AI Damage2005 Saturn VUE: common problems
Owners of the 2005 Saturn VUE filed 170 complaints with NHTSA, most often about electrical system and powertrain. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 170
- involving a crash
- 15
What fails most often
- 1 Electrical system 42% of all complaints
- 2 Powertrain 18% of all complaints
- 3 Steering 12% of all complaints
- 4 Air bags 9% of all complaints
- 5 Engine 5% of all complaints
- 6 Engine and cooling 5% of all complaints
- 7 Service brakes 5% of all complaints
- 8 Structure 3% of all complaints
- Electrical system: 72 complaints (42% of all).
- Powertrain: 30 complaints (18% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Steering: 20 complaints (12% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 15 complaints (9% of all), 10 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine: 9 complaints (5% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2.2 L · petrol · 4 cylnamed in 1 complaints
- 3.5 L · petrol · 6 cylnamed in 1 complaints
- automatic, 4-speed
- automatic, 5-speed
- CVTnamed in 2 complaints
- manual, 5-speednamed in 1 complaints
Drive: FWD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 170 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 72 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 30 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 20 | 1 | 0 |
| Air bags | 15 | 10 | 0 |
| Engine | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 3 | 2 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Takata recall my family and I were in a roll over accident on august 20th 2019 our airbags did not deploy at impact. We were in motion going 60mph on cournty road 799 going towards george west tx when my vehicle was headed towards a covert and jerked the wheel to the left to avoid the ditch but the steering wheel…
The contact stated while traveling approximately 20 mph attempting to avoid crashing into another vehicle, the contact had to apply force to the brakes and the steering wheel locked. As a result, the contact lost control of the vehicle crashing into a metal ground wire which flipped the vehicle over.
The airbag did not deploy. This resulted in a head concussion, torn right shoulder and badly bruised knees along with minor cuts to hands and face. The man who towed it away also wondered about this. I'm wondering if there was a recall that I haven't been able to find on my 2005 saturn vue?
The air bags did not deploy and the seat belt did not retract. The contact was injured and transported to the hospital. A police report was filed of the incident. The vehicle was destroyed. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure and the current mileage was 116,000.
Bought brand new yokohama tires for my saturn vue - had them approximately 2 weeks when one of them blew out forcing my vehicle into a curb while I was driving. This did major damage to the front end - the front drivers tire blew out and the rear tire on the driver's side had a huge bubble in it.
The contact stated that the transmission failed twice while merging into traffic at various speeds. Before the failure, the transmission made a grinding noise. The vehicle was unable to be driven and was towed to the dealer. The dealer stated that a new transmission was needed.
I was wearing my seat belt and still hit the steering wheel, causing me to get cuts on my lips and face. The majority of the injuries to my body were on the left side.
This is a known problem with these saturn views it is where the engine carriage bolt attaches to the frame the water from the road in everything shoots right up on it and rust this area where I had to work on this area and remove the bolts in the front there was so much rust that now the bolt cannot be reattached this…
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 2,360 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 6% most complained about).
On average one model year of the VUE has 236 complaints (10 years in the data). This year has 170, below average.
What to check before buying
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2005 Saturn VUE?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: electrical system, powertrain, steering. Total complaints: 170. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: knocking, grinding or other noise (5%), transmission slipping (5%), A/C or heater (4%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2005 Saturn VUE?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2005 Saturn VUE from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2005 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.