Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Saturn Outlook owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Car parked in owner's driveway. All windows and sunroof closed. After a heavy overnight rainstorm, owner drove car down driveway and heard a rush of water toward front of car. Owner saw water dripping from under glove box compartment, and substantial water on passenger side floor mat. Owner able to drive to work and parked in work parking ramp. After work, owner attempted to start car to go home, experienced no crank/ no start. Lights did come on but key then stuck in ignition. Car battery eventually died due to inability to turn off lights. Company called to jump start car, company attached jumper cables and lights came on, voltage good, car still no crank no start. Car was towed to dealership. Dealership diagnosis water leaked from the sunroof into the front of car and into the fuse box, requiring a new fuse box, all new terminals and new wiring. Cost for repair estimate $800-$1000. …
Takata recall....water leaks into the car behind kicker panel on passenger side going directly into the fuse/relay box. It leaks in all door jams and the rear liftgate area. I have problems with my car not shifting. Throwing code p2723 which is transmisson pressure control shift solenoid e. I believe its due to water getting into the fuse box because there is a constant drain on my battery and when testing the fuses with a test light not all of them seem to be getting a good connection due to all the corrosion. Also sunroof leaks. All door circuits get wet. I have to dry evrything out before I can start it. The carpet smells and its full of rust. Common sense would tell you that this cannot be good from any aspect. Im to the point to going up to GM and making them look really bad because this is unacceptable. I cannot believe with so many common problems there is yet to be a recall. …
Sporadically, water leaks from the ceiling air vents/rear view camera/ a-braces/ airbag covers and basically any other place water can come out of. I have had it to the GMC dealer 2x to look for the issue but they cannot replicate. In viewing information online (specifically edmonds.com) it appears that this has been a well known problem since the auto was manufactured - I am just lucky that mine has been sporadic. It has not effected components of the vehicle yet, but if it keeps happening I have little doubt that there will be issues - parts corroding, electrical issues, etc. As mentioned earlier, it baffles me that there are 18 pages of identical complaints, yet the manufacturer has never been made to do anything about it - an idiot can tell that there has to be some manufacturer defect to have that # of occurences. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Saturn Outlook. The contact stated that the sun roof leaked each time it rained. The water traveled across the top of the vehicle, onto the windshield, and into the dashboard. The vehicle was taken to stuteville Chevrolet Buick GMC of ponca city (3330 n 14th st, ponca city, OK 74601, [phone]) where the body control was replaced; however, the failure continued. The contact stated that the vehicle needed a new battery due to the water that was leaking onto the battery. The battery was replaced. The contact also stated that the ppm chip for the air bag was missing, which caused the air bag warning indicator to illuminate. The contact stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V118000 (air bags). The contact also stated that the vehicle would lurch forward when in park or drive. …
My car has problems with the prop rod recovery system. The back hatch is very difficult to raise and lower. It has fallen on me when I've been trying to carry in groceries and it almost came down on my grandson's head when he was standing next to me to help carry in the groceries. When I read an article in the business section of our local paper about a recall on 2007-2010 Saturn outlooks with the same problem I assumed my car was recalled. At my last service at the GM dealership I asked about this recall. They looked it up and said mine wasn't part of the recall. They said it would cost $180-200 to fix it. I called the Saturn customer service line to double check whether my car was on the list. I was advised to make a formal complaint to NHTSA to hopefully have GM or whomever to extend the recall to my model since it clearly has the same issue. Thank you
The sun roof is defective causing water to enter into the frame of the car and causing electrical malfunction to the electrical / PCM as well has caused numerous notifications on instrument panel also causing instrument panel to not light up while driving at night with no functions, turning off headlights as well this is a known issue via Saturn forums and youtube videos as well as TSB number of 07-08-57-002f. I feel very unsafe driving and this is my only vehicle. While driving you can hear water moving around throughout the body of the car and there is also water in the doors have shorted out the speakers this is not normal wear and tear. My car also remains on when the key is in the off position.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Saturn Outlook. The contact stated that while attempting to utilize the automatic liftgate feature on the vehicle, the trunk would fail to remain open and potentially fall on the head of the whoever is attempting to load or unload the vehicle. The failure occurred intermittently. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V415000 (structure) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 95,000. ...updated 02/03/16
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Saturn Outlook. While driving in the rain, the vehicle collected water within the wedging of the sun roof and headliner and began leaking from any opening within the vehicle (doors, vents, etc). When the vehicle was parked and/ or stopped, the vehicle began to accumulate water on the floor of the vehicle. The contact stated that the ignition key was stuck in the ignition switch and caused the vehicle to stall. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The VIN was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 165,000.
My 2008 Saturn Outlook apparently has had a defected sunroof that GMC has been tracking for years now but has not incorporated any recalls to fix it. We just moved from ca to va and are just now experiencing actual rainfall that leaks through the body of the vehicle and into the floor of the driver and passenger floorboard. I haven't experienced any electrical issues yet but I know they are coming. However, we are experiencing mildew and mold smell in the car which is not good to be inhaling for anyone in my family. My question is what is GMC doing about this!!!
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Saturn Outlook. On a rainy day, the contact noticed that the rear moon roof and the front sun roof were leaking water. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the rear sun roof was detached and caused water to leak into the vehicle. In addition, water was leaking from under the dashboard to the floormat. The air bags sensor was corroded due to the water leakage from the roof. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 86,000.
Related recalls
Structure › Body › Hatchback/liftgate
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured January 3, 2007, to February 29, 2012, 2009-2012 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured July 6, 2008, to March 9, 2012, 2007-2012 GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured September 15, 2006, to February 29, 2012, and 2007-2010 Saturn…
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power liftgate actuator motor control unit so that the motor will prevent the rapid closing of the lift gate, free of charge.
Body complaints in other Outlook years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2008 Saturn Outlook?
NHTSA has 46 complaints about the body & structure of the 2008 Saturn Outlook, 7% of the model year's 633 complaints. The component named most often is body (25 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Saturn Outlook body problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 15V-415 (hatchback/liftgate, Jun 30, 2015). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2008 Saturn Outlook body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 67,000 miles, and 10% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.