Two problems related to automatic transmission torque converter have been reported for the 2005 Saturn VUE. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2005 Saturn VUE based on all problems reported for the 2005 VUE.
Driving 65mph on the freeway my vehicle would not down shift (automatic) and started making a terrible loud vibrating noise. Letting off the gas hoping and thinking it would down shift, the car started to totally slow down. Scared being on a freeway we pulled to the side, put on the hazard lights - we put the car in neutral and tried starting again but the car would never get above 40mph. We crawled along at about 30mph to find an exit ramp, called a tow truck ($300 for being out of town) to be towed back to our mechanic shop. Found the torque converter went bad which "toasted" the transmission. We ended up replacing the transmission with a same year and model as the old one. I never received any notices that there had been prior issues and I am now terrified that this one will go bad as I have recently read that these have had problems.
I own a 2005 Saturn Vue with 54,000 miles and have, for the past year, experienced a shudder in the transmission between 25 and 40 mph. The shudder occurs regularly during slow acceleration. The dealership hasn't, until recently, been able to diagnose the problem. The dealership has now told me that I need a new torque converter, which will be installed tomorrow. In addition, I've been experience squeaking in my suspension everytime I turn or go over a bump in the road. My car is only 3 years old and shouldn't be experiencing these problems. I will now be taking my car back to the dealership to have the suspension looked at.