Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

New Saturn VUE Green Line Owners -Give Us Your Report

123457»

Comments

  • djimdjim Member Posts: 2
    Today I was told I need a new ignition switch for $515 which is why it wouldn't start. The battery pack has been ordered and they said it would arrive in Nov. I was given an HHR to drive in the meantime.
    Hey Mariah, you need to give me some type of website or phone number for contact. I can click gmcustsvc all day to no avail !
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,142
    Clicking on it doesn't do anything apart from show you her email address. You then need to email her directly to that email address.

    MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
    Need help navigating? [email protected] - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
    Share your vehicle reviews

  • melisabmelisab Member Posts: 5
    that is a great question. When does it fall under the lemon law, as i too would like to make a claim. Knock on wood, mine has been running great lately but I live with constant anxiety of when it is going to break down again! :lemon: :lemon: :lemon:
  • ihatemyvueihatemyvue Member Posts: 2
    Our '09 has been in the shop for 5 weeks waiting for the battery. The "check hybrid system" light came on so I took it to the dealer. They said it was unreliable to drive from that point forward since the 2 electrical systems were interconnected. They did not offer a loaner, in fact, told me that there were no loaners since it was "not GM's fault but the battery supplier". I had to go postal for about 3 weeks to the GM customer service rep on the phone who was polite but essentially useless and had no information or estimate of how long I will be waiting for a part. They finally caved and offered a loaner at 4 1/2 weeks. This is totally ridiculous. As far as I know my car will be there for another 5 weeks and GM doesn't really seem to give a damn or has made any offer to make things right. They've officially lost me as a customer. I would never drive another GM product.
  • joncanadajoncanada Member Posts: 29
    ^ We were told similarly that the car was unreliable and unsafe to drive (we knew this because it died on us and rolled backwards down a hill), but GM wouldn't offer a loaner as it wasn't covered under our hybrid warranty (strange right?). Trying to deal with GM customer service was an exercise in futility. The dealership themselves were nice enough to allow us to drive their service vehicle for a week while the battery was replaced, HOWEVER... AFTER the second recall the vehicle was driven 4 hours before the check engine light came on again! Now a proud Hyundai Santa Fe owner forever outspoken against GM.
  • tommymac1tommymac1 Member Posts: 1
    I have been waiting for the replacement battery pack now since 9/25/10. My check engine light came on around 9/28/10 and I was told it was ok to drive by a local Chevy dealership, the one that GM is having handle these issues in San Diego, they said I just wouldn't get as good MPG due to the hybrid battery issue. Well, then the car nearly died on me one day when I arrived at work on 10/21/10. I feel lucky to have made it back home that day and my car has staid in my garage since then. I want to know when this issue will be resolved and how do I open or get a case ## with GM? Can you say lemon law...my next steps will be to contact both the NHTSA and an attorney. Last GM product ever for me...
  • hnsandwfshnsandwfs Member Posts: 1
    My daughter's 2007 hybrid vue has been nothing but problems. We had to have the harness system replaced two months after we purchased the car for her. She became stranded in Tennessee. We had owned several Saturns before this and could not see what a problem we had. Her engine light came on in August, our local GM dealer told her they needed to order a battery pack for her. ( Yes, they told her it would be safe to drive until the replacement could be order and arrive) We took the hybrid to the dealship Nov 4,2010 and the repladcement was made. Less than 8 hours after the service, when she was getting off work her car would not start. We had it towed to the GM dealer and was told it was the regular battery and had nothing to do with the pack. This hybrid has been a bad experience, but the GM service center is HORRIBLE. The Columbus, GA GM dealership will not have any busienss from me if I can get rid of this hybrid and a Sky.
  • jansheanajansheana Member Posts: 2
    It was almost 5 weeks but my hybrid battery arrived this week. During the time my VUE was waiting -3 packs came in and were in stalled in Saturns that had been at the dealership since July. On Wednesday (11/3/10) I got my weekly call from GM Customer Service. Same message - battery is on back order - we don't know but anticipate another 4-6 weeks for delivery. Twenty minutes later the dealership called - the battery had arrived and my VUE would be ready the following day. It seems to me that GM certainly doesn't have its act together. Nice people to deal with but DUH!

    I've been driving and the ECO light seems to be on more than I remember but it also responds appropriately to hills, gas pedal action, etc. After reading all the posts I'm a little nervous about going out of my neighborhood. Any one have answers for problems after battery pack replacement?

