Wiring Problems of Saturn Outlook - part 2

The failure that occurred in my 2008 Saturn Outlook was a faulty driver's side wiring harness for the headlight, which resulted in the lowbeam headlight being inoperable. This occurred on may 8th, 2011 and was continuous. I had the wiring harness replaced at my cost due to the safety issue of only driving with one working headlight at night as well as the fact it's against the law in the state of ohio. Additionally, I was traveling to canada and did not want to risk the possibility of a crash or collision with an animal due to the faulty light. I paid out of pocket over $270 for the necessary repairs including parts and labor (the old part is not available). Gm published a bulletin regarding this issue: (#09-08-42-004: low beam headlamp bulb inoperative - replace harness and fill connector cavity for low beam bulb connector with nyogel grease may 29, 2009) this is most definitely a safety issue and should be recalled immediately. Thank you for your time and consideration with this matter.

See all problems of the 2008 Saturn Outlook 🔎.

Low beam headlight wiring harness and bulb connection melted causing loss of headlights.

Passenger side headlight intermittently turns on and off at will. Duration > a year; not driven alot at night. Concerned about melted wiring also. Prior to this, steering locked up when going through puddles. Made an extremely loud screeching noise. Dealer serviced problem in warranty but did not completely correct it.

See all problems of the 2007 Saturn Outlook 🔎.

In March, 2011, my cars left headlight burned out. When I changed the light, I discovered that the wiring harness had melted. I replaced the harness with a gm part bought at a dealership. Last week, the right headlight burned out. Again, when I changed the light, I discovered that the wiring harness also had melted. The wires seem small to me, and are smaller than the wires on the replacement harness.

Driver side low beam head light wiring harness melted. Insulating sleeve on wiring at wiring harness was melted.

I have a 2008 Saturn Outlook xr. There are now over 150 complaints filed with the NHTSA regarding electrical problems and failure of the low beam lights on both sides. My passenger side failed and when repairs were started the gm repair shop noted the wiring harness where the bulb is inserted was burned (melted and blackened) as is the case in all the complaints I reviewed. Gm issued a TSB in may 2009 addressing this problem (TSB# 09-08-42-004) which included filling the connector cavity with nyogel grease after removing and replacing the harness. My vehicle is out of warranty with just over 41,000 miles. The gm shop acknowledged that they have seen other vehicles in this model line with the same failure. However they had no directions to cover the repairs since the vehicle was out of warranty. It was recommended that I call gm customer assistance. That call resulted in an apparent lack of knowledge of this problem in spite of the numerous NHTSA complaints and internet discussions regarding this problem. This is an obvious safety issue should a failure occur while driving at night. I can also expect that the drivers side will also fail which will result in an additional repair cost beyond just replacing a burned out bulb.

Upon noticing a headlight out on my wife's 2008 Saturn Outlook, it was noted upon disassembly of the headlight that there was significant melting damage to the electrical wiring harness to the passenger side hid headlight fixture. The wiring harness was charred and blackened in the area of the headlight connector assembly. It appears there was significant heat/arcing during the failure event. The damaged wiring harness caused the passenger side headlight to become non functional. The vehicle has approximately 50000 miles on it. This is the first such failure for this vehicle, however, upon reading various online postings about this matter, it appears to be a very common failure mode in these model vehicles. The headlight wiring harness assembly has been replaced, along with the headlight assembly due to heat damage to the headlight lamp wiring connector. Old parts are not available due to being thrown away.

I have a 2007 Saturn Outlook that I will be replacing the headlight wiring harness for the third time on the drivers side. Both sides were replaced by Saturn in early 2009 while the vehicle was under warranty. Since than I had to repair both sides in early 2010. Now its 2011 and the drivers side has gone out again. The wiring harness keeps melting so I need to fix them every year. This is a safety concern since they seem to go out very close together. Gm dealers want to charge 400 dollars for the replacement of one. It takes me approximately 4 hours to make the repair on one side due to the extensive work involved in getting to the headlight assembly.

Headlight wiring defect.

Overheating of low beam headlamp wiring causing melting of plastic components. Headlamps will loose electrical connection and all lamp light will be lost.

The front right hid low beam went out for the third time in 6 months. The wiring harnes melted again destroying an expensive bulb.

The front driver side headlight kept fizzing out. The underlying cause was a frayed and melted wiring harness that was not any good. There is no recall on it but Saturn is aware. Hopefully it won't happen again, but if it does I'm afraid there lies a potential for a fire.

See all problems of the 2009 Saturn Outlook 🔎.

