2009 Saturn Aura Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Aura years
- Far more complaints than other years 3rd of 6 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 4 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 390 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Saturn Aura. That ranks 3rd out of 6 Aura model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is steering (210 complaints, 54%), typically at around 123,700 miles. Complaints mention 12 crashes, 2 fires, 10 injuries. There are 4 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 390owner complaints
- 4safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 12complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2009 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steering problems | 210 | 54% | 123,700 | “service esc” (11%) | — |
| Power Train problems | 65 | 17% | 85,500 | “wave plate” (12%) | — |
| Electrical System problems | 59 | 15% | 93,000 | “electronic stability control” (17%) | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) problems | 59 | 15% | 106,000 | “service esc” (34%) | — |
| Service Brakes | 40 | 10% | 71,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 29 | 7% | 98,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 26 | 7% | 89,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 21 | 5% | 70,022 | — | — |
| Engine | 17 | 4% | 100,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 12 | 3% | 96,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 8 | 2% | 112,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 8 | 2% | 79,000 | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 5 | 1% | 95,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 4 | 1% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 4 | 1% | 94,500 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 | 1% | 89,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 3 | 1% | 67,416 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 1% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 3 | 1% | 146,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 2 | 1% | 61,600 | — | — |
| Suspension | 2 | 1% | 31,985 | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 0% | 44,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2009 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.
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.
Power train:automatic transmission:lever and linkage:column shift
Problem: General motors is recalling 276,729 my 2009 buick enclave, chevrolet cobalt, hhr, malibu, traverse, gmc acadia, pontiac g5, g6 and saturn aura and outlook passenger vehicles. These vehicles fail to comply with federal motor vehicles safety standard 102, "transmission shift position sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect", and fmvss 114, "theft protection and rollaway prevention". On some of these vehicles, the transmission shift cable adjustment clip may not be fully engaged. If the clip is not fully engaged, the shift lever and the actual position of the transmission gear may not match. With this condition, the drive could move the shifter to "park" and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in "park".
Risk: The driver may not be able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle could roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible crash without prior warning.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and ensure that the shift cable adjustment clip is fully engaged. In the event that the clip does not engage, the shift cable will be replaced free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on or before march 24, 2009. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, gmc at 1-866-996-9463, pontiac at 1-800-620-7668 and saturn at 1-800-972-8876 or at www.gmownercenter.com.
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
- Fleet Vehicle Recall Completion Audit (AQ10001) — opened Nov 18, 2010, closed Dec 28, 2015.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Power steering quit working majority of the time but will randomly start working again but won't work for long.
My steering wheel started to randomly shake while I was driving this car through a car wash that I go through monthly. all of a sudden my wheel locked up and flashing warning signals appeared on my dashboard âSERVICE ESCâ making me at a loss of electric power steering assist. I never got in an…
The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle intermittently lost power steering functionality. The message "EPS Failure" was displayed. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number…
The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and making left or right turns on several occasions, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact stated that the steering wheel became firm and required added effort to turn the steering…
I was driving and all of a sudden I lost power steering and I had to get over pull over and I was freaking out I could have crashed my dash was saying service ecs
Other Saturn Aura years
See all Saturn Aura problems by year, every Saturn model, or the VIN decoder.
Similar Saturn models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2009 Saturn Aura?
Owners most often report steering, power train, electrical system problems. The top one, steering, accounts for 210 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2009 Saturn Aura?
Yes, 4 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2009 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 2009 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.