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Chart based on 44 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.
2008 Saturn VUE
Engine not specified
53000 mi
Complete replacement of transmission was necessary
I was driving on a Friday evening when the Vue shifted hard a few times. I stopped at a light and when I went to take off from the light it seemed like I had no power. I noticed as I sped up - finally - that the transmission would not shift.
Clutch discs disintegrated. A problem was reported 2-3 years prior re shifting inconsistently but nothing was found. then this happens with catastrophic results. Luckily it was still under warranty
65000 mi
The Vue had a problem with the transmission. This was the second time that the transmission failed. The estimated cost to repair it was $2,500 so I just got rid of the car since it's not worth it. The transmission failed twice within 65,000 miles - the first repair was done by a dealer just before the end of the powertrain warranty.
123000 mi
US $100
Repair was not actually done. TEHCM unit in the transmission is failing, sometimes causing the transmission to be stuck in first gear. A transmission shop said that replacing the TEHCM would cost around $2000. They said that there are a lot of other parts in this model of transmission which are prone to failure and that they would not recommend replacing the TEHCM without doing a full rebuild to upgrade and replace the parts which are likely to fail soon. Because of the age and mileage of the car, they recommended trading it in or selling it because the cost of the rebuild would be more than the car is worth.
20000 mi
Mechanic recommended replacement of torque converter gasket.
Waveplate broke and decimated the transmission. Led to total transmission failure, stranding me on the side of the road. This happened a WEEK out of warranty.
3-5-R wave plate failure. GM would not provide any assistance as the event was 4 days past the warranty cut-off based on vehicle paperwork and not delivery. Dealer quoted $4648 for replacement of the transmission. Repair not made, but vehicle was traded in and another vehicle purchased.
44020 mi
Needed a new transmission at a cost of over $5K. Took 6 weeks for the dealer to source the part and get the car back to me.
68300 mi
US $5500
Transmission died. Some plates broke. Also replaced the CV axles while there.
transmission failure; replacement 3 and 5 clutch plates; clean and repair of transmission; fully covered under powertrain warranty transmission failure; replacement 3 and 5 clutch plates; clean and repair of transmission; fully covered under powertrain warranty
106000 mi
US $1000
trouble shifting from third to fourth and into reverse, affected parts replaced
Hybrid system error/Stabilitrak error/check engine light was poping up during long distance driving. Local mechanic replaced camshaft parts.
118000 mi
US $600
A lot of vibration, grinding sound above 40 mph. Replaced ball bearings but problem still existed. Dangerous to drive on highway. Independent repair shops could not fix the problem and even dealership service guy recommended to abandon the car.
The issue occurred again and no one could assist. I was told: if the light is not on when it is occurring we cannot help you. as a result in july of 2013 I traded the vehicle in for a Hyundai. of course the light went on that day.
The dealer changed battery and shift lever. It seems a batch of bad batteries have been installed on some VUE XE 08 FWD
91640 mi
C $479
Axel seals had to be replaced
62000 mi
Transmission was unable to shift into reverse, 1st and 2nd gear. Transmission was "rebuilt".
Transmission hunting for gears when in cruise control set at around 70mph. Constant shifting every mile from 4th to 6th gear regardless of the pavement angle.
See our lemon odds and nada odds page to see vehicles with no repairs or vehicles with more than three repairs. To see how
frequently 2008 Saturn VUE problems occur, check out our car reliability stats.