2008 Saturn Aura Problems
- Complaints
- 432filed with NHTSA
- Median mileage
- 78,500miles, 359 complaints with mileage
- Recalls
- 4campaigns on record
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
- NHTSA crash rating
- —overall rating starts with 2011 models
- EPA fuel economy
- 22 mpgcombined, 3.5L 6-cyl FWD · 18 city / 29 hwy
Sources: NHTSA records for the 2008 Saturn Aura (complaints, recalls, investigations), NHTSA crash tests, EPA fuel economy. Report an error
What owners report
Owners of this model year most often write about the electric power steering cutting out and about transmission shift problems, with brake and tail light behavior coming up repeatedly as well. Many complaints come from vehicles in the 60,000-120,000 mile range, and several owners describe symptoms that appear intermittently and sometimes clear after the engine is restarted.
- Steering
Power steering assist cuts out
- 104 complaints (24%)
- median 79,925 mi at 6.8 yrs old (82 state mileage)
- 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
- owner-quoted repair $900 (median of 11 quotes)
- filed 2008–2026
Owners describe the steering wheel suddenly becoming very hard to turn, sometimes with a power steering message on the display, then returning to normal after the engine is shut off and restarted. Some say dealers diagnosed a failed power steering control module or assist motor and quoted replacement; others report the problem returned after repair or that their vehicle was not covered by a campaign. Reported from roughly 50,000 to 220,000 miles, often while driving or turning at low speed.
Recall 14V1530001 related service bulletin
What to check: Ask whether the electric power steering recall work was completed, and test-drive at low speed with the wheel turning lock to lock to see if assist drops out. Check whether a power steering warning appears on the driver display.
2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records
“While driving down a busy road and slowing down my vehicle as the light turned from yellow to red, my steering wheel instantly froze. The indicator screen in my car read: power steering. It became instantly impossible for me to turn my steering wheel. I put the car in park and put my hazard lights on. I turned off my motor and started my engine again and my steering wheel was back to its normal way of usage.”
NHTSA complaint #10926106, filed 2016-11, 140,000 miles“I have a recall complaint... Recall#: 14e044000 --steering; the wheel is stiff and hard to turn recall#: 14v153000 --steering: electric power assist system; hard to turn wheel, leaking ps fluid, no longer has whining noise. Vehicle was in motion and turning I had previously replaced my battery, because I constantly had to use a battery booster to start it after every time I shut the car off, and the former one became faulty and it tested as a bad battery. …”
NHTSA complaint #11187395, filed 2019-03, 198,500 miles - Exterior lighting
Brake lights on when not braking (or off when braking)
- 64 complaints (15%)
- median 78,050 mi at 6.1 yrs old (56 state mileage)
- 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
- filed 2010–2026
Owners report the brake lights staying lit without the pedal pressed, or failing to light when the pedal is pressed, sometimes flipping between the two and disabling cruise control. Complaints mention brake pedal position sensor and body control module connector repairs; some owners say the condition returned after a prior recall repair. Mostly reported between about 55,000 and 160,000 miles, often appearing intermittently at first.
Recall 14V2520001 related service bulletin
What to check: Have someone watch the tail lights while you press and release the brake pedal, and check whether cruise control engages. Ask whether the brake pedal sensor or body control module connector work was done.
2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records
“I recently bought my dad's 2008 Saturn AURA. Almost immediately I noticed that my brake lights would go on without me pressing the pedal and that at times my brake light would not go on when I was pressing on the pedal. I did some research and found that the cars had been recalled (14v252000) in 2014 for this issue. My dad had brought the car in in oct 2014 for this recall and it was supposedly fixed. The dealer has said they cannot help me as the recall is not under warranty. …”
NHTSA complaint #10865580, filed 2016-05, 80,000 miles“This is my second complaint on here for the same brake light issue. I had trouble with my car brake lights working backwards (on when driving, off when braking) about two years ago, had them fixed and they worked for about eight months and then stopped working again. I took them to a certified GM service station on 4/5/2013 to have them fixed for the second time. I picked up my car from said repairs on 4/8/2013 to only find that on 4/11/13 the brake lights were working backwards again. …”
NHTSA complaint #10508189, filed 2013-04, 78,500 miles - Transmission and drivetrain
Transmission shift cable separates or shift lever jams
- 107 complaints (25%)
- median 82,844 mi at 6.6 yrs old (93 state mileage)
- 8 mention a crash, fire or injury
- owner-quoted repair $975 (median of 8 quotes)
- filed 2010–2025
Owners describe the shifter refusing to move into park, reverse or drive, or the cable detaching so the car cannot be shifted or started, occasionally with the vehicle rolling after being placed in park. Complaints mention cable and bracket replacement and that dealers declined coverage under a prior campaign. Reported from about 40,000 to 160,000 miles, often noticed while parking or shifting at low speed.
