2003 Saturn Vue

IT STARTED AFTER TURNING ON MY HEADLIGHTS. I WAS DRIVING HOME AND SEEN AND SMELLED LIKE HE SMOKE, IT WAS COMING FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH THE WIRES WERE BURNING. I TURNED OFF CAR AND CALLED MY BOYFRIEND. HE UNCLAMPED THE IGNITION SWITCH AND CHECKED, THE WIRES WERE BURNED. ONCE I STARTED THE CAR AGAIN MY DASH LIGHTS WERE NOT ON NOR THE TAIL LIGHTS BUT THE HEADLIGHTS WORKED, HAZARD LIGHTS AND BLINKERS ALL WORKED. SO I DROVE HOME WITH MY HAZARD LIGHTS ON AND MY BOYFRIEND FOLLOWING BEHIND ME. HAD ALL FUSES CHECKED, REPLACED IGNITION SWITCH, TAIL LIGHT WIRING HARNESS AND THE FUSE BOX, STILL NO DASH LIGHTS NOR TAIL LIGHTS. I DID CALL YOUR COMPANY FOR HELP AND WAS TOLD BY THE AGENT THAT HE COULD NOT HELP. I DID RECENTLY FOUND OUT ABOUT SOME KIND OF RECALL. THE INFORMATION I FOUND IS BELOW. RECALL 05V245000 ELECTRICAL & LIGHTS, OCTOBER 17, 2005 ORIGINAL RECALL FROM THE NHTSA MODEL YEAR(S): 2001, 2002, 2003 MANUFACTURER'S REPORT DATE: OCTOBER 17, 2005 NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 05V245000 NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: PE05010 COMPONENT: EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS POTENTIAL NUMBER OF UNITS AFFECTED: 291,652

I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE USED AS SO FAR HAVE LOST POWER STEERING, GAUGES SPEEDOMETER, TACHOMETER, AND HAVE BEEN LOCKED IN CAR AFTER PARKING AND COULDN'T EVEN USE MANUAL LOCKS, CAR TURNS ITSELF ON WHEN REBOOTING COMPUTER WITHOUT KEY IN IGNITION. .LIGHTS BLINK ON AND OFF, AND LOCKS LOCK AND UNLOCK WHILE DRIVING.CAR WOULD NOT START FOR OVER AN HOUR AFTER PUTTING IN PARK.

