Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Saturn Vue owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2004 Saturn Vue. The contact stated that the light on the instrument panel was abnormally dim. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds over a bumpy road surface, the rear end of the vehicle was swaying from side to side. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle made an abnormally loud sound at start up, and it was difficult to remove the key from the ignition switch after turning off the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.
I was driving from providence ri to athens oh. I was in west virginia around morgantown, driving from 68 west to 79 south ramp, and I was driving in the range of speed limits. Suddenly in the ramp, I felt car is turning unwantedly to the left, and I tried to bring it back to the road but I could not, and the car hit orthogonally the jersey barriers on the left hand side of the ramp. My airbags opened, one of my tires exploded, and front of my car completely wrecked. Fortunately, no one hit me from side and behind. I could really die, I see death in front of my eyes when I was turning with the car. I had replaced my control arm, shocks rotors, brake pads, all in the past two months of the accident. But this car was terribly bad in the turns and ramps before the accident. …
I was going to park into a parking space of a shopping mall and when I was going to straighten out the Vue, the engine shut down and so did the ignition and I couldn't steer or stop in time before it hit a concrete base of a pole light fixture (that most of all shopping malls have throughout their lots). The right, passenger, side tire was bent so bad that it couldn't be driven and had to be towed...it smashed the fender, grill, bottom covering of the entire front plastic part along with tire rod end, strut, stabilizer bar, alignment, paint job and cost...fortunately, we have collision on this vehicle and only had to the first $1,000.00 for the complete job.
Before we paid our 2nd payment our ABS system failed. The front breaks were crunching. It then threw out our wheel barrings, balljoints and rotors. Therefore it wouldn't pass inspection when it was due for it. The dealership did the original inspection there and they never changed the breaks. Which is an illegal practice. With all these problems we rarely drove the car. Till one day, less than having it under 1 year, it would no longer start.we lost out over$5,000 on payments and our large down payment too. They have been calling us ever since wanting us to pay for a car that won't start and won't pass inspection.
While driving straight down a state route (thankfully at low speed) the rear right wheel collapsed on our 2004 Saturn Vue. This was recalled and repaired in 2004 under recall campaign #04067001. Had this been at higher speeds, my wife could have been severely injured or killed.
I was making a left turn when I heard a pop sound so I pulled over on another block so I wouldn't be in traffic. Once I pulled over I can see my tire leaning inwards. Once the car was jacked up with the car jack we could see that the bracket broke off of the lower control arm.
While driving 60 MPH and switching lanes rear wheel turned inward, causing the rear suspension to fail. As a result, the vehicle lost control and crashed into a guard rail. Upon impact, airbags deployed.
Going 40 MPH made a left turn, medium loud noise and front right control arm tore in 2 (been replaced and have part) and back left tire now tilted in at top about 1 inch( still trying to get fixed ).
Problem 1: my 2004 Saturn AWD v6 Saturn Vue has developed a "shudder" in the drive train that's prevalent in the 20 -25 and 30-35mph range under moderate acceleration or coasting. Hooked up to a code reader, no codes appear; however, the torque converter is slipping as it displays a read out of over 8,000 RPM's when this occurs and the tachometer bounces back and forth with the shudder. Frequency of occurrence is higher in hotter weather and when car has been driven for several minutes. Slight whine also noticed by the transmission mechanic. Problem 2: this problem was noticed on 03-28-08. Vehicle was also purchased with defective horn. Two + weeks after the car was purchased I was hit in the rear quarter panel by a careless teenager that did not look before he backed out of his parking space. I realized shortly after that my horn was not properly working. …
While driving the vehicle, the driver heard a loud "pop" from rear of car. After pulling over the driver saw that the top of the right rear wheel was tipped in. The car was towed to a repair station. It was determined that the right rear lateral link assembly broke. The mounting bolt broke causing the mounting flange to brake off of the frame. This action also caused the frame to bend. It was necessary to replace the frame, links, control arms and shock absorber. Total cost to me was $1,900.42. Saturn said they were not responsible and would not pay for any expenses. A recall ( campaign #04067001 ) to replace the rear lateral links was performed on this vehicle on 5/21/2005. Apparently, this recall work was not effective. The driver was not speeding, did not hit a pot hole or other object. There was no accident involved, and no one was injured. …
NHTSA investigations
Rear suspension toe control link
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened this preliminary evaluation to investigate allegations of rear suspension failure in the subject vehicles during certain severe driving maneuvers.the investigation was prompted by NHTSA-conducted ncap dynamic rollover test incidents involving my 2004 Saturn vue vehicles and one consumer complaint that alleged when recovering from a road edge departure, the left-rear…
Suspension complaints in other Vue years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 2004 Saturn Vue?
NHTSA has 33 complaints about the suspension of the 2004 Saturn Vue, 12% of the model year's 276 complaints. The component named most often is rear (16 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Saturn Vue suspension problems?
No. NHTSA lists no suspension recall for the 2004 Saturn Vue, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2004 Saturn Vue suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 21% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 0 fires and 2 injuries to suspension problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.