Saturn Transmission Problems

I purchased a 2001 Saturn L series new in 2001. After only 5 years and 75,000 miles, the transmission needed to be replaced. Maybe I'm one of the lucky ones (as evidenced in this thread. ) One re-built transmission later, I'm back in for yet another re-built transmission. I guess I should consider myself lucky. I got as much use out of the rebuilt, as I did the original.

Third time's a charm, right? What is it about these transmissions? I should have known better than to have purchased another Saturn, considering the fact there were problems with my first one in 1995 (after only a couple of months). What was I thinking, right? Ever think some of these issues has anything to do with the fact that Saturn is no longer around?

I purchased a 2003 Saturn Vue in 2009. Regretfully, I did not do my homework before purchasing. The transmission went out along with the transfer case. I paid $4976.23 for a new tranny and a rebuilt transfer case. The car has lost significant MPG's and will not shift correctly since the new install. It has greatly reduced power at take-off and there is screeching/clunking noise when turning left. GM dealership told me I need a new front differential now, a cost of $5,400. This car is a disgrace. I am still making payments on it. I have paid more in repairs then I have on my monthly payments. Is there any advice on reimbursement for all these expense? Do I have recourse?

I had the same clunking in a 2002 SL1 with 130,000 miles. A former Saturn transmission specialist said that he could have adjusted it for $500 if I had not run it clunking much. The transmission specialist had to replace the case with a used case and fixed it for $1000. You need to find a transmission specialist who knows Saturns. Good luck.

I am fed up! I bought a 2000 Saturn SL2 just a few months ago; it had 139,000 miles on it at the time of purchase. I bought it from a used car dealership which I have dealt with in the past and I have always gotten good cars from them. They check their vehicles out thoroughly before they are put on the lot for sale. Three months after purchase (and, I might add, being treated as though it were made of gold), the transmission started giving me problems with the gears not wanting to engage when shifted. I contacted the dealership, who referred me to their transmission shop. They diagnosed the problem as a defective valve body and told me that this is a common problem with Saturns.

Since they replaced the said valve body, the car shifts worse than ever! It slams into reverse, it slams into second and third gear, and now I am afraid to drive it (I might also add that this car is necessary for my job). I have contacted the shop and they have agreed to look at the car again. But reading all these other complaints against Saturn, I hold very little hope that the problem can be fixed or that the dealership will continue to put out money to fix a car that, by all accounts, will just continue to give me problems. Saturn stinks, and the company should be heartily ashamed of themselves! If this transmission can't be fixed and the dealer decides not to stick any more of their money into it, I will lose my job because I can't get to work; this is the only vehicle I have. I can't afford to have it fixed on my own and I still owe about $4500 on the car.

Common problems with Saturns. The L-SERIES timing chain brakes without warning , so if you are an owner always drive next to the side of the road for ease of stop when this happens (only a matter of time) the ION and VUE's have common transmission problems, the S-SERIES have a common leak issue, pretty much if you are a Saturn owner put about $4000 aside because you will need it sooner or later(sorry to say), and say a prayer before you drive that Saturn car always.

I drive a 2006 Saturn Ion that I purchased 3 years ago. It has 54,000 miles on it. Two weeks ago, it developed transmission problems to the tune of $3000. What's maddening is that there doesn't seem to be any recourse. I'm still making payments. I'm fearful that I have more problems ahead. Is there anything that can be done?

The CVT transmission started losing fluid. No idea where the fluid was going because there was no leak. I took it to the dealership and they advised flushing transmission so we did. Now I think 6 months later after repeatedly having to add transmission fluid to a closed system that supposedly never needs transmission fluid and not to mention you have to use a special transmission fluid not the over the counter stuff, the transmission has gone completely out.

Oh, and did I forget to mention the recall notice that said we didn't qualify because we had too many miles on the car. What? You put a faulty transmission in a vehicle that I purchased and you are going to tell me I have too many miles on it to qualify for the transmission to be replaced even though it was faulty to begin with?

Now I am stuck with a car that doesn't move and I have to pay a loan on a car that doesn't move. The transmission costs more to fix than the car's worth.

Three months ago, I purchased a used 1995 Saturn sl2 with a manual transmission. The person I bought it from says that she replaced the transmission once already. It has 170,000 miles on it. The past few week, I have heard a light knocking from the transmission. The other day, while going down the highway, the transmission starts slipping badly. I exit and get to a light and the transmission locked up. I couldn't move my car at all, in neutral or any gear.

I was less than 1/5 away from my apartment and I had to have it towed home. It cost me $85.00 for less than a 1/5 of a mile because the transmission went out again; twice in 170,000 miles.

I bought my Saturn 2001 SC1 five ears ago with only 35,000 miles on it. At first it worked well. But these past few years, I have had nothing but transmission problems.

As I am writing this, I will be having my third transmission problem. After reading all the complaints, it looks like I am not the only one!

I purchased a Saturn from Saturn of West Broward on 12/21/2009. My first problem started a month later, 01/16/2010, after I purchased the vehicle. I complained about a noise coming from the wheel when turning. The service rendered on the vehicle that day was gear assembly, and power steering replacement. Both rotors were also replaced. On February 20, 2010, I complained about the transmission's delayed shift while driving Saturn. They tested it and found a delayed shift at 40MPH. I was told that reprogramming the power train control module engine is all it needed. A month later, I brought the Outlook back in for left headlamp replacement wiring harness and the headlamp was replaced. On May 22, 2010, I brought the Outlook in again because of the check engine light being on for several days, and complained that the Outlook was not running correctly. The service technician replaced the O2 sensor as well as having the throttle body and injector service replaced, together with the air filter.

On December 10, 2010, I called Saturn to complain about a knocking sound in the steering wheel when turning. The vehicle does not have to be in motion. The service tech indicated that the internal steering gear failed. The general line repair was done by replacing the gear set to correct this problem. The service light indicator was also on, so an electrical repair was done to reset it. At this time, to add insult to injury, I was deducted an amount of $142.38. On April 29, 2011, the Outlook was brought back in for a premature timing chain wear -- reprogram engine control module. The cause of this issue was due to a recall. A clunk was removed during the process.

On June 03, 2011, I complained about the transmission not shifting correctly as well as a knocking sound from the engine when I drive off. The tech found that the noise was coming from the engine mount; thus, the engine mount was replaced. As for the transmission problem, the pistons, wave plate and clutch plate overhaul was replaced. However, the 2nd gear-up shift will still flare intermittently because this was difficult to duplicate. The wheel alignment, steering wheel angle, and front toe was adjusted. Also, the Outlook was overheating and the water pump was determined to be faulty. A new water pump was put in. On June 28, 2011, the Outlook was brought in for sluggish driving and poor shifting, as well as a clicking sound coming from both left and right tires while making a wide turn in either direction. I was told that GM does not have a solution for this problem.

I have a family of eight which includes a newborn. When I set foot to search for a new car before purchasing the Outlook, my goal was to find something that would accommodate my family with comfort and style, but most important of all, safety. The Saturn claimed to have all of what I was looking for, so I was sold on the idea of the Outlook meeting my goals. I never expected to be in a repair shop almost every three months after purchasing a new vehicle. All I'm asking of GM is to replace this vehicle with no other compensation. Please feel free to contact me at **.

As many other owners have reported, my 1996 Saturn SW2 all of a sudden developed a whine and grind in the transmission and then went out all together. I have researched and found out that transmission problems are a common thing with Saturns. GM and Saturn dealerships seem to be oblivious to a problem that seems to be common among their customers. Makes you wonder whether they are hiding the fact that they have built a defective product and are screwing their customers out of thousands of dollars.

