Faults:

Replaced front sway bar at 65000KM.

Replaced steering shaft at 78454KM.

Dealer said strut mounts needed to be replaced at $198.78 each, my father in law put some transmission oil on them and the dealer hasn't mentioned them again!

Was driving down in Maine and I heard this loud humming, got back and front hub and bearing needed to be replaced. 95703KM.

There was oil leaking on my engine underside when I brought it in for my first maintenance appointment. When I moved to Nova Scotia, I asked them to check it before the warranty was up at 100000KM. They cross threaded the new oil filter housing and when I woke up the next day I had no oil in the car. They had to tow it 100KM to fix it. At that point I asked for the brakes to be fixed. 108347KM.

Ahh the brakes. I am sure my ABS sensor light started the day I got my back breaks fixed although I can't prove it as I don't drive the vehicle much as my wife drives it. So now I need to get that fixed and it is not cheap. Does anybody know if an OBD reader has a date on the diagnosis when it reads the computer or is it stored in the system?

General Comments:

Car accelerates fine.

Lots of cargo room.

Noisy.

Lots of creaks etc.

Seats are cheap looking.

Faults:

In 2002 the car died in the middle of the road and had to be towed to the dealer repair place 100 miles away. The repair shop said it was a bad computer chip.

In 2004 the clutch went; it was under warranty and the repair shop fixed it, but the dealer was trying to claim excessive wear on the clutch, but a few terse e-mails to Saturn headquarters got that ironed out.

In 2007 the timing chain broke causing $2,000 in repair costs. The dealership is denying any problems with Saturn's timing chains.

General Comments:

All in all we were happy with the car. But the frequency of certain problems and the perception of a manufacturer covering them up instead of owning up to them will make me think twice about buying one again.

Faults:

All kinds of problems!

I have had to replace 3 wheel bearings and 2 speed sensors.

Now I'm hearing a spinning, metal grinding noise. It's the loudest when the engine is cold, but it can still be heard throughout the day. It sounds like someone spinning a rock inside of a tin can.

If it is the transmission- it'll cost between $5,000 and $10,000 to repair! I just bought the truck 10 months ago for $10,900!

Faults:

Ignition coil failure at 5500 miles. Replaced under warranty.

Ignition coil failure at 56000 miles. Replaced under extended Saturn warranty.

AC system leaked on passenger side. Leak fixed correctly first time by Saturn.

Service Light on at 92000 miles. Saturn reported O2 sensor needs replacement. Purchased my own OBD2 reader and read codes for myself. Low brake fluid level was causing the Service Light to blink off and on as I drove the vehicle. Added one ounce brake fluid to reservoir and problem gone. No codes listed in OBD2 computer. O2 sensor is OK.

General Comments:

I ordered this vehicle in January 2002 with the manual 5 speed transmission and 2.2 Liter engine. I did NOT want to take the chance with the VTI transmission and the AWD system on a new model vehicle. I received the Power Options package, Alloy wheels package, AC and Sunroof for $230 installation fee. This was an introductory offer by Saturn and was well worth it. The value of the packages together is close to $3000 for a cost of $230. The VUE has been excellent in all regards and has NEVER left me stranded. Even with one ignition coil on the blink the car was drivable to my Saturn dealer.