NHTSA Complaint #11043306 — 2008 SATURN VUE

OVER THE PAST YEAR AND HALF I'VE HAD NUMEROUS ELECTRICAL ISSUES. HEAD LIGHTS DIMMING AND FLASHING AT VERY HIGH INTERVALS ALMOST LIKE A DIM STROBE. RADIO NOT TURNING ON. INTERIOR LIGHTS NOT COMING ON. ODOMETER LIGHT DIMS. RANDOM DINGING NOISE. TURN SIGNAL NOT ALWAYS WORKING OR WORKING SPORADICALLY. FRONT WINDSHIELD WIPERS NOT ALWAYS COMING ON AND WHEN THEY DO IT'S SPORADIC. REAR WINDSHIELD NOT COMING ON BUT WILL AFTER AN ENGINE RESTART. KEY STUCK IN THE IGNITION. HAZARD LIGHTS NOT WORKING WHEN ENGINE IS OFF. ALL THIS HAS HAPPENED SLOWLY OVER THE LAST YEAR AND HALF. I'VE REPLACED THE BATTERY TWICE AND HAVE HAD IT IN THE SHOP MULTIPLE TIMES AND THEY CAN'T FIND AN ISSUE. EVERYONE WITH THESE PROBLEMS WILL TELL YOU THAT A MECHANIC CAN'T RUN A TEST FOR THE PROBLEM IF IT'S NOT HAPPENING AT THAT TIME. WE ALSO ALL KNOW TOO WELL THESE PROBLEMS COME AND GO VERY QUICKLY AND SOMETIMES TEMPORARILY FIX THEMSELVES WITH JUST AN ENGINE RESTART, DRIVING OVER A BUMP (WHICH ALSO BRINGS ON THE ISSUES) OR SHAKING THE WIRE HARNESS ON TOP OF THE BATTERY. SO TAKING IT TO A SHOP TO RUN A TEST IS ALMOST MEANINGLESS UNLESS TOWED AND EVEN THEN IT'S NOT 100% CHANCE YOU'RE GOING TO GET A CODE(S) TO READ. THE LAST FEW MONTHS THE PROBLEMS HAVE GOTTEN WORSE. THE BIG OCCURRENCE CAME WHEN I WAS JUST TWO MINUTES DOWN THE ROAD FROM WHERE I LIVE, I HAD THE VUE NOT START UP OR EVEN TURN OVER AND THE KEY WAS LOCKED IN THE IGNITION. I OPENED UP THE HOOD, TAPPED ONCE ON THE BLACK BOX ON TOP OF THE BATTERY AND THE VUE STARTED DINGING AND WAS ABLE TO TURN THE VEHICLE ON. I THEN DROVE TO MY HOUSE AND THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUT OFF ON ME AND RESTARTED TWICE WITHIN THAT TWO MIN DRIVE. I LOST TOTAL POWER AND VERY LIMITED CONTROL OF THE STEERING WHEEL. THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN BROUGHT UP AND COMPLAINED ABOUT HUNDREDS OF TIMES ON THE INTERNET AND HAS YET TO BE INVESTIGATED. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS ELECTRICAL ISSUE. -11.4.17