Saturn Vue ball joint problems

Filed Apr 16, 2020 · Suspension · 156,000 miles · HI

The car shakes/vibrates when hitting 45/50 MPH and gets worse at higher speed. When I accelerate the shake is bad. Find it vibrates on the right side. I purchased new tires, did the balance and wheel alignment. Replaced motor/transmission mounts. Replaced ball joints and tie rods and still this car shakes very badly. 3 auto repair shops have not been able to tell me what is necessary to repair. My family travels in this car and I need answers. Please advise

Filed Feb 27, 2019 · Suspension · 26,600 miles · NJ

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 ).

Filed Jul 30, 2018 · Brakes · 145,000 miles · KS · fire

I was driving on a busy highway, braking regularly with the stop and go traffic, my brakes suddenly locked up on me and I was barely able to get back up to 50 MPH. Eventually I was close to highway speeds, but the car wasn't shifting correctly. This happened a few times, and we began replacing parts on the brakes. Then, while driving again, the brakes locked down and stopped the vehicle. Once locked, the brakes did not release, or do not release completely. And we discovered - ultimately, once this happens you simply can't fix it. The first thing that we did is we replaced the brake pads, rotors, tie rod ends and boots, because we thought the pads were going bad and the rotor was warped (the front end had started having a shimmy at higher speeds sometimes also). That seemed to fix all but the shimmy so we then replaced the two front tires and had them rebalanced and realigned. After that the brakes suddenly locked up rather hard. I managed to get off the highway safely, but the vehicle would barely do 10 MPH because of the brakes locking down. We took it in and replaced parts for all of the brake system. We replaced the pads, rotors, calipers, hoses, master cylinder and the ABS unit (only found in junkyards now). Then the brakes locked once again and caught fire! We put it out, but this was a known problem, especially when attempting to replace brake parts on this model. We found numerous reports online that this was a common problem for this model, and not just for 2005.

Filed Jul 11, 2018 · Airbags, Body · 160,000 miles · RI · crash

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.

Filed Nov 14, 2016 · Suspension · 154,877 miles · NE

In october 2016 my son was driving home from work. As he turned a corner in the city he heard a crack and the vehicle steered into a curb. Fortunately there were no pedestrians nor other vehicles near by. He was able to gingerly drive the vehicle home (1 mile). During a test drive, it was apparent the vehicle had a significant issue with the suspension. Investigation indicated all ball joints, sway bars and equivalent were in good condition. After taking it into a suspension shop they advised that the driver side front sub frame rusted through causing the unstable steering. They noted the passenger side is almost rusted through and the vehicle is not road worthy. Likewise with the amount of rust under neither replacing the sub frame was not recommended. Researching this condition on the internet it appears to be a common issue in certain regions of the united states. Up until this summer I used to drive this down the interstate daily. I'm thankful I stopped and likewise that my son was not on an open road. The consumers need to know about this condition and all mechanic shops should be investigating for this premature frame failure. Injury accidents will be a guarantee at higher speeds.

Filed Sep 14, 2015 · Suspension · 151,634 miles · NY

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.

Filed Aug 25, 2014 · Steering, Suspension · 138,000 miles · MI

While driving on the freeway with children in the car, the rear differential broke, making steering extremely difficult. It felt as if we were going to flip, I slowly moved over and luckily we were able to stop before a horrific accident occurred. Once we stopped we got out to find the passenger rear tire tilted inward and undrivable. After taking it to the shop we found that the rear differential and frame broke as well as the control arms. This seems to be a known problem on these vehicles and is completely unsafe for anyone to be driving a recall needs to be done on this again to ensure the safety of our families.

Filed Sep 10, 2012 · Body, Suspension · 83,000 miles · IA

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn vue. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, a bolt broke off the rear driver side wheel causing the sub frame to crack and the driver lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who inspected the vehicle and stated that the lower control arm and the sub frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 83,000. The VIN was not available.

Filed Jul 21, 2011 · Suspension, Transmission · 53,731 miles · MI

Vehicle was recalled for torque converter. While in the repair shop it was found that the center support bearing for the drive shaft was coming apart, ie: rubber bushing was separating and needed to be replaced. I was told this is a common problem. Was also told the front lower control arm bushings were separating. The cost for the bearing was between $450. And $500. Dollars, the control arm bushings repair would be $280. Dollars. I believe these parts are defective as the car only has 53,731 miles on it. The bearing defect will cause a vibration of the drive shaft as it becomes worse. The control arms will cause a clunk when going over bumps.

Filed Jul 12, 2011 · Suspension · 120,000 miles · WI

While driving the vehicle, the driver heard a loud "pop" from rear of car. After pulling over the driver saw that the top of the right rear wheel was tipped in. The car was towed to an authorized saturn repair facility. It was determined that the right rear lateral link assembly broke. The mounting bolt broke causing the mounting flange to brake off of the frame. This action also caused the frame to bend. It was necessary to replace the frame, links, control arms and shock absorber. Total cost to me was $1,602.00 saturn said they were not responsible and would not pay for any expenses. The driver was traveling at 30 MPH, did not hit a pot hole or other object. There was no accident involved, and no one was injured. These are not parts that require periodic maintenance or upkeep. The parts on this car failed. If this failure would have occurred on an interstate road going at a much faster rate of speed, I can't imagine the consequences. Thank you.