Saturn Outlook Lights

pgc77pgc77 Member Posts: 3
in Saturn
how do you remove low beam bulb, on passenger side
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  • LASHAWNLASHAWN Member Posts: 303
    The same way you replace the driver side, remove the bumper. If your hands are small enough though, you probably could squeeze down and removed housing for bulb. One thing though, if the car is under 36k miles the replacement of the headlamp bulb is covered by the warranty. Also of note, it has been confirmed that sometimes the wire harness for the low beam light may have burned causing the bulb to blow.
  • armesarmes Member Posts: 32
    Tis true!!! You must remove the front fascia and grill. I started to replace one and saw no way to extract the bulb out of the socket. There is a wall directly behind the bulb with an inch or less room for moving the bulb assembly out of the housing. Also, mine did have the bad wiring harness which was replaced under warranty. I here the cost for having GM replace the bulbs is $250 to $300 if out of warranty. Learn to do it yourself or find a body shop that might do it cheaper. :(
  • malibumaxdudemalibumaxdude Member Posts: 4
    My 05 outlook is having a similiar problem. Sometimes my passenger headlight works and sometimes it does not!! I have checked and the headlight is secure. Does anyone have any repair suggestions???
  • armesarmes Member Posts: 32
    They had trouble with wiring harness on headlights. Have had both of mine replaced under warranty. Last one failed with 500 miles left on warranty. Warranty on this is 36,000 miles.
  • bucky11482bucky11482 Member Posts: 1
    My father and I replaced the light today. He has been a dealer of lease turn in GM cars for 25 years now. There is a much easier way than removing the bumper assembly. There are 4 small screws in the wheel well that will remove the plastic fenders above the wheel. From there all you need to do is reach up, remove the plastic cover by turning it 1/2 a turn to the left if your on the drivers side, or right if your on the passengers side. From there all you need to do is reach up and unclasp the light from the two pronged clip it is housed in. When installing the replacement, make sure that you do not touch the bulb with your fingers. I used a fine grade paper towel. Turn the car on a put it in drive with someone watching the light to see if it works. Replace the round plastic cap and put the plastic fender back together. Much faster and easier than taking off the bumper. Much cheaper than having a dealership do it for you. Good luck!
  • malibumaxdudemalibumaxdude Member Posts: 4
    Thank you very much. I did just this this past weekend and went really smooth. However when I replaced my left low beam the headlight did not work until I moved my wiring around so my wiring harness needs to be replaced. Do you have a recommendation on how to replace it? My local dealership agrees this is a problem but since my 07 Outlook exceeds 36K miles it will cost me approx $150.00. Any help will definitely be appreciated. :) :surprise:
  • paynskipaynski Member Posts: 11
    Thanks for the post. I'll try your method. I replaced my left fr. low beam about 6mo ago and it's dead again. It cost me over $200! That's absurd, but it's no accident. Turns out the bulb was ok but the 8" connectorized wiring lead assy. which runs from the bulb to the main harness was totally burnt. Insulation was fried. This can only be caused by the wire gauge not being large enough for the bulb current load. Since the low beams come on automatically when you start the car (day or night) the light is destined to fail regularly. It's like GM purposely did this so they could make lots of money on servicing burned out lights at $200 a pop!
  • onefunkaronefunkar Member Posts: 113
    very very very common outlook problem.
  • lookoutlooklookoutlook Member Posts: 1
    Awesome. Thanks for posting. I'm going to be replacing my first bulb. I was a little concerned on the bumper idea...I will give it a try. Thanks again!
  • paynskipaynski Member Posts: 11
    Bucky11482 is right on. I replaced my bulb and burnt harness in less than an hr. I jacked up the front wheel and removed it so I could easily remove the plastic snap retainers and metal screws on the forward half of the plastic wheel well liner. It was quite easy to bend the plastic fender liner back about 12" to access the 3 light bulb connectors and the large flat connector to the main harness which is clipped to the framework below the light housings. The replacement harness I cost is $40.00 and is upgraded with larger gauge wire and improved contacts which have pink insulators at the low beam bulb connector. The orig. harness has wires going straight into a black epoxy in the conn. with no strain relief. This is where the insulation and wire burns. When you buy the new harness, make sure you bring the old one with you for comparison.