My mother gave me her 2003 Saturn Vue. It had 16,000 miles on it when I took ownership. At 24,898, the transmission blew. I replaced it at a cost of $4500. In November of the the same year, Saturn sent us a letter warning us of problems with the VTi Transmission that was in 2003s. We submitted for reimbursement. They are denying us reimbursement for 3 reasons. #1)car is too old. NO Saturn, YOU sent us a letter for 2003 Saturns in 2009. WRONG. #2 We did not have enough mileage. Huh? It went up to 75,000 miles and we only 24,898. Shouldn't that make them more likely to pay?

We got the car fixed before they sent the letter. Again, huh? How were we supposed to know that they would decide to help people outside the warranty. We needed the car. I have spoke to several people who are reading scripts telling me I don't fit the parameters. They just don't want to pay. GM got a lot of my tax dollars in their bailout. They can help me fix the lemon of a car they built. I am asking for help on a bill for $4500. The Saturn dealer wanted to charge me $8000 to replace transmission. Talk about criminals! I sent a complaint into the Council for Plaintiffs, but I am not holding my breath. Can someone help me?

The economic damage has been that we are strapped for cash in a poor economy with me out of work and having to take care of my disabled son anyway. I definitely did not need to spend this type of money on a car that should not have lost its transmission. I was fortunate that the car broke down after I picked up the kids and that we were near the shop. I had to get people to drive us to all the schools, work and therapies for my son. He missed some of the therapies because he could not get there. Lots of economic and emotional damage. For the amount of reimbursement I am asking for, it seems unnecessary for them to be giving me such a hard time. I have no problem with a lawyer contacting me.

I own a 2006 Saturn Ion. While driving it over the last few months, at random times, the engine just stalls. It always starts back up and after asking a mechanic, he said that it could be the float in the fuel tank as Saturn has a safety feature that shuts the engine off if the gas goes too far in one end. On July 21, 2010, the car stalled while sitting at a red light at railroad tracks in town. The driver was able to move the car into the turn lane and get it restarted without incident.

Later on that evening, we stopped and filled up with gas and when we pulled into the garage, the car wouldn't turn off! The key was stuck in the ignition! After two hours of searching and trying, we finally pulled the #16 fuse and disconnected the negative battery cable to shut the car down. Upon reading online, there are over 400 incidents of this occurring with 02-08 Saturns and the random engine kill is associated with this ignition issue!

Why hasn't General Motors acknowledged this issue and fixed the problem? Someone could get injured or worse, should the engine die in a high traffic area. Moreover, think about your own mother. Had she have been driving this when the key stuck, she'd have been sitting in the garage or driveway until it ran out of gas! Stupid is what I call GM!

I purchased a used 2003 Saturn Vue with a VTi transmission in 2008 with about 83,000 miles. In May 2009, my transmission went out. I had just gone over 100,000 miles within the last couple of months. We quickly found out all about the terrible Saturn transmissions, the absurdly high costs to have it replaced, and the incredibly rude and dishonest behavior of GM and Saturn.

Saturn covered a minimal amount of the repair costs but we had to pay out $3000 which is incredibly difficult for our family. We had no other option though as we still owed $5000 on the car. The more I learned about the faulty transmissions and Saturn's inability to take responsibility for their terrible and unethical business practices, the more furious I became.

I do not understand how they have been allowed to get away with all of this! To make a faulty product that will end up costing consumers thousands of dollars while Saturn has to take no responsibility is ridiculous to me. I am disgusted by all of it. Saturn claimed to care about customers and I have to say all that I received while dealing with them was utter rudeness and lack of care for anything but their own bottom line, which is obviously money.

I purchased my 2006 Saturn Ion in May, 2009. March 2010, brought it in for 48,000 mile service inspection. The dealer informed me that both front struts are leaking as well as the transmission cooler lines are leaking ($1,120). April 2010, My key gets stuck in the ignition. Can't turn the car off. The repair costs ($300). May 2010, the window controls stop working. Three of my windows will not roll up or down.

June 17, 2010, my key gets stuck in the ignition again!!!! The dealer informs me that the window problem is due to poor design with my vehicle's wiring (nice job, Saturn). Both repairs for window controls as well as ignition lock are ($820). My frustration with Saturn/GM priceless!

Bought a Saturn Vue with faulty vti transmission. it was replaced under dealer warranty and is again faulty after 20,000 km. it was 10,000 when all said and done to repair the first time. so now I'm left with a 2003 Saturn Vue that I WON'T/CAN'T sell and is not worth the enormous cost to fix. Had to replace vehicle

I purchase my Sl 2002 Saturn a few years ago with 32,000 miles on it. The car is used once in a while and now has 58,800 on it. Weekend of June 5th the tranmission would surge for no reason. I took it in and was told that the tranny was wasted. 58,800 and the tranny is wasted? What a pice of junk! A tranny should last at least 150,000 miles. I'll never buy a Saturn again.

I own a 2006 Saturn Ion level 2 and its a manual transmission. I got it used with about 26,000 miles and the warranty ended after 36,000. Well, surely as it goes, I noticed a noise when shifting into third gear like a swirling/grinding noise. A shop told me that it was the synchronizers going out and the transmission would have to be removed and opened up to fix it. It was as much money as rebuilding the whole thing labor wise. I also noticed the noise now in fifth gear as well sometimes.

After researching, I found that this is only a service bulletin and not a recall. How could this not be a recall? I am furious and want GM to pay for this. The car has 80,000 miles on it now and since the noise appeared, I have been skipping from second to fourth gear trying to keep from damaging more hard parts. This should be a recall or a class-action lawsuit! I'm tired of throwing my money away! There are forums with angry owners and complaints right here! I need a lawyer for this one if GM doesn't step up to the plate.

I have not been able to sell the car because nobody wants to buy a car with a defect like that. Dealers want to give me half of what the car is worth or less. It makes me drive differently than normal and affects my gas mileage. GM should pay for this. If they don't recall, we, the owners should press a class-action lawsuit!

My complaint is based on a 2003 Saturn Vue that is owned by my parents. They had a new tranny installed about 30k miles ago, and it is in the shop again with the same problem. General Motors replaced the first tranny at a cost of $1200 to my parents. After hours and hours of research online and reading hundreds of articles and endless customer complaints, I believe it is time that GM is held accountable for this nightmare that they created. I do not understand how GM has got away with not being made to recall and replace each and everyone of the VTi tranny with a redesigned transmission?

While speaking to a case manager at GM, I was told that the warranty on the new tranny was for 12 months or 12,000 miles, which, in my opinion, is useless; because if you can't build a tranny that will last for 12,000 miles, you need to find a new job. I was in the auto retail business for 20 years and owned a Dodge jeep Chrysler dealership. it is my opinion that GM is wrong...100% wrong!

My dad is 68-years-old and drives very slow and is very easy on vehicles, and he is the only person that ever drives it. They should have offered my parents some type of assistance, anything; but their line is drawn in the sand.

I'm looking for help. My dad is very upset and wants to make GM do what's right not only for him but for the other hundreds or possibly thousands of Saturn customers who unknowingly purchased the VTi transmission. General Motors knows they built a real piece of garbage, and now, they must pay for it. There is a class action lawsuit that was filed in California that can be found online, but its coverage is limited and has stipulations with no coverage outside of the 12/12 to assist customers with a second or third replacement, if they are outside of the lawsuit's predetermined mileage. These transmissions are junk, and GM needs to warranty them for life or design a replacement to end this nightmare.

