2002 SATURN VUE — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 166 complaints · 2 recalls
Most-reported system: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (40 complaints · 24.1%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 13
  • Fires 5
  • Injuries 7
  • Deaths 0
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NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ELECTRICAL SYSTEM appears in 40 of 166 owner complaints (24.1%) in this vehicle snapshot. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 40 complaints, 24.1% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 40 · 24.1% · 1 crash reports 2 fire reports ENGINE: 34 complaints, 20.5% of reports ENGINE 34 · 20.5% POWER TRAIN: 21 complaints, 12.7% of reports POWER TRAIN 21 · 12.7% · 3 crash reports 1 fire reports STEERING: 15 complaints, 9.0% of reports STEERING 15 · 9.0% · 2 crash reports 2 fire reports AIR BAGS: 13 complaints, 7.8% of reports AIR BAGS 13 · 7.8% · 3 crash reports SUSPENSION: 8 complaints, 4.8% of reports SUSPENSION 8 · 4.8% · 3 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 6 complaints, 3.6% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 6 · 3.6% VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 5 complaints, 3.0% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 5 · 3.0% · 1 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 4 complaints, 2.4% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 4 · 2.4% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 82 complaints, 49.4% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 82 · 49.4% · 7 crash reports 1 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 40 24.1% 1 crashes · 2 fires
ENGINE 34 20.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 21 12.7% 3 crashes · 1 fires
STEERING 15 9.0% 2 crashes · 2 fires
AIR BAGS 13 7.8% 3 crashes · 0 fires
SUSPENSION 8 4.8% 3 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 6 3.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 5 3.0% 1 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 4 2.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 82 49.4% 7 crashes · 1 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Apr 2002; the first recall shown was reported in Dec 2001. 2002-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2002-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2002-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2003-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2003-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2003-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2004-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2004-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2004-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2005-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2005-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2005-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2006-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2007-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2007-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2007-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2007-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2008-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2008-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2008-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2008-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2009-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2010-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2010-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q2: 16 owner reports 16 2014-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2015-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Dec 2001 Jan 2021 Recall campaign 01V386000 ◆ Recall campaign 01V386000 Recall campaign 14V490000 ◆ Recall campaign 14V490000 Investigation PE04052 ● Investigation PE04052 Investigation PE06006 ● Investigation PE06006
  • Campaign 14V490000 was reported 4,218 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2002-Q2 Owner reports 2
2002-Q3 Owner reports 2
2002-Q4 Owner reports 3
2003-Q1 Owner reports 8
2003-Q2 Owner reports 6
2003-Q3 Owner reports 4
2004-Q1 Owner reports 4
2004-Q2 Owner reports 1
2004-Q3 Owner reports 8
2004-Q4 Owner reports 4
2005-Q1 Owner reports 3
2005-Q2 Owner reports 1
2005-Q3 Owner reports 6
2005-Q4 Owner reports 1
2006-Q1 Owner reports 2
2006-Q2 Owner reports 2
2006-Q3 Owner reports 7
2006-Q4 Owner reports 4
2007-Q1 Owner reports 4
2007-Q2 Owner reports 3
2007-Q3 Owner reports 3
2007-Q4 Owner reports 3
2008-Q1 Owner reports 4
2008-Q2 Owner reports 7
2008-Q3 Owner reports 8
2008-Q4 Owner reports 2
2009-Q1 Owner reports 3
2009-Q2 Owner reports 1
2009-Q3 Owner reports 1
2009-Q4 Owner reports 1
2010-Q1 Owner reports 2
2010-Q2 Owner reports 3
2010-Q3 Owner reports 3
2010-Q4 Owner reports 2
2011-Q1 Owner reports 1
2011-Q3 Owner reports 2
2012-Q2 Owner reports 1
2012-Q3 Owner reports 1
2013-Q1 Owner reports 1
2013-Q2 Owner reports 1
2013-Q4 Owner reports 1
2014-Q1 Owner reports 1
2014-Q2 Owner reports 16
2014-Q3 Owner reports 2
2014-Q4 Owner reports 3
2015-Q1 Owner reports 2
2015-Q2 Owner reports 2
2015-Q3 Owner reports 2
2015-Q4 Owner reports 2
2016-Q1 Owner reports 1
2016-Q3 Owner reports 2
2017-Q1 Owner reports 1
2017-Q2 Owner reports 1
2018-Q3 Owner reports 1
2020-Q1 Owner reports 1
2020-Q2 Owner reports 2
2021-Q1 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 01V386000
Recall campaign 1 14V490000
Defect investigation 1 PE04052
Defect investigation 1 PE06006
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (2)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 01V386000

    Report date
    Component:
    SEAT BELTS
    Consequence:
    IF THESE BOLTS WERE INCORRECTLY INSTALLED, THEY WOULD NOT WITHSTAND THE LOAD REQUIREMENTS OF THE STANDARD. IF AN ANCHORAGE FAILED IN A CRASH, THE OCCUPANT WOULD NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED AND COULD HAVE AN INCREASED RISK OF INJURY.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE REAR SHOULDER GUIDE ANCHOR BOLTS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN DECEMBER 19, 2001. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT SATURN AT 1-800-553-6000.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 14V490000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    If the key can be removed from the ignition when the ignition is not in the "off" position, the vehicle could roll away: (a) for an automatic transmission, if the transmission is not in the "Park" position; or (b) for a manual transmission, if the parking brake is not engaged and the transmission is not in the "Reverse" position. This potential for rollaway increases the risk for a crash and occupant or pedestrian injuries.
    Remedy:
    GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle to see if the key can be pulled out when the ignition is off. If it can, dealers will replace the ignition cylinder and keys, free of charge. The recall began in October 2014. Owners may contact Saturn customer service at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for this recall is 14506. Note: Until a vehicle has been remedied, owners and operators are advised that when exiting, to be sure that the vehicle is in "Park," or in the case of a manual transmission, that the vehicle is in the "Reverse" position and the parking brake is engaged.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-22
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 166 complaints · page 1 of 7

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-22.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources