2008 Saturn AURA: complaints, problems and recalls

MY SIDE OR SIDE CURTAIN AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY ON MY 2008 SATURN AURA. 1. I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY IN THE FAR LEFT LANE AT ABOUT 60MPH. A VEHICLE BEHIND ME CHANGED LANES ERRATICALLY TO THE RIGHT CROSSING OVER 4 LANES OF TRAFFIC. THE CAR HAD TO SWERVE BACK INTO THE LANE TO HER RIGHT WHEN SOMEONE ENTERED THE HIGHWAY. THE CAR WHO CHANGED LANES LOST CONTROL OF HER CAR AND WENT SIDEWAYS ACROSS THE LANES TO THE LEFT AND STRUCK MY RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER DOOR WITH THE FRONT END OF HER CAR. THIS PUSHED ME ACROSS THE BREAKDOWN LANE WITH THE L…

Owner-reported narrative. 4,300 miles reported. Look up ODI 10231651 at NHTSA ↗

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SATURN AURA. WHILE FILLING THE TANK WITH FUEL AT A SERVICE STATION, THE CONTACT OBSERVED A GASOLINE LEAK COMING FROM THE FUEL TANK UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. HE NOTICED A STREAM OF GASOLINE ON THE GROUND. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED TO THE SCENE FOR SAFETY CONCERNS. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY BEING TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 4,000. PHONE INTERVIEW UPDATE (JUL-09-2008): THE COMPLAINANT DID NOT REALIZE FOR A WHILE THAT THE FUEL TANK WAS LEAKING WHILE HE WAS REFUELING IT. H…

Owner-reported narrative. 4,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10233372 at NHTSA ↗

PURCHASED A 2008 SATURN AURA XR FITTED WITH GOODYEAR LS2 P225/50R18 TIRES. CAR/TIRES HAS 4,000 MILES, NOTICED A SIDEWALL BULGE ON ONE TIRE..TOOK CAR TO GOODYEAR DEALER, MANAGER STATED BULGE DUE TO HIGH IMPACT DAMAGE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT HIS DEFINITION OF "HIGH IMPACT IS"? VEHICLE HAS NEVER BEEN OFF ROAD CONDITIONS, ONLY NORMAL CITY DRIVING. VEHICLE HAS NEVER EXCEEDED 45 MILES PER HOUR (TO DATE)...NEVER HITTING HOLE/HOLES TO CAUSE DAMAGE. VERY CONCERNED ABOUT QUALITY AND/OR DEFECTS IN TIRE... *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 4,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10239592 at NHTSA ↗

I AM HAVING TROUBLE WITH MY STEERING. I HEAR A CLUNKING SOUND AND LOOSE POP FEELING IN MY STEERING SHAFT ESPECIALLY ON STOP AND GO ON UPGRADES AND TURNING HARD SHARP TURNS.. THEY LUBED THE INTERMEDIARY STEERING SHAFT BUT ITS BACK AGAIN AFTER 5000 MILES. I FEEL THE CAR IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 15,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10246070 at NHTSA ↗

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SATURN AURA. WHILE DRIVING LESS THAN 10 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN, THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WITHOUT IMPACT. THE SEAT BELT LOCKED AROUND THE CONTACT'S NECK. HER NECK WAS INJURED AND SHE WAS TRANSPORTED TO A PHYSICIAN DUE TO THE CHEMICALS EXPELLED FROM THE AIR BAGS. THE IMPACT WAS FORCEFUL ENOUGH THAT THE CONTACT THOUGHT SHE HAD BEEN SHOT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER AND THEY ADVISED HER NOT TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,495 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 10,600.

Owner-reported narrative. 10,495 miles reported. Look up ODI 10246832 at NHTSA ↗

ABOUT EVERY 3 OR 4 MONTHS, THE HOOD LATCH RELEASES FROM THE PRIMARY AND ONLY THE SECONDARY LATCH IS HOLDING THE HOOD CLOSE. I DON'T NOTICE THIS UNTIL AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS I NOTICE THE HOOD FLUTTERING IN THE WIND. I'VE LEASED THE CAR FOR ABOUT 7MONTHS AND THIS HAS HAPPENED MAY BE 2 OR 3 TIMES. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 3,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10257099 at NHTSA ↗

I OWN A 2008 SATURN AURA XR. THE CAR HAS BEEN TROUBLE SINCE I HAVE TAKEN IT HOME. IT HAS HAD A TOTAL OF 8 PROBLEMS WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR, AND NOW HAS A PROBLEM THAT IS DANGEROUS AND SATURN HAS BEEN UNABLE TO CORRECT. THE CAR IS LESS THAN A YEAR OLD WITH ONLY 14000 MILES. PERIODICALLY WHEN GOING AT SPEEDS ABOVE 55 MPH THE TRACTION AND STABILITY CONTROL SYSTEM WILL ERROR. WHEN THIS OCCURS THE WHOLE CAR BEGINS TO SHAKE. THE ENGINE BEGINS STALLING OUT AND THE CAR BECOMES DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP TWICE. THE DEALER…

Owner-reported narrative. 14,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10259975 at NHTSA ↗

DEFROST STOPS BLOWING ON WINDSHIELD, AND CONDENSATION BLOCKS MY VIEW OF THE ROAD. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 2,702 miles reported. Look up ODI 10260362 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2012-09-18 (September 18, 2012)

General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Saturn Aura and model year 2008-2010 Chevrolet Malibu and Pontiac G6 vehicles, equipped with a 4-speed automatic transmission. On these vehicles, the tabs on the transmission shift cable end may fracture and separate.

