There are 5 owner-reported brakes complaints for the 2002 Saturn Vuein NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
ABS BRAKE FAILURE. *TR
VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SEVERE VIBRATION, ESPECIALLY WHEN BRAKING.*JB. *AK
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE HAS TIMING CHAIN FAILURE WHICH CAUSES VEHICLE TO STALL. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE DEALER CANNOT FIND THE CAUSE OF THE ILLUMINATION. THE TRANSMISSION ALSO HAS PROBLEMS AS WELL AS THE BRAKES.
I WAS HEADING UP A HILL WITH 3 CARS AHEAD OF ME, 3 BEHIND... WHEN I GOT TO THE TOP OF THE HILL, THE 3 CARS AHEAD CAME TO A FULL STOP, WHEN I PRESSED ON THE BRAKE, NOTHING HAPPENED. I SLAMMED ON THE BRAKE, AND IT FELL TO THE FLOOR. THE CAR DIDNT SLOW DOWN, AND I HEARD THE SOUND OF SANDPAPER SCRATCHING WOOD. I'VE HAD CARS WITH ABS BEFORE, SO I'M FAMILIAR ENOUGH WITH THEM TO KNOW THAT THIS WAS NOT NORMAL. THE CAR HIT THE BACK OF AN SUV AND THATS THE ONLY THING THAT STOPPED THE CAR. THE ROAD WAS DRY, WARM, NO SAND OR ROCKS, IT WAS A PAVED ROADWAY. I HAD 3 TO 4 CAR LENGTHS IN FRONT OF ME WHEN I BEGAN BRAKING. THE CAR SHOULD HAVE STOPPED! THERE WERE NO SKID MARKS. IT DIDNT EVEN ATTEMPT TO STOP. I CONTACTED SATURN AND THEY BLEW ME OFF WITH THIS "IT WILL BE 7 TO 10 BUSINESS DAYS BEFORE WE DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT WE'LL INVESTIGATE; AND WE MAY OR MAY NOT CALL YOU". I HAD THE CAR TOWED, EVEN THOUGH IT APPEARED DRIVABLE. I DIDNT WANT THE RISK OF ANOTHER ACCIDENT. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY AT SATURN OF WEST COUNTY IN ST LOUIS, 63021, AND WILL BE INSPECTED BY ONE OF ALLSTATE'S INDEPENDENT ENGINEERS TODAY OR TOMORROW. *AK
THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DIFFICULT TO REACH. *TS *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 26, 2026