    I will say that the GM dealership here has been wonderful. No problems with the rental car, accurate information and good service. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another GM car but doubt it will be a hybrid.
  • ihatemyvueihatemyvue Member Posts: 2
    My '09 Vue just had the new battery installed yesterday after 6 weeks in 2 shops. After waiting 5 weeks we found a battery at another dealership nearby and moved the car there for the repair. The GM support person was polite and engaged but through the process had no real information to offer other than the part was on backorder. We had to fight for a loaner which we got after 4 weeks. She informed me that they are now making 700 per week. There are 22000 cars that will need this battery, so if you haven't changed yours yet, do the math.
  • joncanadajoncanada Member Posts: 29
    :confuse: 7-8 months! That would explain why they aren't sending out a recall letter. Unfortunately lives could be at risk in the meantime. :mad: I wonder if that also includes all the vehicles in Canada as Canadian batteries all ship up from the US also.
  • hhr2hhr2 Member Posts: 1
    I have been a proud owner of Saturn's since 1993. My wife is now on her 3rd Saturn, an Ion. In 2008 I purchased a 2009 Saturn Vue Hybrid. (Which was very much delayed due to a battery recall problem) It's been great until the last 4 months. The first week in September my hybrid caution light came on. I called ONStar for a better explanation. They advised there was a problem with my battery pack. It actually has been on a "low level recall" since July. So low-level, that when I had my car serviced by the authorized dealer the first week in August, he didn't bring it up.

    Well, I took the car into the dealer, and after waiting 4 hours after my appointment time they confirmed the problem. I was initially told they would replace the pack in about an hour. I was then told they had to order the battery-pack and it would take a week to ten days. Ok

    It seemed there was at least a 5 week backorder on the battery pack. The pack finally came in late October. It took over 5 hours to do the recall effort.

    Shortly thereafter to my surprise I noticed my fuel economy had gone down. Living in western PA I never got the advertised 32HWY/24CITY.. I got 30/22. My fuel economy would drop each year when the gas mixture was changed for winter to 29/21 mpg. However, I have dropped to 26/19. I took my car in for service thinking it was the 22,000 miles/28months on my 50,000 miles filter. The dealer agreed it needed to be replaced. Did so. It made little difference.

    This weekend I was with an acquaintance very familiar with what design issues are going on in the automotive industry. He advised that part of the reason for the repeated recalls on Saturn hybrids has been the over use of the battery pack. Part of the recall was reprogramming. The reprogramming involved dropping the hybrid support for the engine. Ergo, drop in fuel economy.
  • fredk3947fredk3947 Member Posts: 2
    2007 Vue Hybrid, original owner, 60,000 miles. Battery pack replaced a couple of years ago after a recall. Last week I noticed the autostop wasn't working and the battery charge/discharge gauge wasn't showing activity. Made an appointment with the dealer to bring it in. But the next day it was working fine. Cancelled the appointment.

    Yesterday I was on the freeway when the battery light came on. Soon the check engine light. A few minutes later the Traction Control light. Then the ABS light came on. The wipers began to slow down in the rain. I signaled to change lanes and each time the signal blinked the air bag light flashed in synchronicity with it. The wipers were slower and the dash lights dimming. Engine was not running right, but I can't describe it. Decided to head straight to the dealership about 25 miles away. Got another 15 miles and the wipers were barely working and the gauge lights were dim. Back wiper stopped. Then all the warning lights came on. I was about 1/2 mile from a rest area. I was thinking of pulling in there. About then all the dash light went off and the tach and speedometer were stuck in place. No electricity, no power steering, braking was poor, hard to steer, engine was not running right nor was the transmission working properly. I had to keep my foot on the accelerator it felt like in order to maintain my speed or it would die. I chose the rest area exit. Made it to a parking spot. I knew if I shut it off I was there until I got a tow and it would never start again. I turned it off. It wouldn't restart and showed no electricity present at all. I called AAA for a tow.

    About 90 minutes later it was steamed up in the humid car and I opened the door and stepped out. When I stepped back in and closed the door I saw the dome light on and brightly shining. That was weird. Stuck the key in the ignition and turned and it started and showed no sign of a problem. The tow truck arrived within moments. I explained to the driver I still wanted it towed. We took it the 12 miles to the GM dealer.

    Today I was told that it was on recall for the battery pack replacement and all the codes in the memory pointed to or were related to the battery pack. It is on backorder and not expected for a month (if I am lucky according to the service manager who has seen similar problems with GM hybrids).

