Three problems related to side/window air bag have been reported for the 2008 Saturn Aura. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2008 Saturn Aura based on all problems reported for the 2008 Aura.
Side passenger airbag deployed while driving down the interstate. There was no outside force on the car.
Air bags deployed on my 2008 Saturn while driving car.
My side or side curtain air bags did not deploy on my 2008 Saturn Aura. 1. I was driving on the highway in the far left lane at about 60mph. A vehicle behind me changed lanes erratically to the right crossing over 4 lanes of traffic. The car had to swerve back into the lane to her right when someone entered the highway. The car who changed lanes lost control of her car and went sideways across the lanes to the left and struck my right front passenger door with the front end of her car. This pushed me across the breakdown lane with the left front fender (from the headlight down to the beginning of the door) of my car striking the concrete median. 2. I was jarred to the left and my head struck the left driver's window. I later had severe left pain in my head, back, hip & leg. I had a CT scan on my head but no injuries found and an mri on my back which should degeneration (a condition was unaware of) aggravated by the accident causing inflammation and pressure on the sciatic nerve. 3. My car was repaired at a cost of approx $11,000 (although it just went back into the shop as they found the motor mount broke and needed replacing so it will be higher). I asked in the beginning why the side or side airbags never deployed and was told they would let me know. Due to my injury and trying to locate transportation for the month my vehicle was in the shop I forgot to follow up on that. Now I asked and was told "it didn't meet the parameters". I advised I was hit square in the door, what exactly are the parameters? no one at the Saturn body shop could tell me. I was referred to the Saturn home office. They opened a "legal file" on this and after a few days called me to say that it "didn't meet the parameters". I again asked what those were and they said that the impact had to be on the pillar and not the doors. I'm sorry that doesn't make any sense to me. They referred me to my owner's manual and that was the end of it.