2004 Saturn Vue Transmission Overheating While Flat Towing

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Question:

We have a 2004 Saturn vue that we have towed many miles behind our RV. Recently we towed it from NC to Chattanooga TN. Everything was fine every time we stopped to check, however, when we arrived at the RV park in Chattanooga the Saturn was smoking. Unhooked from RV and let it cool down and drove it for 2 weeks and it it did not register hot again. Had the transmission rebuilt earlier this year and had not towed the Saturn since being rebuilt. It was towed at about 70-75 mph for about a 100 miles. Any idea why this would happen?? Thank you for any information.

asked by: Wanda/Bob C

1

Helpful Expert Reply:

Motor Trend is a very popular automobile magazine with millions of followers. In September of 2008, one of their writers, "Scott Evans", published an article that dealt with the frequent failures associated with the transmissions used in the 2002-2005 Saturn Vue's. The article further explains that such frequent failures caused a widespread class action lawsuit against General Motors (GM) for the transmission's poor performance. Said actions caused a mandatory settlement for all owners with transmission problems on their 2002-2005 Saturn Vue's. To summarize the article, the transmissions were poorly designed and had multiple problems across platforms. (http://www.motortrend.com/news/gm-settles-classaction-suit-over-transmission-failures-in-saturn-vue-and-ion-2288/)

Now with that being said, if you are flat towing the vehicle, this will create even more of a stress on the vehicle's transmission for the following reason. In order to keep the transmission fluid temperatures at an optimal level, they need air, very similar to how the radiator cools the motor. When flat towing a vehicle behind a large motorhome, you are blocking almost all of the airflow needed to keep the transmission cool.

According to our flat towing application, Remco, a 2004 Saturn Vue should not be flat towed in excess of 65 mph. You will also want to check with your owner's manual to ensure you are in full compliance with all of the manufacturers flat towing guidelines.

If you vehicle has an automatic transmission, you will want to use a remote mounted transmission cooler with built-in cooling fan to keep your transmission fluids at a safe level. For this, I recommend using the Derale Hyper-Cool Extreme Remote Cooler Assembly w/ Fan part # D15876 with the Derale Remote Mounting Kit for Transmission Coolers part # D13022. This setup will allow you to keep your vehicle's transmission temperatures at a safe level no matter the amount of airflow that is able to reach the cooler.

expert reply by: Conner L

1

2004 Saturn Vue Transmission Overheating While Flat Towing

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