    I have an extended warrantee that should cover any costs with a $100 deductible. We'll see. My warantee with GMAC also provides for a free rental car if the car is inoperable. I listened as the service manager was on the phone for an hour being shunted from number to number trying to get approval for the rental. Finally he was back to the first of a series of six numbers (three of which were disconnected numbers) and he firmly asked to speak to a manager. He finally got a name and an extension for a person who approved the rental and the GMAC warrantee person asked to speak to me. He was apologetic about the wait on the phone and the breakdown. Said he would call me in three days to see if the repair was satisfactory. I reminded him that the part is on backorder and not expected to arrive for a month or more. He said he would call me anyway to see if the rental car was OK.

    Thanks to the dealer service manager for his kind assistance and understanding. Without his persistence I might not have a free rental car. We will see if the battery pack replacement solves the problem. I have my doubts actually. My sister has a newer Vue hybrid and had the battery replacement and asked why it took them several hours and was told the recall was because the pack leaked acid and they had to clean and repair the pan the battery pack sits in. Well, that wasn't my problem. I looked. There was no acid leakage in my car.

    Thanks to everyone here for their experiences. At least I know what to expect.
  • stevedebistevedebi Member Posts: 4,098
    "that is a great question. When does it fall under the lemon law, as i too would like to make a claim. Knock on wood, mine has been running great lately but I live with constant anxiety of when it is going to break down again"

    It varies by state, but most states allow lemon law provisions only for the first year. In California, it is more than three visits for the same problem in the first year, or (as I recall) 30 days out of service.

    But again, only in the first year.
  • boot36boot36 Member Posts: 5
    I had exactly the same issue. I had a loaner while I waited 3 weeks for the battery, everything was handled very well. I went from 34 mpg combined to 26 mpg. The autostop feature also no longer functions. I just finished a 3 week test in which I tried my highway commute with both cruise control and without. After that time I got an average of 24.8 mpg with cruise and 35.6 mpg without, which was mind boggling.

    Then I turned on the car one day and all the readouts were -- and every warning light was on. I also had no turn signals. Later that day when I went home everything worked like normal. I took it to the shop this morning and they're baffled, they said it could be several days before they know what's going on. They also told me that the hybrid system is no longer under warranty. It's supposed to have a 12 year 100,000 mile warranty, now they're saying it's been changed to a 36,000 mile warranty. I'm at 36,128.
  • joncanadajoncanada Member Posts: 29
    Sounds like they are quoting you the bumper to bumper warranty.

    The hybrid system is supposed to have an 8-year warranty of its own.
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    I am currently working with Christina on the forum and am glad to see that you are working with your dealership regarding your concern. Please feel free to keep me informed with any further developments with the fix. I can also look into the warranty information for you, but I will need you to send your VIN, name, address, and phone number by email in order to do so. Thank you in advance.

    Tricia, GM Customer Service.
  • fredk3947fredk3947 Member Posts: 2
    Took six weeks, but I got my Vue back repaired and it is performing well. The dealer provided outstanding service for us. He called weekly to keep me informed. My free rental car went without a hitch.

    Now I must decide if I trade the Vue while it still is under my extended warrantee and has value or risk a further problem with the battery pack or hybrid system. I have 15,000 miles left on the extended warrantee. I am leaning towards a trade.
  • boot36boot36 Member Posts: 5
    I'm picking it up today and I'm hoping he was either misspeaking or was talking about another system. I absolutely love this car but have gotten concerned after having so many problems after getting the battery replaced.
  • boot36boot36 Member Posts: 5
    It's fixed and running like it did when it was new. The problem was that the ground wire bolt on the under hood junction box was loosing, causing grounding issues and forcing to run the engine choked all the time. On the ride home (15 minutes in town, 15 minutes of highway, and 2 minutes of interstate) I got 38.5 mpg again. That's higher than I had been, and much higher than I was getting before. If you're having any problems I would really suggest checking this, I was skeptical at first but it worked like a charm.
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    boot36,
    I am glad to hear everything is going well. If you have any other questions comments or concerns feel free contact me.
    Christina
    GM Customer Service
  • reg40reg40 Member Posts: 1
    I just bought a 2009 Saturn Hybrid Vue and was very unhappy with city fule milage. was only getting about 16 mpg city. took in to dealer whitch new nothing about Hybrid but was nice . found out that i was running AC not on Hybrid mod. this helped milage alittle and now getting maybe 19 in city, avg about 22 mpg. Battery pack they siad is ok and was changed at 30,0000 miles have 42,000 now. What more can i do to get mileage up?????
  • lmohr11348lmohr11348 Member Posts: 2
    We got our Saturn New and purchased the upgraded 5 year/60,000 mile warranty. From almost the first day, we have had issues with idiot lights. The air bag light, the traction control light, the gas low light. Each time we took it to the dealer and they "discovered and fixed the issue" After they fixed the low gas light, it didn't come on even when the tank was low. Anyways, getting to the most current issue. We originally brought our car to the dealer in Fremont, CA. They couldn't get the car to replicate the issue as it was intermittent. I drove it away and it started doing the lights thing and transmission chugs. I turned around and drove it to the dealer and they said they didn't have someone available to look at it right then, just bring it back at the scheduled appointment later in the week. Of course they couldn't get it to replicate, but they saw all the error codes when they ran diagnostics. They said it needed a new BCM. They wanted about $900 for this. I said no. The car got progressively worse, but I would not go back to that dealership. Instead I took it to Walnut Creek. Our SUV is currently at the dealer, where it has been since June 9th. They have put 3 BCM's in and locked up 2 of them. The third one wants them to reset the mileage to zero. This will require reporting to DMV saying the mileage has been altered. This will dminish the resale value of the car. They are trying to work with GM to get the proper settings and fix this thing once and for all. I do not see how GM can salvage their reputation with me and my family.
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    lmohr11348,

