Saturn VUE

tedjon52 · June 2004

Does anyone have any recommendations for a roof top carrier for a 2003 Vue? My wife and I just had a baby and have decided that we'll need a lot more room now that he's here. We will be getting the roof racks installed at the dealership tomorrow but have not yet purchased a carrier. Any help is greatly appreciated.

zx3for_me · June 2004

I really like the Vue except for 1 thing...the damn door arm rest and its positioning.....When I drive I have a tendency to put my left leg up close back to the seat and lean it on the door....well on the Vue the arm rest only goes halfway and it jabs me in the thigh! Uncomfortable to say the least. Has anyone else noticed this and if so what measures did ya take to alleviate the situation...

bdub · July 2004

What price can I expect for a 2004 FWD 3.5L leather, side air bags, and 17" wheels? Deduct 3K for owner loyaly, and my brother works for GM?

vuefor2 · July 2004

Your Saturn dealer will probably have one. I think they are all basically the same but they are needed with a family in a Vue. When we have a second kid, we will definitely need one also.

bruisedawg · July 2004

Can somebody please explain this voucher coupon thing? I've never heard of this and I'm in the market for a VUE. Thanks.

dan165 · July 2004

Anyone here have a Red Line VUE?

Interested in how people like them. We are leaning towards an Equinox right now.

stever · July 2004

Check out the Saturn VUE Red Line discussion. Maybe you can revive it a little.

Steve, Host

turksteritis · July 2004

I drove the equinox, plain Vue & Redline. The redline was not worth the extra 3k Canadian plus the regular Vue was smoother. Gotta love the 31 mpg I am getting on the hiway at 110 kmh. The Equinox is slower & does not get as good mileage. The 3.4 is really loud when you mash the throttle. The Honda 3.5 is as smooth as butter!

dan165 · July 2004

We tested a Red Line finally. We also tested a V6 VUE with the 17 inch wheels. I agree with you the regular VUE has a better ride but the Red Line just looks better.

I think we still like the Chevy Equinox a tad better. Yes the V6 is a little bit less refined but the ride and utility seem better and it feels a bit more solid. It's a nice SUV though, we were fairly impressed.

stevedebi · July 2004

I had a 2002 Odyssey with that 3.5 engine / transmission combination and wanted to present a couple of facts:

1. The Vue uses the Honda 3.5 engine and the Honda transmission.
2. The Honda transmission is a 5 speed (this is why some people have noticed the engine revving up to 2500 RPM on the highway - it is going into 4th gear).
3. The FWD transmission has a traction control mode at speeds below 18 MPH, where the anti lock brakes will stop a spinning wheel, resulting in more power to the wheel with traction. It works very well in light snow.
4. I'm not sure if this one made it into the Vue, but all Odysseys have something called Grade logic, where the transmission will kick in when the vehicle is going down hill, to keep from having to hit the brakes.

I cross shopped the VUE in 2003, but didn't want the CVT 4 cylinder, and didn't like the GM 6 cylinder. So I ended up with a CR-V. If the Honda engine had been available, I probably would have bought the Vue.

My Odyssey got 18 MPG in town and 27 MPG on the road (80 MPH).

Best of luck to all you Vue owners out there...

zx3for_me · July 2004

Looking at a 2004 Black FWD V6 with Comfort Package and mats as only options

Sticker is 23790. Current rebate is 3k. I'm going to push for the max vouchers and hope for a decent trade on my ZX3 Focus (2003).

Wish me luck

zx3for_me · July 2004

Pick up the Vue on Monday

Only could get 4 vouchers but I'm happy

dan165 · July 2004

Sweet!

What are these vouchers?

stever · July 2004

Suspension Failure (NY Times)

Steve, Host

wheelz4 · July 2004

Collapsing suspension investigation (see post 3226) and GM is discontinuing it's CVT transmission.

dan165 · July 2004

Getting rid of the CVT is a good idea. The rear axle thing is bad but given there has only been 1 complaint means it's not likely a big issue.

carguy1234 · July 2004

Kind of funny how the different companies are positioned here, as Ford appears to be ready to ramp up big time with high volume CVT vehicles.

Two year checkpoint on our VUE....I wouldn't buy another one.

jonrider · July 2004

I currently have a 2003 L200. I have had unsafe eletricle issues that Saturn says "is a characteristic of the L series". I feel very unsafe in this car on the highway, but Saturn Corp is not willing to do anything about it. So I decided i needed to trade in for another vehicle. I decided that I would not buy another Saturn, just on principle.

