saturn astra Problems

saturn astra 2008 Complaints

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

i bought a 2008 saturn astra 4dr hatchback xe on march 26, 2008. on june 26th, the check engine light came on and i notice that when i step on the gas, the acceleration seems to be limited. i took the car to the dealership on 6/28/08, after the on-line diagnostics through on-staron 6/26 indicated that there seems to be a malfunction code in the engine control system. the dealership downloaded new software and recommended that i monitor the next occurrence of the check engine light. i drove the car with no check engine light from the dealer on 6/28, 6/29, however on 6/30, around 9am, the check indicator light came on again. i brought it to the dealer on 7/2 in the morning. currently, they are diagnosing the vehicle.

Reported in: OXFORD CT || Crash: N || VIN #: W08AR671185

STRUCTURE

bought 08 astra jan 27, drove to az. car drove fantastic. on 6/18/2008 i took it to saturn because i kept hearing a high pitch chirping noise upon acceleration. it only makes this sound if the ac is on. it sounds like the belt is loose the tech told me it was because the engine is not strong enough to handle the ac and everything else at one time. like i said it did not do this when i bought. he told me to monitor the noise. it is still making sound along with a deep rattle also coming from the front of car.

Reported in: FAIRFIELD CA || Crash: N || VIN #: W08AR671185

EQUIPMENT

Reported in: FAIRFIELD CA || Crash: N || VIN #: W08AR671185

SUSPENSION

tl*the contact owns a 2008 saturn astra. the contact stated that the front end of his vehicle was out of alignment. while driving at any speed, he can feel the front end swaying to the side. the manufacturer stated that the roads were the cause of the failure and not the vehicle. they refused to service the vehicle. the failure mileage was 3,800. updated 12/30/08. *lj updated 01/05/09. *jb

Reported in: CAPE CORAL FL || Crash: N || VIN #: W08AR671085

STEERING

Reported in: CAPE CORAL FL || Crash: N || VIN #: W08AR671085

AIR BAGS

airbags did not go off no response from onstar after crash.

Reported in: WAYNESVILLE OH || Crash: Y || VIN #: W08AR671585

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

service update-inv & cust-obd system improvements rprgrm ecm & tcm exp 8/80 warr. type:yt number:08335.

Reported in: NORRISTOWN PA || Crash: N || VIN #:

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

i have a 2008 saturn astra. when entering a highway from a ramp, or punching to accelerate, the gas pedal on numerous occasions has stuck to the floor. by tapping it has released but this has happened at least a dozen times in the last 3 months.

Reported in: NAPERVILLE IL || Crash: N || VIN #: W08AT271885

TIRES

i bought a saturn astra -- brand new. i recently found out that the tires had plugs in them -- at least two tires with two plugs. the tires were not new and are damaged. i called gm, filed a complaint, took the car into the dealer, and was told that the tires were damaged. gm just contacted me and said they are not responsible and their final decision is "buyer beware".

Reported in: BOSTON MA || Crash: N || VIN #: W08AT271485

TIRES

my tires are frequently getting sidewall bulges. this happened on a new 2008 saturn astra after it was about 6 months old. the first time it happened the dealer told me that it was a safety issue so i purchased a new tire. then it happened again. the tires are hankook p225/45r17.

Reported in: CLINTON TOWNSHIP MI || Crash: N || VIN #: W08AT271085

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

the vehicle caught fire and burned beyond repair. i was driving the speed limit on a major highway. i heard a very loud thump under the hood. i pulled onto the shoulder to investigate, when a car pulled beside me and the driver told me that there were flames coming from the bottom of my car. the flames quickly grew and huge billows of black smoke impaired visibility of the people driving on the interstate. by the time the fire truck arrived, from the steering wheel forward, the car was largely ash and blackened metal.

Reported in: AUSTIN TX || Crash: N || VIN #: W08AT271985

AIR BAGS

airbag light on with no accident ??? involve.

Reported in: NORRISTOWN PA || Crash: N || VIN #:

AIR BAGS

airbag light come on while driving my 2008 saturn astra xr ???? no accident involved no idea no damage ...none ??? the car only have 38k thanks

Reported in: NORRISTOWN PA || Crash: N || VIN #: W08AT671985

FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER

fuel door would not open(locks and unlocks with the regular doors). researched the problem,and got the solution; in the trunk there is a small covered opening,on your right,turn the screw and it will open.there is a black wire, pull it and this will unlock the fuel door.

