2009 Saturn VUE problems
Owners have filed 171 complaints about the 2009 Saturn VUE with NHTSA. Steering accounts for 23.4% of them — narrowly the most common, ahead of electrical system at 21.1%.
Complaints171
Crashes14
Fires4
Injuries13
Deaths1
What owners report breaking
Steering 23.4% · 40
Electrical system 21.1% · 36
Power train 8.2% · 14
Air bags 5.8% · 10
Electronic stability control (ESC) 5.3% · 9
Service brakes 5.3% · 9
Structure 4.7% · 8
Engine 4.1% · 7
Severity
Of those complaints, 14 describe a crash, 4 describe a fire, 13 report an injury and 1 report a death.
Reading the numbers
Across the 8 model years of the Saturn VUE in this data, 2009 draws comparatively few complaints; 2003 is the outlier year.
Filings have fallen off, 6 in the last three years against 21 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 77,500 miles.
In owners' own words
The contact owns a 2009 Saturn VUE. The contact stated while driving no particular speed, the power steering failed and the steering wheel became hard to turn. The failure continued to occur intermittently over a four month period. The vehicle was repaired by the dealer; however, the failure continued to occur. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 87,000. Steering · reported at 87,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Saturn VUE. The contact stated that while turning at an unknown speed, an abnormal noise emitted from the steering wheel. The contact mentioned that when the failure recurred, the steering wheel became slightly difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 45,000. Steering · reported at 45,000 miles
Since april 2014 our 2009 Saturn VUE has experienced a loss of steering assist which requires both hands for steering at low speed. Recently we received a recall for our 2007 gmc acadia. The recall is for the same conditions we experience with our Saturn. As both vehicles have the same power train to the best of my knowledge I believe the recall should be expanded by gm. Steering · reported at 90,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…