Vue VTI Transmission problems

[Pubpanda]

My new Vue from Saturn has VTI transmission problems. I have noise from the transmission and the dealer only wants to give me extended warranty to 75K-- maybe change some parts. They are not recalling them just fixing them . They want to open up the trans next week and do work -not replace the thing.
I only have 26k miles but that is one year- I put a lot of miles on. Any advice?
THANKS!

[04SilverVue]

Well we have discussed this alot over at SaturnFans.com and really they can fix it and they will give you an extended warranty to make sure it doesn't break again. That is better than just a recall. If they recall they will put a refurbished unit in and you get no more warranty than usual.

[Robert5th]

Originally Posted by Pubpanda

My new Vue from Saturn has VTI transmission problems. I have noise from the transmission and the dealer only wants to give me extended warranty to 75K-- maybe change some parts. They are not recalling them just fixing them . They want to open up the trans next week and do work -not replace the thing.
I only have 26k miles but that is one year- I put a lot of miles on. Any advice?
THANKS!

I have a 2003 fwd VTI transmission and about 12000 km I noticed that the transmiton or dif made niose when idling in traffic at 18 km and or 12 km per hour. now at 16,000 km Ithe niose is much worse. and even when you are braking slowly from 22 km to 17 km and then again at 14 km to 11 km it really make alot of niose. what sort of driving conditions cause your transmitioon niose.
thanks

[Robert5th]

I have a 2003 fwd VTI transmission and about 12000 km I noticed that the transmiton or dif made niose when idling in traffic at 18 km and or 12 km per hour. now at 16,000 km Ithe niose is much worse. and even when you are braking slowly from 22 km to 17 km and then again at 14 km to 11 km it really make alot of niose. what sort of driving conditions cause your transmitioon niose.
thanks

[cnsbarron]

I bought a used SATURN VUE 2003 AWD with a VTI transmission. It had 60000 miles on it when i bought it. I was unaware of the problems with the transmissions and the dealer HYUNDAI OF GREENSBURG PA .Didnt bother to tell me about the 75000 mile warranty on the transmission when I took it into the shop 1 WEEK after purchase.Well I drove it with the noise and the transmission winding out because the mechanics for the dealership said it was normal for that knid of transmissionto sound like that and perform that way.What do I know, Im a nurse, not a mechanic.SO....anywyas...I travel for my job and im in Florida the car now has 82000 miles on it and guess what...Im driving down the road at 60 miles and hour and the car just STOPS,DEAD in the middle of the road!!!!! I am alone, in an area where I dont know anyone, the tow to the SATURN dealership was $150.00 the taxi home was $50.00, the rental car is $210.00 a week. The SATURN dealership told me it would be $650.00 for them to take the tranny apart and tell me what was wrong so they could give me a final bill. They ESTIMATE BETWEEN $4000.00- $6000.00 . I tried to look up my saturn online, I could not get any information because it is still under the previous owners name. I called SATURN AND i wrote them to no avail. I owe $12000.00 on this vehicle. The dealership HYUNDAI of GREENSBURG never returned my calls, they said it wasnt their problem, SATURN will do NOTHING to help. DO YOU KNOW WHAT I AM DOING?????? I am getting a transmission shop to put a tranny in the vehicle for $2500.00 and then FORD offered to take it in on trade and put me in a brand new FORD and give me a break on the trade in loss because SATURN refuses to help their customers. It is the FORD corporation that is going to rescue me from this horrible situation that SATURN has put me in. I work very hard, I help the sick, the dying, the elderly,and SATURN has made it almost impossible for me to keep my head above water with the debt they have put me in. SATURN AND HYUNDAI OF GREENSBURG SUCK!!!! All that money and we the middle class have to pay for their mistakes!!!!!!!! DO NOT BUY FROM THESE TWO,,,THEY WILL LEAVE YOU HANGIND OUT TO DRY.IF YOU HAVE ALREADY BOUGHT FROM ONE OF THEM PLEASE RUN TO THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP THAT DOES NOT DEAL WITH THEM AND TRADE YOUR VEHICLE IN BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!!!!!!

[holdemjunkie]

