2009 Saturn Aura Steering Problems
Owners have filed 210 complaints with NHTSA about steering problems on the 2009 Saturn Aura, 54% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 123,700 miles. The words owners use most often: “service esc” (11% of reports).
- 210steering complaints
- 123,700median miles at failure
- 3mention a crash
- 2mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- 27%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Service ESC: mentioned in 23 of 210 complaints (11%)
- Steering went: mentioned in 20 of 210 complaints (10%)
- Became difficult: mentioned in 18 of 210 complaints (9%)
- Wheel seized: mentioned in 12 of 210 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do steering problems happen?
Based on 176 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 210 complaints, 3 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 2 an injury.
Saturn Aura steering complaints by model year
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
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.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are 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…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2009 Saturn Auras have steering problems?
No. NHTSA has 210 owner complaints about steering for the 2009 Saturn Aura (54% of the 390 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2009 Saturn Aura steering?
Yes: 1 safety recall list steering. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do steering problems start?
The median reported mileage is 123,700 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about steering problems on the 2009 Saturn Aura?
The most frequent phrase is “service esc”, in 23 of 210 complaints, followed by “steering went” (20).
Other 2009 Saturn Aura problems
See all 2009 Saturn Aura problems or steering problems across all Aura years.