Four problems related to transmission shudder have been reported for the 2003 Saturn VUE. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2003 Saturn VUE based on all problems reported for the 2003 VUE.
2003 Saturn Vue-transmission grinds. It takes several attempts to start the vehicle and when it does start, it stalls going into drive. Can drive in reverse without any problems but car will not immediately drive when put in "drive. " it can be anywhere between a 30 second to 3-5 minute delay before the car will actually drive. The transmission has now been replaced 3 times since 2004 due to other defects (jerky gear shifting, stalling for several seconds). Each time the car works for a little while (a year or so) but the jerking begins again. This last transmission is the absolute worse! though I'm required to put an approximate incident date, this problem has been ongoing since my purchase in 2004. The stalling of it going into drive just started 2010.
Vehicle would decelerate while driving from a stop postion, and transmission would make a grinding noise. Dealer was notified.
Twice (July/2003 and April/2004) my Saturn Vue vti transmission has failed. In April, the transmission failed in highway driving. Was moving along about 55 mph in moderate state highway traffic and the transmission started grinding and vehicle lost all power. Was not able to recover any power. In 2003, I was able to drop the shifter into a lower gear (I) which increased power to the point where I could control vehicle. Saturn's solution is to extend warranty but I have real concerns.
The transmission mount didn't fit the transmission and engine completely. As a result, the transmission and engine vibrated. The transmission had made a knocking sound which had come from the catalytic converter heat shield. When the vehicle was driven down an incline, it would make a noise. (michael livingston is the second consumer in reference to this complaint) ts scc.