2002 Saturn VUE 3.0 V6

Summary:

Very nice and reliable family vehicle with good gas mileage

Faults:

Thermostat at 114000 miles, that's it!!!

General Comments:

The interior is like new condition, sound system sounds great.

The ride is still awesome.

Performance is great.

The gas mileage has not been perfect, get about 21-24mpg instead of the 25mpg highway.

The plastic is the best part of the car... no rust, no scratches, no dents, still looks great!!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd March, 2008

2002 Saturn VUE

Summary:

Probably a lemon

Faults:

I have had the SES(service engine) light on on several occasions and reduced power light as well. It has stalled and stopped on 3-different occasions. I have also had reduced power, this morning while climbing a short hill in my Vue I could not accelerate past 20mph.

I have had my vehicle at the dealer 4x's since July and also paid $1980. for a new harness in July.

Every time I leave the dealership, they say my problem has been cleared up. I have towed my vehicle twice into the dealership so I don't think my problem is going to go away. plus I have had to leave at the dealership for 3-days at a time.

General Comments:

I have replaced 3-batteries because of cable corrosion and now my SES and reduced power issues. I cannot say this vehicle has been a WINNER.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 5th December, 2007

2002 Saturn VUE V6 AWD V6

Summary:

Love it when it works... but hate it 75% of the time.

Faults:

I thought I was nuts until reading a few of the posts from other people out there.

I've experienced numerous problems since buying it used in 2005.

1) Replaced all catalytic converters less than a month ago (luckily still covered by the 80,000 mile federal guideline - replaced by manufacturer for free - took a week though)

2) All kinds of noise - squeaking and grinding - from my steering column.

3) Noise coming from my front end (I'm assuming bearings or something, they were all replaced about 5,000 miles before I got the car - roughly 25,00 miles ago)

4) Service engine soon light randomly coming on - I thought I might have a faulty sensor or something... there are so many reviews complaining about this on here. It costs between $50 - $75 just to run a diagnostic to figure out why the light is on. I've done this 6 times in the last year.

5) Noise from the driver side window. A seal or something makes horrible noise when you're driving at highway speeds. Dealer took it out and said they couldn't hear anything.

6) Hard shifts during stop and go traffic. I've got the V6 AWD VUE and I notice a lot of times the car shifts very very hard. It seems like the RPM's will hang and I have to let off the gas pedal and then reapply pressure to the gas pedal to force the car to shift. I've had the transmission looked at by a Saturn dealer and an independent mechanic and neither can determine why this is happening. This is an extremely frustrating point about this car.

7) Last night, lost acceleration power, headlights, dashboard, radio, basically everything electric in the vehicle on my way home. The car limped back to my driveway (luckily I was about a mile from home), but is now sitting in the dealership as I wait to hear what else has gone wrong.

General Comments:

Honestly, I really like the look and the features of the car. When it's running well and not making all kinds of noise it's an excellent car.

However with the problems I've had owning this thing for just a year now I am never going to purchase another VUE again - and will definitely look long and hard before I purchase another Saturn. \

At first I really thought I might just have gotten stuck with a lemon, but reading so many of these reviews I have to believe it's not just MY car - it's just a poorly designed vehicle.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 4th September, 2007