I certainly understand how GM went bankrupt. If they keep screwing customers, it will happen again. I'm actually in complete disbelief that someone has not yet held them accountable for this. How can they get away with selling a product that is simply junk? How? The dealership that is servicing the vehicle charges $5000.00 for a new VTi and told us that there are no rebuilt trannies available?

I just put a factory tranny in my full-size Chevy truck, and it was $3000? So not only did GM design a piece of garbage tranny, but they also want the customers to pay almost double to buy one? Good Lord, people. This is just wrong...bad wrong. Since General Motors has refused to do what's honest and right for their customers, I need help so that we can make them pay.

2004 SATURN SEDAN transmission went out 3 months after purchasing the car. Finding a way to work for over 2 months and paying additional 2,000 for repairs after $4000.

We have a 2004 Saturn ION. In 2007 the transmission went out on the car and they replaced it. In June 2008 the transmission went out again and again they replaced it. In April 2009 we could tell that the transmission was slipping so we took it to Saturn of Dayton North and were told that there was nothing wrong with it and was charged $102.00 diagnosis fee.

Four months later my wife (who is six months pregnant) was driving home from work and the transmission completely went out. She was stuck on the side of a dangerous country road that semi's commonly use with no shoulder. We had it towed to Saturn of Dayton North where the next morning a mechanic there told us that he was experiencing the same problem with the car when he test drove it.

Monday comes and the manager calls and tells us that he can't find anything wrong with the car. We told him that we knew it was the transmission and they just fixed it a year ago and they needed to find the problem. They had the car a week until they called and said they couldn't find anything wrong with it and wanted to charge us $102.00. We told them we weren't paying a diagnosis if they didn't find the problem and that we were going to pick the car up and take it somewhere else to prove it was the transmission.

Thirty minutes later they called back and said yes it was the transmission and that they would fix it but only cover 75% due to a class action lawsuit due to the fact that the car has 100,000 miles on it and wanted to charge us over $1000. We pointed out that this is the third transmission and this transmission only has a little over 20,000 miles on it. Both times before it was fixed the car was under 100,000 miles.

We contacted corporate and was told on Wednesday that they would cover the whole amount. Friday Saturn of Dayton North called and told us we could get the car. Saturday we drove 35 miles to get the car only to be told the lady handling our claim never sent the payment authorization and that she had nothing in her files on our car. They insisted we had to pay over $1000 to release the car. We left it there and contacted corporate again and today we got a call and they won't cover the full amount of the transmission.

As of now the car is still sitting at Saturn. We both work and have to scramble everyday to borrow a car, waisting alof of gas money returning cars, paying people gas to take us to work. They keep hiding behind the class action lawsuit, which doesn't even apply because this is the third transmission in three years. They can't "fix" something where they know it's going to keep breaking year after year. We are going to be out $1000 to fix the transmission, $102 that we paid them four months ago for them to tell us the transmission was fine.

I own and have owned a 2001 Saturn SL1 4 door sedan for a little less the 4 years. I bought the car used from a dealership and when I first bought it, she ran great. About a year ago I started having MAJOR problems with it. The car doesn't shift it slams... doesn't matter what gear but reverse is definitly the worst. I have a hard time getting up to speed on the highway and when I try and stop the car rev's hard making it very hard to break.

I have taken excellent care of my car and while the miles are a bit high 125,000 I didn't not expect the transmission to fail as it has. How is it that so many people are having this SAME issue but Saturn has done NOTHING to repair the defects? That is totally irresponsible and agrovating. I know that to replace my tranny it's going to cost me upwards of 3000 dollars... I can't afford that. I'm going to have to junk the car. And that ticks me off.

2006 Saturn Ion Quad Coupe. Purcahsed new. Has 45,000 miles on it. have replaced brake rotors three times. Now the transmission is making noises and we are told it is shot and must be replaced at a cost of approx. $4,500.00.

Purchased a 2006 Saturn Ion, (lease) and now, having 105000k, no warranty is left but my transmission is gone. I went to put my car in drive and it didn't budge. It only goes in reverse. I feel that even though the warranty is no longer valid, a car worth anything should not be having this type of mechanical issue at 100 000k. I feel it is defective and should have been recalled. At this point I am expected to pay an outrageous $4000+ and my lease is not up until October 2009.

something is not right when a brand new vehicle has transmission problems this early into the game. I expected to get another 100 000K out of this car, because I have out of my other cars that I purchased used. This one I purchased new, 11km I believe, when I drove it off the lot. Didn't make much of a difference did it?

It has been over one week since I had to get my car towed to the dealership, I towed it there thinking that they would be willing to help me but obviously they are not since the quote came back at over $4000. My car still sits there, pending on go ahead but I am concerned that the dealership had not done all that they can do to lessen this financial burden from me. I am not able to drive the car so even for me to get an independent quote is impossible since they don't have the vehicle to examine.

This is a common problem and should have been recalled.

I just purchased a used 2006 Saturn Ion from my neighbor. My neighbor took it to the local Saturn dealership to have it all checked out before I bought it. The 25 point vehicle inspection came back good,except for a stabilizer link, that should be looked at. I have had the car for only one and a half months and with in that time The key stuck in the ignition and the car would not shut off, It needed a new ignition cylinder which cost $310.00, Then 2 weeks later, The gears are slipping and I'm told that 2nd and 4th gears are shot and we need a new transmission. There are only 55,000 miles on this vehicle. I realize we did not purchase this car from a certified saturn dealership, however, 55,000 miles is very LOW mileage as far as needing a new transmission.

I have only added 1000 miles to this vehicle since it was checked by the dealership, and the transmission cover and fluid checked out. Now all of a sudden the transmission fluid is pitch black? Was it checked at all? The gentleman at the Saturn dealership in Brooklyn Park, mn was very nice, His name was Joe, and said, he thought that Saturn would probably help me out with this. As far as the key episode, I have read so many of the same reports of this problem happening to many ion customers, to the point Saturn should have this recalled. How many complaints until something is recalled by a company, any laws regarding this?

Saturn is going to replace the transmission for a $1000.00 fee, telling us that the full price would have been $4500.00 My parents have had trnsmissions in their vehicles replaced over the years and have never spent more than $2500.00 Is this charge normal and customary for a dealership? We finally got things squared away to set up an appt. to finally have this fixed. Customer service was laughable, calling and leaving messages when they knew no-one would be available, and just really prolonging this whole process. The actual dealship guy, Joe was extremely professional, and had great customer relations, and made me feel at ease, I was really at my wits end after I received the news about the transmission needing to be replaced. I have been without my car now for almost 2 weeks now, and need to wait 2-3 more days for the tranny to get to the dealership, but then hopefully this will be the end to this nightmare!

Having to get rides to and from college, and to and from work on a daily basis, for almost 2 weeks. Purchasing my first car on my own was a nightmare. I am 19 years old, and was excited to finally have a halfway decent car with low miles, only to have to encounter all these problems. Now not only do I need to finish paying for this car, but I get to add a few $$'s to the loan I wasn't expecting. Thanks for listening.

I was driving my car (2003 Saturn Vue) to work yesterday morning when the service engine soon light came on. I was joking with my wife that the last time this light came on is when my VTI transmission went out. As it turns out, the joke was on me. I took my car to the Saturn dealer where i purchased it in Las Vegas and when they called me today I was told that for the 3rd time in the last year, my VTI transmission needed to be replaced AGAIN! The only good news about this is that Saturn is paying for it because i am the original owner. I really sincerely feel for those of you who have had to pay for this out of your own pocket. It is not right.