After having to deal with other car dealers, I now remember why I ended up buying from Saturn in the first place. I am now considering a Vue. I can't believe I am considering it. Are there any issue I should be aware of with the '04 FWD V6 Vue?

luv94rx7 · July 2004

My experience with our "04 VUE V6 AWD has been very good. The Honda V6 and 5 speed auto have been beyond my belief.

I would never have gotten this suv for my wife if it was not for the Honda V6. Most people know that Honda builds GREAT motors. Indy 500 was all Honda.

When you purchase a car, to me, the main points of consideration is the engine and tranny.

My wife loves this car. Anybody tries to mess with her on the freeway she justs punches it and it kicks butt. MPG with 87 octane is great too.

Ken

dan165 · July 2004

GM makes great V6's also, they just don't put them in VUEs. 3.6L in the CTS is comparable. Hopefully a smaller derivative will come for other cars and trucks.

dm307 · July 2004

A friend of mine, who knows that I am considering buying a Vue,told me that she heard of a problem with 2002-2004 Saturns Vues. Something about the rear end falling and tires blowing out. Any truth to these allegations?

stever · July 2004

It's under investigation:

Saturn Vue suspension investigated (Washington Times).

Steve, Host

justwondering · July 2004

We've had our VUE for a little over a year, it's a 2003 AWD V6. We're currently having squeaking noises coming from the front any time we're driving over any slight bump in the road....kinda annoying. Does anybody know what this could be? We've taken it to the shop, but the mechanic doesn't have enough experience with the car to know for sure. After driving, he didn't think it was unsafe, so didn't do anything........

turksteritis · July 2004

There is a recall on the front strut assembly on the Vues & the Equinox. There is a TSB & your dealer will be fully aware of the front end squeek issue.

vuefor2 · July 2004

I hope the investigation doesn't give the VUE a bad name. It's a great little SUV and we love our 2002. Aside from a couple of small issues it's been flawless for over 2 years now.

As for V6s, the original 3.0L is a great one also. No it's not as powerful as the 3.5 but it's responsive and efficient.

jonrider ::: Go for it. It's a great little SUV, much better than the L-series. Never heard much good about them though Consumer Reports says they are a recommended buy now.

vuefor2 · July 2004

Maybe I should get my front strut assembly changed at some point. I got a recall notice but have not had it done yet.

ep_ · July 2004

Hi all, new here. I also own an 02, 3.0 V6 AWD, and I have nothing but praise. But- just to comment on the investigation into the left rear wheel or suspension - I am confused by the release I read. Is it the suspension failing, or is it just the wheel? Is the suspension the cause of the wheel breaking off? Has there only been 1 alleged case of a failure in the real world?

I am concerned only because if this gets blown out of proportion, I hope Saturn/GM has an answer for it....I don't like the fact that Honda got away with the CRV/oil fire design issue and it happened 27 times, but Saturn can't shake this issue which has only happened 1 time.....and I'm a big-time Honda fan.

Anyways, my concern can be all for nothing, but perception is reality. If insurance goes up and our resale value goes down due to this, thats pretty real to me and alot of us in here.

justwondering · July 2004

Thanks for the info!! I just called the dealer, and there is a TSB on two issues 1) the strut mounts that you mentioned and 2) the front sway-bar bushings. He mentioned that if the squeaking noise happens over bumps, then it is most likely the bushings. If you can still hear it when the wheels are turning, it's probably the mounts. I haven't received a recall notice.....which models does that effect?

stevedebi · July 2004

The article indicates that both the AWD and FWD failed during government testing, and in addition there was a single consumer complaint. That is three failures, but - more importantly - if failed during testing intended to verify that the VUE is safe during maneuvers.

zx3for_me · July 2004

I can almost put house money on it that if you ever tried to duplicate the moves that the NHTSA did you would roll the Vue well before any wheel falls off....

johnb · July 2004

My wife calls me at work yesterday as she was out running errands and says that she can't get the rear lift gate on our 2004 VUE to open. It had opened at the last stop she had made but now it would not.

I looked at it last night. I used the remote to unlock the doors (and liftgate). I heard the clunk of the lock unlocking at the rear liftgate. I lifted the handle.. ..and nada. It definitely didn't budge.

We have an appointment with the local Saturn service department today to have it looked at. It's surely under warranty so I'm not worried about it getting fixed. I'm just wondering if anyone else has had this happen?

johnb · July 2004

Update on the liftgate issue:

The Saturn service person said the connecting rod for the rear liftgate had come loose. They said it was probably only marginally connected before, and that a little usage caused it to fully disconnect.

