Steering Problems of Saturn Aura - part 1

My steering wheel started to randomly shake while I was driving this car through a car wash that I go through monthly. All of a sudden my wheel locked up and flashing warning signals appeared on my dashboard “service esc” making me at a loss of electric power steering assist. I never got in an accident or anything. It just happened while I was driving through a car wash. . I know my vehicle should be involved in the loss of electric power steering assist as it has had every symptom and have had multiple 3rd party mechanics tell me the same thing that this is under a recall, but when I check I do not see this recall for my VIN. I was very concerned for my well being and am confused why this is not covered as I had a special coverage for this under my VIN : [xxx] . 2009 Saturn Aura xe sedan. It is a consistent message I get on my vehicle when I start and am unfortunately not able to drive it because I do not want to put others at risk. Thank you. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle intermittently lost power steering functionality. The message "eps failure" was displayed. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 14e044000 (steering); however, the contact related the failure to the recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 64,194.

The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and making left or right turns on several occasions, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact stated that the steering wheel became firm and required added effort to turn the steering wheel while driving. The contact stated that simultaneously, the eps warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was turned off and restarted each time, but the failure reoccurred a short time later. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 150,000.

My electric power steering stopped working. Not safe to drive. This was fixed prior on recall. I did not own car then.

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The air bag service warning message and warning light is illuminated I took the car back to the dealership had it serviced and a month later the message and light are on again. The passenger air bag sensor is malfunctioning sometimes it doesn't detect the passenger most times it detects a passenger when there isn't one. The tail and brake lights work intermittently. The steering system is dangerous. There's vibrating in the steering wheel and accelerator pedal at all speeds, the steering wheel pulls and jerks when braking and hitting bumps, the steering doesn't hold alignment and the power steering works intermittently.

I was driving and all of a sudden I lost power steering and I had to get over pull over and I was freaking out I could have crashed my dash was saying service ecs.

The car turned off while driving on the highway. The car just recently within the last year or so started giving us electrical problems. The mechanic on August 14, 2025. Replaced the alternator, the second within 3 years. The battery replaced twice within 3 years, as well. Internal dashboard light flickers. The car fails to start several times a month. The driver & passenger seats is not stable, it shifts or moves. The battery's pos and neg poles are extremely hot. Steering wheel stiffened up hard to maneuver. The above problems are ongoing throughout the years. My wife hears a popping sound coming from under the hood.

The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. The contact stated that while coming to a stoplight, the transmission failed to shift properly, and the vehicle jerked. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized with the power steering warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 124,000.

Lost power steering while driving. The power steering warning came on. I pulled over and turned the car off. When I turned it back on the power steering returned. An inspection at the zeigler Buick GMC of lincolnwood in chicago on 4/19/2025 confirmed that the power steering column needs replaced. I'm having it replaced, so the part will not be available for inspection. Thankfully, I was able to pull over right away after I lost power steering, so no damage was caused. This is the first issue I've ever had with my power steering in this car.

The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. The contact stated that while driving at speeds of 20 mph or slower, the power steering function failed to operate as intended. The contact stated that the loss of power steering warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned off and then restarted the vehicle to regain power steering functionality. The contact found information on NHTSA campaign number: 14v153000 (steering). The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

Power steering goes out sometimes it’s happened three times since I’ve owned the car in 2017. It just happened today (3/2/25) for the third time and it tells me that there’s a recall on Saturn Aura that were made in 2008, but when I enter my VIN number, it doesn’t show that mine is on a recall. But I’m not sure why it’s goes out sometime and then works when I turn my car back on.

Electric power steering randomly disables assist but resumes with restart. Brake lights randomly illuminate and randomly stop working.

The contact owns a 2008 Saturn Aura. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became difficult to steer and did not function as intended. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with a failed electronic power steering assist module. The contact was informed that the electronic power steering assist module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was informed that the recall NHTSA campaign number: 14v153000 (steering) was previously completed on the contact's vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

While I was driving my car going 40 mph down the road the wheel stuck and I couldn't turn or do anything. I had to pull over and reset the car by shutting it off and turning it back on. I've had to do that before when I first started the car and tried to back up in the wheel froze and it wouldn't move anywhere. I went to the garage today and they told me that it's my power steering.

