Electrical complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Bought the Vue in April 2011 and when I started using my ac in May it would barely blow cool air, took it in and the seals were bad and compresser was cracked and freon almost gone. They fixed it but it still didnt blow cold like it should. Took it back in July because it was not blowing even cool air. They said the air inlet door wasnt open and I guess they opened it. Blew cold air but still only if I had it going full blast. And still not as cool as it should have been. But at least it was a bit cooler. Fall came and my transmission croaked on me..took it back and they fixed it, so far so good. But now its hot again and once again my ac is not doing the job it should be. My dealership is 100 miles away so haviing to take it back and forth is nuts. …
Cruise control disengaged, this happened twice over a period of a month, when this happened the dash lights went dim , on sept 14,2012 , on I-75 at 60 MPH the cruise disengaged and the engine quit, I was put in a very scary situation, almost got rear ended car is at a Chevy garage now and because it will not duplicate what happened to me there is no fix. It scares me to think of it happening again. I have owned two other saturns with no issues this one has had a few which will show on the gms list of fixes it has had. I wish now I had not bought this car.
While I am driving I have had intermittent incidents that cannot be replicated. "stabilitrak" warning light has not turned off. I have lost control of my vehicle while driving twice but was able to pull over after a few seconds. The vehicle will lose power to the dash. When I am turning the steering wheel gets very hard to turn and will turn off the radio. This will cause the car to loose power while driving. Then when I turn the car off I will be unable to get the key out or turn the vehicle on. I will have to restart the vehicle. I have replaced the battery twice and the alternator twice and this helped for 2 months then the problem persisted. I also replaced the wheel sensors to no avail. I have taken to 3 mechanics but they cannot replicate the issue. …
While driving down road acceleration slowed, all instrument panel lights came on, loss full power steering & brake functions, no turn signals, brake lights, fuel gauge went to empty, messages on driver air bag, stabilitrak,tire air pressure,ABS, everything was flashing. All instrument panel lights were on, radio stopped, sudden increased acceleration then decreased again. I got pulled over to a parking lot (which was very hard with brake pedal going to floor & steering almost impossible), turned off car & removed key. Still had all (4) open door lights on and all the doors were shut. They stayed on more than 5 minutes before finally going off. I sat there 30 minutes before trying to start the car again. When I started it everything was working again as if it had reset itself. Yesterday August 31, 2015 was the third time this same thing has happened to me while driving at 45 MPH or more. …
I noticed a few days ago that the wheel was getting harder to turn so I made a maintenance appointment for Saturday I was driving to work in Texas in Fort Worth coming from Arlington today and smoke started coming from under the hood I pulled over and it was smoking I was on the highway so to get off the highway in a safe area I had to drive about 5 more miles up the road to the next exit so I started driving it didn't smoke right off so a couple of minutes into the drive it starts smoking so I finally get to the exit smoke is now coming through the vents , I hurry and pull over and go to open the door it wouldn't open I then I climb over and get out the back door I go into the business parking lot at this point it's engulfed in black smoke and then it starts burning.
Alternator I changed the starter I changed the alternator brand new it ran but then it stopped in mid drive and I won't just start and that's how I crashed into something now my car is wreck in the fridge and it won't start and if it does it stops
I was driving on the highway, on the way to the beach with my family and our pup! We heard a pop and thought maybe it was the tire but the engine began smoking. I pulled the vehicle over as safely as possible. I popped the hood and there was a fire. Everyone evacuated the vehicle as quickly and safely as possible. I was the last to get out of the vehicle. Within minutes the entire vehicle was engulfed in flames. We stood there and watched the only vehicle we have completely burn up. I cried and I watched my kids cry. What was supposed to be a beach day for us to distress and relax turned into us almost losing our lives on the highway. We are thankful for the state trooper, the fire department, and the paramedics who all arrived on scene and kept my family safe. Im thankful our lives weren't lost. However we still faced a life or death situation today.
I was driving and pulled up to get some gas and put my car in park it just stop and turned off and I haven't been able to get it back on. Went and saw a mechanic and he said it was the timing chain on the car it only had 97,000 miles on it and it would shake while I'm in ideal
Related recalls (1)
Electrical system › Ignition
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2002-2004 Saturn Vue vehicles manufactured September 11, 2001, to April 6, 2004. In the affected vehicles, it may be possible for the key to be removed from the ignition when the ignition is not in the "Off" position.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle to see if the key can be pulled out when the ignition is off. If it can, dealers will replace the ignition cylinder and keys, free of charge.
Frequently asked questions
Which Saturn Vue years have electrical problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2007 (128), 2003 (124), 2006 (103), 2008 (88) and 2004 (78) model years. Electrical complaints make up 45% of all complaints for the 2007.
Is there a recall for Saturn Vue electrical problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 14V-490 (ignition, Aug 8, 2014). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Saturn Vue electrical problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 79,000 miles; 29% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the ignition (64 mentions), followed by the ignition › switch (34).
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.