2003 Saturn VUE AWD V6 from North America

Summary:

The cars are poorly made, and/or use poor quality parts

Faults:

First week of ownership:

Engine mount bolt only finger tight, allowing engine to move around making noise.

Instrument cluster was scratched and was replaced.

At 10,000 miles:

Driveshaft replaced for being out of balance.

Passenger rear window literally blew out.

At 18,000 miles:

Front strut bearings replaced.

Rear differential module replaced.

Transmission cooler leaked, and was repaired.

General Comments:

After much research, I bought TWO V-6 AWD Vues in Jan '03. They appeared to be a great value. I cannot adequately express my extreme disappointment.

These cars were my first, and now my LAST Saturn...

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 15th January, 2004

4th Mar 2004, 06:37

I've had all these problems too. Seems most VUE's have the exact same problems. A boat load of bad parts were put into these vehicles. VTI transmissions are crap. Driveshafts, wheel bearings, struts, rear differentials. We've all had these problems. Come on Saturn, what happened to a quality vehicle???

19th May 2004, 06:51

I am also experiencing issues with my 03 Vue. Suspension, struts, bearings, in shop 8 times, window motor, and recently my fuel sensor quit working at16,000 miles. I have had the Vue 15 months. Last night spoke to customer assistance area rep. and was told that problems would not warranty Lemon Law buy back according to off-set calculations. I expressed my regrets about Saturn not living up to its reputation of being so customer oriented. I have tried to trade in this vehicle several times. I am not getting anywhere near the NADA value for the car, and the reason is always, "Its because it's a Saturn." I have made a 20,000 dollar mistake and I am depressed over it.

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2003 Saturn VUE 2.2L FWD 2.2L from North America

Summary:

A great SUV that was unfortunately plundered with some problems in its first year

Faults:

Only a small part in the transmission had to be replaced, no big deal. Otherwise I haven't had anything wrong. I see that a lot of 2002 and some 2003 owners had a lot of problems, but it seems to be V6 models. Well, just so you guys know, that there is a better V6 for 2004, GM decided to use a more powerful and better engine, and it's from Honda, and it also has a Honda transmission too.

General Comments:

Even though others have had huge problems, I feel sorry for them, but I heard that GM struggled in 2002 with the VUE as they admitted to glitches and problems with shipping. I heard this from Consumer Guide, but they have been corrected. Although I love my Pontiac Sunfire Convertible I had before, I needed an SUV, and this one is such a great one, I love the gas mileage of the 4-cylinder, it handles well and drives nicely in the snow. I would recommend the VUE to anyone as GM made the effort to correct these problems. I love it and I hope that the people who own 2002's who had problems with it will be able to enjoy the nice aspects of this car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th January, 2004

24th Dec 2005, 00:29

A rather long update. It's been awhile since I've posted on this site and we finally got rid of the Vue and traded it in for a Saab and have been happy ever since.

2003 Saturn VUE FWD 2.2lit from North America

Summary:

Wonderful as long as you stay out of snow

Faults:

We had a recent snow storm in the NW and I was shocked to find out that I could not back up the Vue out of the driveway, even after clearing away the snow (the driveway has a slight incline). The smallest amount of resistance stopped it. There was no power at all, even with the gas pedal all the way down. I also have a Honda Civic and even without the snow chains it went up the driveway. It was really frustrating to feel how easy the Civic went up the hill when compared with an SUV.

I was really shocked because so far I have been really pleased with the Vue.

Other than the "Change oil soon" light appearing right after changing the oil, nothing else went wrong with it.

I took it up to Mt. Hood in snow and it handled well, but I haven't had to back up. It seems that the problem is with the reverse power. Very disappointing. Hopefully the dealership can figure out what went wrong.

General Comments:

Generally I am pleased with the vue. Since snow is not an issue very often in the NW, I am not really concerned with the reverse problem.

I really like the way it handles on the road and the way it looks, and I still enjoy driving it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th January, 2004

22nd Jan 2004, 10:39

Do you have traction control?

It may sound odd, but if you do, try turning it OFF in a situation like your driveway experience. Sometimes a little wheel spin will help get you moving in snow. The traction control will not allow any wheel spin at all and will cut your engine's power regardless of how far your gas pedal is depressed.

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