2002 Saturn Vue Air Bags & Restraints Problems

I JUST BOUGHT THIS CAR FROM A USED CAR DEALER. NEVER IN MY 40 YEARS OF DRIVING HAVE I EVER "TESTED" HORN OPERATION... SEEMS I SHOULD HAVE AS THE HORN DOESNT WORK. I FOUND AND REPLACED THE FUSE FOR THE HORN AND AFTER RESEARCHING I FOUND THAT THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM ON ALL 2002 SATURN VUE VEHICLES.... WHY THIS ISNT A RECALL ISSUE I HAVE NO IDEA BECAUSE THE HORN AND AIR BAG WORK OFF THE SAME POWER LINE AND THE CONTACT FOR THE HORN IS THE PROBLEM HORN WISE. I TOOK MY CAR TO A CHEVY DEALER TO GET AN ESTIMATE ON THE "FIX" AND IT WOULD COST ME 1100 BUX TO REPLACE THE FAULTILY DESIGNED UNIT GUARANTEED TO FAIL WITH ANOTHER FAULTILY DESIGNED UNIT GUARANTEED TO FAIL.

AIR BAG CONTROL MODULE NOT WORKING AND DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS IN OPERABLE. *TR

NO KNOWN CRASHES OR INJURIES. HORN ON VEHICLE STUCK IN ON POSITION AND CAN ONLY BE SILENCED BY REMOVING FUSE. DEFECT IS A POORLY DESIGNED CONTACT STRIP THAT IS PART OF AIR BAG ASSEMBLY. COST OF REPAIRS BY SATURN IS BETWEEN $800 AND $1,200 THUS CAUSING MANY OWNERS TO DRIVE WITHOUT A HORN OR PROPERLY FUNCTIONING AIR BAG. *TR

MY 16 YEAR OLD SON WAS DRIVING. MY 13 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WAS HIS PASSENGER. HE WAS DRIVING A 2002 SATURN VUE. HE HIT A TREE, DEAD-ON, GOING 40 MPH. THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. FIREFIGHTERS, POLICE, AMBULANCE FOLKS, BODY SHOP REP: THEY ALL SAID THE SAME THING AND LOOK AT ME WITH AMAZEMENT THAT THIS HAPPENED (OR DIDN'T HAPPEN). I BOUGHT THE CAR WITH THE IMPRESSION IT WAS EQUIPPED WITH WORKING AIRBAGS. IF A VEHICLE HITS SOMEONE, DEAD-ON, GOING 40MPH, I EXPECT AIRBAGS TO WORK, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS SOLD TO ME USING THIS AS A FEATURE. LAST NIGHT, A WEEK AFTER OUR ACCIDENT, WE PASSED YET ANOTHER VUE ACCIDENT SO I STOPPED OUT OF CURIOSITY. THIS LADY WAS TRAVELING 40-45 MPH AND REAR ENDED ANOTHER CAR. GUESS WHAT, HER AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY EITHER. I SUPPOSE I'LL HAVE TO START MY OWN LITTLE "SATURN" INVESTIGATION SERVICE AS I INTEND TO FIND OUT JUST HOW OFTEN THIS HAPPENS. THIS LADY HAD A 2007 VUE, SO I DO NOT ACCEPT MY CAR BEING OLDER OR ANYTHING ELSE AS AN EXCUSE OF SOMETHING THAT LOOKS TO ME LIKE WAS DEFECTIVE TO START WITH. *TR

IN 8/06 WE PURCHASED A 2002 SATURN VUE FROM A SATURN DEALER FOR OUR 16-YEAR OLD DAUGHTER. TODAY, SHE WAS INVOLVED IN A 55 MPH ROLLOVER AND FLIPPED HER CAR END-OVER-END 5 TIMES. MY CONCERN IS THAT THERE WAS NO AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. WE WERE SHOWN A CARFAX AND TIME OF PURCHASE. HOWEVER, TODAY'S ACCIDENT LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT (A) AIRBAGS WERE FAULTY (B) AIRBAGS HAD DEPLOYED IN A PRIOR ACCIDENT AND WERE NOT RE-BUILT (C) AIRBAGS HAD BEEN DISCONNECTED OR TAMPERED WITH SOMETIME PRIOR. PLEASE ADVISE AS TO WHAT ACTION, IF ANY, SHOULD BE TAKEN. *JB

