The contact purchased a 2003 Saturn Vue. The contact stated that two days after purchasing the used vehicle, the vehicle was taken to AutoZone, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact stated while driving 45-50 MPH, the contact noticed smoke coming from underneath the hood and from the gas tank location. A service warning light was illuminated. The contact stated while pulling to the side of the road, a bystander alerted the contact that there was a fuel leak. The contact and the other passengers of the vehicle immediately exited the vehicle. The contact stated that the fire started at the gas tank location and extended to the front of the vehicle. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. The contact stated that the vehicle was significantly burned. The contact could not confirm that a fire department report was filed. There was no property damage. Neither the contact nor the other passengers of the vehicle sustained injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot by the registered owner. The contact could not confirm whether the vehicle was totaled. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
Saturn Vue fire or smoke problems
42 of the 2,351 owner complaints about the Saturn Vue describe fire, smoke or burning smell, most of them for the 2003 model year.
- owner complaints
- 42
- worst model year
- 2003
- typical mileage
- 104,000
By model year
Often reported together
Wipers 4Headlights 3Check engine light 3Transmission failure 2Power steering loss 2Engine failure 2Won't start 1Stalling 1
What owners say
I was driving on the highway, on the way to the beach with my family and our pup! We heard a pop and thought maybe it was the tire but the engine began smoking. I pulled the vehicle over as safely as possible. I popped the hood and there was a fire. Everyone evacuated the vehicle as quickly and safely as possible. I was the last to get out of the vehicle. Within minutes the entire vehicle was engulfed in flames. We stood there and watched the only vehicle we have completely burn up. I cried and I watched my kids cry. What was supposed to be a beach day for us to distress and relax turned into us almost losing our lives on the highway. We are thankful for the state trooper, the fire department, and the paramedics who all arrived on scene and kept my family safe. Im thankful our lives weren’t lost. However we still faced a life or death situation today.
October 22 2020 my husband and I had purchased a 2008 saturn vue (lic plate # 6ezz507)from a private party. On march 25 2021 the car suddenly engulfed in flames then exploded. My husband managed to exit the vehicle in just seconds before the car exploded. We've come to find out afterwards that this particular year,make,model had been recalled. Is there anything could possibly be done?
Drove to a store .5 miles from my house noticed my car was smoking from under the hood. Drove back home, parked, and turned the car off, then raised the hood and the wire harness by my starter was on fire.
Dashboard fire. The vehicle was stationary for two and half hours before it was noticed the dashboard was on 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.
I have been experienceing problems with my ignition switch and smoke coming from my airbag. Anytime I get into my car and put the key in the ignition, it locks and won't let me turn the key, it takes several tries before it turns over. Once the car is on and driving on city streets light smoke will come from the airbag. I immediately would pull over and stop the car and wait for a while before heading home. This has happen several times with in the last 2 months. I'm concerned the airbag will deploy prematurely without an accident. I don't have a photo or documents, however I have made an appointment with a gmc dealership. Please let me know if there is additional information. Thank you
While I was sitting in my car waiting for my daughter to get out of work, the car was running, when there was smoke pouring from the steering column. I immediately shut the car off and the smoke dissipated. This was 2 days ago and now my wipers do not work. My mechanic said that the air bag wires had caught fire and burned out the wipers.
Loud explosion from engine compartment. Then, sparks with flames began, while driving on the street. Other drivers waived & alerted us that flames were coming out. We stopped & got out. There was a trail of oil behind. Approx. 75 ft long. Chunks of engine metal was recovered off the road.
Upon initial startup, electrical systems do not work in the dash and light and power steering. After it warms up, it will begin to work. Sparks and burning smells have come from the dash area. This problem is particularly bad in cold weather. If you attempt to drive it before the electrical systems warm up and start to work the sparks are really bad and you have no power steering. This problem appears to be very common as I have seen several posts about this issue and other complaint boards. This problem has been occurring for at least a year and a half but it's particularly noticeable in the winter..183k miles.
Related recalls
Electrical system: ignition
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2002-2004 Saturn Vue vehicles manufactured September 11, 2001, to April 6, 2004. In the affected vehicles, it may be possible for the key to be removed from the ignition when the ignition is not in the "Off" position.
- Risk
- If the key can be removed from the ignition when the ignition is not in the "off" position, the vehicle could roll away: (a) for an automatic transmission, if the transmission is not in the "Park" position; or (b) for a manual transmission, if the parking brake is not engaged and the transmission is not in the "Reverse" position. This potential for rollaway increases the risk for a crash and occupant or pedestrian injuries.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle to see if the key can be pulled out when the ignition is off. If it can, dealers will replace the ignition cylinder and keys, free of charge. The recall began in October 2014. Owners may contact Saturn customer service at 1‑800‑553‑6000. GM's number for this recall is 14506. Note: Until a vehicle has been remedied, owners and operators are advised that when exiting, to be sure that the vehicle is in "Park," or in the case of a manual transmission, that the vehicle is in the "Reverse" position and the parking brake is engaged.
Recall number 14V490000 · Recall details
Questions about the Saturn Vue fire or smoke
Which Saturn Vue years have fire, smoke or burning smell problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2003 (10 complaints), 2006 (8 complaints) and 2008 (8 complaints).
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