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GM Settles Lawsuit Over Faulty Saturn Transmissions

24K views 46 replies 38 participants last post by  84Cressida 
#1 ·
Link: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080911/ANA02/809119947/1197

Chrissie Thompson - Automotive News

General Motors has settled a class-action lawsuit involving early transmission failures in the more than 90,000 Saturn vehicles carrying its VTi continuously variable transmission.

The settlement, which has preliminary approval from a federal judge, could cost GM more than $100 million, said Rob Schmeider, a plaintiffs' lawyer from the Lakin Law Firm of Wood River, Ill.

The settlement applies to owners of 2002 to 2005 Saturn Vues or 2003 or 2004 Saturn Ions with failed VTi transmissions, which cost around $4,000 to $5,000 to replace, Schmeider said. The percentage of individual plaintiffs' expenses that will be paid depends on the mileage of the vehicle when the transmission failed, and whether owners purchased the vehicle new or used.

If the judge grants approval, all people listed on qualifying vehicle titles will receive claim forms for past and future expenses related to failure of the VTi transmission before vehicles reach 125,000 miles. The settlement applies to VTis that fail within eight years of the model year.

Full article at link.
 
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#5 ·
Sad to see GM let it get that far. They should have owned up to the problem alot earlier. Now GM has egg on their face and many will never consider another Saturn again. Fail.
 
#21 ·
same with the leaking intake gaskets on the V-6 engines and now GM will pay more to the lawyers than it would have cost to fix the intakes in the beginning
 
#11 ·
A tarnish on the Saturn customer satisfaction image. At least GM realized it was a bad idea and pulled it pretty quick. Also, its not just GM that hasn't gotten it right. The only company that's even come close is Nissan. We can only hope Nissan knows what they're doing with as many vehicles as they're sticking these into. It could very easily either lead to a niche that Nissan becomes known for and other automakers tinker with the idea again, or a near bankruptcy. Me, i'll stick with a conventional auto or a stick until CVTs prove themselves.
 
#12 ·
At least GM realized it was a bad idea and pulled it pretty quick.
Quick? That's 4 model years for the VUE. How long did GM offer the Cadillac V8-6-4 to the general public? 1 model year? Perhaps compared to the Oldsmobile Diesel V-8, (1978 to 1985) the Saturn CVT seems short-lived.

Regardless, it was produced long enough to create an ugly image for the entire class of vehicles ("The Saturn CVT").

V8-6-4 didn't kill Cadillac nor did the unreliable Diesel kill Olds, so Saturn will survive as long as it keeps building great new products.
 
#17 ·
I think its time to close up shop at Saturn and concentrate on GM's core brands, Chevy, Pontiac, Buick and Cadillac! Its very hard to move a brand upscale when they started out with small, plastic cars.
 
#18 ·
The idea was good, the execution was bad. The plastic panels was a good answer to the rust buckets that Honda and Toyota were selling. Saturn/GM put poor drive trains in those cars making them unreliable. Brand loyalty was very high and GM did exploit a competitor's weakness. With the plastic panels they could claim that the cars were different, but what can they claim now? Building them in Europe only means that their overpriced, inefficient and maybe even less reliable.
 
#36 · (Edited)
but what can they claim now? Building them in Europe only means that their overpriced, inefficient and maybe even less reliable.
I'll assume for the time being you are referring to the Astra. I will agree it is a bit overpriced, less effiecient by the MPG numbers than a 09 4cyl Aura with the 6T40. Our store a few months back was #6 in the country with Astra sales. Most had a recall of the fuel cap not sealing properly, and we had to replace the filler neck and cap. Otherwise these cars have been bulletproof, and we are all amazed how trouble free they are. There is one owner who has 30k on his and stops in every month just to change his oil, no problem with reliability so far.
 
#20 ·
I would rather say that the tendency of increasing grears in conventional auto transmissions means that it will eventually lead to CVTs everywhere.

I rented an Altima with a CVT and it was ok, nothing great- in auto mode. In manual mode on the other hand, I really liked it though because it shifted VERY quickly.
 
#24 ·
I owned one of these things for 29 days. On day 30 I returned it to the dealer under Saturn's money-back guarantee.

The vehicle vibrated like one of those 25 cent beds you used to find in cheap no-tell motels. Finally, without warning as I was droning down the freeway, the windshield cracked from top to bottom directly in the center. It was a stress fracture.

The car I traded it for?

A brand-new, shiny, 2003 Saturn LW200, good move, huh?

Frying pan------->Fire.
 
#26 ·
The Mule was a proven winner also prior to the horseless carriage..................

Anyhow - I drove a Dodge Nitro with one and it was like a huge rubber band was connecting the engine to the wheels that kept stretching.