MY FIANCE AND I BOTH PURCHASED A 2002 SATURN VUE. DURING THE COURSE OF NORMAL DRIVING SHE USED HER HORN IN ALERTING OTHER DRIVERS AND THE HORN FAILED TO STOP SOUNDING. THE ONLY REMEDY WAS TO PULL OVER AND REMOVE THE FUSE TO STOP THE HORN FROM SOUNDING. THIS OCCURRED THREE TIMES DURING HER OWNERSHIP OF THE VEHICLE AND EACH TIME THE DEFECTIVE PART WAS REPLACED THE PROBLEM WOULD RETURN SHORTLY AFTER. AFTER MUCH INQUIRY WE FINALLY HAD A MANAGER ADMIT TO US THERE WAS A PRODUCT REDESIGN TO FIX THE PROBLEM WITH IT SHORTING OUT WHICH ALSO AFFECTED THE AIR BAG FUNCTIONALITY AS WELL. BOTH SAFETY ISSUES. NOW DURING THE COURSE OF NORMAL DRIVING MY VEHICLE, ALSO A SATURN VUE OF THE SAME YEAR, HAS SUFFERED THE SAME FAILURE. ALTHOUGH THIS IS MY FIRST SUCH INCIDENT WITH THE PROBLEM, I SUSPECT THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED CASE. I WAS TOLD THAT THE PART WOULD COST ROUGHLY $1000 TO REPLACE WHEN WE HAD TO REPLACE HERS THREE TIMES! I AM NOW FINDING MYSELF IN THE SAME SITUATION WHERE I HONKED THE HORN AND IT REFUSED TO TURN OFF UNTIL I PULLED THE FUSE. I ASSUME THEY WILL ALSO TRY TO CHARGE ME $1000 FOR IT'S REPAIR. *NM

DURING COLD WEATHER AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WILL ILLUMINATE. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK

I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE HORN BLEW CONSTANTLY. I PRESSED THE AREA WHERE THE HORN IS TO TRY TO SHUT IT OFF, TO NO AVAIL. I HAD TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY, OPEN THE HOOD, PULL OFF THE FUSE COVER, FIND THE FUSE AND PULL IT OUT, WHICH FINALLY STOPPED THE HORN FROM BLAIRING. I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, THEY SAID THE WHOLE AIR BAG MODULE HAD TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF APPROX. $860.00. I CALLED SATURN HEADQUARTERS, AND TOLD THEM ABOUT THE SITUATION. AND THE COST. THEY CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND SAID THEY WOULD SPLIT THE COST. I AM STILL NOT SATISFIED, I THINK IT SHOULD BE REPLACED AT NO COST TO ME. THIS IS A 2 YEAR OLD VEHICLE AND FOR THE HORN TO MALFUNCTION BECAUSE THE AIR BAG IS PRESSING ON IT, IS RIDICULOUS. SAFETY WISE, THE HORN JUST STARTED BLOWING AND NOT TURNING OFF, SCARED THE HELL OUT OF ME, TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING AND FINDING A SAFE PLACE TO PULL OVER, I COULD OF INJURED MYSELF AND OTHERS WHEN THIS HAPPENED. WHEN I DO GET IT REPLACED, BECAUSE I STILL DO NOT HAVE A HORN, WHOSE TO SAY IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN WITH THE NEXT AIR BAG,(POOR DESIGN) !*AK

I HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN TWICE IN LESS THAN 15 MONTHS. THE 2001 SATURN VUE'S HORN BECOMES JAM DUE TO PROBLEMS WITH THE AIRBAG. ACCORDING TO THE MECHANICS AT THE SATURN DEALERSHIP THE AIRBAG PRESSES DOWN ON THE HORN AND JAMS IT CAUSING IT TO GO OFF NON STOP, THE ONLY WAY TO TURN IT OFF IS TO DISCONNECT THE FUSE. THE SECOND TIME THIS HAPPENED TO ME ACCORDING TO THE DEALERSHIP IT FRIED THE HORN CONNECTION IN THE STEERING WHEEL, MY CONCERN ABOUT THIS SINCE ITS HAPPEN TO ME SO OFTEN IS COULD IT ACCIDENTALLY SET OFF THE AIRBAG? ALSO CAN THIS BE A FIRE HAZARD DUE TO THE CABLES BEING BURNT WITHIN THE STEERING WHEEL? I WOULD BE WILLING TO LET YOU GUYS INSPECT MY AUTOMOBILE. IN ORDER TO REPAIR THIS THE WHOLE AIRBAG SYSTEM, AND HORN NEEDS TO BE REPAIR.*JB

CONSUMER HAD THE AIR BAG MODULE REPLACED FOUR TIMES. DEALER SIMPLY CONTINUED TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE AIR BAG MODULE, BUT DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM.*AK

ON MARCH 14, 2003, MY FAMILY AND I WERE TRAVELING W ON HWY 138 IN STOCKBRIDGE, GA. WE HAD A GREEN LIGHT AND WERE PROCEEDING THROUGH WHEN A FORD EXPLORER PULLED IN FRONT OF US. WE HIT HIM IN THE PASSENGER SIDE, SQUARELY ACROSS THE FRONT OF OUR VEHICLE. WE WERE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH WHEN WE HIT AND THE TWO FRONT AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE DAMAGE TO OUR VEHICLE IS EQUAL ACROSS THE FRONT AND THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE IS CRUSHED ALL THE WAY TO THE FRONT TIRES. OUR VEHICLE WAS A 2002 SATURN VUE. NO ONE WAS INJURED SERIOUSLY, BUT WE WERE TOLD WHEN WE BOUGHT THE CAR THAT THE AIRBAGS DEPLOY IN FRONT END COLLISIONS. *NLM

VEHICLE'S SEAT BELT HAVE BROKEN THEY WONT LOCK OR RETRACT. DEALER NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. TS

IN EXTREME COLD WEATHER, THE AIR BAG TROUBLE LIGHT STAYS ILLUMINATED AFTER VEHICLE IS STARTED.