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Comments
Dealer tells me it is not because of maintenance but rather metal fatigue. Essentially the 3 and 4 gears broke.
Like the rest of the posts I had no indication of a problem. In fact the car had the power steering unit replaced by the dealer 2 weeks ago and they said the car was in great shape.
Dealer mention GM may have a plan to replace or help defer some of the costs. The warranty expired at 100K but I own several GM cars and I was planning on getting a new one soon...
If this helps - the issue seems to be with the wave plate but the best thing is to contact GM Saturn customer service.
Good Luck
The part that broke shredded it's self and did damage to both the transmission and the radiator because the transmission coolant flows through the radiator.
I contacted customer service at GM and they worked with the dealer to fix the car. Because the car was out of warranty they technically could have done nothing. The initial estimate was 4,000 for parts and labor.
GM covered all of the parts, fluids, and misc items, I had to pick up the labor which was about $1,200.00.
GM sent me a 1,500.00 spiff for my next car that can be used in conjunction with any other incentive they are offering at the time.
Just curious how you diagnosed your intake vacuum and coil failure issue? Was this something you figured out or did a shop identify these issues?
Kevin
-Vito
Call Saturn customer service ASAP. Have the car tolled to a GM/Buick dealership. Customer service has been very helpful. There has been an issue with the waveplate:(!
Try to be patient with them but ask them to involve GM Customer Service and get the name of the GM District manager.
I had the same issue and the original estimate was over 4K.
The trans was chewed up when the part broke. The thing takes 16 to 18 quarts of fluid which is cooled through the radiator which also needed to be replaced because it was clogged with metal parts.
It was a big deal and it too more then 2 weeks to figure out but GM stepped up and covered all of the parts and a big chunk of the labor.
Cost me about 1,000.00 to get it fixed. My car had 106K miles and was a 2007. More then 5 years old and over 100K so the could have said sorry and done nothing.
-Vito
Two weeks later, I took the car back to authorized Saturn with the BCM technical bulletin to review and told them my car smelled like gas and the same transmission complaint. They followed the tech bulletin and reconnected the wires to the BCM and also found the fuel pump leaked. After they reconnected the wires and replaced the fuel pump, the car worked good as new. My guess is that fuel wasn't getting to to the car causing the transmission to act up and the cruise control/brake light not working was a separate issue. The car runs fine now.
We're glad to hear that your dealership was able to find the cause of your transmission issues. If there's anything we can look into for you in the future, or questions we can answer please feel free to reah out to us.
Amber N
GM Customer Care
Sorry to learn that you are having trouble with your transmission. Have you already had your vehicle diagnosed by a Certified GM dealership? If so, we'd like the opportunity to speak with you further regarding this issue and work towards finding a resolution. Please feel free to email us your name, VIN, mileage, contact information and preferred dealership. We can be reached at socialmedia@gm.com [attn Amber].
Regards
Amber N.
GM Customer Care
It's unfortunate to say, that my transmission has also failed a couple of days ago; shifts from 2-3 causes over-revs and a hard shift, same goes for 3-4 and downshifts. My CEL has not yet come on, as I refuse to drive it any more which would create more of a problem. Or, I may be too late.
What's heartbreaking is, i only have 58k miles on this vehicle and my GM factory warranty had expired 12-months ago. Honesty, I really enjoy driving my Aura as it's far from the usual car you will see on the roads, especially here in Hawaii.
I am well aware of the cost to repair the transmission, but I'm wondering if GM could lend a hand in getting my vehicle in to a GM/Chevrolet dealer to have my transmission diagnosed and repaired, allowing me to be back on the road. Any help would be greatly appreciated and could possibly retain me as a GM customer.
Thank you! :sick:
I'm sorry to hear about what has happened with your transmission. If you are interested in working with a GM dealership, we would be more than happy to see what options are available in resolving this issue for you. If you'd like our assistance, please email us at socialmedia@gm.com [attn Amber]. Include your VIN, exact mileage, contact information and preferred GM dealership.
Thank you
Amber N.
GM Customer Care
Out of the blue today my 2008 Saturn Aura started shifting weird. I know this vehicle because I bought it brand new and have done all the recommended maintenance with a Certified GM Dealer. So I took my minor child to an appointment and on the way back home to drop him off at school, the vehicle began not shifting. Pulled off the side of the road, put vehicle in Park and was able to shift into gear and proceed back into traffic but engine was reving and vehicle was not shifting again. Got into left turn lane to turn left at stop light and had to stop. When light turned green Saturn would not even move. Of course this was a major road and my son and I were nearly rear ended numerous times because the vehicle would not move. A gentlemen did stop and asked me what was going on and even backed up behind me to help move the traffic over. He also nearly got rear ended numerous times. Both of us had our 4 ways on. Got ahold of OnStar assistance and soonest they could get tow truck to me was an hour. So I requested Emergency Assistance to help move the vehicle to a safer area and State Patrol showed up. Now check engine light came on. Called dealer and asked if I should shut engine off with check engine light on and informed that it would not hurt. So I shut engine off. About 10 minutes later I turned vehicle back on and surprisingly was able to shift to drive and move. Let State Patrol know so turned left at light heading to a safer location. Wasn't even going to try to make it 3 miles home, just wanted to get to a safer location. Within 1000 feet after turn, vehicle would not not shift and was only reving again. State patrol was able to have me put vehicle in neutral and push me into parking lot.
