2008 Saturn Outlook Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 164 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the 2008 Saturn Outlook, 26% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 57,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “wiring harness” (29% of reports).
- 164electrical system complaints
- 57,000median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 2related recalls
- $700typical repair cost reported by owners
- 38%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.
- Wiring harness: mentioned in 47 of 164 complaints (29%)
- Low beam: mentioned in 36 of 164 complaints (22%)
- Side headlight: mentioned in 15 of 164 complaints (9%)
- Water leak: mentioned in 11 of 164 complaints (7%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical electrical system repair on the 2008 Saturn Outlook at $700, and half of them between $610 and $1,050.
Based on 5 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2010–2015), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?
Based on 145 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 164 complaints, 1 mention a crash, 10 a fire.
Saturn Outlook electrical system complaints by model year
| Model year | Electrical System complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 Outlook | 5 | 31% | 70,000 |
| 2009 Outlook | 44 | 23% | 45,000 |
| 2008 Outlook | 164 | 26% | 57,000 |
| 2007 Outlook | 115 | 23% | 60,800 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (2)
Electrical system
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 system
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> .
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
airbag sensor on passenger seat stays off even when passenger is in seat. I have read many complaints from same vehicle since they were new. Also has electrical issues intermittently possibly from water leaking thru sunroof
Unknown
My low beam headlight started to intermittently go out for a while. Then it went out completely. I go to replace the bulb only to find that the bulb wasnât the actual issue. The harness, wires, and socket to the bulb were blackened, burnt and melted. So now it all needs to be replaced. Iâve…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2008 Saturn Outlooks have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 164 owner complaints about electrical system for the 2008 Saturn Outlook (26% of the 633 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 2008 Saturn Outlook electrical system?
Yes: 2 safety recalls list electrical system. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do electrical system problems start?
The median reported mileage is 57,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix electrical system problems on the 2008 Saturn Outlook?
Owners report a typical cost of $700 (half paid between $610 and $1,050), from 5 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the 2008 Saturn Outlook?
The most frequent phrase is “wiring harness”, in 47 of 164 complaints, followed by “low beam” (36).
Other 2008 Saturn Outlook problems
- Exterior Lighting problems (247)
- Power Train problems (127)
- Air Bags problems (97)
See all 2008 Saturn Outlook problems or electrical system problems across all Outlook years.