Model year record

2008 Saturn Outlook

5 recall campaigns on file for this model year. 926 owner complaints on file.

Recalls

Recall campaignNHTSA 15V415000

Structure: body: hatchback/liftgate

Component
Structure: body: hatchback/liftgate
Manufacturer
General Motors LLC
Vehicles affected
691,144
Reported to NHTSA
2015-06-30
Owners notified
2016-11-15

Defect description

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured January 3, 2007, to February 29, 2012, 2009-2012 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured July 6, 2008, to March 9, 2012, 2007-2012 GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured September 15, 2006, to February 29, 2012, and 2007-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles manufactured August 17, 2006, to March 18, 2010. The affected vehicles, equipped with the power liftgate option, have gas struts that hold the power liftgate up when open. These struts may prematurely wear and the open liftgate may suddenly fall.

Safety risk

If the open liftgate unexpectedly falls, it may strike a person, increasing their risk of injury.

Manufacturer remedy

GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power liftgate actuator motor control unit so that the motor will prevent the rapid closing of the lift gate, free of charge. The recall began on November 15, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, and Saturn customer service at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for this recall is 15240.

Recall campaignNHTSA 14V118000

Air bags: side/window

Component
Air bags: side/window
Manufacturer
General Motors LLC
Vehicles affected
1,176,407
Reported to NHTSA
2014-03-17
Owners notified
2014-06-16

Defect description

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2013 Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia and 2009-2013 Chevrolet Traverse and 2008-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles. In the affected vehicles, increased resistance in the driver and passenger seat mounted side impact air bag (SIAB) wiring harnesses may result in the SIAB and seat belt pretensioners not deploying in the event of a crash.

Safety risk

Failure of the side impact air bags and seat belt pretensioners to deploy in a crash increase the risk of injury to the driver and front seat occupant.

Manufacturer remedy

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected harness connections with soldered connections, free of charge. The recall began on June 16, 2014. Buick owners may contact the owner center at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet owners at 1-866-694-6546, Saturn at 1-800-553-6000, and GMC owners at 1-866-996-9463. GM's number for this recall is 14030. Note: Vehicles repaired as part of Customer Satisfaction Campaign 10085 and special coverage 10335 have already had the subject condition repaired and therefore are not included in the safety recall.

Recall campaignNHTSA 10V240000

Electrical system

Component
Electrical system
Manufacturer
GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
Vehicles affected
1,365,070
Reported to NHTSA
2010-06-04
Owners notified
2010-06-11

Defect description

GM IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2009 BUICK, LUCERNE; CADILLAC DTS; HUMMER H2; MODEL YEAR 2008-2009 BUICK ENCLAVE; CADILLAC CTS; MODEL YEAR 2007-2009 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; GMC ACADIA, SIERRA, YUKON, YUKON XL; SATURN OUTLOOK; AND MODEL YEAR 2009 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A HEATED WASHER FLUID SYSTEM (HWFS). A RECALL WAS IMPLEMENTED IN 2008 TO ADD A FUSE TO THE CONTROL CIRCUIT HARNESS TO ADDRESS THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF A PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD (PCB) ELECTRICAL SHORT. HOWEVER, THERE HAVE BEEN NEW REPORTS OF THERMAL INCIDENTS ON HWFS MODULES AFTER THIS IMPROVEMENT WAS INSTALLED. THESE INCIDENTS RESULTED FROM A NEW FAILURE MODE ATTRIBUTED TO THE DEVICE'S THERMAL PROTECTION FEATURE. THE SIGNIFICANCE VARIES FROM MINOR DISTORTION TO CONSIDERABLE MELTING OF THE PLASTIC AROUND THE HWFS FLUID CHAMBER.

Safety risk

IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THE HEATED WASHER MODULE TO IGNITE AND A FIRE MAY OCCUR.

Manufacturer remedy

DEALERS WILL PERMANENTLY DISABLE AND REMOVE THE HEATED WASHER FLUID MODULE. AN UPDATED PAGE FOR THE OWNER MANUAL WILL BE PROVIDED AND INSERTED IN THE OWNER MANUAL TO DOCUMENT THAT THE FEATURE HAS BEEN PERMANENTLY DISABLED AND REMOVED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 11, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463 AND HUMMER AT 1-800-732-5493 OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.

