2005 Saturn VUE Electrical System Problems

Source: NHTSA · Updated Jul 20, 2026 · 72 complaints analyzed

Owners have filed 72 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the 2005 Saturn VUE, 42% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 80,844 miles. The words owners use most often: “ignition switch” (28% of reports).

72electrical system complaints
80,844median miles at failure
0mention a crash
0mention an injury
0related recalls
33%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.

Ignition switch: mentioned in 20 of 72 complaints (28%)
Key removed: mentioned in 11 of 72 complaints (15%)
Off position: mentioned in 7 of 72 complaints (10%)
Turn start: mentioned in 5 of 72 complaints (7%)

At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?

Based on 61 complaints that reported the odometer reading.

Under 10k miles1 · 2%

10k–25k miles1 · 2%

25k–50k miles8 · 13%

50k–75k miles15 · 25%

75k–100k miles14 · 23%

100k–150k miles16 · 26%

150k+ miles6 · 10%

How serious are the reports?

Of 72 complaints, 1 a fire.

Saturn VUE electrical system complaints by model year

Peak: 2007, with 128 complaints

n = 683 complaints · Source: NHTSA

Model year	Electrical System complaints	Share of that year	Median miles
2010 VUE	3	50%	28,000
2009 VUE	35	30%	57,500
2008 VUE	88	22%	87,000
2007 VUE	128	45%	71,003
2006 VUE	103	34%	80,000
2005 VUE	72	42%	80,844
2004 VUE	78	28%	78,250
2003 VUE	124	20%	82,400
2002 VUE	52	31%	86,500

When owners reported it

Peak: 2014, with 43 complaints

n = 72 complaints · Source: NHTSA

Related recalls (0)

No safety recall lists electrical system for the 2005 Saturn VUE. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.

What owners report

Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.

The contact owns a 2005 Saturn VUE. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the ignition key fell out of the ignition switch and the steering wheel seized. The contact stated that the key failed to fit back in the ignition switch. The contact turned off the vehicle. The…
Received Jul 20, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11751633

The key can be removed from the ignition when the ignition is not in the "off" position. There was a recall (#14v490000 on 08/08/2014) for 2002-2004 saturn vue vehicles manufactured september 11, 2001, to april 6, 2004, however, i have a 2005 saturn vue that has the exact same problem and there is…
Received Aug 24, 2019 · NHTSA complaint 11246247

Dashboard fire. The vehicle was stationary for two and half hours before it was noticed the dashboard was on fire.
Received Mar 3, 2019 · NHTSA complaint 11183770

Frequently asked questions

Do all 2005 Saturn VUEs have electrical system problems?

No. NHTSA has 72 owner complaints about electrical system for the 2005 Saturn VUE (42% of the 170 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 2005 Saturn VUE electrical system?

No recall currently lists electrical system for this vehicle.

At what mileage do electrical system problems start?

The median reported mileage is 80,844 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.

What do owners say about electrical system problems on the 2005 Saturn VUE?

The most frequent phrase is “ignition switch”, in 20 of 72 complaints, followed by “key removed” (11).

See all 2005 Saturn VUE problems or electrical system problems across all VUE years.