    The hardest part was threading the high beam connector thru the housing hole. I did this by first removing the high beam bulb, then opening the hood and threading a coat hanger wire thru the high beam port and out the side housing hole. I then bent the hanger wire end back over itself clamping the harness wire at the base of the high beam conn. I then gently pulled it thru the high beam port. From there it was simple to install the high beam bulb with qtr. turn and clip the harness conn. to it. The parking lt. and low beam are much simpler to connect.

    THIS PROBLEM IS DEFINITELY A GM/SATURN DESIGN DEFECT WHICH SHOULD HAVE A RECALL DUE TO POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD. One could easily make this a good law suit case against GM for continuing to ignore a potential fire hazard, and for charging their customers over $200.00 for a 1hr or less procedure to correct a design defect they created!
  • daddyjoe00daddyjoe00 Member Posts: 1
    Going on a vacation today after church. I was struggling trying to figure out this routine headlight replacement. I saw your message and many thanks. I will make it to the church on time and be beaming out a bright headlight stream all the way to the beach! The Outlook is new to us. My wife and kids love it. They say that 6 female design engineers created this vehicle. I believe it. It is comfortable and very convenient...except for routine maintenance.
    Happy Fathers day guys!
  • saturndriver08saturndriver08 Member Posts: 1
    Same problem with my 2008 Outlook. Just wondering what is the part number for the harness?
    Thanks
    :)
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    saturndriver08,
    Please let me know you found the part number. You can also find parts at www.GMpartsdirect.com. Hope this helps.
    Christina
    GM Customer Service
  • paynskipaynski Member Posts: 11
    I will try to find the p/n for you. I don't have access to my records during the day, so you'll have to wait. Hopefully, l I can dig it up.
  • onefunkaronefunkar Member Posts: 113
    my ro shows harness is #20858015....
  • paynskipaynski Member Posts: 11
    The GM part no. for the driver side headlamp harness is 20913209. This harness has the improved wire strain relief on the connectors.
  • texasfishtexasfish Member Posts: 1
    Yay!! it worked!! Thank you for posting this. My husband was about to take my car in to have them fix the headlight....but I found your post just in time. Thank you so much! :)
  • paynskipaynski Member Posts: 11
    I'm glad to see others are making use of this information instead of blindly getting overcharged by the Chevy dealers for such a simple procedure!
  • 08outlook08outlook Member Posts: 8
    I went to replace the lo beam bulbs on my 08 outlook and found the connectors melted. I called the dealership and they told me there is a recall for it. I have it in the shop today and they are replacing the wiring free of charge.

    I havent seen a recall for this on safecar.gov though?
  • paynskipaynski Member Posts: 11
    It's too bad it GM so long to admit and recall the design flaw. The recall doesn't help us owners who've already paid the ridiculous $200+ fee to replace their bulbs and burned out defective wiring harnesses. GM should re-imburse those owners! If they don't, it will make it look like they deliberately stalled on this recall, so they could keep charging the absorbanent fee for a simple proceedure. The dealer said they had to remove the whole front bumper assy which I now know is a lie. I paid the $200+ for the first headlight then found the forum post with the simple proceedure. I removed my 2nd burned out harness in less than 20 min and then showed it to my dealer, they still charged me for the replacement parts and refused to acknowledge that it was such a simple procedure or a design defect. Instead they blamed it on the bulb which was factory original. :mad: Very poor business practice GM. Shame on you!
  • paynskipaynski Member Posts: 11
    Surprise...when I got my headlamp connector recall notice, it included a reimbursement submission form. I'm filling it out now for reimbursement on the first headlight and harness replaced by the dealer ($238.22), plus the cost ($48.73) for the bare harness which I replaced myself per the inner wheel well procedure in prev. threads. Stay tuned for the actual payoff amount!
  • pgc77pgc77 Member Posts: 3
    Is there a recall on 09 wireing harness for headlights ?? Someone on here said they got a recall. Can not fine one!! Thanks
  • gmcustsvcsarahgmcustsvcsarah Member Posts: 1,964
    We would be happy to look into your vehicle's information to see if there are any open recalls on it; please send us an email with the last 8 digits of your VIN and we'll get that information to you.
    Sarah
    GM Customer Service
  • pgc77pgc77 Member Posts: 3
    the last 8 digits are 9J105854 Thanks
  • paynskipaynski Member Posts: 11
    You should have received a claim form in the mail with your headlight recall notice. Your dealer can also provide it for you. Fill out the form and attach copies of the headlight service records. My dealer provided copies for me to submit. Since I replaced the harness myself on the 2nd headlight, I included a copy of the harness part receipt. I received a check in the mail a couple weeks later for the total combined amounts of the service from the first headlight, and for the harness part I replaced on the 2nd headlight.
  • jsmi7333jsmi7333 Member Posts: 1
    Just replaced the passenger side low beam on my 2009 Outlook using bucky's method and it took about 20 minutes. Boogered up my left hand a bit but that's a whole lot better than taking all the stuff off that the repair manual says. I don't know about the driver side or the high beams but it's probably not a lot different. I also did not remove the wheel. I just turned them to the left and there was plenty of room. Thanks for the post.
  • scargo69scargo69 Member Posts: 3
    these head lamp issues are all being warranted by dealers, just had it done on my 2008... no charge. I'm thinking theres even a recall on the wiring plug/harness/ whatchamacallit
  • gmcustsvcsarahgmcustsvcsarah Member Posts: 1,964
    scargo69,