The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. The contact stated while driving 40 mph and attempting to make a turn, the steering seized. The power steering warning light was illuminated. The message "service esc" was displayed. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the power steering became functional; however, the failure recurred while driving back to the residence. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the next available appointment was in 3 weeks. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 14v153000 (steering); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000.

The contact owned a 2008 Saturn Aura. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 mph and ascending a grade in the road, the steering wheel became very difficult to turn. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle jumped the curb on the left side of the vehicle and then crashed into a telephone pole, he was unable to steer due to the loss of power steering functionality. The contact stated that crash happened very fast and he was not able to depress the brake pedal to avoid the crash. The contact stated that the front drivers side bumper, grill and lights were crushed. There was also damage to the driver's side front tire wheel well and axel. The contact stated that he called the police who then wrote a report. The contact stated that he was not injured, however the vehicle was undrivable and was towed to an impound lot. The contact stated that the vehicle was later declared a total loss by his insurance provider. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 198,000.

The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. The contact stated driving 55 mph, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The power steering warning light was illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The contact turned off and inspected the vehicle and noticed that the power steering was electric. The contact's brother turned off, restarted the vehicle, and shook the steering wheel several times until the steering wheel became operable. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the residence at slow speeds. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed. The mechanic determined that the electric power steering assist system had failed, and the failure was related to NHTSA campaign number: 14v153000 (steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 175,168.

The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds the electronic power steering had failed causing the steering wheel to become unable to turn in either direction. After immediately turning the vehicle off and restarting the engine the power steering was corrected and operated as normal. The contact indicated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken the local mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 85,000.

I bought this 2008 Saturn Aura from dealer on 09/13/2023. Since I bought it, I fractured my hand and foot while checking the tires and brakes. 10/27/23 - I put the car in park to investigate what was causing the constant rattling noise while at the same time the car would shudder. While I was on one knee with one hand on ground so l could bend and look into the wheel well, the car rolled the tire over my hand and foot that was in its path because I wasn't able to move quick enough and didn't expect that to happen. 11/16/23 - I found out what the rattling noise and shudder was caused by when I completely lost all steering control and hit a tree which damaged the vehicle and caused injury, not only to myself but also to my 5 year old nephew who was in the car with me. I was told by a mechanic that a damaged joint bearing caused separation of the u-joint resulting in loss of steering control. What the hell is wrong with this car. I paid $1500 for the vehicle, then to top it off add injury costs I paid; the repairs and/or replacement of the u-joint and transmission shift cable due to damage. I don't know what to do to remedy the situation. I can't even afford to fix the body damage or replace the wheel rim damage caused by the wreck. Where do I go from here? I can't afford a new vehicle that why I bought this car. What a joke. Please advise. Maybe I can find free council.

The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. The contact stated while driving 50 mph the steering wheel became stiff and the warning message saying that the steering fluid was low illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 171,000.

Power steering went out as we were driving, making the wheel almost impossible to turn. There was a recall repair before I purchased the vehicle but I am skeptical it was actually done as I am having the same issue with the power steering that was supposed to have been fixed. This is a continuous problem that puts my life and the lives of others in danger.

The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. Additionally, while driving 50-55 mph, the transmission jolted. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign numbers: 14v252000 (electrical system, exterior lighting, vehicle speed control, electronic stability control), 14v153000 (steering), 12v460000 (power train), and 09v073000 (power train). The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000.

Power steering goes out while driving sometimes, can’t control car. Bought car from fb marketplace last month and previous owner states that it has happened before numerous times.

Power steering keeps going off. Have to restart car to get it to work. Now it won’t work at all.

Wife has repeatedly mentioned loss of power steering and for a petite woman each incident was quite scary for her. I drove it for two days before it happened to me. It was much worse than simply a car with no power steering, which I've owned before. It seemed like something was actively working to prevent the steering wheel from turning. The force required was at my own limits to steer adequately. The next time the car was started it was fine. However, it goes out while driving; about 40 mph, in my case, as I was merging onto the highway. As others have mentioned, my VIN is not included in the recall for the torque angle steering sensor. I also must advocate for the recall to be widened. Obviously gm purposely narrowed the recall, knowing the later vehicles had parts that were not substantially different.

