2008 Saturn Vue problems

[mjd1001]

I posted some problems in another thread about our 2008 Saturn Vue Redline. In my last posting, I said that they were minor issues so I wasn't too upset about them..but the minor issues are starting to pile up really high.

I am in no way trying to bash GM...I have bought Toyotas and Hondas before, but I USUALLY buy brand new GM vehicles (2008 Vue, 2006 HHR, 2004 Vue, 2003 Cavalier, 2000 Trans Am, 1998 S10 pickup, 1994 Grand Am)....BUT I am thinking there may be a bigger problem here (a co-worker of mine who has a 4 cylinder Vue has had some 'fit and finish issues also)..and maybe it would have been a good idea to NOT build the Vue in Mexico but kept production here in the U.S. or in Canada instead.

Below is the list of problems I posted here before and have added the new ones at the bottom. The Vehicle has about 16,000 miles on it, and is about 9 months old. It is a 2008 Vue Redline.

-Shifter, when put into 'manual mode' stuck in the downshift position and didn't spring back.

-Front passenger seat headrest wouldn't raise/lower (fabric from the seat was stuck in the track)

-one of the screws holding the driver side visor came out (it fell to the floor when I was driving it after having the car for about a week)

-something was leaking into the grill. The big red Saturn logo in the middle of the front end grill was getting discolored. The dealership had to order a new part and replace it.

-a hose for the windshield washer fluid had to be replaced. About the time we got our first oil change, the washer fluid stopped working.

-The steering wheel has started "creaking" pretty badly when making a turn. Kinda sounds like something is rubbing when you turn the steering wheel (almost like 2 pieces of plastic or rubber rubbing together.)
-Follow up on steering issue..took it to the dealership when I had my last oil change, they told me they put some kind of oil in a part near the steerign wheel. The problem was solved for 24 hours..the very next day it started creeking and has been doing so since.

-the seat has just developed a bit of a tear where the threads are coming loose. I certainly am not a big heavy guy, so there isn't a lot of pressure that I put on it, yet that is an issue now.

-just 2 weeks ago, a ticking noise developed from the AC vents after running the AC unit (even when you turn the car off). If you put the vent controlls on defrost, it isn't there, but if it is on the vent or floor positions, it ticks.

-Below the headlight controlls, there is a small compartment with a spring loaded door. I sometimes keep my cell phone in there. I opened it the other day, and it opened but it wouldn't close (the spring seemed to come loose). I tried to open and close it a few more times, and then the entire compartment (it's about 2 inches by 3 inches) just fell right out and now there is a whole in the bottom part of the dash where it used to be.

Regarding major mechanical issues, the Vehicle has run nearly perfect...just all those little issues (that keep on coming) like no other car I have ever had...have me thinking that once the warranty is up, we'll probably be trading it in and going with something else.

Sorry for the rant, as I said, I can be critical of GM on here, but I still generally support GM and buy more GM cars than any other brand....just I am getting so frustrated that I had to post this here as a way to vent.

[fp115]

Holy. This certainly sounds like a lemon. Have you visited your dealership to see if you qualified towards a new one? It is very unfortunately that this sort of thing happens. If you have trouble with the dealership, ask the dealer for GM's numbers directly, you can be routed to a GM employee which would help you get things settled. I take out a few Vues here and there and I have not seen any sort of these issues.

[mjd1001]

Originally Posted by fp115

Holy. This certainly sounds like a lemon. Have you visited your dealership to see if you qualified towards a new one? It is very unfortunately that this sort of thing happens. If you have trouble with the dealership, ask the dealer for GM's numbers directly, you can be routed to a GM employee which would help you get things settled. I take out a few Vues here and there and I have not seen any sort of these issues.

Actually, I'm pretty happy with the Saturn Dealership. They haven't been rude and haven't tried to charge for any of the repairs...and except for the squeeking in the steering wheel, the things that needed to be taken care of have been taken care of. It is just there are new things (small ones) going wrong almost every month it seems. The only major issue is we just moved...and now the Saturn Dealership is about an hour away. Whenever something small goes wrong...its kinda hard to get there, so I wish the little things would just stop going wrong.

