NHTSA Complaint #10349341 — 2003 SATURN VUE

WE WERE DRIVING TO WORK IN OUR 2003 SATURN VUE 5 SPEED, GOING 60 MPH ON THE FREEWAY WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE RPM'S STARTED TO GO UP AND DOWN WHEN WE LET OFF THE GAS AND WOULD STALL WHEN WE WOULD SHIFT. WE FIGURED IT OUT PRETTY FAST AND LOOKED FOR AN ON RAMP WHILE WE TRIED TO "PIGEON" FOOT THE GAS AND BRAKE TO PREVENT A STALL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FREEWAY, THEN POWER STEERING WENT OUT AND THE DASHBOARD LOST POWER, WE KNEW THAT SOMETHING WAS VERY VERY WRONG AND THAT IF WE DIDN'T' GET OFF THE FREEWAY, WE COULD BE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE IF THE ENGINE LOST POWER. WE SPOTTED AN OFF RAMP AHEAD AND WITH NO POWER STEERING AND NO DASHBOARD LIGHTS WE CROSSED 3 LANES OF TRAFFIC, JUST AS WE HIT THE OFF RAMP THE CAR STARTED TO SPUTTER (RPM'S GOING UP AND DOWN) EVEN WITH OUR FOOT ON THE GAS, WE LOST ALL POWER AND THE ENGINE QUIT IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION AND ALMOST GOT HIT BY A TRUCK COMING DOWN THE HILL. LUCKILY HE SWERVED AND MISSED ANOTHER CAR COMING THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. WE PUSHED THE CAR TO AN INCLINE AND ROLLED THE CAR INTO A PARK AND RIDE WHERE MY HUSBAND TRIED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG. HE FIGURED IT WAS THE ALTERNATOR SO WE HAD A FRIEND PICK ONE UP FOR US AND MEET AS THE PARK AND RIDE. HE REPLACED THE ALTERNATOR AND AS USUAL FOR JUMP STARTING A CAR, WE TURNED OFF ALL ELECTRICAL DRAWS (RADIO, A/C, FAN ECT.) THE CAR STARTED UP, THE RPM'S FLUCTUATED BRIEFLY, THEN IT WAS OK. 2 WEEKS LATER THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED ON A HIGHWAY GOING 50 MPH, LUCKILY WE WERE ABLE TO PULL OVER AND TRY TO FIX IT AGAIN. SAME THING, TURNED OFF ALL ELECTRICAL, JUMPED THE CAR AND STARTED RIGHT UP. 3 WEEKS LATER THE RPM'S STARTED FLUCTUATING AND WE FIGURED OUT WE NEEDED TO PIGEON THE GAS AND BRAKE SO IT WOULDN'T STALL AND LIMPED IT HOME. SATURN SAYS IT'S THE BCM COMPUTER AND IT'S A "COMMON" PROBLEM. WE NOW HAVE TO PAY $700 HUNDRED DOLLARS AND FIND A WAY TO GET THE SATURN TO THE DEALERSHIP WITHOUT WRECKING. *TR