2008 Saturn Vue problems

[mjd1001]

Originally Posted by 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.

As I mentioned before, most of the issues have been fixed by the dealership, just one or two that are still lingering. After posting on here and reading some of the responses and thinking about it, I did write an Email to Saturn. I got a response on Friday, and the woman told me she would have another person follow up with me this week.

[fp115]

That sounds good, let us know how it turns out.

[mjd1001]

I talked to a Saturn divisional rep about the problems today, here is where we stand:

-She asked me what problems with the vehicle still needed to be addressed. I told her I am waiting for some kind of suspension parts that are on order at the dealership. The service dept told me they think they need to be replaced to fix the squeeking in the steering wheel (last time they said they just put some oil in it..but it didn't work, so now on to the second fix.)

-She then said that once the problems with the vehicle are fixed, they MIGHT be able to do something to 'help out' with all the problems/time that I have had with the Vue. (I'm hoping if they do anything, it isn't to simply extend my warranty. The last thing I want is a reason to hold onto it for longer than I originally planned, only to have additional repairs 'under warranty', but requiring more lengthy trips to the dealership involving more time off from work.) But we aren't at that point, so we'll see what happens.

-Once again, 2 thumbs up so far for Saturn's response to the 10+ problems so far with the vehicle..and 2 thumbs up to the dealership for being courteous and not giving me any problems. All that remains is a big 'thumbs down' for the actual vehicle and how it was put together. At the moment, I'm hoping everything gets fixed, but I can't escape the feeling that maybe we should have waited and gotten a Malibu..or even gone for a Aura rather than bought the Vue.

[mjd1001]

An update for anyone still interested:


-Took the Vue to the dealership again this week. They replaced something in the suspension....they said it would fix the squeeking in the steering wheel. When I picked the car up, it seemed fixed. Now just two days later, it is STARTING to come back. This morning it made the rubbing noise again when turning out of the driveway..then it stopped..then it did again when leaving work.

-Air conditioning 'crackling' noise is still there. Dealership isn't trying to do anything anymore with it. I was told one of the 'senior techs' looked at it..and said it is somethign that is common on some Vues. He said they looked at 2 new ones in the lot and they were doing the same thing. I don't know..not happy about this but it looks like nothing I can do about it. All I know is that I have NEVER had another car that had a cracking/clicking sound coming from behind the vents whenever the AC is on.

-Wiper motor need to be replaced. Every so often, the rear wiper blade would stop NOT in it's off position, but it would kick back up an inch or so. They said the ordered a new wiper blade motor, BUT I'm going to have to make another appointment with them to get it installed.

Overall, the problems are getting fixed slowly, but I can't tell you how many times I have had to negotiate a ride or leave early or come in late to work to make it to the dealership...or how much money I have spent in gas getting back there every 2 weeks it seems. It's getting better, but I'm still just as frustrated becasue the trips to the dealership don't show signs of ending.

[PMC the 1st]

Now you could have gone with the Honda CR-V, but then you'd be left with a problem a dealer could never fix: the interior:



Notice "li'l woody" on the center stack.

[PMC the 1st]

Originally Posted by mjd1001

An update for anyone still interested:


-Took the Vue to the dealership again this week. They replaced something in the suspension....they said it would fix the squeeking in the steering wheel. When I picked the car up, it seemed fixed. Now just two days later, it is STARTING to come back. This morning it made the rubbing noise again when turning out of the driveway..then it stopped..then it did again when leaving work.

-Air conditioning 'crackling' noise is still there. Dealership isn't trying to do anything anymore with it. I was told one of the 'senior techs' looked at it..and said it is somethign that is common on some Vues. He said they looked at 2 new ones in the lot and they were doing the same thing. I don't know..not happy about this but it looks like nothing I can do about it. All I know is that I have NEVER had another car that had a cracking/clicking sound coming from behind the vents whenever the AC is on.

What ever you do bro don't ever drive a Prius.
...drive you bonkers trying to figger out what that clicking noise is or this relay clack noise was...

[joel_anderson]

Okay i also have an 08 vue, same issue with washer fluid, needed new stabalizer for stuts, transmision tweak was needed, just ordered a new backup battery for my dryer????? no idea what that even means?@?!?!?

there is this noise with my ac when its on and then had the car for 3 days....finally called me and said they cant figure it out and i must be a charicteristic of the car!!!!!!!!!! WTF?>???>>????

