission after only 32,000 miles!
My 2004 saturn vue that has 54600 miles on it and the automatic transmission is slipping when I drive at a constant speed in a range form 35 - 55 miles per hr. I had in for a diagnosis at a saturn dealership. They said it is the torque converter that is faulty and it will cost $2100 to replace it. This part has to be defected. I never had an automatic transmission problem in 40 years of driving cars.
My 2004 saturn v6 saturn vue has started a shudder/growling noise in the drive train that's prevalent in the 20 -25, 30-35mph, 40 -45mph and now at 50-50mph. Or when moderately acceleration or coasting. The vehicle had about 100k miles on it now but started around 70k. I purchased the car at 68,500k miles. The frequency of occurrence is difficult to predict but seems to be happening as often as those specific conditions (MPH/coasting) present - does not happen when accelerating quickly. I have taken my car to numerous shops engine repair, transmission, and other well names repair places. All of them tell me my car is fine,but the last shop which did the transmission check on computer said the engine had over 1,000 miss fires. I called to saturn and there tech said " u don't have to explain no more" it is the torque converter and I have replaced many." if this is such a well occurring problem why isn't saturn paying for these repairs. My concern now is when it rains and the car stutters I lose all wheel traction going up heels and on turns. I feel like I have no control. I have read online and found may issues that are the same I believe saturn needs to fix these manufacturing issues and not leave them on the consumer. I spent $10,000 on my saturn and just finished college I do not have $4,5000 to spend on a car that is only worth $9,000 -$7,000 blue book.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 saturn vue. While driving 35 MPH, the vehicle began making a loud noise. On three occasions, the dealer stated that the vehicle did not make enough noise for them to make an unspecified repair. The contact has been able to drive the vehicle despite the noise. The dealer refused to diagnose the computer to determine the cause of the failure. The noise sounded as if a component underneath the vehicle was making contact with the ground. The dealer stated that they could not find any failures during the test drive, but they heard the noise. The failure mileage was 35,000 and current mileage was 100,000. Updated 07/28/09 *bf the consumer stated the noise was coming from inside the transmission. The front rotors were replaced. Updated 07/31/09.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 saturn vue. The contact stated that the vehicle cannot be shifted into gear properly. When placed into drive, the shifter does not stay in place. The first time the transmission failed, it was repaired at the contact's expense. The transmission failed again, but has not yet been repaired. On may 22, 2009, the vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, it has not yet been diagnosed. The manufacturer is currently being sued by consumers due to the transmission failures. The consumers feel that they are not reliable. The contact is still waiting for a response from the dealer regarding the repair of her vehicle. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 95,000 and current mileage was 167,000.
A 2004 saturn vue with a 2.2 liter 4 cylinder motor with automatic transmission. After a replacement of the vti transmission under the class action lawsuit a severe rattle and vibration under the hood was detected. Upon returning to the dealer for diagnoses, the problem was found to be the timing chain. The dealership says that it is impossible for the 2 problems to be related. I had no problem before the transmission. They are refusing to take care of the problem with the timing chain. I have found there is a recall on the l series car with the same engine for a defect in the timing chain. I have also found there have been many other timing chain issues with the vue that has the same motor. The dealership fails to recognize that there is a defect with this vehicle. The vehicle has 94,000 miles on it.
I have a 2004 saturn vue 4 cylinder awd with a vti transmission. I don't have the VIN on me, it is with the car at the lot right now. I have now had three transmissions just up and die on me. The first time it died, I lost reverse and got it to the dealer before drive went out. The second one went out on me at 3 am and I managed to milk it to safety. This last one I went to go from a stop sign, got going just enough to get me into traffic and it died. I avoided an accident, however I have read a lot of these stories online. This last transmission only has about 30,000 miles on it. The first was serviced at 50,000 and died at 60,000 and the second was serviced at 50,000 and died a week or 2 later.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 saturn vue. While driving between 35-40 MPH on normal road conditions, the contact heard a noise coming from outside of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection and they stated that the failure was due to the driveshaft carrier bearing. The part for the repair was unavailable due to the massive back order. The technician recommended that the contact not drive the vehicle due to the safety hazard. The vehicle remains inoperative due to the lack of repair parts. The VIN and mileages were unknown.
My transmission began slipping on my saturn vue at 76000. I took it into the dealership they said nothing was wrong. 6 days later I hit the gas it went to the floor and my car did not move, ut my RPM went up to 5000 +. Saturn replace my transmission at half the cost. Now 9000 miles later my transmission has begun to slip again. Saturn said nothing was wrong a second time (4/3/09).
There is a terrible whole vehicle shudder a low speeds and low RPM. It seems like the transmission goes into "lock - up torque converter" mode at too low rpms(about 1000 to 1200).this happens constantly at low speeds and is very distressing and distracting. You have to step down harder on the accelerator to kick the transmission into a lower gear which tends to make the car speed up. This is very distressing and distracting and must cause undo wear and tear on the drivetrain. There are many saturn vue (2004) owners nation wide with this problem. This and the wheel bearing and brake problems should be nation wide recalls. No wonder people are buying imports at an incredible rate.