Recall 14V224000Recall 12V4600002 related service bulletins
What to check: With the engine running, shift through every gear several times and confirm the lever clicks firmly into park and that the cable end looks intact. Ask whether the shift cable campaign was performed.
2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records
“I shifted the gear into reverse to back out of my driveway but was unsuccessful in selecting the drive gear to move forward. I managed to stop the vehicle and shut off the engine to prevent an accident. I have not been able to select neutral or park to start the engine again.”
NHTSA complaint #11269817, filed 2019-10, 80,000 miles“While parking my Saturn any parking spot I attempted to put car in reverse and the clip broke for the transmission in the car continue rolling and left the car in operable and I noticed other recalls on the transmission for the same description regarding the transmission I believe that my ven should be added to the recall regarding the transmission having issues at this point we are having difficulty finding a replacement clip for the transmission wire which operates from park to drive to neutral.”
NHTSA complaint #10960200, filed 2017-03, 160,000 miles - Electrical system
Power door locks lock or unlock on their own
- 42 complaints (10%)
- median 72,500 mi at 5.8 yrs old (30 state mileage)
- 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
- filed 2011–2019
Owners describe door locks cycling by themselves while driving, locks that do not respond to the fob or door switch, and in some cases a battery drained by repeated locking. Complaints mention failed lock actuators and, in some cases, the dealer reporting no stored codes. Mostly reported under about 80,000 miles, though some complaints come from higher-mileage cars.
What to check: Lock and unlock each door with the fob and the door switch and listen for sluggish actuators. Ask whether any lock actuator has been replaced.
2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records
“My vehicle has had electrical issues for a few months. The power locks will not work but, randomly driving down the road they will start going up and down and then in park when I'm not in the vehicle the doors will automatically lock but, any other time they do not work. Also 2 days ago on my way to work the power steering instantly went when I pulled into work. I parked the car and shut it off. When I turned it back on it was working again. I'm very scared of this happening while driving.”
NHTSA complaint #11123358, filed 2018-08, 153,000 miles“First front passenger side door lock stopped working. The left rear passenger lock stopped working and now right passenger door lock does work. All locks do not respond to fob or switch activation. Locks do not respond to placing the car in drive and do not lock automatically.”
NHTSA complaint #10464724, filed 2012-07, 50,000 miles
Buying note. Check the power steering assist, brake lights and shifter operation carefully on a test drive, and ask for records showing whether the steering, brake light and shift cable campaigns were completed. Because several reported symptoms are intermittent, a scan for stored codes from a pre-purchase inspection is worth requesting.
Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.
NHTSA recorded 432 consumer complaints for the 2008 Saturn Aura. 359 of the complaints include a mileage, and 23% of those were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the median is 78,500 miles. Of all complaints, 18 involved a crash, 1 a fire, 9 an injury, 1 a death, according to the filers. NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns and 999 technical service bulletins for this model year.
Not compared (fewer than 3 comparable model years). Model years 2008–2023 of the same vehicle that have at least 25 complaints are compared, and a model needs at least 3 of them.
Which parts are reported most
Complaints can name more than one part, so the counts add up to more than the total. Select a part to see its complaints, recalls and bulletins.
- Transmission and drivetrain124 29%
- Steering112 26%
- Electrical system92 21%
- Brakes62 14%
- Exterior lighting45 10%
- Electronic stability control43 10.0%
- Other or unknown32 7.4%
- Air bags26 6.0%
- Vehicle speed control22 5.1%
- Engine19 4.4%
Also reported: Latches, locks and linkages (19), Seats (19), Body and structure (18), Fuel system (9), Suspension (8), Wheels (6), Engine cooling (3), Tires (3), Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors) (3), Forward collision avoidance (2), Seat belts (2), Equipment (1).