Overall this had been a pretty good car with the exception of a few minor issues. The one bit of advice that i would tell anyone who reads this post is that you should take your car to the Saturn dealership especially if you are the original owner. Since the VTI transmission was never an Official Recall, if i had not had my car towed into the dealer and took it to some other mechanic to fix it, i would have had to pay the entire cost to fix it and that is messed up.

History of my VTI issues: In the middle of the desert between California and Las Vegas, NV at 1 am, my check engine soon light comes on. A few days later when I was back in Las Vegas (Thank God this did not happen in the middle of the desert) I was driving through a light when the car just stopped moving. Had it towed to the dealership and Saturn fixed it. One week later, my wife and 3 kids were in my car and the tranmission when out again. It was the summer so that day when she broke down with no water it was about 115 degrees out. Has the car towed to the Saturn dealer again and they fixed it again.

Now less than a year later my 2003 Saturn Vue is back at the dealer having its 4th transmission put in (I am counting the one it came with also). This is not acceptable and I am very dissapointed with my Saturn. For those of you who are the original owners of your Vue, please take it to the dealer so that they can eat the cost to fix the piece of junk car that they sold us (cost = $3,000 for the parts + labor)

Lost time and hardship on my wife and kids who ended up driving me 1 hour to work and 1 hour home from work each day that my car was at the dealer since Saturn would not pay for a rental car.

I had my transmission REPLACED once already. I just replaced the engine and starter in my car. Now Saturn is telling me that my transmission needs to be replaced again. The Dealership told me first that they sold me a lemon. Second, That the transmissions put in the saturn Ions in 2003 are no good. I'm going to continue to replace them. If thats the case then why won't they do anything about it? I've put more money into this car then i have in actually payments. Something needs to be done. I'm expecting my first child. I Can't afford to put anymore money into this car.

I've refinanced my car twice to get the payments lower so i could afford to make the repairs. My fathers credit card has been used 2 or 3 times. Each time over 1,500 had been charged.

I bought a 2004 Saturn Vue, 4 cyl. with 56,000 miles. At approximately 90,000 I had to have the transmission repaired. Again, 11 months later (29,000 later) I had to have the transmission repaired. There is a lawsuit out there, but there is no recall. The deal is, you get 1 free transmission (assuming you bought your car new) and 1 split the difference transmission. You need to know that your transmission will last approx. 30,000 miles only. The problem is a defect that Saturn thought it was improving on in order to make the transmission fit (reduce it in size).

The latest problem is, even if they did do a recall, there is no transmission that will fit in its place. The cost is roughly between $4,500 and $5,500 for the ION; Vue and one other vehicle. As a single parent, I am again hooked and crooked. I really wanted the Ford Minivan, but somehow let the sales rep talk me into Saturn. With all of that said, I am able to state that the service team at Saturn of North Houston have always treated me with fairness and respect.

Our Saturn LS has only 90K and we have had to replace the transmission we could not belive it.

We are a hard working family with a 3 yr old we are barely getting by this devestated us.

I just want to voice my opinion about the Saturn SL1 that I purchased from the Saturn Dealership in Augusta, Georgia. When I purchased the car it ran really well. It only had 36,000 miles or so on it when I bought it, I read in my paperwork that it was a one-owner car. I have now had this car for nearly five years and I am having problems with the transmission slipping, the align is horribly dangerous,and it has an oil leak coming from somewhere. I have keep my car service as much as I possibly could afford to keep it serviced.

I have been told by the dealer that my computer needs to be replaced and they wanted to charge me $800.00 for it. I am very afraid that my car is going to cause me to have a very serious accident because when I press on the brakes, the car accelerates even faster and it is very difficult to stop it sometimes. It also constantly jerks and makes strange noises from the front of the engine. I feel these vehicles should be recalled ASAP.

I bought a one owner 1995 Saturn SC2 in 2003 at book value with 110,000 miles. I was really impressed with the power,handling, and fuel mileage. I do all my own service work and to the T on a regular basis. In 2007 with 140,000 miles the water pump went out. No problem, since I expected to keep this car and run it with no major problems until at least 225,000 miles. WRONG! While replacing the water pump I told the mechanic to go ahead and replace the timing chain assembly since he was right there anyway; and I could tell the guides were making wear noises.

At 155,000 miles I was one week away from spending about $1000 on struts,tires,and other improvements when lo and behold the tranny starts slamming into reverse,slipping and other weird things. My transmission mechanic (which is one of the best and cheapest in the country) says it will be minimum $1500.00 to repair and or replace and can't guarantee but 90 days because of ongoing problems with Saturn trannies. (mfg. defect).

After many years of lessons learned the hard way, I have decided not to throw good $ after bad and sell the car for salvage. What a shame; an excellent running car that drives good rides good and gets good mileage; but because of GM's lack of responsibility for shoddy design and or workmanship at the mfg. level on their transmissions, we owners are S.O.L I will never buy G.M. again

Saturn SL2 1999 Transmission problems: When I shift from park to reverse the vehicle jerks violently. I took the vehicle to the dealer to have them look at it and they couldn't replicate the issue. This problem is not consistent. Although they stated that they know what it is because it is pretty common, I should wait until the car does it regularly then bring it in for service. They also stated that this would cost approx $1200 to fix.

I don't understand that if this is a known issue why isn't Saturn doing something about it? There are many people on this board who have had their transmissions fail or worse implode while driving. I don't want to be one of those people.

This is our only form of transportation besides walking and we want Saturn to fix this issue.

I purchased a 2004 Saturn VUE in August of 2004. My salesman sang the praises of the variable VTI transmission. At 23,000 the transmission went out. Of course, the car was still under warranty, so Saturn repaired it without incident. Shortly after the repairs were done, which was in December 2005, we received a letter from Saturn stating they had extended the warranty to 75,000 miles.

My VUE is now at 89,000 and the transmission has gone out again. My Saturn dealership told me it would cost $5,700 to repair it. I contacted the Saturn Corp. customer service and the only thing they are willing to do is split the cost with me, the main reason being I can't provide them proof that I always take my VUE to an authorized Saturn dealer to have it serviced. I told them this wasn't acceptable and filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

Someone from the General Motors customer service contacted me and after reviewing everything, they are still only willing to split the cost with me...oh, and offer me a $1,000 customer appreciation certificate that can be used toward the purchase of a new GM car. I have not accepted or declined their offer.

In the process of gathering up all paperwork needed by the BBB, I discovered the letter they sent me concerning extending the warranty was dated March 2004, five months before I purchased the vehicle. That means my salesman knew there were problems with the variable VTI transmission and not only withheld that information, but was deceptive in telling me what a great product it was. Had I known there were issued with the transmission, I never would have purchased the vehicle to begin with.

I have been without my car for almost a month now and since I can't afford to rent a car, I've had to rely on my family to provide me transportation to work and back.

I bought a 2003 Saturn Ion (used) and the transmision quit on my wife and had to be towed home. I have a 4 year loan and the car has been sitting since Good Friday of this year. Saturn Motor Co. said that they don't have much problems with the Ions but with the Vues. they have the same transmissions so what the crap???

My 2000 Saturn Sedan, SL has semi-chronic transmission problems. I like the car other than this, however, after driving it for over 1/2 hour in city driving, it stays frequently in 1st gear. This is true even after the RPMs go above 4,500! I've brought it to my mechanic who says it needs a new valve body! The car only has 110,000 miles and I don't think the automatic transmission should need a major repair at this stage! I am very gentle with the transmission and keep the car in good repair.