[ezgoing]

Just wanted to start off by saying wazz up all for I am a newbie to this forum. But I too am having similar issues with my 08 Vue.
1.) I have that exact creaking/rubbing noise in the steering wheel. It happened mostly when I turn to the right and you could feel the feedback in the wheel. I took it to the dealer and they fixed it. It was a bad bearing on the steering wheel spindle. However, when I drove to work the next day I noticed that the dealer did not put the steering wheel back on straight. It was actually about 2-3 degrees off center to the right and the mechanic had touched the A pillar with his greasy hand and left a mark. But the story does not end there.
2.) 3 days later I turn the car on and I lost all instrumentation. No tachometer, no speedometer, no on-star, no radio, no turn signals, the air bag warning light, seat belt light and the low tier pressure light were all stuck on/lit. Obviously this had something to do with the removal of the steering wheel and steering column to fix the squeaking/creaking noise coming from the steering wheel. So as I write this my Vue is still at the dealer and if it wasn't for the fact that they gave me an 09 CTS as a loaner (free of charge) until I get my vue back I'd be more pissed then I already am.
3.) My Vue makes the same funky AC noise, but it’s intermittent and does not make the noise when I take it to the dealer. (Dammn gremlins)
4.) My transmission has issues. Sometimes it will not go into overdrive right away when im on the highway. I take it up to about 70-75 MPH and it revs at 3200 RPM. I have to actually lift my foot off the gas pedal to force the transmission to kick into the overdrive gear. The transmission then kicks into overdrive and the car will cruise at 75-80 MPH at 27-28K RPM.
5) One of the tabs on the center console cup holders broke off. The dealer fixed it.
6.) The seat belt fastener tab, the thingy/stopper that prevent the seat belt fastener from dropping to the floor broke off. The dealer fixed it.
7.) Get this one...an engine fastener bracket bolt, that helps to stabilize the engine, was defective and causing the engine to vibrate and make a squeaking noise when it was hot and the noise was more pronounced when the AC was on and the compressor was cycling. The dealer fixed it.
8) And to add insult to injury, the freaking thing is a ticket magnet. I swear they think a hot soccer mom is driving the car so they pull it over. When they see it’s a dude they give me the ticket. I swear it's the truth! I drove a 00 Chevy blazer for 7 years and only 1 ticket. I have had this freaking vue for 10 months and 4 tickets. Man im gonna get rid of the damm thing and get the freaking Tacoma like I had originally planned.
Any thoughts!

[Nrmlspeed]

Now I'm cautiously optimistic.... I have 350 miles on the XR 08 Vue FWD. Noticed several things the first day both major and minor. I'm glad to have found this forum and will post with updates.

1. Navigation system wouldn't work. The map would work 10% of the time and kept getting a "disk read error". They said that another Vue on the lot had the same problem and they are replacing the Nav system entirely. It wasn't the disk (DVD) as they ruled that out through troubleshooting with another system. Most likely will have to call XM to get a new trial subscription with new radio ID.

2. Sunglass case in ceiling console wouldn't open without getting stuck more than half the time.

3. Plastic seam in a molding where seatbelt female end lives is separated-passenger seat front. Needs to be replaced.

4. Fuse panel door is warped and doesn't fit properly. Gap at the top. Needs to be replaced. Thin plastic panel appears to be deformed due to heat (?)

5. Chrome rings around speakers not in place. I snapped them in myself but they look like they will come out again. We'll see... Looks good, but won't last a long time...

I also had to have the tint redone on driver side window due to a small bug under the tint. Not a GM fault but some handyman's here in PHX. It's too hot here. He was probably in a rush, but again...Q-C.

I understand that just like a new home, you do the walk through and everything seems okay. It's not until you spend some time there that you begin to notice the "little things". I can see that Q-C may have been better in this case. Nothing major mechanically speaking. The things that scare me are the steering wheel creaking, broken engine mounts, God forbid an electrical gremlin, or unforeseen noise (IE Air Conditioner) stories I have previously read about here. I'll keep you posted...

[montrealvue]

It's not too late to take it back and opt for an exchange. That's a fair amount of issues for a new car


Consider me officially scared off the new Vue.

[Nrmlspeed]

Update to the 2008 VUE:

Took the car on a mini road trip from Phoenix to Flagstaff, AZ to get better acquainted with this machine and found that for the most part I love the car. It's very smooth, shifts nicely, and has a lot of power and available H.P for the climbs uphill. The 6th gear kicked in frequently and cruised in this gear/speed most of the time on the level straight-a ways. On the uphill if in 5th or 6th cruised nicely at 80 mph and on the levels 6th gear = 2100 rpm and 80 mph. I'm going to to a fuel burn check today when I fill back up.

I was told by the sales rep that this vehicle had auto wipers. Not true or they do not work. I have the dial on the top of the wiper control arm set in the middle per ops manual for auto rainsense II wiper system the control arm position is in the O position. The manual is nebulous about the control position when auto wipers activate. It doesn't say what position the wiper control arm needs to be in for activation. We went through light to heavy rain with the control arm in O with no activation. When in the intermittent (one up from O) position the dial on the top simply controlled the frequency between wipes from 15 sec delay to 2 sec delay. I don't think this car has the auto wipe system or its more complicated than the explanation I just gave (operator error).

I noticed significant air noise from the lower driver side window. It was not only distracting but adds to fatigue over a longer drive I could imagine. A part of my mind was always aware of it and it was very annoying. I checked the rubber, rolled the windows up and down etc.... with no results. I placed a fabric cloth in the lower aft corner of the window and it stopped. That's the source and also the location of a bend in the door seal rubber. At first I thought it may be aerodynamic noise from the large side view mirrors but I have ruled this out. I believe it is due to poor design of the rubber attach points in that bend just south of the aft window line. There are two attach points on either side of the bend but not in the center. Nothing silicone wouldn't fix but none the less...I'll have it looked into and see if I'm correct. I shouldn't have to fix fix with silicone nor do I intend to.