Steering occasionally gives out without warning. There is a recall for this make, model, and year of vehicle, but my VIN search says it is not included. This recall needs to be expanded to include a wider range of VIN numbers.

The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. The contact stated that while her mother was turning into a gas station, the steering wheel lost power steering inadvertently. The steering warning light illuminated. The contact stated that upon turning off and restarting the vehicle, the steering wheel regained power steering. The contact's mother attempted to purchase power steering fluid but became aware that the vehicle power steering was electrical. The contact stated that the steering wheel was making abnormal whining sounds and was jerking while driving. The contact contacted an independent mechanic who informed her that the failure was related to an unknown steering recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 133,149.

While I was driving on the freeway my power steering failed and the car became impossible to maneuver safely. I had to take back roads home to minimize risks. I took it to an autoparts shop to see if they could help me find the power steering fluid resovior. This was when I found out my vehilce had an electric power assist and did not have a power steering pump. I drove home and the power assist would go in and out intermittenly. I looked online and found that my year of Saturn Auras had a recall associated with this exact problem. My complaint is that I have had the exact same issue present itself in my vehicle, but my VIN number states it did not have a recall. My question is why was it not recalled? it is an expensive repair and logically it seems that the recall should apply to my vehicle. It is the same make and model, but was not in recall according to VIN. I'm complaining that both gm and national department of transportation should have included my VIN in recall. I'm left with a car unsafe to drive. I could have a fatal accident when the power assist failed.

The power steering completely failed while driving. This made the car very difficult to turn and because it happened at a high speed, if there had been an immediate need to swerve, it would not have been possible due to the power steering failure. It is not as if the steering became like a car with "manual steering", as I have driven one without power steering before. It was much worse. Similar to how a handicap access door is very difficult to open manually as it can also be opened with the push of a button. In addition, it should be noted that normal alerts made by the car are supposed to play a chime through the speakers. For this car, it seems to be played through the driver speaker, which also stopped working some time ago. In fact both the front speakers have failed and I've only been able to replace the passenger one thus far. Therefore, when you are driving, when the power steering fails randomly, the warning chime is not heard. The only way you would know it has failed is if you look down at the information center in the dash and catch the alert - or you try to make a turn. As you can imagine, finding out your steering has failed in the middle of a turn is incredibly terrifying and it is only by the grace of god that we have not had a wreck up to this point. We immediately stopped driving this car once this issue presented itself as it is not safe to drive. The dealer just made me aware that the failure was caused by the steering torque angle sensor. I had just recently had the power steering motor replaced because of the same exact problem. As it turns out, there is an outstanding product safety recall for the steering torque angle sensor: 14116b. However, my Saturn Aura was manufactured in 2009 making it ineligible for the safety recall. The recall only covers Auras (and other similar gm cars) manufactured through mid-2008. It is clear that this recall should be expanded to cover my vehicle for both of the aforementioned failures.

Unknown.

My electronic power steering went out.

Three separate incidents of complete loss of power steering while driving.

Esc disabled alarm and a loss of power steering.

Power steering has failed. Yes, it is available for inspection. Can not properly control the steering, difficult to go around a corner. Problem is constant - but not yet inspected. Warning lights for traction control and check engine appear, and service power steering appears on the information station, but not prior to the failure. Problem started around Dec 15, 2021 after parking it overnight. Started it the next morning and that is when the problem started. A recall posted in may 2014 calls for repair of some 2007 & 2008 cars for this problem, but not for this particular car, built in April 2009. Seems as though all Saturn cars using these same parts should have been recalled. Thank you.

Wife reported power steering went out while in city traffic and she was not able to execute right hand turn. She had to gradually approach side of road, park, turned car off, turned on, jiggled steering wheel and assisted steering returned. She says at least one dashboard lit up, but doesn't remember which one.