Originally Posted by cnsbarron

I bought a used SATURN VUE 2003 AWD with a VTI transmission. It had 60000 miles on it when i bought it. I was unaware of the problems with the transmissions and the dealer HYUNDAI OF GREENSBURG PA .Didnt bother to tell me about the 75000 mile warranty on the transmission when I took it into the shop 1 WEEK after purchase.Well I drove it with the noise and the transmission winding out because the mechanics for the dealership said it was normal for that knid of transmissionto sound like that and perform that way.What do I know, Im a nurse, not a mechanic.SO....anywyas...I travel for my job and im in Florida the car now has 82000 miles on it and guess what...Im driving down the road at 60 miles and hour and the car just STOPS,DEAD in the middle of the road!!!!! I am alone, in an area where I dont know anyone, the tow to the SATURN dealership was $150.00 the taxi home was $50.00, the rental car is $210.00 a week. The SATURN dealership told me it would be $650.00 for them to take the tranny apart and tell me what was wrong so they could give me a final bill. They ESTIMATE BETWEEN $4000.00- $6000.00 . I tried to look up my saturn online, I could not get any information because it is still under the previous owners name. I called SATURN AND i wrote them to no avail. I owe $12000.00 on this vehicle. The dealership HYUNDAI of GREENSBURG never returned my calls, they said it wasnt their problem, SATURN will do NOTHING to help. DO YOU KNOW WHAT I AM DOING?????? I am getting a transmission shop to put a tranny in the vehicle for $2500.00 and then FORD offered to take it in on trade and put me in a brand new FORD and give me a break on the trade in loss because SATURN refuses to help their customers. It is the FORD corporation that is going to rescue me from this horrible situation that SATURN has put me in. I work very hard, I help the sick, the dying, the elderly,and SATURN has made it almost impossible for me to keep my head above water with the debt they have put me in. SATURN AND HYUNDAI OF GREENSBURG SUCK!!!! All that money and we the middle class have to pay for their mistakes!!!!!!!! DO NOT BUY FROM THESE TWO,,,THEY WILL LEAVE YOU HANGIND OUT TO DRY.IF YOU HAVE ALREADY BOUGHT FROM ONE OF THEM PLEASE RUN TO THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP THAT DOES NOT DEAL WITH THEM AND TRADE YOUR VEHICLE IN BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!!!!!!

well for 1 thing maybe u should of did some research before u bought the vue, you would have found out that the vti tranny is crap. You shouldnt be mad at saturn u didnt buy the vehicle there so why should they help u out? its hyundai u should be pissed at they deff should of helped u out

[Froggie1]

Originally Posted by holdemjunkie

well for 1 thing maybe u should of did some research before u bought the vue, you would have found out that the vti tranny is crap. You shouldnt be mad at saturn u didnt buy the vehicle there so why should they help u out? its hyundai u should be pissed at they deff should of helped u out

I disagree, Saturn is exactly the one to be pissed at. Hyundai did not make this car, Saturn did. Saturn is definitely aware of a problem or two with this transmission. They have put two in our 2003 Vue already, AND, are about to put in a third because this one is slipping. Saturn created this nightmare for all of us and needs to own up and take care of their Saturn customers, period.

[Froggie1]

Originally Posted by 04SilverVue

Well we have discussed this alot over at SaturnFans.com and really they can fix it and they will give you an extended warranty to make sure it doesn't break again. That is better than just a recall. If they recall they will put a refurbished unit in and you get no more warranty than usual.

I realize this is an old post, but this extended warranty won't help you out when it expires and you are left to pay for a trans repair and Saturn's incompetence. I am working on transmission #3, but now I am out of warranty. Saturn has not heard the last of me.

P.S. Our second transmission was replaced 10 months ago, but now we are past the 12,000 mile part warranty and the 75,000 miles. Time to put the gloves on again.

[Krautman67]

We got our 2003 Vue with the VTI new at the local dealer. Satrun is a different kind of car, as they advertise. Different meaning horrible car and service. (Saturn Saab Izzuzu, Kitchener Ontario) We noticed a vibration after having it for only 28 days and went to return it, they said don't, we will take care of you....and stupid me said OK. Ran mostly OK untill 2007/123,000km , took it in for the VTI vibration and noise. They performed the fluid flush (a Saturn issued service bulliten), which helped a little. Last week, at 150,000km/88,000mi the vibration started in earnest, we no longer will drive the car. Today I will go to have the car tranny "inspected" by them. After reading your commnets I will go in with gloves on. Saturn will never recall this tranny because it is not a safety issue...yet. This will sink Saturn's reputation, because all the dealers seem to treat you like you are the only one with the problem. This $30,000 vehicle is now being offered in our area for $5,000 - 7,000 at only 6 years old. Like another post read, you may as well send this car off a cliff, I would never consider putting $3,000 into it's transmission, let alone the $4,000 to 5,000 they are asking to fix/replace. Thank you for your previous posts.

[Froggie1]

We had the trans replaced in March or April. After MANY conversations with Saturn, they would only pay for the part. We had to pay for labor. Our original quote for labor was $1500.00. I thought that to be outragous and obnoxious (more like being ripped off). I phone a friend who owns a shop and asked what the labor hours to replace the trans assy. It was in the area of 7.5 hours. I multiplied 7.5 times the $115.00 labor rate and got $862.50. So I called the dealer (the writer) back and he insisted it was $1500.00. So I asked him how many labor hours he was charging me and he said hold on, let me look. He came back and agreed they were wrong. After talking to the service manager to see if he would split the labor cost with us he said no. After a heated discussion with him he finally said we were welcome to tow the car out and to a different dealer. That brought us to the owner. VERY long story short we ended up paying around $400.00. They think they have you when the bill will be $5000.00 and you only have to pay $1500.00. Be careful out there and never let your guard down.
Now for those who are still reading this, it gets better. I brought this same 2003 vue back to the dealer on 10/30/08 for a noise I suspected was in the trans Again. Guess what? You got, they replaced the trans AGAIN. This time all parts and labor was paid for by Saturn (because it was within the 12 months or 12,000 mile parts warranty).
So far the score is five new transmissions (including the original) have been installed in this vehicle. We figure Saturn has put over $20,000 just in transmissions in this beauty. Oh well, it's got almosst 170,000 miles on it and not a spot of rust (HAHA).
I hope you have enjoyed the saga so far. I am sure there will be more.