Example complaints
Transmission and drivetrain: “Driving entering the freeway when my 1008 Saturn AURA suddenly when into neutral mode while the gear lever was still on drive. The felt like it went to neutral - pressing on gas RPM is up but the car was not responding. Truck was behind me almost hit me.... I have read up on the issue its there are a lot of similar story about this event.”
NHTSA complaint #10672543, filed 2015-01, 147,000 milesSteering: “While driving the power steering went on my car. It became very difficult to steer my vehicle at low speeds as well as change lanes. Now the casey chevrolet is saying that there are no recalls on the electric power assist system (eps). However when doing my research to price how much it cost I see multiple recalls in regards to the eps.”
NHTSA complaint #10619434, filed 2014-08, 79,850 milesElectrical system: “When in motion at any given time the motor going into reduced engine power and drives slow. I have replaced throttle body and the car still goes into reduced power. This is s safety concetta's I am afraid of getting into a accident because of this issue. I have researched this issue and it is a well known issue that still can not be pinpointed.”
NHTSA complaint #11208431, filed 2019-05, 120,000 milesBrakes: “Brake lights are always on and my cruise control stopped working. The brake lights are a fairly large safety concern and I've read articles online that lead me to believe I'm not the only one dealing with this problem. Read something about faulty wiring causing problems with the cruise control and brake light...”
NHTSA complaint #10607435, filed 2014-07, 97,000 milesMileage when problems were reported
23% of the 359 complaints with a mileage were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the middle half falls between 50,000 and 108,000 miles.
Complaints by year filed
Trend: stable. Complaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2008 Saturn Aura. Frontal results are shown driver / passenger; rollover shows the star rating and NHTSA's estimated risk of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
| Version | Overall | Frontal | Side | Side pole | Rollover |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aura · sedan FWD | not rated | 5 / 5 | — | — | — |
Ratings before the 2011 model year come from an older, less demanding test and are not comparable with ratings for 2011 and later.
Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), nhtsa.gov/ratings.
Fuel economy and running cost
EPA ratings for each 2008 Saturn Aura version. Annual fuel cost is the EPA's estimate at its current fuel prices for 15,000 miles a year (55% city driving).
| Version | Engine | Transmission | City | Hwy | Comb. | Fuel / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aura FWD | 2.4L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 22 | 30 | 25 | $2,700 |
| Aura FWD | 3.5L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 18 | 29 | 22 | $3,050 |
| Aura FWD | 3.6L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | 17 | 26 | 20 | $3,350 |
Source: U.S. EPA and Department of Energy, fueleconomy.gov. Ratings are for comparing vehicles; real-world mileage varies with driving and conditions.
Recalls and investigations
- 14V252000May 14, 2014Electronic stability control (esc)Covers: Saturn Aura 2007–2010, Chevrolet Malibu 2004–2012, Pontiac G6 2005–2010 +1 more
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2012 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured May 16, 2003, through October 11, 2012, 2004-2007 Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured June 25, 2003, through April 5, 2007, 2005-2010 Pontiac G6 vehicles…
- 14V224000Apr 30, 2014Power train › Automatic transmission › Lever and linkage › Floor shiftCovers: Saturn Aura 2007–2008, Chevrolet Malibu 2004–2008, Malibu Maxx 2004–2007 +1 more
General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on April 29, 2014, that they are recalling 56,214 model year 2007 and 2008 Saturn Aura vehicles. On May 22, 2014, GM increased the recall to include an additional 1,074,899 model year 2004-2008 Chevrolet Malibu…
- 14V153000Mar 31, 2014Steering › Electric power assist systemCovers: Saturn Aura 2008–2009, Chevrolet Malibu 2004–2006, 2008–2009, Saturn Ion 2004–2007 +4 more
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 and 2008-2009 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2006 Malibu Maxx, 2009-2010 HHR (non-turbo), 2010 Cobalt, 2008-2009 Saturn Aura and 2004-2007 Ion, and 2005-2009 Pontiac G6. In the affected vehicles…
- 12V460000Sep 18, 2012Power train › Automatic transmission › Gear position indication (prndl)Covers: Saturn Aura 2007–2010, Chevrolet Malibu 2008–2010, Pontiac G6 2008–2010
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Saturn Aura and model year 2008-2010 Chevrolet Malibu and Pontiac G6 vehicles, equipped with a 4-speed automatic transmission. On these vehicles, the tabs on the transmission shift cable end may…
Recall details for the 2008 Saturn Aura → · Check a VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls
NHTSA investigations
- EA11015Transmission Shift Cable FailureClosed · Nov 10, 2011
Technical service bulletins
TSBs are manufacturer notes to dealers about known repair procedures. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault. 999 on record; the latest 10 are shown.