2007 Outlook xr awd - front right low beam wiring harness and bulb connector melted after 37,000 miles.

We bought a 2007 Saturn Outlook in may of 2008. The low beam head lamps would keep "blowing" so we thought. We have replaced head lamps for the low beams on driver and passenger sides at least 3 times each year, so 9 times. In Nov. Of 2010 the passenger side would go out and them come back on, so we bought a new one to put in. As my husband went to replace the bulb just by touching it, it would go on. Then the driver side started doing this. On Friday Nov. 26 while driving down i90 (a major highway) in albany at 5am in the rain, I lost both headlights. My husband would go to replace them and they would come back on with the touch. After reading the many complaints we realized that we have the same headlight problem. They will be on and going and then just turn off. We have almost been hit 2 times now and I will not drive in the dark or have to drive with my high beams on at all times. We are in the process of seeing if this is covered by extended warranty. Since I have bought the car, the interior dash lights will dim up and down. After several over 6 times to the Saturn dealership, they just keep telling me its normal for this car. We believe it all has to do with the wiring harness and it's malfunction.

Drivers side light bulb burned out. After investigation, the wire bundle to the light overheated/burnt and melted, resulting in the halogen bulb failure. Unbelievable amount of online complaints involving the same issue, which repeats itself, even after the dealer replaces the wiring harness. The wiring harness is plastic, under-engineered and repeatedly fails. This item needs to be recalled and repaced with a metal wiring harness. Reference Saturn' s TSB #09-08-42-004. This is a known problem and a serious safety issue.

Driver's side wiring harness melted on headlight, Saturn Outlook 2008.

2007 Saturn Outlook. Driver side low beam headlight continuously develops problems. First, light starts operating intermittently; then, eventually fails completely. The first time it happened, I replaced the bulb (difficult operation accessed through the wheel well). It worked well for a few weeks, then failed again. After reading others' experiences, the next time it happened, I inspected the socket and saw visible charring on the contacts. So, I replaced the socket with an aftermarket part and replaced the bulb. It functioned well for about 3 months, and now the headlight is intermittent again, leaning towards failing completely again. This has been infuriating because the exact onset of the problem is unpredictable and has already caused me a nys equipment violation ticket. Plus, from what I can see, it is a potential fire hazard and certainly a safety hazard as far as driving at night with only one (or possibly no) functioning headlight(s). I cannot change sockets and bulbs every 2-3 months and am worried that the car is unsafe because of the obvious wiring harness issues. I know Saturn is out of business, but we need a safety recall to protect consumers like me who are stuck with an unsafe car. The new gm should pay for a recall.

One evening while driving my children home from an event, we smelled a toxic burning type smell. When we arrived home, I saw that the front headlamp was out (a bit surprising for a 2 year old vehicle). The dealer discovered that the wiring harness connector was burned. A bit frightening and not tro mention costly. Although the car was 2 years old, it has just above 36,000 miles and thus out of warranty. My fault for not getting to the dealer immediately when the mileage would have been just below the 36,000 mile mark.

The contact owns a 2008 Saturn Outlook. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds or at a stop light the right headlight would shut off and he was unable to turn it back on. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer who informed the contact that the headlight wiring and socket melted and needed to replaced. The right headlight wiring and socket were replaced. The left headlight had also experienced the same failure as the right headlight. The left headlight has yet to be inspected by a dealer or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000. Updated 02/23/lj the head light wiring harness was replaced. Updated 05/20/11.

My husband and I will be taking our 2008 Saturn Outlook in for the 5th time, yes I said 5th time, to get the headlight fixed. The drivers side has had a bulb replaced as well as the wiring harness replaced. . . Same with the passenger side. It only has 40,000 miles on it and we have owned it less than a year. We are lucky that our dealership is taking pity on us, and fixing it for free because our warranty just expired. Please recall this. This is a dangerous defect that needs to be fixed!.

I have experienced only issues all year with my 2007 Saturn Outlook. It has 55,000 miles and in June 2010 the wiring short circuited behind the steering wheel causing the theft security lock system to go into effect assuming the car was being hot-wired. It cost me over $300 to fix at the dealer and had to be towed. Then the dealer said my inside fuse box was completely corroded from water and they would need to fix the leak my sunroof was causing. The dealer has made 6 attempts to fix and I just picked up my car this morning, hopefully after the final attempt. Now my breaks are causing issues, the break pedal softens and goes down to almost the floor when pressed every 4th or 5th time and it is drinking brake fluid, I need to take it this weekend to check for a leak. Not to mention my power steering is making loud whining sounds every time that I move the steering wheel. Oh, and my passenger side low beam headlight has gone out a few times and my husband has had to access the back of it to replace it but it continues to go out. Oh, and my transmission caused problems two weeks ago and the dealer fixed it under my powertrain warranty. . 55,000 miles and this car is giving me issues as if I'm over 200,000 miles!.