There have been no economic consequences to me over this, as I drive very little, and work is near my home, but it certainly has caused me to cancel any long trips! This problem is limited to driving at slow speeds; highway driving (if I can get th car into the higher gears), is fine. I certainly can't afford $700 for a new Valve Body or $3,000 for a new transmission!

My father bought a 2002 SL1 brand new. He from the beginning claimed that the car had no pickup and had a hard time changing gears. He handed it down to me 3 year ago after my 98 saturn's transmission failed. The car takes a moment to shift into reverse, and jumps when switching gears. I took it to the shop and they told me that the entire transmission was shot. I can't believe that a 2002 car with 80,000 miles on it needs an entirely new transmission.

After reading all of the complaints about the same type of car, I am even more angry with saturn than initially. It also needs new breaks and the rotors are completely rusted out. I have taken excellent care of this car, and cannot believe saturn has not done a recall.

Luckily the shop found a used transmission that also has 80,000 miles on it and they going to install it for 2,500 (that includes labor costs.)

My Saturn 2001 SC1 is having automatic transmission problems AGAIN. 2 years ago I had to replace the transmission to the tune of $1600.00. I had 49,000 miles on it. NOw, one month after the warranty expired the transmission is going again. What is going on? I have read previous posts on this issue and will have the mechanic look at the transmission valve but somehow I know I'll be told I need yet another transmission. I baby my car and get oil change every 2000 miles. I am currently at 70000 miles...how could I possibly have gone thru another transmission. I'm so disappointed in Saturn. I will never buy another.

I purchased a 2000 Saturn LW2 Wagon new in July, 2000. The first several years of ownership were relatively error free. Starting in 2007 I have experienced numerous electrical and transmission problems. In November 2007 I experienced the transmission slamming into gear. With my foot off the brake and attempting to accelerate from a stop the engine would rapidly increase in RPMs then the car would jerk forward. This problem was accompanied with a "check engine light" and "service engine soon" light. I took the car to Saturn of Va Beach and was told there was a bad airflow sensor module in the transmission. Repair bill was about $800.00 At the time I only had about 67,000 miles on the car, mostly driven by my wife.

Now, July 2008, the car has 76,000 miles on it and I am experiencing the same problem (jerking hard into gear from a stop, shifting hard through other gears at road speed), only now the "wrench" light accompanies the other lights. Took the car back to Saturn of Va Beach and was told they could not duplicate the problem on test drive but were receiving a "number" of error codes on the diagnostic computer, none of which were indicative of transmission problems.

Bottom Line: they did not have a recommendation other than to continue to drive the car and "monitor" the situation and if it occurs again, to bring the car in. I know the car is not new, but it has been well maintained and carefully driven for 8 years and 76,000 miles, under these conditions the last mechanical issue I should be dealing with is transmission problems. I have owned many cars, most of which driven well into the 100,000 mile mark and have never had transmission problems. My '91 Honda Civic (that I bought new) has 148,000 miles on it and it still has the original clutch for cryin' out loud!

Given my experience, and after reading literally hundreds of complaints online concerning Saturn's transmissions, I no longer have any faith in the reliability of my Saturn. As my older son is prepping to leave for college, I had considered giving him the Saturn. Not now. I do not need my son (or my wife and daughter if I don't give the car to him) stranded along some interstate somewhere.

Like most working Americans, I do not have the time to be running to the dealership ever time there is a problem with my car only to find out Saturn cannot figure out the problem...which is interesting given the enormity of the evidence pointing to poor transmissions, nor am I in a position to purchase a new car. I am very disappointed with Saturn and GM, like another poster here, I went to Saturn to buy American, I now regret that decision.

After paying $100 to get it towed to a mechanic, and another $100 to get it towed to the dealer, not to mention another $100 for a rental car, I was told that Saturn will replace the transmission for free--with another of the exact same transmission. I do not trust the idea of a new transmission, especially since it will be the same one.

bought the vehicle from local dealer owned it for two months. all of sudden transmission starts slipping lights come on. then no power. took it to three shops to have it analyzed. like eveyone else told transmission problem. 6000.00 to fix it. phoned saturn. got there cock and bull story about it not being there problem. three weeks later still waiting availabity of used or rebuilts at a cheaper price. also seems to be an issue probably another of saturns little surprises to stick it to the consumer again. theres has to be someone out there able to help. i sure hope so.

I hope that someone forms a class action lawsuit against Saturn for building disposable cars at high prices. The transmission and torque converter have gone out on a 2004 Saturn Vue. It appears that this is a ongoing problem after reviewing the internet. Saturn trys to get the cars out of warranty so they can hide from the problem and they are doing a great job. We are just about to finish paying for the car and it is a piece of junk. I want everyone to know that Saturn is not a QUALITY CAR and Saturn is not a quality company.

Last year I purchased a used 2006 Saturn Ion2. It has been running fine until this evening. When my husband got back from a short trip to the gas station, he came in with his key in hand and said the car would not turn off. I went out with the second key and tried that,but nothing.Tried shifting though the gears-nothing worked. We ended up pulling the fuse to the fuel pump to shut it off and then had to unhook the battery to shut off the radio, interior lights,etc. I called Fox Auto in Painted Post where I purchased it-also purchased extended warrenty with rental car coverage- they told me to take it to a saturn dealer-closest one is 200-300 miles away. Keep in mind that it was 5pm. And I have to work tommorrow. My mothers neighbor helped me out by unhooking the fuse and battery, but what to do now?! The whole purpose of a new car was to not have it breaking down all the time and I can't afford a second car payment. I'll take it back to the dealership tommarrow and see what happens from there, but I am very peaved! Especially after reading all of the other similar complaints. My car has less than 40k miles on it!

I have 2 Saturns which are, a 98 SL2 and a 99 SC1. They are both manual transmissions and the shift cable broke on both within 5 days of each other. Both cars had 170K and within of a few thousand miles of each other. Both cables broke at the same spot. After purchasing the first cable, which happened to be the last on the shelf, another dealer in town had not just one but 6 on hand. I was told that they increased the on hand amount recently along with the other dealer doing the same. Not having time to research I purchased the new cables at $200 each. Yeas ouch. Luckly being a mechanic labor was just my time. After having some time to reseach I have found a company called Dorman that has a repair kit for this at a cost of $20. The part number is 14043 for any one interested. For gaining access the center console comes off very easy. Remove the 2 screws at the back of the console, might be under a small oval cover, remove the 2 side panels up front, velcro in place, and then the 2 screws, one on each side. You might have to disconnect the lighter and lamp, but should be able to get there. One other item that has happened with both cars and again around the same mileage is the backlighting of the odometers. Not sure on this one yet. The cars have been very reliable and these are just 2 items. I wouold still purchase a Saturn although I would know about what might come up. This info is just for your FYI.

With no prior warning, my 2004 Saturn Vue left me by the rode, failed transmission. I still owe seven more payments, financed for 5 years. I had it towed to Saturn of Florence where they told us the transmission was shot and it would cost $6000.00 to replace it. They said nothing to us about a history of failure with these transmissions. Expecting a transmission replacement to be no more than $2500.00, we started to inquire and found out on the phone with Saturn Corp that this specialized transmission cost so much because they don't make them anymore or use them anymore in their new cars. My car had 86,000 miles, so they offered no assistance. Not only that, their repair estimate was higer than AAMCO, who had to buy the transmission from them and repair it for us, showing they actually will make money on our repair. I felt since they knew the transmissions were faulty since 2002, they should have replaced it at cost, offering their customers as much assistance as possible, but they repeatedly turned me down, and their last email even said they would not reply on my request again.