Reported in: DOLLARD-DES-ORMEAUX 00 || Crash: N || VIN #:

AIR BAGS

air bags failed to deploy.

Reported in: GRAND PRAIRIE TX || Crash: Y || VIN #: W08AT271885

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

tl* the contact owns a 2008 saturn astra. the contact stated that the horn was inoperable. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was advised that the electronic control module for the horn failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired for the electronic control module. the failure recurred approximately one year later. the vehicle had not been inspected by a dealer nor repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure and the current mileages were approximately 76,900.

Reported in: KISSIMMEE FL || Crash: N || VIN #: W08AT271985

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

tl* the contact owns a 2008 saturn astra. the contact state that while driving 25 mph, she crashed head-on into a tree and fractured her ribs, sternum and vertebrae. the air bags did not deploy and the contact suffered major injuries to her ribs and back. the contact was taken to the hospital and a police report was filed. the vehicle was destroyed and the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure and the current mileage was 55,000. updated 06 /05/12 *bf the vehicle was totaled by her insurance company. updated 06/18/12

Reported in: SAUNDERES TOWN RI || Crash: Y || VIN #: W08AT671085

VISIBILITY

tl* the contact owns a 2008 saturn astra. the contact was driving 60 mph when both the driver and passenger side mirrors detached from the vehicle suddenly. the manufacturer was notified of the failure who advised that each mirror would have to be reinstalled. there were no recalls for the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 42,000.

Reported in: JEFFERSON OR || Crash: N || VIN #: W08AR671785

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

owner was stop n go city driving pulled into his home driveway noticed smoke coming from under dash. parked car and immediately contacted fire service. car dash ignition area burst into flames and was heavily damaged by fire. fire was extinguished quickly by firefighters, extremely fast moving fire and excessive smoke. total damage to vehicle. all damage limited to interior. point of origin was left of lower dash area under steering wheel. under investigation at this time as to cause. suspected electrical in nature.

Reported in: SYDNEY, NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA AA || Crash: N || VIN #: A2033965400

VISIBILITY

when you have windshield wipers, defroster and head lights the electrical system will rest itself while driving.

Reported in: REDFORD MI || Crash: N || VIN #: W08AT671885

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

when you have windshield wipers, defroster and head lights the electrical system will rest itself while driving.

Reported in: REDFORD MI || Crash: N || VIN #: W08AT671885

TIRES

the low tire pressure light would come on frequently and i have taken the vehicle in multiple times to the dealer. the dealer would say that there was no issue and they just put air into tire. this has been going on for years. this month i had to buy two new tires due to bulges and tires going flat. aaa stated that the tire was leaking from the valve stem, which an online search has indicated this to be a common defect in the astra and there has been a service bulletin about the issue.

Reported in: TOLEDO OH || Crash: N || VIN #:

WHEELS

Reported in: TOLEDO OH || Crash: N || VIN #:

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)

basically this vehicle did the same thing as your recall #12v46000 for the saturn aura, see below: 2008 saturn aura power train:automatic transmission:gear position indication (prndl) nhtsa campaign #12v460000 date announced: september 18, 2012 vehicles affected: 426,240 summary: general motors (gm) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 saturn aura and model year 2008-2010 chevrolet malibu and pontiac g6 vehicles, equipped with a 4-speed automatic transmission. on these vehicles, the tabs on the transmission shift cable end may fracture and separate. consequence: if the tabs were to fracture and separate, the shift lever and the actual position of the transmission gear may not match. the driver would be able to move the shifter to 'park' and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in 'park.' the vehicle may not be able to be restarted and the vehicle could roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible crash without prior warning when exiting vehicle it began to roll back, that was the second time. at that time, the vehicle shift lever was in park position, when the shift lever read the car was in d1. consequently it would not restart. additionally, the shift lever could not be moved. luckily i was at work and it was parked on flat ground, with no other cars around. this could have happened when i was on the highway, or i after i had gone into work. i feel it is a major safety issue.