    I've seen your posts on a few different threads, and will try to post in a few different areas to hopefully get in touch.

    If you would like, we can look into recall or warranty information with the last 8 digits of your VIN, or can assist in working with a dealership to get any existing concerns diagnosed and resolved. Please send us an email at socialmedia@gm.com with more information (your name/Edmunds username, phone and address, the last 8 digits of your VIN and current mileage, and the name of your involved dealership).

    Best,
    Sarah
    GM Customer Service
  • schexnailderschexnailder Member Posts: 9
    Sarah,

    Hello! I have had my headlight going out. Changed the bulb and noticed the wiring was melted. Now the light is out again, after only a week. Can you help me with this?
  • gmcustsvcsarahgmcustsvcsarah Member Posts: 1,964
    Good evening,

    I'd be happy to look into my resources here. Is your vehicle a 2009 Saturn Outlook (just wanted to be sure)?

    Best,
    Sarah
    GM Customer Service
  • schexnailderschexnailder Member Posts: 9
    Ok, GM wants me to go in and get my vehicle evaluated for the headlamp harness that is melted and smells burnt. I am not going to pay for them to tell me what I know and then turn around and try to charge me for the replacement of said product. Anybody have any idea how hard it is to replace the the headlamp wiring harness in this vehicle. I already changed the bulb, so I have an idea about how to reach the area. Any help would be great since we will never get the help from GM. Thanks in advance!
  • grafin_lupusgrafin_lupus Member Posts: 7
    I have a headlimp issue on my 2008 Outlook also. Since there are no more Saturn dealerships please tell me what dealer did you take it to?
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    edited March 2013
    grafin_lupus,
    If you would like for us to help you locate a Saturn-friendly service center in your area, please send us your request and ZIP code to socialmedia@gm.com. Alternatively, you can search yourself by using GM's dealer locator.
    Sarah, GM Customer Service
  • schexnailderschexnailder Member Posts: 9
    You shouldn't have to pay for that headlight...GM paid for mine. I would call them and state that you want this taken care of due to it being a problem with these vehicles. There may even be a recall by now. GM told me to bring to local GMC dealer. Hope that helps...
  • grafin_lupusgrafin_lupus Member Posts: 7
    edited March 2013
    Dear Sarah, GM Customer Service
    I attempted to replace the right front low beam bulb on my 2008 Outlook. I was able to get the wheel lining loose by removing the screws and reach inside for access. I replaced the bulb and just to be sure it was the bulb that was the problem, I turned on the lights. The light STILL did not come on. I thought maybe it was an issue of not being grounded properly so I attempted to insert it into the mount and found that, somehow, there harness had gotten hung up and is now too short to allow me to get the bulb back into the hole! Closer inspection revealed that the wires have burn marks on them leading me to believe that there may be other damage further up the harness where it is not visible causing an open circuit or a short. After reading many similar complaints such as mine I would like to know; Is this defect is being addressed by GM?
    See this forum for more of the same:
    saturnfans.com
    Some of these customers seem to be getting the harness replaced at dealerships, like this one:
    saturnfans.com
    In another forum a service bulletin is mentioned:
    saturnoutlookforum.net
    "TSB #09-08-42-004 "Low Beam Headlamp Replacement/Diagnosis (Inspect Fuse, Bulb, Harness, Replace Harness and Fill Connector Cavity for Low Beam Bulb Connector with Nyogel Grease) - (May 29, 2009). Document ID: 2284787. Applies to models 2007-2009 Saturn OUTLOOK"