I have a 98 SL2. It has 160k miles on it. For the past year i have made numerous repairs, but to no avail. When shifting into reverse, the transmission jolts into reverse. After driving on the highway for a bit, the transmission starts to slip and eventually winds up not going past third gear. I've also had a lot of engine problems too, i've went threw 2 starters, 2 water pumps, and my engine is super loud.

On January 9, 1995 I purchased a brand new Saturn SC2. This car has had nothing but trouble with the automatic transmission, especially propensity to slam into reverse versus shifting. Now, with about 158,000 miles, even worse shifting problems. I am the only owner & driver, and have always driven gently. Although I repeatedly & consistently informed & discussed this problem with Saturn (who since have closed the showroom near me) -- all staff denied it could possibly be a bad transmission. (I learned from a friend -- who also purchased a Saturn before me -- that she got rid of her new Saturn due to the precise same problem.) Also, there is a large gap between the roof of the car & the seal of doors, causing rain to flood into my car -- soaking front seats. (Although this was a manufacturing design that got corrected with the 1996 models, Saturn refused to fix/repair my 1995 SC2 & denied and responsibility and dealership staff refused to provide any correction/repair of the blatent manufacturing error. Needless to say, I will never again purchase nor recommend anyone purchase a Saturn! Please tell me if there is anything I can do.

I recently purchased a 2000 Saturn LS2 from my mother-in-law which at the the time had 40,000 miles on it. Soon after, I started experiencing transmision problems. Finally the check engine light came on and the shifting through gears was horrible. It would slam into gear no matter how easy it was driven. I drove it straight to the Saturn dealer where they hooked it up to their diagnostics. The problem, I was told, is a bad power control valve in the transmission. The tech told me it was a common problem in 2000/20001 LS series cars. The car now with 56,000 miles is of course out of warranty.

I owned a 1998, SL1, five speed manual transmission Saturn that ran for 270k miles. Although I had some minor problems, it was an excellent and mostly dependable car. I bought a used 2000 SL2, automatic transmission, with 80k miles, two weeks ago. I HAD every confidence that this car would last me for at least as long as the previous Saturn I owned as it was owned by an older lady who took extremely good care of the car - I've seen 2 year old cars that looked and ran worse. Last Saturday I had the oil changed and when I put the car into reverse to leave the parking slot, reverse gear would not engage. The place that changed the oil diagnosed it as code P0732 improper or incorrect second gear ratio. I read above that WalMart or Jiffy Lube was blaimed for some of the issues on these automatic transmissions because the transmission filter was being mistaken for the oil filter. That's hogwash. The transmission filter cannot inadvertantly be changed or tampered with. It is practically inaccessible from underneath the car and the air filter casing has to be removed to get to it from under the hood. I know because I changed it myself and although it took me about 1 1/2 hours, even a trained mechanic would take longer to change the transmission filter and fluid than the 20 minutes it takes Walmart or Jiffy Lube to change the oil and filter. After reading the complaints above, it is apparent that this problem with Saturn automatic transmissions is an inherent issue that Saturn does not want to deal with except on a warranty basis. So much for Saturn reliabilty. And, unless they make good on their advertising claims, I will not own another Saturn, new or used. I will recommend to my friends, family, and enemies, to buy another make car in the future. I was wondering why their commercials are less frequent on national television and now I know. In the meantime, after reading the numerous complaints, I'm stuck with a car with relatively low mileage with a inherent transmission problem that Saturn will not acknowledge and make good for me or any other consumer. Lord help Saturn Corporation, they might lose .00001 percent in profits were they to attempt to repair the reputation they've ruined with many customers.

I

Hi Everyone, I'd like to let you know that I've had similar transmission problems with my 2001 SL2 Saturn. I purchased the car new in 2001 and have had no problems in the six years I've owned it. A couple of months ago, I started feeling a stall between first and second gear, and then it progressed to reverse as well. It does get worse with the cold and just this month, it began to bang when moving into those gears. I took it to a Transmissions shop this morning and was told it was the Valve and it would need to be replaced. A company called Sonic remanufacturers Transmissions Valve with all current upgrades for about $300. My repair guy said the valve is a little tricky to get to, and the repair should only take about 4-5 hrs. So in total the repair shouldn't be over $600 with part, shipping, and labor. I can't believe some people are paying $1,000 or more! Hopefully this info was helpful

Ion 2 transmission not right bucks in 1st gear. I bought with less than 130000 miles on it. Saturn dealer says cant find a thing. Does happen more when cold. To the powers that be at Saturn This was my st venture back into american cars. I thought I'd give american cars another try because of saturns reputasion. I now am very SORRY. SATURN what afe you going to do ???????????? your reputation is on the line.

My girlfriend has a 2002 Saturn SL1, which she purchased used about 2 years ago. The car had approx. 45,000 miles on it. After putting about 20,000 miles more on the car the transmission started acting up. The car would slam into gear and downshift very roughly. Fortunately, we had an extended warranty on the car. After setting up an appointment with Saturn to have the problem diagnosed, the reverse gear started hesitating for long periods of time. By the time we got the car to the dealership, reverse was completely out.

I had to push the car out of the parking space to pull it where the tech. wanted the car. We were given a loaner car while the car was being checked out. A couple of days later we receied a call with the diagnosis of the problem. The valve body needed replaced, which was covered in the warranty. After the dealership contacted the company which the warranty was through, they only agreed to put a new transmission in the car.

Well come to find out the transmission was remanufactured. The cost of the total repair was well over 3,000 dollars. To me this seemed a little steep for a remanufactured transmission, but the cost was covered none the less.

Now only 12,000 miles later the car is doing the same thing as before. The car is still under a parts and labor warranty through the dealership as well as the extended warranty through a separate company. we have an appointment to have the car looked at, once again, later this week. I'm pretty sure that whatever repairs are needed will be covered by at least one of the warranties, but what about when there is no longer a warranty? This is our only mode of transportation, and neither of us can afford out of pocket expenses that are as high as the last.

I mean the last repair hasn't even lasted 15,000 miles, so I can't help but wonder how long this one will last. I truly believe that General Motors needs to look a little further into this. There are a lot of dissatisfied customers that seem to be having the same or similar problems that we are. I think there should be a consumer report on this matter, after all a vehicle is a very expensive investment. This has been my ongoing experience with Saturn. I can only hope the problem is resolved for good this time, but I'm not very optimistic. What do we as consumers do?

work.

I purchased a 2001 Saturn - S series and I've had nothing but problems with the transmission since I drove off the lot with the car. I purchased the Car on May 3, 2001. I took the car back to the dealer on Wedneday, May 8, 2001 explaining that the car doesn't shift into gear, it jerks and jumps and stalls. The guy checked the car out, told me there was nothing wrong, and sent me home. Several months later, I take the car back with the same complaints. They check the car, tell me there's nothing wrong, and send me home.

The car's engine starts revving when it's in park. I take it back to them, they check it out, tell me there's nothing wrong, and send me home. This goes on periodically for the next three years. I pull into a parking lot to go to the grocery store, come out, and the car won't start. After about 3 hours of waiting to be towed, a guy comes up and looks at the battery and finds that the battery cable is defected. It has been taped on with maskin tape and the tape has burned off. They fix that because the car was still under warranty, but of course they tell me that I put the tape on the battery cable.

