2006 Saturn VUE

Typical pattern

3.2% of complaints about the 2006 Saturn VUE came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2006 vehicle — around the middle of the 250 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 7.8 yr in service. The most-reported system is electrical system (108 complaints), typically at 7.9 yr or about 80,000 miles.

Complaints: 432
Median age at failure: 7.8 yr
Median mileage: 79,000 n=338
Crash / fire / tow: 9.7% of reports
Safety recalls: 0

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Electrical system

108 reports · 80,000 mi

7.9 yr

11.1%

Air bags

92 reports · 80,000 mi

7.5 yr

17.4%

Steering

30 reports · 102,000 mi

8.9 yr

3.3%

Power train

29 reports · 58,200 mi

5.8 yr

3.4%

Structure

19 reports · 106,400 mi

9.8 yr

5.3%

Latches / locks

17 reports · 73,000 mi

5.0 yr

5.9%

Seats

15 reports · 94,000 mi

8.5 yr

13.3%

In owners’ own words

Steering mileage not reported 3 mo in service

2006 VUE REAR TIRES WERE CUPPED, TIRES WERE REPLACED. CONSUMER EXPERIENCED UNUSUAL STEERING CONDITIONS. *TS THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AND INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THEY WERE GOING TO SWAPPED THE RACK FROM ANOTHER VUE AND CHANGED SOME SENSORS IN THE STEERING COLUMN. THE DEALER NEVER MADE THE REPAIRS. *NM

Steering 41,000 mi 4.3 yr in service

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SATURN VUE. WHILE DRIVING INTO A PARKING SPACE, IN REVERSE OR TRAVELING AT VERY LOW SPEEDS OF LESS THAN 20 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD BECOME EXTREMELY HARD AND TIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE TO THE VEHICLE AND THERE WERE NO RECALLS PERTAINING TO THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 41,000. UPDATED 05/06/10. *LJ UPDATED 06/18/10.*JB

Steering 64,699 mi 6.9 yr in service

PROBLEM WITH THE IGNITION. IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO START UP THE CAR WITH THE ORIGINAL CAR KEY. *TR

Electrical system 4,300 mi 7 mo in service

2006 SATURN VUE, VEHICLE DOORS WOULD NOT OPEN,ENGINE MISS FIRED,THEN SHUT OFF. TOWED TO DEALER, DEALER STATED BAD BATTERY......SECOND TIME VEHICLE SAME THING JUST SHUT OFF.... ALSO IGNITION KEY ENTRY STICKS WHEN TRYING TO START VEHICLE, DEALER SAID TO HAVE REPLACED BUT STILL STICKS WHEN TRYING TO TURN TO START..... *JB

Other VUE model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.