Body complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
I turned the corner to enter my street, there is a slight "s" curve to enter my street. I was no more than 50 yards from the corner when my vehicle revved loudly, RPM to 3500 and accelerated , I managed to avoid more damaged than was done, but in the interim I hit a 3' tall brick mail box and caused damage to my vehicle. The gentleman whose mail box I hit suggested I research recalls, - and I found a ton of "like" incidences with these vehicles and transmissions. It is amazing no one has been killed. General consensus is GM is not taking responsibility for these situations. GM knows the transmission is defective, but refuses to address the issue. People have been left stranded with a non working vehicle and still owing money for this. There is evidence of failure on a continual basis, but GM is abandoning the cause. …
Driving vehicle around 55mph veered off onto loose gravel. Hit a drain culvert flew into the air, slammed down into a ditch, and hit several cut telephone poles used as landscape decorations with no front air bag deployment. Received medical attention and filed police reports.
Excessive frame rust at 107,000 miles. Major holes and chunks of supporting materials are missing. This is near the rear subframe on both sides of the vahicle. Makes it dangerous to drive and should be recalled by GM
I had been out to lunch and was pulling into a parking place in my workplace parking lot. I eased into the parking space and nudged the gas to get completely in the space. When I nudged the gas, my car accelerated on its own with such a force the car went over a concrete barrier in the parking space and I then hit a brick and concrete wall that was knocked down. An iron railing was on top of the concrete and that got smashed as well. My car was moving at such a fast and furious speed I had no control over it. As a result, my car was totaled due to the repairs that were necessary. This exact thing happened exactly three years ago in this car and it was the same situation. …
I was driving in my subdivision and the curtain air bags went off in my 2007 Saturn Vue hybrid. I swerved and ran into a tree causing massive frontal damage and the driver-side air bag to deploy. My 3-year-old daughter was in the back passenger child car seat and was OK but I was diagnosed with chest, knee, hip, and nose contusions, still healing after 4+ days. The car was a total loss per allstate. I have no idea what caused the curtain air bags to go off but see on carcomplaints.com there are many airbag issues. Very mad and demand attention from GM since Saturn is defunct.
Roof rack collects water rusting out bolts holding cross member to roof rails. Doing routine inspection and found one cross member detached. Fortunately located before loading surfboard to racks which could have failed while traveling on road. It appears the rails which run the length of the roof is where the racks fail. There are holes which collect water causing the rust and eventual failure of the bolt(s) that the cross member attaches too.
Hitting 2 deer going 60 miles an hour and the passenger air bag never opened. The red light for passenger airbag has been on since we purchased the vehicle. We also have problems with electrical being the dashboard lights always flicker and the left side lights and blinker do the same. We also have had problems with the ignition being the key will not turn over, we have to be very patient and after quite sometime it will finally work after you remove the key several times and try try again. We have had to have brakes done numerous times at least twice a year. I sure do not understand why this vehicle was not on the recall list.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Saturn Vue. While driving 60 MPH, an abnormal clicking noise was heard from all four doors and the interior dome light remained illuminated. In addition, when the contact attempted to start the vehicle, two small lock icons displayed on the instrument panel and the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was taken to east hills Chevrolet of freeport (42 east sunrise highway, freeport, ny 11520), but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
Frequently asked questions
Which Saturn Vue years have body problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2003 (23), 2006 (19), 2008 (15), 2004 (11) and 2007 (8) model years. Body complaints make up 4% of all complaints for the 2003.
Is there a recall for Saturn Vue body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for any Saturn Vue model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Saturn Vue body problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 75,000 miles; 33% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the body (45 mentions), followed by the body › door (17).
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.