Recall campaignNHTSA 08V441000

Electrical system

Component
Electrical system
Manufacturer
GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
Vehicles affected
857,735
Reported to NHTSA
2008-08-28
Owners notified
2008-09-12

Defect description

GM IS RECALLING 857,735 MY 2006-2008 BUICK LUCERNE; CADILLAC DTS; HUMMER H2; MY 2007-2008 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; GMC ACADIA, SIERRA, YUKON, YUKON XL, SATURN OUTLOOK; AND MY 2008 BUICK ENCLAVE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A HEATED WIPER WASHER FLUID SYSTEM. A SHORT CIRCUIT ON THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD FOR THE WASHER FLUID HEATER MAY OVERHEAT THE CONTROL-CIRCUIT GROUND WIRE.

Safety risk

THIS MAY CAUSE OTHER ELECTRICAL FEATURES TO MALFUNCTION, CREATE AN ODOR, OR CAUSE SMOKE INCREASING THE RISK OF A FIRE.

Manufacturer remedy

DEALERS WILL INSTALL A WIRE HARNESS WITH AN IN-LINE FUSE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080; CADILLAC AT 1-800-982-2339 OR HTTP://WWW.CADILLAC.COM; CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438; SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876 OR HTTP://WWW.SATURN.COM, GMC AT 1-866-996-9436; OR HUMMER AT 1-800-732-5493; OR THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE AT <A HREF=HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM>HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM</A> .

Recall campaignNHTSA 08V410000

Visibility: windshield wiper/washer: linkages

Component
Visibility: windshield wiper/washer: linkages
Manufacturer
GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
Vehicles affected
88,809
Reported to NHTSA
2008-08-14
Owners notified
2008-10-13

Defect description

GM IS RECALLING 88,809 MY 2008 BUICK ENCLAVE, AND MY 2007-2008 GMC ACADIA AND SATURN OUTLOOK VEHICLES CURRENTLY OR PREVIOUSLY REGISTERED IN THE FOLLOWING STATES: ALASKA, COLORADO, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, NORTH DAKOTA, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, SOUTH DAKOTA, UTAH, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN, WYOMING, AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. IF A BUILDUP OF SNOW OR ICE ON THE WINDSHIELD OR ON THE WIPERS RESTRICTS THE MOVEMENT OF THE WIPER ARM, THE WINDSHIELD WIPER LINKAGE MAY BECOME DETACHED FROM THE MOTOR SHAFT AND THE WIPERS MAY BECOME INOPERATIVE.

Safety risk

IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR, DRIVER VISIBILITY COULD BE REDUCED, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

Manufacturer remedy

DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW WIPER CRANK ARM, DRIVER'S SIDE LINK, AND A CRANK ARM NUT. THE RECALL BEGAN O OCTOBER 13, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463, SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876, OR THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE AT <A HREF=HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM>HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM</A> .

Owner complaints

A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.

ComponentComplaintsMedian mileage
Exterior lighting23645,000 mi
Electrical system15857,000 mi
Power train12080,000 mi
Air bags9385,000 mi
Steering4583,000 mi
Engine3785,000 mi
Unknown or other28100,000 mi
Structure: body2586,000 mi
Electronic stability control (ESC)2094,000 mi
Visibility: sun/moon roof assembly1867,000 mi
Structure1740,500 mi
Exterior lighting: headlights1349,000 mi
Vehicle speed control1372,000 mi
Engine and engine cooling1249,000 mi
Service brakes10104,000 mi
Visibility943,080 mi
Power train: automatic transmission740,088 mi
Seats765,000 mi
Visibility/wiper791,000 mi
Seat belts642,000 mi
Air bags: frontal54,365 mi
Fuel system, gasoline542,730 mi
Electrical system: wiring441,000 mi
Engine and engine cooling: engine322,000 mi
Fuel/propulsion system355,890 mi
Suspension346,000 mi
Electrical system: 12V/24V/48V battery217,000 mi
Equipment: appliance: air conditioner230,000 mi
Structure: body: hatchback/liftgate267,000 mi
Structure: body: roof and pillars2
Traction control system286,000 mi
Electrical system: ignition: switch1
Electrical system: wiring: front underhood160,000 mi
Equipment1
Equipment adaptive/mobility165,489 mi
Exterior lighting: headlights: concealment devices150,000 mi
Power train: clutch assembly170,000 mi
Service brakes, hydraulic146,000 mi
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip1
Tires1155,692 mi
Visibility: defroster/defogger/hvac system150,000 mi
Visibility: windshield wiper/washer: motor146,000 mi
Wheels1

The 2007 model has about 1.5 times as many complaints as this one. The 2009 model has 4 times as many complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.

Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.