Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Saturn Vue owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl contact owns a 2005 Saturn Vue. The contact stated that the transmission failed twice while merging into traffic at various speeds. Before the failure, the transmission made a grinding noise. The vehicle was unable to be driven and was towed to the dealer. The dealer stated that a new transmission was needed. Three months prior to the most recent failure, the dealer claimed to have installed a new transmission in the vehicle; however, the failure recurred and the consumer had a crash. The consumer hit the side of a tunnel. The failure mileage was 59,000. Updated 4/14/09 the consumer did not state if she reported it to the police. Updated 04/17/09.
When traveling at 65 miles an hour on the freeway for an hour and a half and come to a complete stop whether it's in traffic or getting off the freeway the car suddenly jerks violently back and forth and clunking sounds like something is slipping the car will all of a sudden just died and stop running.by putting the car into neutral the car will come to a stop the jerking of the transmission releasing the gears
I was driving down the road when the transmission started making a grinding sound. I pulled over and had the car towed to the Saturn dealership in durham nc. They fixed the transmission at no cost except I was out the money for towing. At this time the service technician told me that there was a class action suit and that the transmission would be replaced at no cost. For me and if I sold it. The next person to own the vehicle. Approximately a month later the transmission went out again on the car. I once again had it towed to the durham Saturn and they fixed it at not price. It has just gone out again 1-6-2015 and when I called the GM dealership, I called two of them thompsons GM in raleigh and hendricks in raleigh they told me that they won't fix it anymore that they only had to fix it for 5 years or 75,000 miles or it was then increased to 8 years or 100,000 miles. …
While driving between 30 and 40 MPH the vehicle experiences a vibration in the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was allegedly repaired by a GM dealer at no charge. The problem was not resolved. At least 4 other attempts to have GM repair the vehicle were refused by GM dealers even after the repair bulletin was extended into 2015. Not satisfied I contacted someone at GM and asked for a referral to another dealer in my local area. I received it and took it the referred dealer and explained the situation. After inspecting the car they acknowledged the vibration issue but said that before anything could be done the engine block mounts had to be replaced at a cost of approx. $1000. I thanked them and took the car to my trusted regular mechanic. I asked him to check the engine mounts (without telling him what happened at the GM dealer) and give me a report. …
After purchasing my Saturn Vue, January 11, 2011, it required service and a subsequent transmission replacement on or about April 1, 2011. The repair was covered by my extneded warranty, however, the most recent transmission failure, April 2, 2012, was not covered by a warranty. The dealership is seeking to have me pay 50% of the cost to replace, for a second time, a faulty transmission, with no guarantee that its performance will exceed that of my previous transmission replacement. Between the cost of both transmissions, the repair to my vehicle exceeds the value of it as a whole. I am terrified that I will encounter this problem again, and cannot afford the cost to repair a problem that was foreseeable then, as well as now. …
Back in 2009 I received a noticed on a recall on the transmission. I took it to my dealer and was refused for any help with it. I contacted GM and they refused to help me. For many years I have had issues with noise, shifting and other problems. Sometimes if I had it in reverse it would go forward and if I had it in drive it would go into reverse. The gears would stick and my car would jolt repeatedly. . On the 27th of September I was on my way to a friends house to repair my u joint . I had my 2 month old son in the car with me, we were on a busy rd doing 55mph when my car made a very loud noise and just stopped. It was running but wouldn't go in any gear. It was very scary and feared for my sons safety. I had it towed to my friends house to have it looked at and pieces of my transmission fell everywhere on the ground. It completely blew. I was grateful we both were not injured. …
Since I have had my 2005 Saturn Vue I have had problems. My shifting linkage has gone our several times. Leaving me in whatever gear I'm in. This had happened on the freeway at 65mph three (3) times! Coming down a hill at 50mph my transmission shifted from 5th to 2nd! That blew my clutch! ($2000) my linkage was fixed (theoretically) by three dealerships which did not last. One only six (6) months! My 5th gear and reverse disappeared in March of 2014 ($1600) then again my linkage cables wouldn't work ($448) and I had them replaced.finally my shifting fork for three (3) gears had to be replaced, that was another $336! On top of all this my ignition, after a year of owning this car, I bought it new, my key would fall out if my knee hit it. While the engine was running! If I turned the key to the locked position it would take several jiggles to get it to turn to the right! …
Driving 65mph on the freeway my vehicle would not down shift (automatic) and started making a terrible loud vibrating noise. Letting off the gas hoping and thinking it would down shift, the car started to totally slow down. Scared being on a freeway we pulled to the side, put on the hazard lights - we put the car in neutral and tried starting again but the car would never get above 40mph. We crawled along at about 30mph to find an exit ramp, called a tow truck ($300 for being out of town) to be towed back to our mechanic shop. Found the torque converter went bad which "toasted" the transmission. We ended up replacing the transmission with a same year and model as the old one. I never received any notices that there had been prior issues and I am now terrified that this one will go bad as I have recently read that these have had problems.
My car has the ABS system light on, and there are tons of people with this problem! I have almost gone off the road tons of times when the roads have barely any snow or ice on them, and this is seriously a common problem that should have a recall! The ABS system on the Saturn vues seems to go out all the time, which causes other problems, malfunctioning breaks, bearing degeneration too! I need to constantly change the breaks and now I need new bearings. My car only has 84K miles on it!!! And with my car, my transmission is also going out and that started at 60,000, miles and now its giving me real problems too! So the Saturn Vue 2005 AWD v6 car I have... Has a common problem of cheap ABS system parts going bad, and bad transmissions! Both need to be recalled, and addressed by GM.
I own a 2005 Saturn Vue all wheel drive that when the roads are icy or snow packed is very hard to control. When you try to turn a corner you do not know if it is going to turn or not. The rear wheels kick in when the front wheels slip and I have had it slide sideways close to hitting a curb. All four tires are turning and there is no control. The braking is also as bad some of the same problems. I know that this vehicle is no longer being built but I still fell that this needs to be looked into, I have heard that there has been some accidents on slick roads and I think that this May by a bigger problem than just mine. This is an ongoing problem, not something that has just started happening. Most of the time the Vue has been driven on dry roads or snow not that much on ice.
Transmission complaints in other Vue years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2005 Saturn Vue?
NHTSA has 30 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2005 Saturn Vue, 18% of the model year's 170 complaints. The component named most often is automatic transmission (9 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Saturn Vue transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain recall for the 2005 Saturn Vue. 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 2005 Saturn Vue transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 50,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to transmission & drivetrain 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.