All seems to be fixed now. Probably a very isolated problem.

jayflyer97 · August 2004

I just purchased a brand new 2004 V6 AWD Vue 3 months ago. Two weeks after buying it it was in to have the starter replaced and the cladding strip on the side of the car. Three weeks later it was back in and had the front strut upper bearings replaced, and the rear diff module replaced and the starter was acting up again although they said they could not get it to do it for them. That was only 2.5 weeks ago and since then my car was back up and had to have brand new parts put in again to replace the brand new ones they just gave me 2.5 weeks ago and to have the starter looked at again because that is still giving me problems. They couldn't tell me what the problem was or why it did it again. I was on the horn with headquarters and they just said that's why they have warranties, and they mass produce parts so what did i want them to do. I could not believe I had someone from headquarters giving me these crap excuses. I said I was going to be contacting a lemon law attorney. They lady then contacted the head person of the service department at my dealership and asked him if he thought i would let things go if they extended my warranty. When i found that out from him I was pushed to my limit. He could not believe they would even try to offer that for a brand new vue which cost about 30,000. My sales person and the head person of the service department said themselves there is no reason to have had all these problems with a brand new car and said there is no excuse but yet headquarters had nothing but excuses and gave me a slap in the face with their offer of an extended warranty. I asked how that was supossed to help and she had no answer. I then asked if she just purchased a brand new car at that price and had all these problems with it and was getting crap excuses if she would be doing the same thing. She said, "again that's why we have warranties" I said you didn't answer the question. She said, " we aren't talking about me and my car so i'm not giving an answer. I asked to speak to a higher up she said there wasn't anyone. When i asked if she was the head person at headquarters she said no and i then demanded a higher up. She then asked if i wanted a supervisor. She just got done telling me that's what she was so i said, "why would i want to talk to someone on the same level as you. I told her once again i wanted a name and number of a higher up and she goes I can't give you that but you will get another call tomorrow and she hung up the phone. I've contacted a lemon law attorny lastnight. I got a phone call first thing today telling me they were taking the case.

prlady1 · August 2004

A reporter wants to talk with Saturn Vue owners about any suspension problems they have experienced. Please respond to jfallon@edmunds.com asap no later than Thursday, August 5, 2004 with your daytime contact info.
Thanks,
Jeannine Fallon
PR Director
Edmunds.com

ray80 · August 2004

GM has just issued a voluntary recall on suspension problems with the Vue

http://media.gm.com/

johnb · August 2004

Wow, sorry to hear you are having so much trouble with your VUE. I have to believe this is not the norm or we'd hear a lot more such stories on this and other forums.

I am also disappointed in your responses from Saturn headquarters. Since Saturn has built themselves up as a family company with special emphasis on customer satisfaction, this is truely discouraging.

I hope you are able to get it all sorted out with out a big expense on your part (attorney fees, loss from trade in for another vehicle, etc). I wouldn't give up on Saturn HQ as a whole just yet -- maybe you just caught them on a bad day.

jayflyer97 · August 2004

they are having the problems with most, they will down play the matter though. Saturn called tonight and told me they would no longer talk to me because i was going to be incontact with a lemon law attorney and they hung up the phone. I can't believe they will sit there and down play this and act like they don't know anything.

jayflyer97 · August 2004

Well Saturn Headquarters called me again about an hour ago and said they are refusing to talk to me because I told the lady yesterday I would be contacting a lemon law attorney. He told me to give him the name and number of my attorney and I said sorry you don't need that information. He said he wanted to talk to them. I said and I wanted to speak with a higher up yesterday and I was told there wasn't any. He goes well you got a phone call did you not. He then repeated himself by telling me they refused to talk to me anymore and he hung up the phone. I've now had it with saturn and I will never be buying a car from them ever again. He also down played the whole recall on every vue that's out there saying it's not a problem. Since when is there a recall on that many cars in one shot?

sib715 · August 2004

We have an 04 AWD Vue with all the "goodies" and it has been a good vehicle the past 3 months except for "clunking" noises when ever a hard turn either left or right was made. I read on the CRV forum that similar problems were occurring with Honda's reaching 30k miles and they were replacing the differential. We took ours in this week and yes they are replacing our differential.

ryster · August 2004

Ford recalled 800-900,000 cars a few weeks ago in 22 states for a corrosion problem that could lead to suspension collapse. The VUE recall only effects 250,000 vehicles in comparison. It really isn't that big of a deal, when you consider that only 1 consumer reported a real-world problem.

