2007 Saturn Outlook Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Jul 3, 2025 · 511 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other Outlook years
Far more complaints than other years 2nd of 4 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
Not rated

Owners have filed 511 complaints with NHTSA about the 2007 Saturn Outlook. That ranks 2nd out of 4 Outlook model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is exterior lighting (154 complaints, 30%), typically at around 60,400 miles. Complaints mention 5 crashes, 10 fires, 8 injuries. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.

Saturn Outlook
2007 Saturn Outlook photographed in USA.. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: IFCAR, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

Compare with another car

Most common 2007 Saturn Outlook problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Exterior Lighting154 · ~60,400 mi
Power Train128 · ~78,900 mi
Electrical System115 · ~60,800 mi
Air Bags88 · ~80,589 mi
Steering60 · ~59,000 mi
Structure36 · ~80,000 mi
Engine27 · ~117,734 mi
Electronic Stability Control (esc)21 · ~114,770 mi
Unknown or Other20 · ~109,000 mi
Visibility14 · ~60,000 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Exterior Lighting problems15430%60,400“wiring harness” (44%)$540
Power Train problems12825%78,900“wave plate” (28%)$5,600
Electrical System problems11523%60,800“wiring harness” (27%)—
Air Bags problems8817%80,589“air bag” (44%)$1,350
Steering problems6012%59,000“steering pump” (32%)$950
Structure367%80,000——
Engine275%117,734——
Electronic Stability Control (esc)214%114,770——
Unknown or Other204%109,000——
Visibility143%60,000——
Vehicle Speed Control122%76,500——
Seats92%93,000——
Equipment51%44,000——
Service Brakes51%97,950——
Visibility/wiper51%55,065——
Engine and Engine Cooling41%63,500——
Fuel System, Gasoline41%854——
Service Brakes, Hydraulic31%43,000——
Suspension31%150,000——
Fuel/propulsion System20%125,000——
Fuel System, Other20%30,000——
Latches/locks/linkages20%3,000——
Seat Belts20%———
Traction Control System20%168,940——
Equipment Adaptive/mobility10%135,676——
Service Brakes, Electric10%50——
Tires10%3,000——

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2010, with 84 complaints
2007: 8200782008: 12122009: 122009122010: 84842011: 802011802012: 41412013: 812013812014: 63632015: 422015422016: 26262017: 132017132018: 17172019: 212019212020: 552022: 2202222023: 112024: 2202422025: 11

n = 511 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2007 Saturn Outlook recalls (5)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Structure:body:hatchback/liftgateJun 30, 2015 · NHTSA campaign 15V415000 · 691,144 vehicles

Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured January 3, 2007, to February 29, 2012, 2009-2012 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured July 6, 2008, to March 9, 2012, 2007-2012 GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured September 15, 2006, to February 29, 2012, and 2007-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles manufactured August 17, 2006, to March 18, 2010. The affected vehicles, equipped with the power liftgate option, have gas struts that hold the power liftgate up when open. These struts may prematurely wear and the open liftgate may suddenly fall.

Risk: If the open liftgate unexpectedly falls, it may strike a person, increasing their risk of injury.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power liftgate actuator motor control unit so that the motor will prevent the rapid closing of the lift gate, free of charge. The recall began on November 15, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, and Saturn customer service at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for this recall is 15240.

Electrical systemJun 4, 2010 · NHTSA campaign 10V240000 · 1,365,070 vehicles

Problem: Gm is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 buick, lucerne; cadillac dts; hummer h2; model year 2008-2009 buick enclave; cadillac cts; model year 2007-2009 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; gmc acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl; saturn outlook; and model year 2009 chevrolet traverse vehicles equipped with a heated washer fluid system (hwfs). A recall was implemented in 2008 to add a fuse to the control circuit harness to address the potential consequences of a printed circuit board (pcb) electrical short. However, there have been new reports of thermal incidents on hwfs modules after this improvement was installed. These incidents resulted from a new failure mode attributed to the device's thermal protection feature. The significance varies from minor distortion to considerable melting of the plastic around the hwfs fluid chamber.

Risk: It is possible for the heated washer module to ignite and a fire may occur.

Fix: Dealers will permanently disable and remove the heated washer fluid module. An updated page for the owner manual will be provided and inserted in the owner manual to document that the feature has been permanently disabled and removed from the vehicle. The safety recall began on june 11, 2010. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080, cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, saturn at 1-800-972-8876, gmc at 1-866-996-9463 and hummer at 1-800-732-5493 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.