[FenwickHockey65]

This really does sound like a lemon. Hey, at least your Saturn dealer works with you. And it could be worse, the engine could randomly explode in your garage or something.
Has your dealer been able to fix all the above problems or are you just living with them for now?

[montrealvue]

Originally Posted by mjd1001

Sorry for the rant, as I said, I can be critical of GM on here, but I still generally support GM and buy more GM cars than any other brand....just I am getting so frustrated that I had to post this here as a way to vent.

Sorry for the rant? If I were in your shoes I would be tearing GM a new one very publicly. There is NO excuse for that level of quality. Though I don't own an '08 (mine is an '06 Vue), I have experienced plenty of poor quality issues as well. I was trip in New England this weekend and was using the compass on my mirror as a guide. Then I noticed every highway I was on was South, the compass just stopped working and was stuck on "S"! Perfect timing!

[fp115]

Originally Posted by mjd1001

Actually, I'm pretty happy with the Saturn Dealership. They haven't been rude and haven't tried to charge for any of the repairs...and except for the squeeking in the steering wheel, the things that needed to be taken care of have been taken care of. It is just there are new things (small ones) going wrong almost every month it seems. The only major issue is we just moved...and now the Saturn Dealership is about an hour away. Whenever something small goes wrong...its kinda hard to get there, so I wish the little things would just stop going wrong.

Thats great! Saturn dealerships are the best of the best for customer support. However have you talked to them about your vehicle being a lemon. The amount of problems seems to be beyond the normal number. If they can't help you, ask if you can get a number to a GM operator who will be able to assist you in determining whether or not your Vue is a lemon, it sounds like it to me.

As for dealership being an hour away, is there not a closer one nearby? You can go to any Saturn dealership for problems with your vehicle, you will still get the same service and it will still be covered under warranty.

[fp115]

Originally Posted by montrealvue

Sorry for the rant? If I were in your shoes I would be tearing GM a new one very publicly. There is NO excuse for that level of quality. Though I don't own an '08 (mine is an '06 Vue), I have experienced plenty of poor quality issues as well. I was trip in New England this weekend and was using the compass on my mirror as a guide. Then I noticed every highway I was on was South, the compass just stopped working and was stuck on "S"! Perfect timing!

Compass is simple to fix, the owner's manual suggests you drive around a block and it should fix itself. A lot of "problems" are found in a owner's manual believe it or not. Have a look and see what it can offer you.

[coaster.n3rd]

I could go on for hours about the issues we see with the VUE when they come off the truck. Pre-Delivery Inspections usually take 10 minutes per car. The VUE however can turn into a warranty work nightmare before it even gets 5 miles on the odometer. Ramos Arizepe is not impressing me with quality.

Luckily we catch 99% of the fit & finish issues before they reach the customer.

[montrealvue]

Originally Posted by coaster.n3rd

I could go on for hours about the issues we see with the VUE when they come off the truck. Pre-Delivery Inspections usually take 10 minutes per car. The VUE however can turn into a warranty work nightmare before it even gets 5 miles on the odometer. Ramos Arizepe is not impressing me with quality.

Luckily we catch 99% of the fit & finish issues before they reach the customer.

Luckily, your dealer sees it this way. I am sure there are others who will do a regular PDI and let the customer come back with issues. I would never touch an '08 after reading about the quality issues on the Vue.

[mjd1001]

Originally Posted by fp115

Thats great! Saturn dealerships are the best of the best for customer support. However have you talked to them about your vehicle being a lemon. The amount of problems seems to be beyond the normal number. If they can't help you, ask if you can get a number to a GM operator who will be able to assist you in determining whether or not your Vue is a lemon, it sounds like it to me.

As for dealership being an hour away, is there not a closer one nearby? You can go to any Saturn dealership for problems with your vehicle, you will still get the same service and it will still be covered under warranty.