    I apologize for the problems you are experiencing with your vehicle. Have you spoken with GM Customer Assistance? If so, could you please email me your case number? I would like to look further into your situation.

    Thank you,
    Caron, GM Customer Service
  • joncanadajoncanada Member Posts: 29
    edited June 2011
    Sounds very similar to our experiences.

    The kicker was that while the dealership claimed to not have any knowledge of such problems, when we traded in our vehicle at Hyundai, Hyundai called that exact dealership to ask them about the vehicle and the Saturn dealership told them Saturn Vue Hybrids have tons of problems and that they should "run" from the vehicle.

    GM customer support was a joke. Took me two weeks and 12 phone calls to get no where.

    Now I talk about my situation every chance I get and even troll the internet to tell everyone I can about this :lemon: and GM's complete and total lack of response. I hope GM goes the way of Saturn.
  • lmohr11348lmohr11348 Member Posts: 2
    Caron,

    I spoke to GM customer service and was on the phone with them on and off for about 2 months. The GM customer service rep had his difficulty contacting the dealership to get information from them. When all was said and done, GM customer service did nothing to help the situation.
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    lmohr11348,

    Could you please email me your case number? I would like to look further into your situation.

    You can get my e-mail by clicking on gmcustsvc.

    Thank you,
    Caron, GM Customer Service
  • mrsblastfmrmrsblastfmr Member Posts: 4
    I'm having all of the same problems already mentioned in these posts. My hybrid battery was replaced in May 2010. My regular battery was just replaced in June 2011. My Vue is not back at the dealership for the 3rd time to try to figure out/fix the sensor lights issues. The first time they replaced the instrument cluster panel (sensor lights still came on after that), second time they replaced my regular batter (after it had died, but they said that may have been causing the sensor lights to malfunction - but that didn't work either, they still came on after that), now it's back in there for a third time.

    In CA, we're covered by the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act through the warranty period, correct? I should be eligible for refund/replacement, as should some of you.
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    mrsblastfmr,
    I apologize for your frustrations. Has your dealer involved Technical Assistance? If not, I would recommend asking them to do so. Have you spoke with Customer Assistance? Can you please email me with your VIN and dealer information? I look forward to your response.
    Christina
    GM Customer Service
  • mrsblastfmrmrsblastfmr Member Posts: 4
    I don't think that they've involved Technical Assistance. I have spoken with Customer Assistance though, they're the ones who set up the first appointment for this problem a few months ago. But that was my only contact with them. If I give you the VIN and dealer info, what will you do - how will you be involved?
  • joncanadajoncanada Member Posts: 29
    edited September 2011
    mrsblastfmr: After going through 3 years of such problems with dealerships and speaking to many people in GM who seemed only to pretend to help, bouncing me from one person to another while getting no where, I'll give you the same advise Saturn gave Hyundai when Hyundai called them to ask about my Saturn I was trying to trade in: Run, run very far away from the vehicle.

    Don't let them drag this along until you are out of your warranty period. The vehicle isn't fixable.
  • boot36boot36 Member Posts: 5
    Have them check the under hood junction box connections, that fixed all my problems. They found it by accident after weeks of trying to find the problem.
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    mrsblastfmr,

    What I can do is either re-open the case or start a new case. Could you please email us either the case number or VIN?