I'm sorry that you are facing a transmission replacement in your Saturn vehicle. I recognize your dissatisfaction with this matter and would like to try and help. Although I am not a technician, I would like to further investigate your concerns. If this interests you please email us your name, VIN, contact information, and dealership, as well as reference your screen name. We can be reached at socialmedia@gm.com [attn Amber].
Amber N.
GM Customer Care
Amber N.
GM Customer Care
I hope this helps! I have had my saturn for 6 years and have had electrical issues, cataylic converer replaced, rack and pinion going out now, now the ship cable. The most expensive things to fix. Also, have to put rotors on twice. I ignore all the other notices like the popping in the steering column. -
I apologize that you experienced this with your Saturn and am glad to hear that you and your family are all safe. I would be happy to look into your situation for you. If this is something you would like my assistance with email me at socialmedia@gm.com. Please include your username, karenc8, full name, address, phone number, VIN, current mileage, and dealership.
I look forward to hearing from you,
Jonathan A.
GM Customer Care
I've kept up-to-date with all of the recommended maintenance and only had the vehicle serviced by authorized GM dealers. I'm especially disappointed realizing that the resale value of the Aura is a good 30% below an equivalently equipped Malibu from the same year, so a new transmission could cost half of the trade-in value!
The dealer is going to investigate tomorrow, but I'm afraid it's probably the same transmission issue that others are having. Unfortunately I got the car just under 6 years ago (new), so the warranty has been expired for almost a year (although still well under the mileage limit at ~78,500 miles). This was my first brand-new car purchase, and I definitely had hoped that this car was going to last me at least a few more years without any major issues since my last GM vehicle was running strong at 11 years old and 200,000 miles when I sold it to buy the AURA.
Update - I just listened to a message from someone ELSE at GM who says the case was sent to her this evening. I will be calling her back in the morning and will post an update then.
::: JI :::
GM, please reimburse us for the cost of transmission repairs on the 2007 Saturn Aura.
I have the 2008 Aura XE and the Transmission Shift Cable broke, however according to the Dealership Technician it is the wrong end of the cable to be covered under the recall (it's the end that attaches to the Transmission when the recall was for the end at the firewall). Because of this they have to replace the whole Shift Cable. Is there anything I can do because this part has already had issues that caused a recall, or do I just have to live with paying for it?
I've done all the normal maintenance since I bought it in '12, 85k miles (or somewhere around there)
Vin 1G8ZS57N98F233975
Best thing you can do is pay for it, keep the receipts and petition for a refund from the factory. Customer Service does have some discretionary goodwill funding. What an annoying bit of penny-pinching, weasel-like behavior on GM's part. I think the dealer made the wrong decision but they don't want to be stuck with a kick-back on the claim.
Hi raukk,
We're sorry to hear that this happened with your Aura. Please let us know if you would like for us to look further into this concern for you. If our assistance is needed, please send an email to socialmedia@gm.com. In the email please include your full contact information, VIN, current mileage and the involved dealership. We look forward to hearing from you.
Kristen A.
GM Customer Care
Updating my 2/25 post. GM is very well aware of the problem with this vehicle but refuses to cover any repairs outside of the warranty. After speaking with 2 people at GM and the service manager at the dealer, they still declined to give any refund (surprise, surprise), but the service manager unwittingly gave me a lot of helpful information that I will be taking BACK to GM about this vehicle's transmission problem. Oh, he also gave me an offer for $1,000 off a new GM car. Umm, HELLO I just spent $2,500 to fix this one, why would I want another one? So I can pay a grip to fix that one too? I'm so utterly disgusted with GM at this point. VERY disappointed in my hometown manufacturer.
::: JI :::
GM, please reimburse us for the cost of transmission repairs on the 2007 Saturn Aura.
Well, The Wave plate issue seems to have hit me this last week. Took it in to our local service shop (not a dealer, but someone we trust and ASE certified). It is looking like at least $3100 out of pocket, and that means carpool for a while to be able to afford this. My fiance and I both love the Aura and this has come as quite a blow. After a year of ownership and only 66,000 miles, the car is down for most likely months. Totally bummed out.
Marlea W.
GM Customer Care