Your lemon law attorney should have informed you that once you initiate a lemon law case, the consumer typically is to have no further communication with the dealer and manufacturer. That is what mine told me a few years ago when I contemplated a lemon case on a Ford Explorer (I never went through with it). In fact, he urged me to work things out on my own before pursuing the lemon case for that very reason. He basically said that once you file the case, the dealer and manufacturer won't want to deal with you at all.

Saturn was just following typical lemon case protocol. Deal with the lawyer, not the consumer.

The strut issue and rear differential module (RDM) replacement are common on the VUE. In fact, most people that have the RDM replaced say it is just a temporary fix and the RDM noise they experienced and tried to eliminate comes back after time. Ours makes some noise, but we haven't been concerned enough to have anything done about it.

It seems your starter issue is the only "odd" problem your VUE is experiencing. If the dealer you are working with can't fix the problem, I would suggest you try another dealer.

Demanding to speak to higher-ups on the Customer Care line will not really bring about positive results. The best way to get results is to be understanding, patient, sympathetic, and persistent with the service department without becoming angry or pushy. As soon as they view you as an adversary they will treat you as such. It is important to let them know you want to work WITH them to resolve the problem, not against them. I know it can be frustrating to deal with car problems, but unfortunately every car/manufacturer is subject to issues. There are never any guarantees with vehicles (new or used).

snowman · August 2004

IMHO, most of the time, the real issue is caused by manufacturer. In order to provide highest earnings per share, manufacturers are cutting cost without analyzing the nature of it. Most of the dealers are not allowed to charge decent rate to manufacturer when they work on warranty repair. In fact, working on warranty work is hassle for many of them and they loose money. Therefore, they can't reserve enough time for troubleshooting, they just start replacing components until they found the correct one.
This create frustration on dealer and customer.

carguy1234 · August 2004

So is everybody getting their recall notices in the mail? We got ours yesterday. Basically says that they will contact us once they have the parts in to do the strengthening work.

ryster · August 2004

Word has it that the dealer will be replacing the VUE's rear suspension components with those from the Chevy Equinox. It may take upwards of 6 to 7 hours per vehicle for the dealer to complete the recall. In addition, the cold air tire inflation pressure for the rear tires will be increased to 35psi.

We have a copy of the letter downloaded from the Saturn site, but have not yet received one in the mail.

johnb · August 2004

Same here. We got the notice letter yesterday.
Now we just have to wait on the parts to arrive and I guess we will be placed in a "rework queue" with all the other Saturn VUEs in the area.

It could be a while.

odd1 · August 2004

Sorry to hear about your problems. Use the attorney for all comunications with them. That is what you hired them for. Our mother had a lemon in the old Saturn wagon. Saturn did right by her and she is on her third Saturn since then. It did require some pressure by my attorney spouse though.

Good Luck.

genem · August 2004

I just purchased a 04 Vue w/4cyl/5spd. After driving it on a variety a road surfaces, it became readily apparent that the steering sytem of the Vue has very little to none in road feel. The steering felt vague at times to the point that it was like driving a video game machine. I find it unsettling after driving FWD VWs for 20 years. It was something that I did not notice during a roadtest. After investigating a little further into the Vue, the steering feel appears to be an issue. Had I known that this would be the situation, I probably would not have purchased the Vue despite the huge incentives. Does anybody have the same issue and does anybody have any suggetions as to how this may be corrected? The vague steering does not appear to be an issue with the Redline model. The electronic assisted power steering can be supposedly tuned via the computer chip. Any thoughts/suggestions are greatly appreciated seeing that I will be travelling approx 25K mi per year, some serious roadtime with video game steering.

snowman · August 2004

I sent my internet request to local saturn dealer. Let's see what comes out tomorrow...
I will ask them to match my GM card earnings and provide me flex vauchers along with $3K rebate...
I am also interested in Escape but XLT model is pricy, XLS has weak engine; indeed Saturn has advantage with $3K rebate...

dan165 · August 2004

I saw today in the paper, Saturn is offering 0% for 60 months in Canada now on remaining 04s. Makes the Equinox look a bit less appealing now. Hummm?

snowman · August 2004

Was anyone able to pull additional discounts on the price due to GM card earnings in NJ-PA area?
The dealer I contacted told me they can't accept GM card earnings and they can't provice additional discounts. They offered me $3K rebate and possibly 4 flex vauchers.

julians · August 2004

I really like the steering these days, our other car seem very stiff after getting used to the vue.

This said, how is the air in the front tires? I noticed on the recall they are only recommending adding air to the rear tires. If you keep all 4 tires at like 35, you may want to lower the fronts to 30 lbs. Too much air in the fronts will give it more of a floating feeling.

Saturn VUE

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles

Your Privacy