[Froggie1]

Out of the Four replacement transmissions we've had replaced, it's been towed twice because the case half cracked and it would not move. Luckily we were able to coast to safety. They will never recall these cars. They are just going to wait it out. Either the cars will be sold and become used (which they will have no liability for them anymore), We will crash them, We will donate them or We will junk them. They just can't wait for the last one to expire and go away.

[Chep]

I too am having transmission issues with my 2003 Saturn Vue. It's a real shame... I bought this as my daughter's first car (Purchased used with only 46,000 mile) & she's heartbroken that it is out of commission. The dealer is still trying to "Diagnose" the problem, but this is the second time they've had it, and it seems they are trying to put me off, or blame the issue on something else. The tranny just disengages after driving it for 15 min or so.... I can't believe that GM would allow Saturn's brand to be dragged through the mud like this without an official recall. After most of the postings I've read, and the experience to date dealing with this issue, Saturn will never be my choice for future vehicle purchases.

In the mean time I have to fight the fight and try to get the car back in working order so I can get rid of it (If I can find anyone that will take it)

[Chep]

Originally Posted by Chep

I too am having transmission issues with my 2003 Saturn Vue. It's a real shame... I bought this as my daughter's first car (Purchased used with only 46,000 mile) & she's heartbroken that it is out of commission. The dealer is still trying to "Diagnose" the problem, but this is the second time they've had it, and it seems they are trying to put me off, or blame the issue on something else. The tranny just disengages after driving it for 15 min or so.... I can't believe that GM would allow Saturn's brand to be dragged through the mud like this without an official recall. After most of the postings I've read, and the experience to date dealing with this issue, Saturn will never be my choice for future vehicle purchases.

In the mean time I have to fight the fight and try to get the car back in working order so I can get rid of it (If I can find anyone that will take it)

Actually, Saturn would be smart to buy these cars back! That way they won't have the continuing repair costs and the reputation hit!

[Froggie1]

Originally Posted by Chep

I too am having transmission issues with my 2003 Saturn Vue. It's a real shame... I bought this as my daughter's first car (Purchased used with only 46,000 mile) & she's heartbroken that it is out of commission. The dealer is still trying to "Diagnose" the problem, but this is the second time they've had it, and it seems they are trying to put me off, or blame the issue on something else. The tranny just disengages after driving it for 15 min or so.... I can't believe that GM would allow Saturn's brand to be dragged through the mud like this without an official recall. After most of the postings I've read, and the experience to date dealing with this issue, Saturn will never be my choice for future vehicle purchases.

In the mean time I have to fight the fight and try to get the car back in working order so I can get rid of it (If I can find anyone that will take it)

I do feel for you. We had another trans replaced last fall (I forgot what trans we were on at that point. Could have been #7) Sold it with 8000 miles on the latest trans and the owner who bought it just emailed, it went again. Saturn will pay, again, of course. To sum this up, get saturn to replace the whole assy. Sell it right away. The new trans WILL fail (not maybe). And by the way, they will never buy them back because that would admit guilt and become a whole can of worms for them. Good Luck.
P.S. We are involved in a class action lawsuit againt them. Court date coming up soon? Save all receipts, towing, rental car, repairs ect.

[Kitty361]

My situation is the same as many others who have posted. I purchased a 2003 Saturn Vue new in June of 2003. My Vue had 86,013 miles on it when we noticed that it was having trouble shifting gears. On May 31, 2001 on our way home on the highway it started making a loud screeching noise and would not go over 10 miles. When we took it in to have it serviced at the dealership we were told that the VTi transmission was out and that this was a common problem with this type of transmission. The only thing that Saturn offered was to pay half of the total amount of $6000.00 to have it repaired. We do not have $3000.00 for a car repair plus I am very leery about putting $3000.00 into my car. We contacted three other places to see about getting a transmission and were told that the VTi transmissions could not be rebuilt because they would malfunction again. A different transmission would have to be put in. We were also told that we could trade in the Saturn for $5000.00 but we would have to buy a new GM car. Why would I want to buy another GM vehicle when they show no accountability in the handling the defects for the VTi transmission? Saturn is currently in a lawsuit over the VTi transmissions. I was transferred to the legal dept. Here are some resources below for those of you in the same situation.
You can file complaints with:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Website http://www.safercar.gov/Vehicle+Owners/
Better Business Bureau
Website http://www.bbb.org/
File a complaint with your states attorney general
Post your problem for the VTi transmission on forum boards
Write your local politiciansCongressmen, local officials and attorney general you can find your local officials at c-span. You may have to Google your state and attorney general separately to find out who that is.
http://www.c-span.org/CongressDirectory/
Last but not least you can write the CEO of GM
Mr. Daniel Akerson
CEO GM
300 Renaissance Center
Detroit, MI 48265