WHILE RETURNING ON A TRIP AND USING THE TURN SIGNAL NORMALLY, THERE WERE SEVERAL INCIDENTS IN WHICH THE TURN SIGNAL SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS WORKING AT ABOUT TWICE THE NORMAL RATE, HOWEVER THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT THE TURN LIGHTS WERE COMING ON. ON ONE PARTICULAR INSTANCE, WHEN THIS HAPPENED, THE TURN SIGNAL GOT EXTREMELY WARM TO THE TOUCH AND SMOKE WAS OBSERVED COMING FROM THE SWITCH. THERE WERE SEVERAL SUBSEQUENT INCIDENTS DURING THIS TRIP AND ON SUBSEQUENT DAYS, BUT ONLY THE ONE IN WHICH THE SWITCH ACTUALLY SMOKED (WHICH IS WHY I INDICATED A FIRE ABOVE). WHEN I CALLED SATURN (GM DEALERSHIP) ABOUT THIS, THEY MENTIONED THAT A SIMILAR SWITCH WAS UNDER RECALL, BUT NOT THIS ONE. AFTER HAVING REPLACED THE TURN SIGNAL SWITCH, I HAD ASKED IF SATURN WANTED THE DEFECTIVE UNIT. SURPRISINGLY, SATURN DIDN'T SEEM TOO CONCERNED AND ASKED ME TO CONTACT THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP, IN TURN, TOLD ME THAT ALL THEY COULD DETERMINE IS THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE SWITCH AND TO CONTACT SATURN CUSTOMER SERVICE. I AM QUITE CERTAIN THAT IF WE HADN'T CORRECTED THE ISSUE (WHICH IS DIFFICULT TO DESCRIBE) THAT A MORE DANGEROUS SITUATION COULD'VE BEEN CAUSED, AND THAT THIS SWITCH DESIGN IS FAULTY AND MAY POSE A SAFETY (THERMAL) CONCERN. I HAVE KEPT THE OLD SWITCH AND WILL GLADLY PROVIDE IT TO NHTSA IF REQUESTED TO DO SO. I DIDN'T FEEL IT SAFE TO KEEP USING THE OLD SWITCH, AND WHILE THE COST WAS RATHER MINIMAL TO HAVE IT REPLACED, I'M SURPRISED THAT SATURN DIDN'T OFFER TO REIMBURSE ME AND AS I STATED PREVIOUSLY, DIDN'T REQUEST THE FAULTY PART TO BE RETURNED. I HAVE NOT HAD ANY SIMILAR INCIDENTS SINCE REPLACING THE SWITCH, WHICH CERTAINLY CORRECTED IT. THE PART NUMBER LISTED ON THE OLD SWITCH IS SHOWN AS BEING AR339790736/22679804. IN ORDER TO NOT CAUSE THE SWITCH TO GO INTO THE MODE DESCRIBED ABOVE, IT WAS BEST TO NOT USE THE TURN SIGNAL ANY MORE THAN POSSIBLE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SATURN VUE WHICH WAS PURCHASED IN DECEMBER 2002. SHE STATED THAT THERE WERE NUMEROUS FAILURES WITH THE VEHICLE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 6 MPH THROUGH A BRUSH-LESS CAR WASH, WATER ENTERED INTO THE SUN ROOF HOUSING. ON A SEPARATE OCCASION, SHE ALSO SMELLED OIL BURNING AND THE DEALER REPLACED THE RIGHT INNER CV JOINT BOOT. THE HAZARDS LIGHTS FAILED TO OPERATE NORMALLY AND WERE REPAIRED TWICE DUE TO REPEAT FAILURES. WHEN SHE ENGAGED THE HAZARD SWITCH, IT COLLAPSED INTO THE DASHBOARD CONSOLE. THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE DEALER STATED THAT THE THERMOSTAT FAILED AND IT WAS REPLACED. ALL REPAIRS WERE MADE TO THE VEHICLE PER THE WARRANTY. THE REAR LATERAL LINK ASSEMBLY RECALL NUMBER 04067001 2002-2004 VUE REAR SUSPENSION RECALL WAS ALSO REPLACED. THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW WOULD NOT CLOSE; HOWEVER, THE DRIVER'S SIDE SWITCH WAS REPLACED. THE FUEL GAUGE INDICATED THE IMPROPER LEVEL OF FUEL THAT WAS IN THE FUEL TANK; ALTHOUGH, THE FUEL SENDING UNITS WERE REPLACED. ALL OF THE REPAIRS MADE TO THE VEHICLE HAVE FAILED MORE THAN ONCE. THE HORN WOULD ALSO OPERATE INTERMITTENTLY ON ITS OWN. THE DEALER FOUND A SHORTAGE IN THE BODY CONTROL MODULE AND REPLACED THE OPERATING DESIGN SYSTEM WHICH FORCED THE MECHANIC TO REPROGRAM THE KEYS TO THE VEHICLE. THE VALVE COVER GASKET FAILED A SECOND TIME WHEN THE CONTACT SMELLED OIL BURNING. THERE WERE NO RELATED RECALLS FOR MOST OF THE OTHER FAILED COMPONENTS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 14,002 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 70,501.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SATURN VUE. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, ALL OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL GAUGES AND DAYTIME RUNNING LAMPS FAIL; HOWEVER, THE ENGINE CONTINUES TO OPERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP AND THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE MASTER CONTROL PANEL WAS FAILING. THE VEHICLE IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE PART IS CURRENTLY ON BACKORDER WITH THE MANUFACTURER. THE MANUFACTURER WILL BE NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY NOT BEING DRIVEN. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 80,100. UPDATED 08/27/09 *BF UPDATED 08/31/09.*JB

INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT THE HEADLIGHTS FAILED. THIS CAUSED POOR VISIBILITY TO THE DRIVER. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE , AND DROVE IT TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE BODY CONTROL MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND REPLACED IT. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM RECURRED , AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

THE HEADLIGHT AND DAYTIME RUN LIGHTS BURN OUT WHEN IT RAINS... INSTEAD OF FINDING OUT THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM IS, THE DEALER JUST REPLACES THE BULBS AND SENDS ME ON MY WAY. THE FOLLOWING RAINY DAY, THERE I AM BACK AT THE DEALER WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. SO FAR THIS WILL BE THE THIRD TIME, NOT INCLUDING THE PROBLEMS WITH THE DRIVETRAIN/REAR DIFF THAT HAD TO BE REPLACED, THE DASH AND CABIN RATTLES THAT NONE CAN SEEM TO FIX, AND THE TRANSMISSION THAT ONCE LEFT ME STRANDED AT A STOP SIGN. *LA