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New Saturn VUE Green Line Owners -Give Us Your Report

369 messages,  Last post on Sep 29, 2011 at 11:59 AM

You are in the Saturn VUE Green Line Hybrid Forum.

What is this discussion about? Saturn VUE, Hybrid Cars, Car Buying, SUV

Messages Page 35 of 37

#339 of 369 2009 Saturn Vue Hybrid Recall by hhr2

Dec 29, 2010 (11:08 am)

I have been a proud owner of Saturn's since 1993. My wife is now on her 3rd Saturn, an Ion. In 2008 I purchased a 2009 Saturn Vue Hybrid. (Which was very much delayed due to a battery recall problem) It's been great until the last 4 months. The first week in September my hybrid caution light came on. I called ONStar for a better explanation. They advised there was a problem with my battery pack. It actually has been on a "low level recall" since July. So low-level, that when I had my car serviced by the authorized dealer the first week in August, he didn't bring it up.
 
Well, I took the car into the dealer, and after waiting 4 hours after my appointment time they confirmed the problem. I was initially told they would replace the pack in about an hour. I was then told they had to order the battery-pack and it would take a week to ten days. Ok
 
It seemed there was at least a 5 week backorder on the battery pack. The pack finally came in late October. It took over 5 hours to do the recall effort.
 
Shortly thereafter to my surprise I noticed my fuel economy had gone down. Living in western PA I never got the advertised 32HWY/24CITY.. I got 30/22. My fuel economy would drop each year when the gas mixture was changed for winter to 29/21 mpg. However, I have dropped to 26/19. I took my car in for service thinking it was the 22,000 miles/28months on my 50,000 miles filter. The dealer agreed it needed to be replaced. Did so. It made little difference.
 
This weekend I was with an acquaintance very familiar with what design issues are going on in the automotive industry. He advised that part of the reason for the repeated recalls on Saturn hybrids has been the over use of the battery pack. Part of the recall was reprogramming. The reprogramming involved dropping the hybrid support for the engine. Ergo, drop in fuel economy.

#340 of 369 Dead Saturn and the Battery Recall by fredk3947

Jan 14, 2011 (4:32 pm)

2007 Vue Hybrid, original owner, 60,000 miles. Battery pack replaced a couple of years ago after a recall. Last week I noticed the autostop wasn't working and the battery charge/discharge gauge wasn't showing activity. Made an appointment with the dealer to bring it in. But the next day it was working fine. Cancelled the appointment.
 
Yesterday I was on the freeway when the battery light came on. Soon the check engine light. A few minutes later the Traction Control light. Then the ABS light came on. The wipers began to slow down in the rain. I signaled to change lanes and each time the signal blinked the air bag light flashed in synchronicity with it. The wipers were slower and the dash lights dimming. Engine was not running right, but I can't describe it. Decided to head straight to the dealership about 25 miles away. Got another 15 miles and the wipers were barely working and the gauge lights were dim. Back wiper stopped. Then all the warning lights came on. I was about 1/2 mile from a rest area. I was thinking of pulling in there. About then all the dash light went off and the tach and speedometer were stuck in place. No electricity, no power steering, braking was poor, hard to steer, engine was not running right nor was the transmission working properly. I had to keep my foot on the accelerator it felt like in order to maintain my speed or it would die. I chose the rest area exit. Made it to a parking spot. I knew if I shut it off I was there until I got a tow and it would never start again. I turned it off. It wouldn't restart and showed no electricity present at all. I called AAA for a tow.
 
About 90 minutes later it was steamed up in the humid car and I opened the door and stepped out. When I stepped back in and closed the door I saw the dome light on and brightly shining. That was weird. Stuck the key in the ignition and turned and it started and showed no sign of a problem. The tow truck arrived within moments. I explained to the driver I still wanted it towed. We took it the 12 miles to the GM dealer.
 
Today I was told that it was on recall for the battery pack replacement and all the codes in the memory pointed to or were related to the battery pack. It is on backorder and not expected for a month (if I am lucky according to the service manager who has seen similar problems with GM hybrids).
 
I have an extended warrantee that should cover any costs with a $100 deductible. We'll see. My warantee with GMAC also provides for a free rental car if the car is inoperable. I listened as the service manager was on the phone for an hour being shunted from number to number trying to get approval for the rental. Finally he was back to the first of a series of six numbers (three of which were disconnected numbers) and he firmly asked to speak to a manager. He finally got a name and an extension for a person who approved the rental and the GMAC warrantee person asked to speak to me. He was apologetic about the wait on the phone and the breakdown. Said he would call me in three days to see if the repair was satisfactory. I reminded him that the part is on backorder and not expected to arrive for a month or more. He said he would call me anyway to see if the rental car was OK.
 