    Please let me know what you can do to help me out. I really can't afford to replace this myself. This customer writes that they received a recall notice and a reimbursement form:
    #23 of 37 Re: Recall for headlight connectors [paynski]
    townhall-talk.edmunds.com
    I will also send this reply in an email to the email you gave me.
    Sincerely,
    A Frustrated Customer
  • grafin_lupusgrafin_lupus Member Posts: 7
    Thanks.
    Anyone know of an actual recall on this?
  • wlbrown9wlbrown9 Member Posts: 867
    My 2008 Saturn XR headlights were replaced under a recall a couple of years ago. I got a recall notice about the same time I started having problems. Go to a Chevy dealer that covers Saturn and have them look it up.
  • anglins4anglins4 Member Posts: 7
    We have a 2007 Outlook and are having the same issues with the headlight. It's the driver's side, sometimes it's on, sometimes it's not. It's scary because we can be driving down the road and all of a sudden it goes out. If I turn the knob off and back on it comes back on for a few minutes then out again. Which tell us it's not the bulb. After researching the issue I found the service bulletin number 1105 that states the 07 Outlook is covered. I was so excited! Until the dealer tells me our VIN number is not included!!! HOW CRAZY IS THAT??? How can GM limit the number of cars they include under this? We can't afford to pay the $500 plus to have a headlight replaced! I'm so sick of the problems we have with this car and the fact that GM won't acknowledge them! We have filed a complaint with the NHTSA, but by the time anything is done we will be long gone!
  • jaredogdenjaredogden Member Posts: 2
    recall is out. contact your local gm dealer
  • dimoutlookdimoutlook Member Posts: 10
    I have the wire harness issue with my 2007 Outlook. I read that a program bulletin was sent to Outlook owners and that the wire harness would be replaced at no charge. I never received the bulletin, which expired on 12/31/13. Today, I received a quote from Diamond Chevrolet in Auburn Mass for $480.00 to replace the harness. $45.00 for the part, the rest for labor. GM has no plans to issue a full recall on the harness. There shouldn't be a time limit on getting a defective part replaced.
  • dimoutlookdimoutlook Member Posts: 10
    Update: I had one wire harness replaced on 11/08/2014 for $228.99. However, when going through my records, I find that Diamond Chevrolet, Auburn, MA attempted to replace the harness under recall #11055 in 2013, but the parts were not available. I would think this paper work is enough to get reimbursed for the $228.99 I paid. Does GM still monitor this forum?
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    dimoutlook said:

    Update: I had one wire harness replaced on 11/08/2014 for $228.99. However, when going through my records, I find that Diamond Chevrolet, Auburn, MA attempted to replace the harness under recall #11055 in 2013, but the parts were not available. I would think this paper work is enough to get reimbursed for the $228.99 I paid. Does GM still monitor this forum?

    Hello Dimoutlook,

    We sure do, and we would be happy to look into this further for you. Please send us an e-mail at socialmedia@gm.com and include your VIN, current mileage, contact information and the dealer you prefer to work with. Also, please provide any information regarding the previous repairs you received to your harness. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

    Patsy G
    GM Customer Care

  • etmmooreetmmoore Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2010 Saturn outlook and having the same problems. I have been unable to find the part needed to fix my headlights. Driver and Passenger side aren't working. We had a local GM dealer look at it and they just tried to tell us it was the headlight itself. When you wiggle the wires the headlight will come on but as soon as you aren't touching the harness the lights go back out. There is a burned spot on both wiring harnesses. As far as I can tell there isn't a recall?? And if GM is still monitoring can you please tell me what we can do to get this fixed. 
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    etmmoore said:

    I have a 2010 Saturn outlook and having the same problems. I have been unable to find the part needed to fix my headlights. Driver and Passenger side aren't working. We had a local GM dealer look at it and they just tried to tell us it was the headlight itself. When you wiggle the wires the headlight will come on but as soon as you aren't touching the harness the lights go back out. There is a burned spot on both wiring harnesses. As far as I can tell there isn't a recall?? And if GM is still monitoring can you please tell me what we can do to get this fixed. 

    Hello Etmmoore,

    We truly apologize for these concerns involving your Outlook. As we are not experts in vehicle diagnosis, we rely heavily on the dealership to provide additional assistance to our customer's vehicle concerns. If you need any additional assistance connecting with your dealership or look into this further, please send us an e-mail at socialmedia@gm.com. Looking forward to hearing from you.

    Patsy G
    GM Customer Care
  • etmmooreetmmoore Member Posts: 2
    Email sent. Thank you
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