- 11023091Sep 9, 2025Other or unknown. New Vehicle Monitoring Programs Section in IVH
- 11021792Aug 7, 2025Other or unknown. This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have an intermittent no crank, no start, or start stall concern with the security light coming…
- 11020816Jul 18, 2025Other or unknown. This PI communicates the requirement to provide a pico file to receive diagnostic assistance from TAC.
- 11019074May 30, 2025Other or unknown. This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about the use of J-35616-64B and Mini 50 terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads.
- 11019073May 30, 2025Other or unknown. This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about the use of J-35616-64B and Mini 50 terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads.
- 11019072May 30, 2025Other or unknown. This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about the use of J-35616-64B and Mini 50 terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads.
- 11014455Feb 20, 2025Other or unknown. This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have an unusual noise and is difficult to identify, isolate or pinpoint. Technician should get…
- 11011782Dec 7, 2024Other or unknown. This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about the use of J-35616-64B terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads. The J-35616-64B is…
- 11009156Oct 25, 2024Electrical system. This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester…
- 11009531Sep 27, 2024Engine. This service bulletin provides information for maintenance cleaning of the fuel injectors and gasoline detergent additive.
Other model years of the Saturn Aura
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | Crash ★ | MPG | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 390 | 100,000 | 4 | — | 26 | Not compared (fewer than 3 comparable model years) | Falling |
| 2008 | 432 | 78,500 | 4 | — | 22 | Not compared (fewer than 3 comparable model years) | Stable |
| 2007 | 607 | 78,000 | 3 | — | 21 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2005 | 5 | 74,000 | 0 | — | — | — | Not enough data |
All Saturn Aura model years · Best and worst years by complaints
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2008 Saturn Aura?
Owners of this model year most often write about the electric power steering cutting out and about transmission shift problems, with brake and tail light behavior coming up repeatedly as well. The issues reported most often: Power steering assist cuts out; Brake lights on when not braking (or off when braking); Transmission shift cable separates or shift lever jams.
How many NHTSA complaints does the 2008 Saturn Aura have?
NHTSA recorded 432 consumer complaints for the 2008 Saturn Aura as of Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
What part of the 2008 Saturn Aura is reported most often?
Transmission and drivetrain is named most often, in 124 complaints (29% of the total), followed by steering with 112.
Has the 2008 Saturn Aura been recalled?
NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for this model year. To check a specific vehicle, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What gas mileage does the 2008 Saturn Aura get?
The EPA rates the 2008 Saturn Aura (Aura, 3.5L 6-cyl) at 22 mpg combined, 18 city and 29 highway, with an estimated annual fuel cost of $3,050 at 15,000 miles a year. Other engine and drive versions are rated differently.
At what mileage are problems with the 2008 Saturn Aura reported?
Among the 359 complaints that include a mileage, the median is 78,500 miles and the middle half falls between 50,000 and 108,000 miles; 23% were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles.
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Crash ratings are from NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program. Fuel economy is from the EPA and DOE (fueleconomy.gov).
Complaint counts come from NHTSA’s public complaint database; we count each complaint once. The source records for this vehicle are on nhtsa.gov. Scores and trends are our own summaries of that data, described in the methodology. This page is not legal, safety or repair advice: for a specific vehicle, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a qualified mechanic. See an error? Tell us.