    You can get my email by clicking on gmcustsvc.

    Thank you,
    Caron, GM Customer Service
  • i_gladiatori_gladiator Member Posts: 4
    Hi, is the junction box under hood very visible? or is tis one of the dealer recall. I own the hybrid vue 2009 but I only get 19/23 MPG and wonder it is the same problem.

    I'd appreciate if you could instruct me where I can find this ground wire.

    Thanks,
  • boot36boot36 Member Posts: 5
    Check the manual or with your dealer, but I believe it's attached to the firewall.
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    i_gladiator,
    I'd recommend asking the dealer to look at it for you. Dealers typically have some kind of warrant for their repairs as well; I'd definitely recommend asking.
    Christina
    GM Customer Service
  • mrsblastfmrmrsblastfmr Member Posts: 4
    Thanks for the responses joncanada and boot36. I received my vehicle back (from the 3rd visit to dealer for these problems) on September 22, 2011. They replaced the BCM (after talking to Saturn/GM? Tech Support), said that would hopefully take care of it. Well, this morning, 5 days later, the Service Hill Start Assist message and my speed dropping happened again. :( I called the dealership and my cust serv rep said to plan on taking it back in next week, but for the rest of this week just watch it and call him when/if any other sensor lights/messages/problems happen. Ok. So, now I do plan on contacting someone about exercising my rights under the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act.
  • joncanadajoncanada Member Posts: 29
    That's pretty typical. I don't know if you read my earlier posts, but be aware we were told also to watch it and see if it happens. The last straw for me was when my wife and four year old were in the vehicle on a hill and everything died and it rolled backwards without functioning breaks. Fortunately there was nobody behind her at the time and the vehicle started and my wife was able to break and pull over. Even after that, we were again told to drive it and see if it happens. I drove it across the street and traded it in.

    If you would like any testimony to help with your case I will gladly provide it.
  • mrsblastfmrmrsblastfmr Member Posts: 4
    joncanada: Yes, I've read all 19, now 20, pages in this thread! :( Though I'm not happy that there are so many others having these same problems, I was happy to find this forum with so much information, and to know that it wasn't just me going through this. Thanks for your offer - I may take you up on it!

    I have a question, and I'm sorry if you already covered this in your posts (20 pages is a lot of info and the posts start to run together!). Did you have an extended warranty on your Vue? I do, and it runs out in about 7,000 miles. After reading the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act (lemon law), it sounds like people are covered through their warranty period. But maybe I am interpreting that wrong??

    Thanks again.
  • i_gladiatori_gladiator Member Posts: 4
    What do you mean firewall.
    I took it to two different dealers, and they all said everything is in perfect condition and blamed my driving condition.... (I drove very slow and generous to save gas)....
  • i_gladiatori_gladiator Member Posts: 4
    I took it to two different dealers and they all blamed on my driving condition.... ;(

    I'm 2nd owner and would the consumer lemon law still apply?
  • joncanadajoncanada Member Posts: 29
    edited September 2011
    I didn't have extended warranty and since I'm in Canada we don't have any such consumer laws anyway, but the Hybrid system had extended warranty so while my warranty had expired, the hybrid system was still warrantied at the time I had the vehicle.

    The problem though was that the hybrid system would cause problems with other parts of the car and GM wouldn't cover those even though the hybrid system was at fault.

    While I could never get a straight answer out of them, what I deduced was happening, is the hybrid system would malfunction and essentially stop working. The vehicle would then start draining the actual battery. When the battery stopped, the car would stop working. In the shop they would replace the hybrid battery and whatever else it broke, and try to change the settings so that it worked more on gas with less reliance on the hybrid system - thus gas mileage would get worse every time into the shop. That's why they would always send you back out to "test." No matter what though, the hybrid system couldn't support the vehicle.

    Warranty wise, even though I had extended warranty on the hybrid system, GM would do everything they could to avoid warranty costs. When it drained my actual battery - they wouldn't cover it. When my vehicle was in the shop for weeks - they wouldn't cover a rental, etc. etc.

    I'm really not happy that GM gets to make **** cars, offer **** support, go bankrupt as a result, and get bailed out with our money.

    I've been driving my Hyundai Santa Fe for over a year without issue and am about to buy a Lexus IS. Wish I could by North American but I can't afford the headache.
Sign In or Register to comment.