2010 Saturn Outlook problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Exterior Lighting (6) · Steering (5) · Vehicle Speed Control (2)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Saturn Outlook model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (4)
Structure:body:hatchback/Liftgate 2015-06-30 · campaign 15V415000 · 691,144 vehicles
Defect: 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 li
Risk: If the open liftgate unexpectedly falls, it may strike a person, increasing their risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Seat Belts 2014-05-20 · campaign 14V266000 · 1,339,355 vehicles
Defect: General Motors is recalling certain model year 2009-2014 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured April 14, 2008, through May 14, 2014, Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured June 6, 2008, through May 14, 2014, and GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured April 9, 2008, through May 14, 2014, and 2009-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles manufactured April 14, 2008, through March 18, 2010. In the affected vehicles, the flexible steel cable that connects the seatbelt to the front outboard seating positions may fatig
Risk: If the steel cable becomes fatigued and separates, the seatbelt may not properly restrain the seat occupant increasing the risk of an injury in a crash.
Fix: General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, repair and replace the lap pretensioner, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. An interim notice will be mailed to owners in July 2014. A second notice will be mailed to owners once parts become available. The recall for the 2009-2010 model years began on July 11, 2014. The interim letter for the 2011-2014 model years were distributed on July 11, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-222-
Air Bags:side/Window 2014-03-17 · campaign 14V118000 · 1,176,407 vehicles
Defect: 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.
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.
Fix: 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 repai
Seat Belts 2010-08-12 · campaign 10V375000 · 207,210 vehicles
Defect: GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009-2010 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE, BUICK ENCLAVE, GMC ACADIA, AND SATURN OUTLOOK VEHICLES. THE SECOND ROW SEAT SIDE TRIM SHIELD RESTRICTS THE UPWARD ROTATION OF THE SAFETY BELT BUCKLE WHEN THE SEAT BACK IS RETURNED TO A SEATING POSITION AFTER BEING FOLDED FLAT. IF THE BUCKLE CONTACTS THE SEAT FRAME, ADDITIONAL EFFORT IS REQUIRED TO RETURN THE SEAT TO A SEATING POSITION. IF SUFFICIENT FORCE IS APPLIED, THE BUCKLE COVER COULD BE PUSHED DOWN THE STRAP, E
Risk: THE SAFETY BELT MAY NOT RESTRAIN THE OCCUPANT AS INTENDED DURING A CRASH, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY TO THE SEAT OCCUPANT.
Fix: DEALERS WILL MODIFY THE SECOND ROW SEAT SIDE TRIM SHIELDS. IF A SAFETY BELT BUCKLE IS DAMAGED, DEALERS WILL REPLACE IT FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 18, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463, AND SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876, OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
Service bulletins (1,264)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-04 · PIP4902W · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Unknown Or Other 2026-04-01 · PIT3271Q · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-09 · PIP6104 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a gds2 session log and upload to a technical assistance case in cx connect.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-09 · PIP4902V · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Unknown Or Other 2026-01-08 · PIP4902U · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Unknown Or Other 2025-11-20 · PIT5214G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have had multiple repair attempts that are being performed on customer’s vehicles that exhibit vibration conditions without utilizing the support of general motors technical assistance center. if va
Showing the 6 most recent of 1,264 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2019-08-23 · Steering · 70,000 mi“intermittent loss of power steering when trying to park in a space in a parking garage. it also happened when turning in motion into a street off a highway while braking. power steering fluid levels were full both times.…”
2017-08-03 · Exterior Lighting · 124,000 mi“my 2010 saturn outlook has 124,xxx miles on it. i've owned it since january of 2017. 2 or 3 months ago my passenger side low beam headlight went out. i decided that due to having to go through the wheel well to get to the bulbs, i would just change all 4 while i was in there. everything seemed fine for about a month. then i noticed it flickering on…”
2017-02-23 · Vehicle Speed Control · 79,243 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2010 saturn outlook. while driving 25 mph, the vehicle failed to accelerate when the pedal was depressed. ocassionally, the vehicle would abnormally accelerate without the pedal being engaged. the failure occurred without warning. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. t…”
2016-10-20 · Engine · 109,761 mi“engine light was coming on & off. after a couple days, the outlook had a loss of power. had it checked & was told we had a timing issue with the 3 timing chains. the chains were stretched & one of the timing chain gears was one tooth off. they needed to be replaced. i was also told that there was a recall on the 2007-2009 saturn outlooks for the sa…”
2016-10-06 · Exterior Lighting · 11,500 mi“headlights wire harnesses burnt…”
2016-06-20 · Steering · 90,000 mi“when turning right or left, typically at lower speeds, the steering nearly freezes up making it almost impossible to turn. i have taken the car to the shop - can't figure out what it is, and i have called my dealer - says it's no longer under warranty and no recall issued for this type of thing so i would be wasting my time to bring it in. the car …”
2015-02-13 · Exterior Lighting · 84,170 mi“melted low beam headlight wiring harness. bulbs have been replaced numerous times and now there is no low beam headlights at all. *tr…”
2014-09-29 · Unknown Or Other · 80,000 mi“when driving slow forward or back, when turning the steering wheel, it locks up then will come loose, letting you turn the wheel. i understand there is a class action suit against gm by the chevy traverse owners for this same problem. case number is [xxx], filed 3/12/13. since i have a saturn, that is a twin to the chevrolet traverse and gm acadia…”
2014-07-11 · Vehicle Speed Control · 28,000 mi“i have had numerous issues with power steering in my saturn. this is my family vehicle that i drive my children in and bought it with safety in mind. i am starting to believe the vehicle is very unsafe. instead of gm fixing the problem they have taken no blame and are asking me to pay hefty bills related to the steering wheel. the car has had 3 st…”
2014-06-25 · Steering · 75,000 mi“i have been experiencing intermittent power steering loss at low speeds for several months. after viewing hundreds of complaints from owners of other similar year model vehicles on the lambda platform i contacted gm/saturn about a possible recall. after speaking with a customer service rep we took our vehicle to our local dealer for diagnostic te…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.