2008 Saturn Aura Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Aura years
- Far more complaints than other years 2nd of 6 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 4 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 432 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Saturn Aura. That ranks 2nd out of 6 Aura model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is power train (124 complaints, 29%), typically at around 84,000 miles. Complaints mention 18 crashes, 1 fire, 9 injuries. There are 4 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 432owner complaints
- 4safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 18complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2008 Saturn Aura problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train problems | 124 | 29% | 84,000 | “shift cable” (19%) | $1,150 |
| Steering problems | 112 | 26% | 80,000 | “intermediate steering” (8%) | $1,100 |
| Electrical System problems | 92 | 21% | 80,000 | “traction control” (12%) | — |
| Service Brakes problems | 59 | 14% | 83,000 | “cruise control” (25%) | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 45 | 10% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 43 | 10% | 90,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 28 | 6% | 106,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 26 | 6% | 63,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 22 | 5% | 73,500 | — | — |
| Engine | 19 | 4% | 96,493 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 19 | 4% | 65,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 19 | 4% | 94,007 | — | — |
| Structure | 18 | 4% | 76,500 | — | — |
| Suspension | 8 | 2% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 7 | 2% | 84,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 6 | 1% | 76,005 | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 4 | 1% | 69,500 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 3 | 1% | 79,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 3 | 1% | 42,776 | — | — |
| Tires | 3 | 1% | 36,500 | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 2 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 0% | 11,500 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 2 | 0% | 86,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 2 | 0% | 9,351 | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 0% | 3,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | 0% | 170,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2008 Saturn Aura recalls (4)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Electronic stability control (esc); vehicle speed control:cruise control; exterior lighting:brake lights:switch; electrical system:wiring
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2012 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured May 16, 2003, through October 11, 2012, 2004-2007 Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured June 25, 2003, through April 5, 2007, 2005-2010 Pontiac G6 vehicles manufactured May 26, 2004, through January 4, 2010, and 2007-2010 Saturn Aura vehicles manufactured April 24, 2006, through May 26, 2009. In the affected vehicles, increased resistance in the Body Control Module (BCM) connection may result in voltage fluctuations in the Brake Apply Sensor (BAS) circuit. These fluctuations can cause one or more of these conditions: the brake lights to illuminate without the brake pedal being pushed; the brake lights to not illuminate when the pedal is pushed; difficulty disengaging the cruise control; moving the gear shifter out of the 'PARK' position without pushing the brake; and disablement of crash avoidance features such as traction control, electronic stability control, and panic braking assist features.
Risk: Any of the above failure conditions increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will attach the wiring harness to the BCM with a spacer, apply dielectric lubricant to both the BCM and harness connector and the BAS and harness connector, and will relearn the brake pedal home position, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed an Interim letter to customers on July 14, 2014. The recall began on August 18, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), 1-800-762-2737 (Pontiac), 1-800-553-6000 (Saturn). GM's number for this recall is 13036.
Power train:automatic transmission:lever and linkage:floor shift
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on April 29, 2014, that they are recalling 56,214 model year 2007 and 2008 Saturn Aura vehicles. On May 22, 2014, GM increased the recall to include an additional 1,074,899 model year 2004-2008 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured from May 16, 2003, through October 5, 2007, model year 2004-2007 Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured from June 25, 2003, through April 5, 2007, and model year 2005-2008 Pontiac G6 vehicles manufactured from May 26, 2004, through September 28, 2007, and equipped with 4-speed transmissions. The total number vehicles being recalled is now 1,131,113.
Risk: If the transmission shift cable fractures while the vehicle is being driven, the transmission gear selection may not match the indicated gear and the vehicle may move in an unintended or unexpected direction, increasing the risk of a crash. Furthermore, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, despite selecting the ÂPARK position, the transmission may not be in ÂPARK. If the vehicle is not in the "PARK" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and GM dealers will replace the shift cable assembly and mounting bracket, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for this recall is 14152.
Steering:electric power assist system
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 and 2008-2009 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2006 Malibu Maxx, 2009-2010 HHR (non-turbo), 2010 Cobalt, 2008-2009 Saturn Aura and 2004-2007 Ion, and 2005-2009 Pontiac G6. In the affected vehicles, there may be a sudden loss of electric power steering (EPS) assist that could occur at any time while driving.
Risk: If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will perform one of four bulletins. Parts are not currently available. GM expects to send an interim notification around May 28, 2014. When parts are available, owners will be mailed a second letter to come in to have the applicable bulletin applied. Bulletin 14115 covers model year 2004-2007 Saturn Ion, 2009-2010 Chevrolet HHR and 2010 Chevrolet Cobalts. Dealers will replace the EPS motor. Bulletin 14116 covers model year 2004-2006 Chevrolet Malibu and Malibu Maxx, 2005-2006 Pontiac G6 and 2008-2009 Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura built from March 1, 2008, through June 27, 2008. Dealers will replace the torque sensor assembly. Bulletin 14117 covers model year 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura built from February 1, 2008, through February 28, 2008. Dealers will replace the torque sensor assembly and EPS motor controller unit. Bulletin 14118 covers model year 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura built from October 1, 2007, through January 31, 2008. Dealers will replace the EPS motor controller unit. The recall began on July 17, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, Saturn at 1-800-553-6000, and Pontiac at 1-800-620-7668. GM's number for this recall is N140115. Note: GM bulletin number 14119 will be implemented for model year 2006-2008 and early production of 2009 Chevrolet HHR (non-turbo) and model year 2003 Saturn ION to provide EPS Motor replacement for the life of the vehicle.
Power train:automatic transmission:gear position indication (prndl)
Problem: 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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install a retainer over the cable end or replace the shift cable as necessary. This service will be performed free of charge. Notification to owners began on on November 9, 2012. Owners were instructed to not bring their vehicles for repair until January 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Transmission Shift Cable Failure (EA11015) — opened Nov 10, 2011, closed Jun 2, 2014, led to recall 14V224000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
The Air Bag Service Warning Message and warning light is illuminated I took the car back to the dealership had it serviced and a month later the message and light are on again. The passenger Air Bag sensor is malfunctioning sometimes it doesn't detect the passenger most times it detects a passenger…
My electric power steering stopped working. Not safe to drive. This was fixed prior on recall. I did not own car then.
My 2008 Saturn Aura had the transmission shift cable safety recall completed. The same rollaway condition has returned. GM and the dealer refused reinspection and repair, stating the vehicle âhas lived its life.â This recall addresses a known rollaway safety risk, and the condition still exists.
The power train has failed the car won't start the fuses and relays are burning up and the transmission shifts so hard at a jolt almost. The service ecs ecm and service airbag indicator staying lit and the back passenger airbag looks like it's about to deploy it's a safety hazard I love my car I've…
My vehicleâs make and model have received recalls as stated online, however, my specific VIN does not state any recalls. I am having the same symptoms with the airbags, electrical, and transmission as the recalls stated with my make and model. I believe there should be recalls for my vehicleâs…
Other Saturn Aura years
See all Saturn Aura problems by year, every Saturn model, or the VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2008 Saturn Aura?
Owners most often report power train, steering, electrical system problems. The top one, power train, accounts for 124 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2008 Saturn Aura?
Yes, 4 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2008 Saturn Aura a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Aura model years, the 2008 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.