2003 Saturn Vue problems
NHTSA has received 879 complaints about the 2003 Saturn Vue, and 24% of them involve transmission. After that come electrical system (15%) and drivetrain & axles (13%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 879 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Transmission 24% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 42 and 16
- Injuries and deaths
- 39 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 66,000 miles 654 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 161 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 67 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 80 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 66 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 94 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 81 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 41 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 25 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 25 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 11 |
| 200k+ miles | 3 |
What the data shows
Among the 654 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 66,000 miles. For transmission specifically, the median reported mileage is about 67,000 miles (185 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 42 complaints mention a crash; 16 complaints mention a fire; 39 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2003 ranks 1st most-complained-about out of 8 model years of the Saturn Vue with enough data (444 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Driving on highway in 55-MPH zone, forced to lane change by merging traffic traveling fast. Had to come back into first lane as another car sped up in passing lane at same time we moved over. Nowhere to go; car spun out, rolled and hit hill on side of highway. Vehicle had front airbags (driver and passenger), and side curtain airbags for front and rear passengers. Airbags never deployed throughout accident. Vehicle was totally demolished. Thank god, we are alive, but total demolition with no airbag deployment?
On july 28, 2004, driving east on hwy 221 toward marathon, ny when I passed over a flooded section of road in a 2003 saturn vue. The vehicle spun and rolled over twice. I have since received a recall notice from saturn secondary to possible suspension failure and rollover risk. The car is being held by my insurance company, usaa auto, at co-part, 46 zuk pierce road, central square, ny 13036. The stock number is 681194. I would like to know whether suspension failure contributed to this rollover accident.
While driving vehicle ran off the road. Consumer did not hit anything, and nothing hit the vehicle. Upon trying to steer the vehicle back onto the road the left rear wheel fell off. The consumer stated that both rear wheels fell off.
The consumer stated water leaked into the passenger cabin through the roof of the vehicle. This caused an unsafe distraction when driving in inclement weather. Consumer also had transmission problems and her main concern was the all wheel drive. The consumer was scared of the vehicle and had a bad experience with the dealer. She would like saturn to buy the vehicle back.
Transmission disengages and looses power. This causes the vehicle to decelerate to a complete stop. This occurs when vehicle goes over a bump or an imperfection in the road while accelerating. Although the dealership is aware of the failure a remedy has not been found.