NHTSA Complaint #10585110 — 2007 SATURN AURA

THIS IS A PROBLEM KNOWN BY GM FOR SATURN AND IMPALAS FOR THE SAME TYPE-MODEL-SERIES VEHICLE AS THERE ARE AT LEAST 2 TECHNICAL BULLETINS ADDRESSING THIS PROBLEM. THE BODY COMPUTER SETS THE BRAKE LIGHTS ON INDEPENDENT OF BRAKE ACTUATION. THIS GIVES DRIVERS BEHIND THE SATURN THE FALSE INDICATION THE SATURN IS STOPPING CREATING CONFUSION IN THAT THE FOLLOWING DRIVERS NO LONGER HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE BRAKING SIGNAL DISPLAYED. WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED THE BRAKE LIGHTS MOMENTARILY EXTINGUISH THEN OPERATE CORRECTLY. ANALYSIS AND TROUBLESHOOTING CONCLUDES THE PROBLEM IS IN THE BODY COMPUTER TO AUTOMOBILE CONNECTOR. GM SAYS APPLYING DIELECTRIC GREASE TO ALL THE CONTACTS ON THE BODY COMPUTER TO AUTOMOBILE CONNECTOR SOLVES THE PROBLEM; THIS IS ONLY A TEMPORARY FIX AS THE PROBLEM RECURS. IF THE DRIVER IS ASTUTE ENOUGH TO NOTE THE PROBLEM (CRUISE CONTROL RELEASES AND WON'T SET, OR IF AT NIGHT SEES THE CENTER BRAKE LIGHT REFLECTION IN THE REAR WINDSHIELD), APPLYING SIDEWAYS PRESSURE TO THE CONNECTOR MAY TEMPORARILY RESOLVE THE PROBLEM... BUT IT WILL REOCCUR. SOME SHOPS WANT TO REPLACE THE BODY COMPUTER FOR $300 DOLLARS PLUS LABOR: I DID THIS ONCE. THIS MAY GIVE THE APPEARANCE OF FIXING THE PROBLEM AS THE BODY COMPUTER TO AUTOMOBILE CONNECTOR MUST BE REMOVED AND REATTACHED DURING THE PROCESS HOWEVER AGAIN, THIS TEMPORARILY RESOLVES THE PROBLEM BUT THE PROBLEM WILL REOCCUR. *TR