2009 Saturn Vue problems
NHTSA has received 171 complaints about the 2009 Saturn Vue, and 23% of them involve steering. After that come electrical system (21%) and drivetrain & axles (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 171 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Steering 23% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 14 and 4
- Injuries and deaths
- 13 and 1
- Typical mileage
- 78,000 miles 145 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 | 15 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 10 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 31 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 19 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 29 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 17 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 11 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 8 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 4 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 145 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 78,000 miles. For steering specifically, the median reported mileage is about 89,000 miles (35 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 14 complaints mention a crash; 4 complaints mention a fire; 13 injuries reported; 1 death reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2009 ranks 7th most-complained-about out of 8 model years of the Saturn Vue with enough data (86 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 safety recall campaigns.
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.
Hi my name is [xxx]. I am having difficulties with the power steering in my 2009 saturn vue xe. This had been on ongoing problem approximately one month. I was instructed to return the car to the dealership for diagnosis. The warranty on my saturn is no longer needed service. The power steering problem has gotten much more worse over the course of time. It is becoming more and more difficult to maneuver or turn my vue. I am a 65 year old and my strength isn't where it used to be.
I was hit on driver side door..high speed impact.. Fire dept needed to use jaws of life to get me out.. I was unconscious and taken to trauma..no airbags deployed..hits were also noted to front panel and rear..car was totaled.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 saturn vue. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, another vehicle crashed into front and rear driver's side of the vehicle causing the contact to crash into a fire hydrant. The air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained injuries to the head that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 88,000.
I purchased my 2009 saturn vue xr v6 a year ago. After driving my saturn during the 1st month I began to notice the A/C was blowing warm air when I was needing to cool the inside of the cabinet . We had very hot consecutive days in n.c with temperatures reaching in access of 100 degrees. I had no choice but to let the windows down to survive the heat. I am angry with GM now as they are appearing to ignore this problem with no recall in sight to date.
On freeway @65 MPH, after 10-12 miles, sudden deceleration, attempted to accelerate, continued deceleration, no indicator lights. All 4 brakes applied without pedal movement. Pulled to side of rode. Turned off car, inspected tires and underside of car, nothing unusual. Parking brake cycled 2-3 times. Restarted car and drove another 10-15 miles, same unexplained braking, in moderate to severe traffic very frightening, dangerous (05/30/2015).