Electrical systemAug 28, 2008 · NHTSA campaign 08V441000 · 857,735 vehicles

Problem: Gm is recalling 857,735 my 2006-2008 buick lucerne; cadillac dts; hummer h2; my 2007-2008 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; gmc acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl, saturn outlook; and my 2008 buick enclave vehicles equipped with a heated wiper washer fluid system. A short circuit on the printed circuit board for the washer fluid heater may overheat the control-circuit ground wire.

Risk: This may cause other electrical features to malfunction, create an odor, or cause smoke increasing the risk of a fire.

Fix: Dealers will install a wire harness with an in-line fuse free of charge. The recall began on september 12, 2008. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080; cadillac at 1-800-982-2339 or http://www.cadillac.com; chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438; saturn at 1-800-972-8876 or http://www.saturn.com, gmc at 1-866-996-9436; or hummer at 1-800-732-5493; or through their website at <a href=http://www.gmownercenter.com>http://www.gmownercenter.com</a> .

Visibility:windshield wiper/washer:linkagesAug 14, 2008 · NHTSA campaign 08V410000 · 88,809 vehicles

Problem: Gm is recalling 88,809 my 2008 buick enclave, and my 2007-2008 gmc acadia and saturn outlook vehicles currently or previously registered in the following states: alaska, colorado, connecticut, delaware, idaho, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, montana, nebraska, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, north dakota, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, south dakota, utah, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, wyoming, and the district of columbia. If a buildup of snow or ice on the windshield or on the wipers restricts the movement of the wiper arm, the windshield wiper linkage may become detached from the motor shaft and the wipers may become inoperative.

Risk: If this were to occur, driver visibility could be reduced, which could result in a vehicle crash.

Fix: Dealers will install a new wiper crank arm, driver's side link, and a crank arm nut. The recall began o october 13, 2008. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080, gmc at 1-866-996-9463, saturn at 1-800-972-8876, or through their website at <a href=http://www.gmownercenter.com>http://www.gmownercenter.com</a> .

Air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactiveFeb 21, 2007 · NHTSA campaign 07V062000 · 13,032 vehicles

Problem: On certain vehicles, the sensing and diagnostic module (sdm), which controls the function of front air bags, may not operate properly. As a result, the front air bags may fail to deploy in a frontal crash. Also, the air bag warning lamp on the instrument panel may fail to provide warning that the system is inoperative.

Risk: In the event of a crash, this condition could increase the risk of injury to occupants in the front seat.

Fix: Dealers will reprogram the sdm computer module. This recall began on february 22, 2007. Owners may contact gmc at 1-866-966-9463 or saturn at 1-800-972-8876.

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

  • Loss of Headlamp Illumination (DP12003) — opened Jun 4, 2012, closed Jul 24, 2014.
  • Non-crash engine compartment fires (EA08010) — opened Jun 12, 2008, closed Sep 8, 2008, led to recall 08V441000.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

Passenger headlight dim. Grand Street Batteey and Electric replaced bulb and states voltage to connector is good.the vehicle is available for inspection. Headlight is not bright enough to utilize at night as it should be for owner or traffic. No warning lamps light up on instrument panel.

Exterior Lighting · received Jul 3, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11671172

The contact owns a 2007 Saturn Outlook. The contact stated that the air bag, the traction control, and the electronic stability control warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that after opening the liftgate with the power liftgate button, the liftgate unexpectedly lowered, and struck…

Air Bags · received Nov 7, 2024 · NHTSA complaint 11624026

When it's cold I get frost inside my vehicle I replaced my windshield because I thought air was getting inside to cause the frost but after getting it replaced same issue water is leaking in and causing moisture and causing my vehicle not wanting to start because it's doing something to the battery

Electrical System · received Jan 20, 2024 · NHTSA complaint 11566629

I have a wire that burned-out and it controls my windows, sunroof,my ac controls, and then also my transmission is shutering

Electrical System · received Jul 8, 2023 · NHTSA complaint 11531083

While driving, the car will automatically shift into 1st gear. Steering will then be disabled to the point of crash. Transmission/computer issue. Major issue with Saturn Outlooks.

Steering · received Jun 23, 2022 · NHTSA complaint 11470781

Other Saturn Outlook years

2008 Outlook →

YearComplaintsRecalls
2010 Outlook164
2009 Outlook1927
2008 Outlook6335
20075115

See all Saturn Outlook 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 2007 Saturn Outlook?

Owners most often report exterior lighting, power train, electrical system problems. The top one, exterior lighting, accounts for 154 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2007 Saturn Outlook?

Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2007 Saturn Outlook a good year?

Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Outlook model years, the 2007 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.