I also have the same problem with a 2004 saturn vue v-6 fwd. I have shudder problems in the transmission at low speed between 20-35mph. I have 75,000 miles and have had this problem for a while.
On november 7, 2005 I purchased a used 2004 saturn vue from a local saturn dealer. On december 15, 2006 I took this vehicle to the local dealer in answer to a transmission recall notice I received in the mail. At this time, the following things were done to repair the defect: gasket-c/, cover asm, core-\cove, sealer-tr, additive, plug-tran, fluid-a/t, converter, core-conv, fluid-a/t. These repairs constituted 1/2 of the transmission and were completed under warranty. 102,000 miles later, on 6/17/2008 I returned to the dealer because my vehicle was again showing signs of the same disorder. At this time we were informed that it would cost $6000 to replace a full transmission and that there was no warranty to cover this repair. We are quite upset that we are stuck with a design defective transmission with no recourse but to either pay for repairs which we have no money to pay, or keep the vehicle and pay $8000 in finance charges for a car that can't be used safely, or let the car go to the finance company in a repossession and wreck our credit for 7 years. We were offered a 50/50 deal from the dealership after we complained, however, we do not have $3000 either. We feel that this transmission defect should be repaired free of charge each and every time it breaks down or that we should be reimbursed $8000 to wipe out our debt on this defective vehicle and we'd be willing to call it square. Our on-line research shows that this transmission (vti) has been a problem for everyone who purchased this model car. Some have had to have their transmissions fixed over and over and over. We also learned that they do not make these transmissions anymore. We are very upset!!!
Problem 1: my 2004 saturn awd v6 saturn vue has developed a "shudder" in the drive train that's prevalent in the 20 -25 and 30-35mph range under moderate acceleration or coasting. Hooked up to a code reader, no codes appear; however, the torque converter is slipping as it displays a read out of over 8,000 RPM's when this occurs and the tachometer bounces back and forth with the shudder. Frequency of occurrence is higher in hotter weather and when car has been driven for several minutes. Slight whine also noticed by the transmission mechanic. Problem 2: this problem was noticed on 03-28-08. Vehicle was also purchased with defective horn. Two + weeks after the car was purchased I was hit in the rear quarter panel by a careless teenager that did not look before he backed out of his parking space. I realized shortly after that my horn was not properly working. There was no way I could have sounded the horn to alert him that he was about to back into me if had wanted to. Had it repaired recently in which the horn was found to be completely non-operational. Once repaired, it was apparent that all was working well with the horn as it honks when the doors are locked. We did not realize that the car would do that at the time that we purchased it. That should have been a big clue to the dealership that it was not functioning properly. I've been told that selling a car without a properly functioning horn is a safety violation. I'm appalled that this was not caught by the dealership! More over, they stuck me with an expensive bill to replace something that should have been operational at the time of sale! Problem 3: repaired on 05-22-08. Also, both lower control arm bushings had to be replaced as they were found to have separated. Major front end noises heard prior to this getting fixed and slop in the front end when driving. Felt like car might loose control when cornering!
My 2004 saturn fwd v6 saturn vue has developed a "shudder" in the drive train that's prevalent in the 20 -25 and 30-35mph range under moderate acceleration or coasting. It has never lost traction to the road. The vehicle 75 thousand miles when this started. The frequency of occurrence is difficult to predict but seems to be happening as often as those specific conditions (MPH/coasting) present - does not happen when accelerating quickly. I have addressed the issue with my local mechanic who has been service the vehicle for 2 years - local saturn dealership is too expensive and can never seem to correct problems satisfactorily. My concern with this the issue is could it possibly cause loss of traction and possibly lead to an accident or complete transmission failure. As this seems to be occurring in this model, can the federal safety agency investigate?
Our 2004 saturn fwd v6 saturn vue has developed a "shudder" in the drive train that's prevalent in the 30-35mph range under moderate acceleration. It is akin to a transmission slippage although we've never lost traction to the road. The vehicle presently has between 50 and 55 thousand miles. The frequency of occurrence is difficult to predict but seems to be happening more often as we put on more miles. We have addressed the issue to our local saturn dealership and they have looked into the problem however have found nothing in the onboard diagnostics that would reveal any failures. They kept the car overnight and drove it numerous times but could not reproduce the problem. They have been as helpful as possible but to no avail. Our concern is the issue, which certainly seems transmission related, may present itself at a bad time and could possibly cause loss of traction at a crucial time and leave us (my wife mainly drives the vehicle) in a vulnerable position. However, until the dealership witnesses the problem they have no obligation to do anything. Can the federal safety agency bring this to the attention of gm and saturn? Again it is a 2004 saturn vue with the v6 fwd configuration.
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