NHTSA — Vehicle Speed Control Problems

2.0

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
77,722 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2008 Saturn Outlook engine problems

engine problem

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2008 Saturn Outlook Owner Comments

problem #13

Sep 022018

Outlook

  • 110,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was driving on the freeway when all of a sudden my 2008 Saturn Outlook just lost power. I pushed the gas pedal but nothing happened. As I was pulling over to the side of the road the power came back but the engine was reving very high and the check engine light came on. I managed to get almost home when the gear got stuck in 1st and the truck would not accelerate higher than 20 mph. Luckily I was just about home. Once I arrived at my home I turned of the truck and turned it back on and it was fine. The mechanic could not figure out what it could have been but was guessing it may be a speed sensor in the transmission. Error codes: P0741 & P0700. I have also taken the truck into the Chevy dealership for jerking around 30-35mph. The dealership was not able to fix the problem.

- East Palo Alto, CA, USA

problem #12

Oct 082016

Outlook 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 180,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Saturn Outlook. While accelerating, the accelerator pedal became stuck to the floorboard. The failure occurred without warning. The contact also mentioned that the pedal would remain stuck until it independently corrected itself. The failure occurred twice. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but the failure could not be replicated. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000. The VIN was not provided. Updated 01/26/2017

- Lone Rock, WI, USA

problem #11

May 112014

Outlook 6-cyl

  • 70,455 miles
When stopped for a traffic light and light changed to green the car would not move (when foot put on the accelerator). After turning the car off and back on and put the car in drive, the car proceeded forward. Upon stopping the car again, and then pressing the accelerator the car would not move again. We had the car towed to the dealer, and they said they had to replace the transmission (for a cost of $5,019.05). There are many complaints on the internet about this particular transmission. I am not the only one.

- Royal Oak, MI, USA

problem #10

Feb 232011

Outlook 6-cyl

  • 53,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Driver was on their way to dr appt with small child when the car revved very hard & jerked & making loud noises. I then was able to get it back to parking, onstar was called and diagnosing it as the exhaust system was throwing codes. A tow truck came and took the car into cavender in san antonio.they found the catalytic convertors failed. They found the water pump was failing as well and replaced it as well. The next incident occurred in may of 2012, my husband was being discharged from the army & we were advised after we got settled back in Ohio to have it serviced. In which we did, to have found the engine block had a small leak. We took it to GM dealership don's automotive as we had a family member who worked there. They supposedly fixed it, then not even a month went by we found it was leaking. We then decided to take it to dave white Chevrolet to have it repaired, they explained that it was not repaired right. They then fixed it. We then had it fixed and were back on the road. Then we began to notice the revving again and it would hesitate when driving causing panic in high traffic areas for my husband and I. we then took it back to dave white to find there was a speed control sensor that was failing. We then had to have that replaced. Not too long after, we began to notice pink fluid on the drive, we immediate took it back to dave white, they explained it was leaking transmission fluid, but the coupling was not covered by power train. We contacted GM because this should be a covered part as it could cause failure. They agreed to help with paying for it, but dave white was very unprofessional. Then in November of 2013, putting in reverse would cause it to hesitate, transmission was out. We then had to have it rebuilt. Then Feb 2015, check engine light came on as driving and would not pass 1st gear on busy road. It was towed 2/23/15 to dealership mcneils.

- Maumee, OH, USA

problem #9

Jul 152009

Outlook 6-cyl

  • 25,000 miles
The vehicle's engine shuts off and the steering column locks up. There is a rapid decline in speed and the volt meter drops to less then 11. I have to hope that my vehicle is not hit by oncoming traffic and that I do not guide the vehicle into something that will cause damage. The 2008 Saturn Outlook is an unsafe vehicle. I have had issues with the vehicle shutting off during operation on several occasions while driving in city traffic, highways and at toll locations including bridges and tunnels. I have taken the vehicle to several dealerships and contacted GM to no avail. If they cannot replicate the issue, then the issue does not exist.

- Nottingham, MD, USA

problem #8

Jan 082015

Outlook 6-cyl

  • 72,000 miles
After a night of sub-zero temperatures, I turned my car on in the garage to warm up prior to loading my children in the vehicle. When we were all set, I pull out of the garage and continue to leave the driveway down the street when all the sudden my car begins to shake and my dashboard panel starts communicating multiple errors, including "engine powered down", "service stabilitrack", "traction control off" as well as the engine light going on. While all this is going on, my car stops excelling and literally stops me on the road only allowing me to accelerate to 1 RPM and maybe going 5 miles at most. After slowly maneuvering out of traffic, I turned my car on and off a few times without any luck. After talking to a service technician, I was going to get it towed for them to look at it. I turned the car off while I was talking to then, and then randomly turned it back on since it was cold, and all the errors went away and the car was moving properly. After another day of driving it, I was driving on the highway, and as I exited on the ramp and came to a stop light, the whole processed happened again. I had to take it in at this point, since I felt extremely unsafe in the vehicle, knowing it could stop operating randomly when driving. It turns out that it generated an engine power down code because the throttle was affected. Code P1516. There is a technical service bulletin (tsb) out for this apparent issue, but I am uncertain how this isn't a recall for this vehicle and other models who are experiencing it, considering it literally stops your car in the middle of traffic. With my two children in the car, I was extremely scared and didn't know what to do. If you car stops operating properly when driving that is definitely a safety hazard for you and your passengers as well as other drivers.