This morning I also noticed the rubbing sound in the steering column. It's a rubbing noise which happens when larger than normal turn deflection is commanded. After a while it went away (tried duplicating in a parking lot with 90 degree forward and rearward turns like exiting a garage into the street). I hope this doesn't turn out to be a bearing as posted previously.

I will follow up .... Navigation replacement this week along with a few other replacement parts mentioned before.

[fp115]

Originally Posted by Nrmlspeed

Update to the 2008 VUE:

Took the car on a mini road trip from Phoenix to Flagstaff, AZ to get better acquanted with this machine and found that for the most part I love the car. It's very smooth, shifts nicely, and has a lot of power and available H.P for the climbs uphill. The 6th gear kicked in frequently and cruised in this gear/speed most of the time on the level straight-a ways. On the uphill if in 5th or 6th cruised nicely at 80 mph and on the levels 6th gear = 2100 rpm and 80 mph. I'm going to to a fuel burn check today when I fill back up.

I was told by the sales rep that this vehicle had auto wipers. Not true or they do not work. I have the dial on the top of the wiper control arm set in the middle per ops manual for auto rainsense II wiper system the control arm position is in the O position. The manual is nebulous about the control position when auto wipers activate. It doesn't say what position the wiper control arm needs to be in for activation. We went through light to heavy rain with the control arm in O with no activation. When in the intermittent (one up from O) position the dial on the top simply controlled the frequency between wipes from 15 sec delay to 2 sec delay. I don't think this car has the auto wipe system or its more complicated than the explanation I just gave (operator error).

I noticed significant air noise from the lower driver side window. It was not only distracting but adds to fatigue over a longer drive I could imagine. A part of my mind was always aware of it and it was very annoying. I checked the rubber, rolled the windows up and down etc.... with no results. I placed a fabric cloth in the lower aft corner of the window and it stopped. That's the source and also the location of a bend in the door seal rubber. At first I thought it may be aerodynamic noise from the large side view mirrors but I have ruled this out. I believe it is due to poor design of the rubber attach points in that bend just south of the aft window line. There are two attach points on either side of the bend but not in the center. Nothing silicone wouldn't fix but none the less...I'll have it looked into and see if I'm correct. I shouldn't have to fix fix with silicone nor do I intend to.

This morning I also noticed the rubbing sound in the steering column. It's a rubbing noise which happens when larger than normal turn deflection is commanded. After a while it went away (tried duplicating in a parking lot with 90 degree forward and rearward turns like exiting a garage into the street). I hope this doesn't turn out to be a bearing as posted previously.

I will follow up .... Navigation replacement this week along with a few other replacement parts mentioned before.

I suggest you have a look at your owners manual. Rainsense must be activated everytime you start the vehicle, otherwise you risk to damage your wipers, by going through the car wash or some other ways. You simply put it up into the first position and the rest will be fully automatic.

[Nrmlspeed]

My vue doesn't have the rainsense wipers as I suspected.

[CadiEldo67]

Originally Posted by ezgoing

4.) My transmission has issues. Sometimes it will not go into overdrive right away when im on the highway. I take it up to about 70-75 MPH and it revs at 3200 RPM. I have to actually lift my foot off the gas pedal to force the transmission to kick into the overdrive gear. The transmission then kicks into overdrive and the car will cruise at 75-80 MPH at 27-28K RPM.

Is the vehicle warmed up when you are at highway speed? For better fuel efficiency, the transmission won't shift into overdrive until the engine reaches optimum driving temperature, for lower emissions and increased drivetrain life as its warmed up faster.

How do you like the CTS? If I wasn't 18 I would be in love with that car, well I sort of am, but not as much as I am with the Pontiac G8.

If you have doubts about the vehicle, I would try to sell it and get what you really wanted, no use in keeping a vehicle that you aren't happy with.

[ezgoing]

Well I said goodbye to the Saturn Vue. The last straw was the Recall Notice I received in the Mail last week pertaining to the re-programming of the computer because the oil life sensor/counter was not working/reporting properly, which was another thing I suspected but the recall notice just confirmed my suspicions seeing as how I drove it for 6 months and the oil life counter/light never came on! I bought the 2008 Toyota Tacoma and I couldn't be happier. Peace. No more "American brand" cars for me! GM should have never let the 08 VUE roll of the line in the condition it’s in and never in a 4cylinder. It’s underpowered with a 4banger! And with the weight that 4 cylinder has to pull you get no fuel economy. I have the same fuel mileage in my new Tacoma as the 4 Cylinder Saturn has/had. It is true. I made the right move to get rid of the Saturn while it still had some value. Another year could have rolled by and I would have gotten nothing for it! Think about it…it’s not too late to jump ship!
RIP GM, Ford and Mopar!
Peace EZ