There are 6 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2008 Saturn Aurain NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
MY CAR HAS 106,000 MILES, AND ENGINE IS BAD, ALWAYS TOOK GREAT CARE OF MY CAR, AND HAD OIL CHANGES ON TIME ETC. WHY IS THERE NOT RECALLS WHEN THERE IS SO MANY ISSSUES WITH THERE ENGINES?
WHILE PASSING ANOTHER CAR TO MERGE ONTO AN OFF RAMP, I ACCELERATED AND THEN LET UP ON THE GAS PEDAL AS I EXITED. IMMEDIATELY THE ENGINE STARTED MAKING A LOUD TICKING NOISE WHICH CONTINUED AS I DROVE HOME ON SURFACES STREETS. UPON STARTING THE CAR THE NEXT DAY I HEARD A LIGHT KNOCKING NOISE. I DROVE TO THE CHEVY DEALER AND THE KNOCK GOT LOUDER. THEY ADVISED TEARING THE ENGINE DOWN FOR $1,000 TO DETERMINE THE ISSUE. THEY SAID THERE WAS METAL IN THE OIL. I BELIEVE MY ISSUES ARE THE SAME AS MANY 3.6LTR VVT ENGINE OWNERS, THE TIMING CHAINS AND SUPPORTS FOR THEM. THE NOISE IS PERSISTENT AND VARIES IN TONE. I HAD BARELY 50,000 MILES ON IT AND HAVE KEPT THE OIL CHANGES REGULAR, I EVEN HAD MOBILE 1 SYNTHETIC PUT IN ITS LAST OIL CHANGE. I AM EXTREMELY FRUSTRATED AS THIS WAS MY FIRST AMERICAN MADE NEW CAR PURCHASE AND THERE WERE ONLY EIGHT MONTHS AFTER IT WAS PAID OFF WHEN THIS FAILURE OCCURED. I AM A USAF VET AND RETIRED FROM A CITY JOB OF 30 YEARS. AFTER SPENDING $32,000 ON THIS CAR, I EXPECTED SO MUCH MORE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SATURN AURA. WHILE DRIVING AT 15 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,000. UPDATED 1/13/16 LN *TR
THIS VEHICLE IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN FOR ME. THIS CAR STARTED JERKING OUT OF NOWHERE WHEN I WAS ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK. THE OTHER MAJOR PROBLEM IT HAS IS THAT IF I HAVE THE CAR IN ONE GEAR IT FORCES ITSELF TO DRIVE IN ANOTHER GEAR. I TRY TO SWITCH GEARS AND THAT BECAME ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO DO. THIS CAR DID NOT SWITCH TO THE CORRECT GEAR WHEN I WAS DRIVING AMIDST TRAFFIC. A CAR COULD HAVE EASILY TOPPLED ME OVER WITH THIS CAR NOT WANTING TO DRIVE WHEN I KNOW THAT IT IS IN THE RIGHT GEAR. MOST EVERY OTHER SATURN HAS HAD PLENTY OF ISSUES IN REGARDS TO RECALLS. HOW THIS CAR SEEMS TO ESCAPE THE SAME FATE IS BEYOND ME. I NEVER THOUGHT THAT I WOULD BE POSTING ANYTHING NEGATIVE ABOUT MY CAR BUT THIS NEEDS TO BE BROUGHT TO ATTENTION. THIS CAR IS MORE OF A SAFETY ISSUE THAN ANY OTHER CAR I HAVE PREVIOUSLY OWNED. *KB
HAD MY OIL CHANGED AT THE DEALERSHIP. I WENT HOME AND NOTICED A FEW DAYS LATER THAT I WAS LEAKING OIL. I RETURNED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND HE LOCATED A OIL GASKET UP BY THE TIMING BELT AREA WAS LEAKING. JUST A FEW DAYS AGO MY WIFE DRIVES THE SAME CAR AND HER VEHICLE IS LEAKING OIL FROM THE SAME AREA. THIS CAN'T BE A COINCIDENT. SHE DRIVES HER CAR LESS AND BOTH VEHICLE ARE SERVICED AS REQUIRED. I WAS INFORMED THAT IT WOULD BE 800.00 DOLLARS OR MORE TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM DUE TO THE LOCATION OF THE LEAK. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SATURN AURA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT MOVED THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROADWAY AND WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE THEN RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO BE EXAMINED FOR THE CAUSE OF FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 40,000. UPDATED 10/28/10. *LJ THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. UPDATED 11/02/10*JB
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026