- West Chester, OH, USA

problem #7

Sep 012014

Outlook

  • 138,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

About every 5 min beeping sound would sound and dashboard stated, service air bag, service brakes/stabilizer & would cutoff cruise control.headlights very dim at night.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #6

Sep 232014

Outlook

  • 77,000 miles
While driving my Saturn 2008 Outlook I felt something "slip" and my car wouldn't accelerate anymore. I would accelerate on the gas which would just cause the engine to rev. The check engine light came on(the service airbag light was already on). I was basically stuck in the middle of the road. We have been told it may be transmission issues and will cost approx. $2500. After researching I have noticed I am not the only one with these issues. A recall is in order after reading about the many issues with this vehicle! 77000 miles and we have this issue. We have a 2007 Hyundai which we have never had problems with!

- Indian Trail, NC, USA

problem #5

Mar 012014

Outlook 6-cyl

  • 80,000 miles
I was driving on the highway going 80 miles/hr (legal in Utah) and the chime went off and engine power is reduced and service stabilitrak traction control off, service traction control flashed on my display as well as the check engine light. I started to lose power and cars were swerving around me with the sudden loss of speed and I was lucky I was not hit by another car. As I have researched this problem this is a major problem with all GM vehicles. Someone is going to die as a result of this problem. People take their vehicles into dealer multiple times and they replace something but the problems persist. This same problem keeps happening regardless of speed, conditions.

- Nephi, UT, USA

problem #4

Jan 292014

Outlook

  • 94,500 miles
I was driving on the highway going 70 miles/hr and the chime went off and engine power is reduced and service stabilitrak traction control off flashed on my display as well as the check engine light. I started to lose power and cars were swerving around me with the sudden loss of speed and I was lucky I was not hit by another car. By the time I got over to the shoulder of the road I was going 40 miles/hr with the gas pedal pushed all the way down. The problem was diagnosed by a GM dealership as a timing chain issue. When I looked online it seems many people have had problems with the same issue. GM has informed me there was a recall for the 2007 Saturn Outlook and the 2009 Saturn Outlook but my 2008 Saturn Outlook was not under the same recall even though nothing is different in the 2008 from the 2007 or 2009, it has the same engine and the same timing chain that qualified the other years recalls.

- Liberty Township , OH, USA

problem #3

May 192010

Outlook 6-cyl

  • 20,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

First left headlight was going in and out. Was pulled over by police who said it was out. Turned car off then on and light came on. Took it to dealer was replaced for malfunction, defect repaired for free at 20000 miles. Then parked car nose first. Was unable to reverse car out of parking space. Had to wait for car in front to move to so I could drive out forward only. Car drove forward for 1 week, then completely was unable to drive. Was towed to dealer at 39000 miles and transmission had to be replaced for free, covered by warranty. Then right headlight was going in and out at 44000 miles. Not covered. Fixed for $300. Then at that time was told powersteering unit leaking and needed to be replaced for approx $800. Now engine light is on. This car is the worse car I ever had, and I had many. What next. My 1999 Ford Windstar is a better car..

- Bay Shore, NY, USA

problem #2

Jan 152011

Outlook

  • 47,700 miles
I was driving my Saturn Outlook 2008 to go onto the highway. As I accelerated, the gas pedal/transmission got stuck and the RPM stayed @5000 RPM for about 8 seconds during my attempt to brake the vehicle. Once the RPM let up we heard a loud thump noise and then the car was able to get unstuck. It took about 8+ seconds for the brakes to actually take over. This has occurred at least 4 times. No repairs have been made for this problem.

- St. Augustine, FL, USA

problem #1

May 032010

Outlook

  • 42,730 miles
The gas pedal on my 2008 Saturn Outlook has stuck in the full throttle position four times since I purchased the vehicle. The latest was just today when I pulled out into traffic and to merge with them I applied full throttle. When I released the throttle the car just kept accelerating because the gas pedal was stuck under the floor mat. I had to put the car in neutral, pull off the road, and adjust the floor mat to release the gas pedal. This is easily reproducible and has happened four times already.

- Endicott, NY, USA

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