Needs work - alot of work - but fixed gears will go away at some time.
 
#29 ·
I had a VUE with the CVT transmission. I absolutely LOVE the concept, and I quickly learned how to make the thing haul ass without the droning that people complain about. Sadly, the entire driveline in the vehicle proved to be riddled with problems, and at 30k miles, it ended up on a Toyota lot in favor of the '03 Prius I bought. Yeah, that vehicle ran me back over to imports for a while. IIRC, the maximum torque rating in the spec. list for the tranny was 140ft/lbs. The Ecotec engine that it was attached to at the time was rated at 143 ft/lbs. Bad move on GM's part, and proves that much of their old line of thought was still very much in operation back then.
 
#30 · (Edited)
I drove a Nissan Versa with a CVT and a Caliber (from a friend and as a rental car). Just took me 5 minutes to get used to it. As you said, once your used to a CVT, it isn't a problem.

While a 6 or 7 speed unit might be as efficient, I heard that CVT are lighter and more compact than regulars automatics transmissions. Is it true ? If so, too bad GM's CVT wasn't good. With hight gas price, a nice CVT would probably sell well in the Cobalt or the Aveo.
 
#39 ·
Ok, call me crazy, but since when is a transmission going at 200k km considered 'premature failure'? Only a decade ago, if you were looking for a used car, you didn't buy anything over 100k km if you wanted something reliable.

Mine is around 120k km right now, and the tranny isn't showing any signs of giving up the ghost. Maybe people just enjoyed playing with the elastic band effect and drove everywhere with their foot to the floor. I just wish they had offered the AWD 2.2L with a manual transmission. I was more than a little annoyed, when shopping for our Vue, to find that you could only get the four cylinder in a CVT Auto if you wanted AWD (which I need, living in Canada). Isn't Saturn supposed to be GM's Euro influenced division?
 
#40 ·
Toyota Prius doesn't have a problem with it's CVT. The monstrous Lexus GS450h with its 5 second acceleration to 60 isn't observing any problems with it's CVT. Anybody hearing from the CVTs in the family hauling Highlander? Neither have I. Hmm, just bad engineering on GMs part I guess.
 
#41 ·
The CVT as used in the Toyota and Ford hybrids is not the same design. The desin used in the Saturn VUE, ION, Honda Civic, BMW Mini, and Subaru Justy were all "Van Doorne" derived CVT's. These utilize a steel belt in the case of the cars, that travels between to variable diameter pulleys. They are basically a glorified snowmobile transmission. In the case of a snowmobile, the belt is rubber, and the pulleys open to allow for the belt to be replaced in minutes when it fails. Since this won't work in a car, they tried to make the belt out of steel links, and massively increased the pressure on the pulleys to keep the belt from slipping.

For the Ford and Toyota (and GM 2mode) hybrids, the CVT is a planetary gearset in which the electric motors control how power is transferred between the input and output of the hybrid system. The CVT used in the Honda hybrids is still a Van Doorne unit, that Honda has worked their problems out of.
 
#42 ·
I have a co-worker that bought a VUE w/ this transmission a year or so ago w/ EXTREMELY low mileage. Guess what it crapped out on her, and the saturn dealer replaced it at no cost in December 2007. What kind of help would this lawsuit provide her, if any? She is not the original owner and the tranny was replaced already.
 
#46 ·
If anyone still has questions regarding 2002-2005 Saturn Vue equipped with VTi (RPO M75/M16) transmissions, GM (US and Canada) has published a #09280A New Special Reimbursement policy for Saturns Vues/Ions so equipped. Basically, GM will offer 50% of the price of a new/rebuilt transmission based on GM parts and labour. Within 8 years and 160,000kms regardless of ownership. I am a second owner. HURRY as documents with attached form (obtainable at GM dealership) must be received by GM no later than 30 Nov 2010....30 Nov 11 for California residents.
Recently aquired my 2004 Vue w/VTi...and while I was in dealership last week for repairs, the service advisor asked if I would like out a printout of remaining warranties (if any) there were two one expiring at 160,000kms and one at 180,000. My car had 157000. Anyway, after i got copies of the Special Reimbursement Policies, I cornered the service manager and asked him to Contact and deal with GM rather than me being on the phone...They deal with them all the time, I dont and it would also give more weight to the claim...I had just had my transmission rebuilt to the tune of $4200 two months ago so paperwork was still in glove box...while other work was being done to the car,(fuel pump)(dont go there),,lol.he sent in required paperwork...picked up my car today and he said the cheque for the Tranny reimbursement went out in the mail (to my home address) yesterday..$2100...so, I am a happier camper
 
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