Saturn Vue Rear Suspension Recall

What was the recall for? Just curious as it is on my list to buy in the next year.

B~

When government tested Vue for rollover, rear suspension collapsed in 2 samples.

not yet, still waiting.

What Art said. Basicaly, NTSHA has revamped reollover testing as of '04 from the old "on paper" theory to actually putting a stunt driver behind the wheel. The '04 VUE's rear pass. wheel folded under ONLY after extreme driving at 50mph, slammin the brakes, slamming the gas and swerving over and over like a maniac until something broke. Most other SUV's did actually flip over. The VUE did not, the rear wheel folded under and Saturn asked that the testing be halted to repair the issue.

Recalls notes were issued out but to date, I have yet to actually hear of Saturn actually deciding on what to do about it. The problem (rear suspension beefed up) has been oficially corrected on '05 VUE's however. I do suggest that those with '04's and below keep on Saturn for a reply as no dealership knows what or when exactly a fix for these will be provided. It is a frustrating subject fopr dealers and owners alike unfortunately.

On the other hand, the good news is that of all the VUEs out there there has been only one incident of the rear wheel collapsing, ala a woman losing control of her VUE after speeding and losing control. Basically what I tell ppl is "if you plan on driving as in test conditions, you need a ferrari and you need to be on a test road. if you drive normal, it is basically a totally safe car".

marx404

No SUV have flipped over in the test. Some did lift a wheel, but none actually "flipped."

see:

Ed

that is true that no SUV flipped over, as during these tests all vehicles are equipped with "training wheels" to prevent the flip from occuring. I drive I95 every day, think training wheels would be a good idea for some people :-)

marx404

Your original post implied that most SUV did not pass the NHTSA dynamic stability test ("Most other SUV's did actually flip over. The VUE did not,..."). This is not the case. Most SUVs did not lift any wheels in the testing, a few lifted one wheel but did not "tip." As far as that particular test is concerned, I'd say the Vue flunked it, even if it did not tip over, since the rear suspension collasped. I am personally not worried about this particular falure, but then I would not be worried about the SUVs that only lifted one wheel either.

Regards,

Ed White

I just had my '03 (33k miles) in for replacement of the Intermediate Steering Shaft (making noise during right turns). They also performed Campaign # 04067001 - Replacement of Rear Lateral Link Assemblies (15249340 Link Kit - 1.2 Hrs. Labor).

I just had my '03 (33k miles) in for replacement of the Intermediate Steering Shaft (making noise during right turns). They also performed Campaign # 04067001 - Replacement of Rear Lateral Link Assemblies (15249340 Link Kit - 1.2 Hrs. Labor).