Consequence: If the tabs were to fracture and separate, the shift lever and the actual position of the transmission gear may not match. The driver would be able to move the shifter to 'PARK' and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in 'PARK.' The vehicle may not be able to be restarted and the vehicle could roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible crash without prior warning.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install a retainer over the cable end or replace the shift cable as necessary. This service will be performed free of charge. Notification to owners began on on November 9, 2012. Owners were instructed to not bring their vehicles for repair until January 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300.

Reported: 2014-03-31 (March 31, 2014)

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 and 2008-2009 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2006 Malibu Maxx, 2009-2010 HHR (non-turbo), 2010 Cobalt, 2008-2009 Saturn Aura and 2004-2007 Ion, and 2005-2009 Pontiac G6. In the affected vehicles, there may be a sudden loss of electric power steering (EPS) assist that could occur at any time while driving.

Consequence: If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will perform one of four bulletins. Parts are not currently available. GM expects to send an interim notification around May 28, 2014. When parts are available, owners will be mailed a second letter to come in to have the applicable bulletin applied. Bulletin 14115 covers model year 2004-2007 Saturn Ion, 2009-2010 Chevrolet HHR and 2010 Chevrolet Cobalts. Dealers will replace the EPS motor. Bulletin 14116 covers model year 2004-2006 Chevrolet Malibu and Malibu Maxx, 2005-2006 Pontiac G6 and 2008-2009 Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura built from March 1, 2008, through June 27, 2008. Dealers will replace the torque sensor assembly. Bulletin 14117 covers model year 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura built from February 1, 2008, through February 28, 2008. Dealers will replace the torque sensor assembly and EPS motor controller unit. Bulletin 14118 covers model year 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura built from October 1, 2007, through January 31, 2008. Dealers will replace the EPS motor controller unit. The recall began on July 17, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, Saturn at 1-800-553-6000, and Pontiac at 1-800-620-7668. GM's number for this recall is N140115. Note: GM bulletin number 14119 will be implemented for model year 2006-2008 and early production of 2009 Chevrolet HHR (non-turbo) and model year 2003 Saturn ION to provide EPS Motor replacement for the life of the vehicle.

Reported: 2014-04-30 (April 30, 2014)

General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on April 29, 2014, that they are recalling 56,214 model year 2007 and 2008 Saturn Aura vehicles. On May 22, 2014, GM increased the recall to include an additional 1,074,899 model year 2004-2008 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured from May 16, 2003, through October 5, 2007, model year 2004-2007 Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured from June 25, 2003, through April 5, 2007, and model year 2005-2008 Pontiac G6 vehicles manufactured from May 26, 2004, through September 28, 2007, and equipped with 4-speed transmissions. The total number vehicles being recalled is now 1,131,113.

Consequence: If the transmission shift cable fractures while the vehicle is being driven, the transmission gear selection may not match the indicated gear and the vehicle may move in an unintended or unexpected direction, increasing the risk of a crash. Furthermore, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, despite selecting the ‘PARK’ position, the transmission may not be in ‘PARK.’ If the vehicle is not in the "PARK" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and GM dealers will replace the shift cable assembly and mounting bracket, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for this recall is 14152.

Reported: 2014-05-14 (May 14, 2014)

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2012 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured May 16, 2003, through October 11, 2012, 2004-2007 Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured June 25, 2003, through April 5, 2007, 2005-2010 Pontiac G6 vehicles manufactured May 26, 2004, through January 4, 2010, and 2007-2010 Saturn Aura vehicles manufactured April 24, 2006, through May 26, 2009. In the affected vehicles, increased resistance in the Body Control Module (BCM) connection may result in voltage fluctuations in the Brake Apply Sensor (BAS) circuit. These fluctuations can cause one or more of these conditions: the brake lights to illuminate without the brake pedal being pushed; the brake lights to not illuminate when the pedal is pushed; difficulty disengaging the cruise control; moving the gear shifter out of the 'PARK' position without pushing the brake; and disablement of crash avoidance features such as traction control, electronic stability control, and panic braking assist features.

Consequence: Any of the above failure conditions increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will attach the wiring harness to the BCM with a spacer, apply dielectric lubricant to both the BCM and harness connector and the BAS and harness connector, and will relearn the brake pedal home position, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed an Interim letter to customers on July 14, 2014. The recall began on August 18, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), 1-800-762-2737 (Pontiac), 1-800-553-6000 (Saturn). GM's number for this recall is 13036.