2008 Outlook had a burned out low beam on the driver side at 31,750 miles. Dealer confirmed that the wiring harness was melted causing the failure and need replacing. Gm needs to recall both wiring harnesses as I am sure the next one will go and it will be past the warranty. This is clearly a safety defect having a lights wiring harness melt. Apparently, this is a common problem with '08 Outlooks. Please issue a recall!.

Headlight wiring harness on 2007 Saturn Outlook xr melts causing fire hazard.

Drivers side low bean wiring harness melted after bulb blew and had to be replaced. Replaced bulb with one from advanced auto parts and then it went out and when I went to find the problem I found the harness where the bulb and harness connect had melted. I've found on line that many other people are having the same problem.

Driver side low beam headlight is not working even after light bulb was changed. Taken in to dealer and told that the left front wiring harness is melted.

The wiring harness on the passengers side low beam has melted twice. It was last replaced two weeks ago, and has since gone out again, I suspect that it has melted again but will not know for sure until I take the car back to the shop. Why are these harness melting and why hasn't gm made a recommendation to fix this problem.

As many other owners of 2007 Saturn Outlooks have reported, the wiring for both headlights have melted, leaving me without headlights. This is a very dangerous situation for all motorists since the incident can occur at night when headlights are a must. Replacing the wiring harness and connector with the same factory wiring and connectors that gm supplies you with per the TSB, is not a correct fix. This will lead to a future failure, and melting wiring and plastic components could potentially cause a fire. This is dangerous and gm knows there is a problem. The factory needs to have a recall and have all components upgraded to ones that will handle the voltage required to run the headlights. I seriously hope there are no fires or accidents that cause any injury before gm decides to do something about this problem. It's bad enough that people are having to repeatedly spend their money to mask a problem that does nothing but come back at a later date.

My 2008 Saturn Outlook has had problems with the headlights. I had two headlights malfunction at the same time. I went to replace the bulbs and one of lights started to work without replacement. The second bulb had a burn mark and the connector on the wiring harness was melted. I plugged the bulb back it and it work, though a bit dimmer. This is the 3rd or 4th time I've had problems with the headlights. I had thought they replaced the wiring harness before under warranty. I'm assuming they will be doing the same since the bulbs still work and the connector is melted on the one harness.

I have a 2008 Saturn Outlook and the right low beam went out and I found that the connector had melted. The very next day in the evening the left low beam went out and I was without low beam lights. I had both wiring harnesses replaced at a cost of almost $400 on 8/27/10 I hope this fixes my problem. Major safety issue in my opinion. I had to drive with high beams and that was not good for other drivers and they were angry with me. Needs recall.

The contact owns a 2008 Saturn Outlook. The contact stated that the driver side headlamp failed. The contact attempted to change the light bulb and discovered that the wiring harness had overheated and burned. The dealer advised that the vehicle could be repaired but at the contacts expense. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 70,000 and the current mileage was 70,458. Updated 12/01/10. Updated 12/14/10.

The low beam headlight wiring harness melted and had to be replaced by the dealer at a cost of $250. I replaced the headlights 4 times in the first 6 months of 2010 before I learned about the problem with the wiring harness on the Saturn forum.

Had a headlight replaced in the Saturn Outlook 2007 xe. The light went out again and melted the wiring harness and fuse. This is a definite safety issue that has happened to many Saturn owners and Saturn even has a technical bulletin addressing the problem but doesn't notify Saturn owners of the issue or help fix it. A recall is warranted. Melted wiring is not acceptable in a car.

1a. The headlights on our 2008 Saturn Outlook started malfunctioning when on auto in July 2010. 1b. Our transmission doesn't properly engage, either. 2a. Our headlights went completely out on the left side, even when on manual, last Friday evening. They had been working earlier in manual, so we were unaware until pulled over by an mp and cited. We were unable to drive our Outlook at night. Saturn finally agreed to fix the wiring harness on Wednesday, but they will not fix the new bulb that shorted out due to the wiring problem. It caused us to not be able to safely or legally drive at night. 2b. The transmission often does not engage, especially when we are stopped and then try to cross traffic to turn left. This has caused several near misses and one minor accident for us. It usually occurs when we are stopped and needing to speed up to merge or cross traffic. 3a. Currently, Saturn is replacing the wiring harness but not the light burned out because of the wiring problem, stating this is a maintenance issue. They are also addressing leaks in the water and fuel pumps. 3b. Unless the transmission problem is fixed by the leaks repair, they have not done anything to correct the transmission problem.

Headlights in Saturn Outlook 2010 failed. Problem with wiring assembly. Smell of electrical fire (no flame, just smell). Followed with visual inspection to see components in back of headlamp scorched. Very expensive to service with no apparent root cause addressed.

See all problems of the 2010 Saturn Outlook 🔎.

Have to replace the headlight and wiring harness every 2 weeks.