Reported in: VENTRESS LA || Crash: N || VIN #: W08AR671685

POWER TRAIN

Reported in: VENTRESS LA || Crash: N || VIN #: W08AR671685

POWER TRAIN

when attempting to shift the vehicle from reverse to forward the shift lever went into position however when my wife stepped on the gas to go forward the vehicle was still in reverse. apparently the shift cable failed and the vehicle could not change gears. she was left with a vehicle that was unsafe to drive thus had to be towed. i do not feel that the use of a plastic clip in such a key position is safe and thus should be reviewed.

Reported in: BELLE ISLE FL || Crash: N || VIN #: W08AT271X85

VISIBILITY/WIPER

last spring i was driving down the street, and noticed that my passenger side mirror glass was missing. the glass lost the adhesion to the plastic backing. even with many reports in online forums, and with hundreds of sales of mirrors on ebay, both onstar and the dealership stated there were no service bulletins or recalls related to the issue. as if mirrors failing is normal wear and tear. instead of paying over $70 on a new mirror plus installation, i found a used one on ebay and replaced it myself. this past may, the driver's side mirror fell out, but thankfully i noticed it before it fell to the ground and was able to roll down my window to get it before it did. again, onstar and the dealership said it is not a wide spread issue reported. the dealership provided me with some double sided tape to put the glass back on. this past saturday (july 12th, 2014), the replacement mirror glass started shaking, and after stopping to get it before it fell out, noticed it was hanging on by a very small amount of adhesive in one corner. i again obtained double sided tape to reinstall the glass. i again reported it to gm via onstar and the gm customer care center. side view mirrors are important safety items on vehicles, without them people may not be able to see around their vehicles when changing lanes, or backing out of a parking spot... which could cause serious injury or death if another vehicle or person is in the way and not seen due to a failed mirror.

Reported in: BINGHAMTON NY || Crash: N || VIN #: W08AT271885

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Reported in: BINGHAMTON NY || Crash: N || VIN #: W08AT271885

STRUCTURE:BODY

Reported in: BINGHAMTON NY || Crash: N || VIN #: W08AT271885

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

original owner of a saturn astra 2008 xr with less than 40,000 miles. car started losing power steering at low speeds (i.e. turning from a stop, parallel parking, any movement that didn't require actively applying the accelerator such as backing up, slowing to take a curve, etc). dealer states need to replace electric power steering motor and controller unit gear. battery is at 35% and also needs replacing. no notice of low battery was shown on the dashboard. last service (always at dealership) 12/31/13 they had to force the on-board computer to stop showing an engine problem code related to the intake system (p0068), as they couldn't find/replicate the indicated issue. gm says they won't cover this because of the age of the car, despite the low mileage and the fact that this is the same issue cited in various recalls since the beginning of 2014. they have, as of july 24, 2014, sixty different recalls covering almost 30 million cars. they have allowed extended warranties of 10 years or 100,000 miles to saturn ions for this problem and issued actual recalls for, among many others, saturn aura, sky, ion etc. for this and related problems.

Reported in: MILWAUKEE WI || Crash: N || VIN #: W08AT671585

STEERING

Reported in: MILWAUKEE WI || Crash: N || VIN #: W08AT671585

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

2008 saturn astra. consumer writes in regards to the defective electronic module that controls both abs and stabilitrak systems. *smd the dealer replaced the electronic brake control module, at a cost of $ 797.23. *jb

Reported in: DEARBORN MI || Crash: N || VIN #: W08AT671285

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Reported in: DEARBORN MI || Crash: N || VIN #: W08AT671285

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

the prndl (automatic transmission gear position indicator) stopped functioning. moving the shifter lever (located between the front seats) down or up produced no action although the car was stuck in the �r� or reverse position as indicated by the cluster. took car to a shop and they found that the end of shifter cable (located in the engine compartment) has completely eroded. shop mechanic mentioned that this is a known issue and that saturn auras were recalled a while back for that exact issue. why wasn�t saturn astra? repair totaled over $300. i've owned several cars in my life but never had this happened. the car has only 58k miles on it.

Reported in: TITUSVILLE FL || Crash: N || VIN #:

POWER TRAIN

Reported in: TITUSVILLE FL || Crash: N || VIN #:

COMMUNICATIONS:HORN ASSEMBLY

tl* the contact owns a 2008 saturn astra. the contact stated that the horn failed to activate. the dealer stated that the cim clamp needed to be repaired. the vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred a month later. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was repaired again. the failure mileage was 16,000.

Reported in: FRANKLIN SQUARE NY || Crash: N || VIN #: W08AR671X85

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