Mind you, I bought the car brand new. Well, low and behold I continue to have problems with the transmission on the car and by now the warranty is up. I take it into the dealer, they check the car out, and sure enough, they finally know what's wrong with it. It needs a new transmission valve that's going to cost $1,000.00 to fix! What a miracle. The finally saw what I've been telling them for three years. Anyway, I take somewhere else to get it fixed and now, I'm still paying late fees on the car because I refused to pay car notes on the months I had to make a repair over $200.00. Oh, I forgot. I had to have a master brake cylinder fixed on the car; replace the starter; replace the transmission valve; replace something on the engine that costed $300.00; and now replace the entire transmission. And this was all before I even finished paying for the car.

I've lost time from work, which means money; the cost of repairs was more than I had to give on a brand new car; and, on top of that, a couple of times I've had to get a rental car while waiting for the saturn to be repaired. I don't understand why there has not been a recall on that car or why a class action suit has not been filed against the makers of saturn. I am extremely disappointed in this car and I will never recommend or purchase another American-made car.

I have a 2002 SL2. Oil/filter changed every 3000 miles. As of August 2007 I have 157,000+ Miles. My engine is running just as well as 60,000 miles. My automatic transmission, however, decided to start slamming on downshifts at around 120,000 miles. I've taken great care of my car's engine and transmission. I've also owned 2 other saturns that have reached 200,000 miles with no issues that I have treated much much worse. Due to the cost of the transmission, I would recommend (I'm NOT a mechanic) just manually downshifting. So far I've made it 35,000+ miles doing just that. A remanufactured trans doesn't cost much more...so I might as well run this one into the ground.

I am extremely irritated that there has been no recall about this due to all the people affected.

I bought my car Saturn Ion 03 brand new. Ever since I bought it there has been nothing but trouble. The car skip gears since the first 3 months, took it to the dealership and of course they don't see anything wrong with it. It makes a loud revving sound when you start it, started about 2 years ago. The recalled signals lights were replaced but the left one is out again. The trunk doesn't want to close. The car did shut off on me twice in the last 4 years. I can't believe I've had so much trouble with it.

I own a 2001 sl2 Saturn. It has 49,800 miles on it. It has a buck in the transmission. I took it to Cochran Saturn of Monroeville because Saturn told me they decide on helping with repairs on out of warranty vehicles on a case by case basis. They told me it would be approx. $1300 and didn't even consider covering it or helping with the cost. I see that this is a common repair problem with my year of Saturn. What can be done for all of us who have experienced this. I do not have the money to repair my car. They also said I needed a idler pulley and belt. The belt would be $26 if I replaced it with the pulley if not the belt would be $70! How can the price change on the same part? Perhaps someone can take a closer look at these issues.

I drive a Saturn 2002 SL 2. I had a few days for the last few weeks where the car was shifting hard into the gears. I thought it was related to the transmission and made need new fluid.

On my way back from Pittsburgh yesterday the car really started jumping each time it shifted. So I had my father tow me to my house. So my brother and my dad look at the car, and see that the last time I had my transmission cleaned that they didnt clean it. They just put more liquid in. They then took off the filter and found metal shavings and a foul burnt smell.

The transmission fluid was drained and the new filter was put on. However the filter didnt seal. Even though according to Advanced Auto Parts that is the correct filter for my car. I had my brother go and take back the wrong filter and get more transmission fluid. He installs it and it too does not seal. So now I have a car I can't drive any where because I can't find the correct filter.

The part should be easy enough to replace but some how it has been a nightmare. Does any one know where or who I get the needed part for? I hate to think that my car is falling apart after 5.5 years and 78,000 miles, and if the filter can not be fixed or replaced I don't know what I will do. I guess I will have to consider trading it in.

I have a 2001 Saturn with 45,000 miles on the car. The transmission went out completely on my way back from vacation when I pulled off to get gas. The car made the telltale grinding sound and wouldn't accelerate. The car is in the shop now and I expect the bill to be $2200. This is my second Saturn. I had been a very happy Saturn owner and was considering Saturn for my next car but now I know that I will never buy another Saturn.

My 2002 SL1 started jumping or lurching into gear as I accelerated and then when I would put into reverse. I took it to Saturn dealer who of course found multipl things wrong. The first being some module and then transmission problem. Was going to cost be min. of $1300 for them to just take the trans apart. Took it to Aamco for 2nd opinion and they proceeded to tell us that this is inherent problem in SL1s. SL2s (which we alos have one of those 2001) has different trasnmission than SL1. I have taken excellent care of this car for 5.5 years with about 75ooo miles. Aamco is repairing for about half the cost of Saturn. Also independent car repair shop said exact same thing about SL1 transmission problems. After reading all these other people's complaints--why has a class action law suit not been filed???? I too believe Saturn is aware of this and never issued a recall or warning to customers. At very least they shoudl call all of them in and inspect and those that do have a problem--should be fixed at no charge to customer. It gets even better--service shop offered to have Saturn salesman call us to see what car would be worth on a trade in!!! Can we say SCAM? Like I would even consider buying another Saturn at this point!!

Initially battery died on January 29, 2007. After purchasing a new battery, the engine indicator lights did not go out. So I took car to Saturn to have this corrected. After the codes were reset, the Service Advisor stated the car was taken for a test drive and the results were the transmission was bad. The code was a P1811. The car was shifting gears harshly during the test drive. Saturn fixed the problem and two months later on April 15, 2007, the gears began to shift harshly again with the indicator lights reduced power and service light. Took the car in the next morning and the Service Advisor stated it was a code P1510, something to do with the throttle. The advisor spoke to a representative of mine and said that there are over 200 codes which could mean any number of things. Not very comforting! The other problem was with the horn. Thought maybe a fuse needed replacing. Okay this was not the case. No problem I thought. The advisor stated I needed a new horn with a new connector replacement. My car had not been upgraded, so why did I need an upgraded part??

Last year the same symptoms that many complain of occurred to us. Our 2001 Saturn SL 2 started slamming into gears along with the erratic and hard shifting that so many, no, TOO many owners of the same make of vehicle are experiencing in a relatively short period of their vehicles life! I took it to Rollings who assured us it was common for this make and model but assured us it could be fixed. It never fully recovered. For some time after those repairs, on occasion, it would act up i.e.(slipping in and out of gears, shifting inordinately hard etc...)

Finally, last week it did start doing the exact same thing all over again. I took it in to Rollings and told them. They (Rollings) looked it over and wanted me to leave before they would touch it. The on duty repairman, (Mike), seemed irritated by my presence and insistence that it was doing the exact same thing that it was doing the last time they worked on it. Finally, he became very condescending and said...

if you have a cough and go to the Dr. it is not always going to be the same cold. Fair enough; so I took it to a specialist, AAMCO, who now wants $1600.00 to rebuild it calling it internal rather than external problems with a minimum charge of $700.00 to drop the transmission from the car; extras may also be added and it has been my life’s experience they are.

Simple question: Is this a scam? I'm serious! IF; Saturn knows they have a problem; IF; Car Repair shops know about it WHY won't they be advocates or even at the very least, apologists for them?????? I called in today to let AAMCO know that We can't afford the repairs I don't think any Saturn owner who bought their cars in good faith should have to afford this... I am fuming mad! I am so angry about this whole industry, even though I am a conservative, I believe the whole industry should be placed under tight National Government controls.