I haven't talked about it being a 'lemon' simply because I think the law reads to be considered one, it has to be out of service for numerous days, or it has to have a problem that isn't fixed after several attempts. So far, except for the steering wheel squeeking issue, they have been fixed. Once again, it is just that once one problem is fixed, another happens..then that is fixed..and another comes up. Just frustrating.

As for the Saturn Dealership, in the Summers I do most of my work in upstate NY, and our 'summer and fall' home is near the Canadian border. There are 2 Saturn dealerships in the area...one is 45-60 minutes away...the other is about 75 minutes away.

[Kennyboy]

It's a good chance that your car is a lemon? Thank goodness for the excellent dealer service at Saturns.

[fp115]

Originally Posted by mjd1001

I haven't talked about it being a 'lemon' simply because I think the law reads to be considered one, it has to be out of service for numerous days, or it has to have a problem that isn't fixed after several attempts. So far, except for the steering wheel squeeking issue, they have been fixed. Once again, it is just that once one problem is fixed, another happens..then that is fixed..and another comes up. Just frustrating.

As for the Saturn Dealership, in the Summers I do most of my work in upstate NY, and our 'summer and fall' home is near the Canadian border. There are 2 Saturn dealerships in the area...one is 45-60 minutes away...the other is about 75 minutes away.

Damn that is a pity. You should call your Saturn dealership and ask if you can make certain repairs at other local dealerships such as BPG. Due to the nature of your portfolio they could potentially call up another dealership and have them fix your car, depending on the complexity of the issue. Saturn dealerships know of their rarity and will try to accommodate to their customers. I've bought 3 cars from them recently and all over the phone... not something you can do anywhere else.

The reason I mention it may be a lemon is the fact that you had numerous issues, maybe not all the same but it accounts to much more than the usual. With Saturn dealerships I find you can have an open and friendly dialog with them, just talk to them and see what they may think on the issue. You may not be spending money on the repairs, but your time can also be factored here.

[mjd1001]

Hopefully things will get better with the Vue by the end of the day today. First of all, It just got dropped off at the dealership to get an oil change, and they are going to look at the creaking in the steering wheel again, the ticking noise coming from the AC vents, and the storage compartment that broke. Also, I contacted someone from GM/Saturn about all the problems, and they are supposed to call me back today. I'm not sure what they can do about it other than tell me how very sorry they are...but if they do anything else...well, we'll see what happens.

On another note, I'm not sure if I posted this earlier, but now there seems to be something wrong with the rear wiper (maybe an electrical issue) also. When you put on the rear wiper and turn it off, sometimes the wiper goes back down to its 'off' position on the bottom of the window...other times it goes there and then 'kicks back up' a few inches and stops part way up the window. As I said...it is just unreal that small (but annoying) problems are coming up one after one....and beelive me, I DO take care of the car...just like I have taken care of all my others!

[fp115]

With all the problems that keep coming up I just don't see why you wouldn't bring up the lemon discussion with your dealership. Your dealer albeit would rather keep a loyal customer such as yourself than lose them to a vehicle plagued with problems. It happens that once in a while a vehicle gets hit with a slew of problems, but it shouldn't be right that you go in that often. Yes I am a GM employee and do believe you should see your dealer about replacing the vehicle.

[Vinsetta]

Wow....we got a 08 black Vue Redline back in January with 11,000 miles and have had zero issues with it. Unfortunately keep taking it back to the dealer. I can't remember the lemon law but isn't it when the dealer cannot fix the same issue after several attempts? I had a 02 Envoy that I think would have qualified b/c the power seat and heating element failed over 9 times and the dealer was never able to correct the problem. I talked to a co-worker and he suggested I contact GMC customer service, which I did, and they took my complaint but I didn't follow up b/c my lease was up and I dumped that piece of junk. Try contact Saturn customer service...maybe it will help point you in the right direction. They did respond to me actually.