Thanks to the dealer service manager for his kind assistance and understanding. Without his persistence I might not have a free rental car. We will see if the battery pack replacement solves the problem. I have my doubts actually. My sister has a newer Vue hybrid and had the battery replacement and asked why it took them several hours and was told the recall was because the pack leaked acid and they had to clean and repair the pan the battery pack sits in. Well, that wasn't my problem. I looked. There was no acid leakage in my car.
 
Thanks to everyone here for their experiences. At least I know what to expect.

#341 of 369 Re: Dead Again !!!! [melisab] by stevedebi

Jan 14, 2011 (4:52 pm)

Replying to: melisab (Oct 27, 2010 8:39 pm)
"that is a great question. When does it fall under the lemon law, as i too would like to make a claim. Knock on wood, mine has been running great lately but I live with constant anxiety of when it is going to break down again"
 
It varies by state, but most states allow lemon law provisions only for the first year. In California, it is more than three visits for the same problem in the first year, or (as I recall) 30 days out of service.
 
But again, only in the first year.

#342 of 369 Re: 2009 Saturn Vue Hybrid Recall [hhr2] by boot36

Mar 24, 2011 (8:06 am)

Replying to: hhr2 (Dec 29, 2010 11:08 am)
I had exactly the same issue. I had a loaner while I waited 3 weeks for the battery, everything was handled very well. I went from 34 mpg combined to 26 mpg. The autostop feature also no longer functions. I just finished a 3 week test in which I tried my highway commute with both cruise control and without. After that time I got an average of 24.8 mpg with cruise and 35.6 mpg without, which was mind boggling.
 
Then I turned on the car one day and all the readouts were -- and every warning light was on. I also had no turn signals. Later that day when I went home everything worked like normal. I took it to the shop this morning and they're baffled, they said it could be several days before they know what's going on. They also told me that the hybrid system is no longer under warranty. It's supposed to have a 12 year 100,000 mile warranty, now they're saying it's been changed to a 36,000 mile warranty. I'm at 36,128.

#343 of 369 Re: 2009 Saturn Vue Hybrid Recall [boot36] by joncanada

Mar 24, 2011 (8:19 am)

Replying to: boot36 (Mar 24, 2011 8:06 am)
Sounds like they are quoting you the bumper to bumper warranty.
 
The hybrid system is supposed to have an 8-year warranty of its own.

#344 of 369 Re: 2009 Saturn Vue Hybrid Recall [boot36] by gmcustsvc

Mar 25, 2011 (6:59 am)

Replying to: boot36 (Mar 24, 2011 8:06 am)
I am currently working with Christina on the forum and am glad to see that you are working with your dealership regarding your concern. Please feel free to keep me informed with any further developments with the fix. I can also look into the warranty information for you, but I will need you to send your VIN, name, address, and phone number by email in order to do so. Thank you in advance.
 
Tricia, GM Customer Service.

#345 of 369 Re: Dead Saturn and the Battery Recall [fredk3947] by fredk3947

Mar 25, 2011 (8:36 am)

Replying to: fredk3947 (Jan 14, 2011 4:32 pm)
Took six weeks, but I got my Vue back repaired and it is performing well. The dealer provided outstanding service for us. He called weekly to keep me informed. My free rental car went without a hitch.
 
Now I must decide if I trade the Vue while it still is under my extended warrantee and has value or risk a further problem with the battery pack or hybrid system. I have 15,000 miles left on the extended warrantee. I am leaning towards a trade.

#346 of 369 Re: 2009 Saturn Vue Hybrid Recall [joncanada] by boot36

Mar 25, 2011 (8:51 am)

Replying to: joncanada (Mar 24, 2011 8:19 am)
I'm picking it up today and I'm hoping he was either misspeaking or was talking about another system. I absolutely love this car but have gotten concerned after having so many problems after getting the battery replaced.

#347 of 369 Re: 2009 Saturn Vue Hybrid Recall [boot36] by boot36

Mar 26, 2011 (7:48 am)

Replying to: boot36 (Mar 25, 2011 8:51 am)
It's fixed and running like it did when it was new. The problem was that the ground wire bolt on the under hood junction box was loosing, causing grounding issues and forcing to run the engine choked all the time. On the ride home (15 minutes in town, 15 minutes of highway, and 2 minutes of interstate) I got 38.5 mpg again. That's higher than I had been, and much higher than I was getting before. If you're having any problems I would really suggest checking this, I was skeptical at first but it worked like a charm.

#348 of 369 Re: 2009 Saturn Vue Hybrid Recall [boot36] by gmcustsvc

Mar 30, 2011 (10:06 am)

Replying to: boot36 (Mar 26, 2011 7:48 am)
boot36,
I am glad to hear everything is going well. If you have any other questions comments or concerns feel free contact me.
Christina
GM Customer Service

Messages Page 35 of 37

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