Honestly? We now have no vehicle for a considerable amout of time while we try and save up for a new car. Or save up to pay for the repairs on this one ,(only for the purpose to get it into a drivable condition so we can get rid of the leather seats lemon). Do you think Saturn would at least buy us bus passes in the mean time?

I have two saturns 2001 and 2002 and have had the pin come loose in the transmission causing the housing to crack and the fluid to pour out. I also think this is a factory design problem the clips holding the pin do not do a good job under stress the clips pop and the pin slide out cause housing damage beyond repair.

The transmission housing is distroyed this has happend twice both time the entire transmission had to be replace I will never buy another Saturn because they know this is a problem but will not own up to it. When I talked to service they said it was from abuse but said they weld in the pins on Saturn race cars. I wonder why? I hope by more of us writting in they will own up to there mistake.

I have a 2002 Saturn Vue with 73,000 on it and I was informed today that my torque converter clutch basically exploded inside the transmission and that I need a entirely new transmission. I'm not complaining about the saturn dealership, they were as helpful as they could be given the situation. but I was told they want %5,200 plus labor to fix the problem. I contacted Saturn customer line to see if since another saturn model had trouble withthe transmissions if there was any hope for help for me in the form of a relacement or assistance towards the bill and they basically told me, too bad for you!

It appears from researching that saturns have an inherent transmission valve body issue that should warrent a recall. I have a 1997 SL-1 with 70,000 (yes that is a lot, but it seems many cars have same issue) miles. My reverse slams and 3rd and 4th gears go aou when it warms up. The transmission shop states its the valve body and the torque converter along with 2 broken mounts and a rear seal leak. I guess these cars are just not reliable with inherent faults in the transmission. I do recall one time Saturn had a motor mount recall. I've had many care with more miles and less repair bills.

My Saturn SC2 is 3 1/2 years old with only 33,000 miles on it. I purchased this car brand new and was diligent about maintaining this car with oil changes (every 3,000 miles) and other check ups. This was my 2nd Saturn and it will be my last. I drove my car to my office with no problems. A few hours later, I began the drive to my first sales call. About 50 yards down the road, the car started jerking horribly while I accelerated. I immediately drove it to the nearest mechanic. He drove the car around the block and told me that there was something wrong with the transmission. He explained that there should NOT be transmission problems in a car with so few miles, so he suggested I take the car back to the dealer.

I took the car to Saturn of Wexford. I explained my situation. Roger, the Service Manager, explained that it probably was NOT the transmission because of the low mileage and agreed to check the car. About an hour later, he called me to let me know that the problem WAS the transmission. I asked if this was something I could have done to the car. He told me, “No.” He quoted the repairs at $966, none of which would be covered by my 3 year / 36,000 mile warranty, because the car was 3 1/2 years old. I called a local transmission shop and explained my situation. He told me that the price seemed high (by about $250), but he suggested that I keep the car at the dealer because he believed that “Saturn” and/or “GM” would, at least, offer a discount due to the fact that the Body Valve should not have broken at 33,000 miles. (He explained that it would be more difficult to get that discount if I had it repaired at a garage other than the dealer.)

So, I gave the dealer permission to fix my car and called Saturn Customer Care to explain my story. The bill totaled $1030.67. Saturn Customer Care took a full week to get back to me to tell me that they would offer me a $150 gift certificate to the Saturn dealer in my area towards my next service. This is my only means of transportation and I chose a Saturn due to their marketing of themselves as being so reliable and dependable. My plan was to keep trading in my Saturns for new ones when they reached 50,000 as to always have a somewhat “new” car, which would not break down on me or leave me with extremely costly repairs. Even with my limited knowledge of cars, I know that a car with 33,000 miles on it should need $1030 worth of transmission work.

I am writing to inquire whether there has been a recall on defective transmissions, or any specific transmission components. Saturn has marketed and promoted its automobiles by touting their dependability, longevity and virtually trouble-free upkeep. How, then, is it possible that after only 5 years and 63,000 miles my transmission needed to be replaced? If Saturn’s publicity campaign is to be believed, this should not have happened.

It leads me to believe that I may have been sold a defective car? I maintained my vehicle in great condition and was diligent in bringing it in for recommended check-ups. Saturn’s regular maintenance fees are rather costly, yet at no time was my transmission checked by your Service Department. Please note that when I bought my car (a 2000 SL-1 Model), I also purchased the highly recommended “Extended Warranty” for my vehicle which expired on June 2005.

Had your mechanics done a thorough check of the transmission, they would have (should have) caught any incipient or existing defects. 3 professional mechanics were quite surprised that the transmission had to be replaced in such a relatively short time. I am terribly distraught over this unfortunate occurrence and hope that I shall receive a satisfactory reply regarding the above.

For approximately 8 months, I have been going back and forth for the same matter at the service center. I noticed that my 2004 Saturn Ion Level 1 was taking a long time to shift into the next gear and while at a complete stop (for instance a stop light) would jump forward and making rumbling noises. I brought the car in to the Saturn Dealership on Cobb Parkway in Marietta, GA and was told when I went to pick up the vehicle that all they needed to do was install the latest 'codes/updates' for the transmission. These latest codes/updates have been downloaded/installed into my car more than 4 times. I have 'test driven' the car with a service technician and have also had the 'service manager' test drive the car only to be told that after driving another 2004 Saturn Ion the car is running NORMAL. That is utterly ridiculous!

My car is covered under a 3 year or 36000 mile warranty it is currently at 33089, my car has been paid for in FULL, I should NOT have to keep going back to have a persistent problem bandaged. These codes/downloads/updates are obviously NOT resolving this issue, additonally, when my warranty is up that means I have to come out of my pocket to have these latest codes/downloads/updates installed and installed and installed! Either replace my transmission or take back the car and give me a FULL refund.

In July, I bought a used Saturn car from a local Chrysler dealer. While test driving the mechanic and I noticed a hesitation in the transmission while shifting in reverse. The Chrysler dealer agreed to my taking it to a Saturn dealer to get repaired. After several tries and $1123.00 the problem still exists. It's called "reverse slam". The service manager at the Saturn service shop said he never heard of "reverse slam". Now he is saying "he won't work on it because he doesn't experience any problems when he tests it. I have had two independent mechanics tell me there is a definite slam when it goes in reverse.

I am 68 years old, and I feel I am being taken advantage of.

2000 Saturn with 37,100 miles on it, automatic transmission went out. Reverse gear quit working, slams into 2nd gear.Single mother, only breadwinner, this is our only car. I don't know how I am am going to pay for this. Have no backup car or money in the bank.

Saturn 2001 SL, Transmission died. I took to our Haas Tranmission in Dexter MI, very reliable. Tells me that a pin came out of the transmission and this causes a hole to wear in the case, fluid pours out, gears slip, etc. Mr. Haas says that the Saturn is a good transmission and runs forever unless this happens. This is a common problem he sees. This a manufacturing defect, no way this should happen to a 4 year old transmission. Web search seems to confirm this is a common problem (Automan on your site says there is a problem with Saturn Transmissions). I will be contacting Saturn to see if they will remedy the situation.

We brought our 4 year old Saturn (L Series) to the dealership due to transmission problems because our mechanic told us it was a transmission problem. The dealer's mechanic gave us an estimate of $1400.00. The main office in TN got in contact with the dealer and they will offer to pay only $500 of this bill. This car has less than 40k miles on it, we have all the records from our own mechanic on maintenance and never had any problems with this car, but they didn't care that we have these records. I feel this is an insult that they will not cover more for this problem due to the low mileage and the age of the car.