2003 Saturn VUE problems
Owners have filed 873 complaints about the 2003 Saturn VUE with NHTSA. Power train accounts for 36.8% of them — the clear leader, ahead of electrical system at 15%.
Complaints873
Crashes42
Fires16
Injuries39
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Power train 36.8% · 321
Electrical system 15.0% · 131
Engine and engine cooling 7.2% · 63
Suspension 5.7% · 50
Steering 5.3% · 46
Air bags 4.9% · 43
Engine 3.1% · 27
Structure 2.7% · 24
Severity
Of those complaints, 42 describe a crash, 16 describe a fire and 39 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 8 model years of the Saturn VUE in this data, 2003 draws the most complaints of any of them.
Filings have fallen off, 6 in the last three years against 25 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 65,550 miles.
In owners' own words
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. Power train · reported at 95,477 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Saturn VUE. While driving approximately 20 mph the vehicle stalled. The contact tried turning the ignition on and the vehicle would not respond. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The mechanic diagnoses the failure to be the transmission which needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vin was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000. Power train · reported at 100,000 miles
I purchased a brand new 2003 Saturn VUE. The transmission began having problems. The car jumps into first gear. Greenbrook Saturn told me a few things that could be wrong. I paid to fix the car nothing they did worked. Now I am being told it is the transmission. Now that the car is out of warranty I am being told nothing can be done. It was in warranty when I began having the problem. Power train · reported at 98,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…