NHTSA Complaint #10631397 — 2006 SATURN VUE

NOTICED RADIO SCREEN WAS NOT FULLY ILLUMINATED & MY SEAT BELT WARNING 'CHIME' STOPPED WORKING WHEN BELT WAS UNFASTENED. HAD THIS PROBLEM W/ ANOTHER VEHICLE (1999 ACURA INTEGRA) & IT RESULTED IN REPLACING THE IGNITION CYLINDER. AS A RESULT, I STARTED JIGGLING THE SATURN KEY TO SEE IF THERE WAS IMPROPER/ INADEQUATE CIRCUIT CLOSURE. WHEN I JIGGLED THE KEY, IT WAS LOOSE AND CAME OUT, BUT THE CAR REMAINED RUNNING! SINCE THEN I HAVE EXPERIENCED SEVERAL SIMILAR INCIDENTS AND THE RADIO DISPLAY STILL DOES NOT DISPLAY FULLY ACROSS THE SCREEN AND THE SEAT BELT CHIME STILL DOESN'T WORK. (APPROXIMATELY MAY 2013) I STARTED HAVING DIFFICULTIES GETTING KEY TO TURN IN IGNITION ENABLING THE VEHICLE TO START. I WENT TO GM DEALER TO GET A NEW KEY IN CASE THAT MIGHT RECTIFY THE PROBLEM - IT DID NOT. RECENTLY (AUGUST 2014) ASKED A NON-GM MECHANIC ABOUT KEY TURNING DIFFICULTIES. HE INDICATED 'TUMBLERS' GETS 'STICKY' & PREVENTS KEY FROM TURNING & THAT IT WOULD GET WORSE UNTIL I REPLACED IGNITION LOCK CYLINDER. I CHECKED ON-LINE FOR RECALLS, AS SO MANY GM VEHICLES WERE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THEIR IGNITIONS AND SAFETY EQUIPMENT. THE 2006 SATURN VUE WASN'T ON THE LIST. I WENT TO LOCAL GM DEALER (BUICK/ GMC DEALER IN NAPERVILLE, IL) IN SEPTEMBER 2014 & THEY CONFIRMED THE 2006 VUE WAS NOT COVERED UNDER A RECALL. I WENT AHEAD AND PROVIDED MY VIN #, PROOF OF OWNERSHIP (TITLE AND DRIVERS LICENSE) AND THEY QUOTED A PRICE OF $90 FOR THE IGNITION CYLINDER, $60. TO OBTAIN AND USE THE GM CODE TO PROGRAM THE NEW IGNITION LOCK CYLINDER, & THIS DID NOT INCLUDE A NEW KEY! THEY DID THEY WORK & EVEN INCLUDED A KEY @ NO ADDITIONAL COST. NOW I AM ATTEMPTING REPLACEMENT OF IGNITION LOCK CYLINDER, BUT IT REQUIRES KEY TO BE TURNED TO THE ACCESSORY POSITION TO REMOVE THE CYLINDER. I CAN'T GET KEY TO TURN, SO CAN'T REPLACE CYLINDER AND THE CAR IS NOT OPERABLE. I BELIEVE 2006 SATURN VUE SHOULD BE RECALLED TOO. *TR