2005 Saturn Relay service brakes, hydraulic problems

“12/19/2011 WIFE WAS DRIVING CAR ON 4 LANE HIGHWAY WHEN BRAKES ENGAGED FOR NO REASON. FOOT WAS NOT EVEN ON THE PEDAL. VAN LURCHED, TIRES SQUEALED, DRASTICALLY REDUCED SPEED DOWN TO 20 MPH, AND CAR PULLED TO THE RIGHT. SHE PULLED OFF ONTO SHOULDER OF ROAD. T/C LIGHT CAME ON. VAN DROVE NORMALLY AFTER THAT UNTIL 1/5/12 WHEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN. THIS TIME IT HAPPENED AT A LOWER SPEED, WHILE SLOWING TO TURN LEFT THROUGH AN INTERSECTION. MADE CAR SKID AND SHE ALMOST MISSED THE TURN. IT HAPPENED AGAIN ON 1/6/11 WHILE TURNING INTO A PARKING LOT. SAME SYMPTOMS, THIS TIME CAR PULLED TO LEFT. I INSPECTED VEHICLE TO FIND THAT RIGHT REAR BRAKE CALIPER WAS LEAKING BRAKE FLUID. THOUGHT THAT WOULD SOLVE PROBLEM, HOWEVER, IT WAS AN UNRELATED ISSUE. HAPPENED 5 TIMES ON 1/10/11, ONCE AGAIN ON 1/11/11 AT 60 MPH, AND ON 1/12/11 AT A LOWER SPEED. DIAGNOSIS BY A GM CERTIFIED MECHANIC DETERMINED THE PROBLEM TO BE THE EBCM. CURRENTLY THE FUSE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE ABS AND ABS PUMP TO PREVENT THIS VERY DANGEROUS CONDITION FROM HAPPENING AGAIN. SWITCH IN CAR TO DEACTIVATE TRACTION CONTROL WAS NOT STOPPING IT FROM MALFUNCTIONING. MY WIFE AND KIDS USE THIS CAR, AND I WAS VERY WORRIED…”

“WHEN THE ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL SENSOR LIGHTS CAME ON , IT FELT LIKE THE CAR WASN'T SLOWING DOWN MUCH, AT 35 MPH. IT WAS SCARY. I KNOW OF OTHER PEOPLE THAT HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM, THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THIS. I WAS TOLD IS THE EBCM MODULE. *TT”

“I BOUGHT MY 2005 RELAY BRAND NEW FROM THE SATURN DEALER. ABOUT 1 YEAR LATER THE ABS LIGHT WENT ON AND I HAD IT SERVICED UNDER WARRANTY. 1 MONTH LATER ABS LIGHT AGAIN. THE HUB WAS REPLACED AND THIS FIXED THE PROBLEM FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. ABS LIGHT AGAIN. THIS TIME THE DEALER REPLACED THE SENSOR. ONE MONTH LATER REPLACED THE SENSOR AGAIN. I STARTED HAVING SOME SHAKING WHEN BRAKING THEN THE ABS LIGHT APPEARED AGAIN. I TOOK THE CAR TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC INSTEAD OF THE DEALER THINKING THAT MAYBE THE DEALER MECHANICS WERE SHORT-CUTTING ON REPAIRS. THE PRIVATE MECHANIC WAS NOT ABLE TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM. THE ABS LIGHT STILL COMES ON ALL THE TIME. THE 2005 SATURN RELAY NEEDS A RECALL! *KB”

“THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON WHILE BACKING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY. IT HAS BEEN IN TO THE SHOP 3 TIMES. BOTH HUBS HAVE BEEN REPLACED. ABS WARNING CONTINUES TO COME ON DAILY AT RANDOM TIMES. NOW THE BRAKE LIGHT IS COMING ON WITH THE ABS SOMETIMES WHILE DRIVING OR BRAKING. THERE ARE NEW BRAKE PADS AND THE ROTORS ARE GOOD. BUT THE BRAKES MAKE A GRINDING SOUND ONCE IN AWHILE. THE REPAIRMAN WONDERS WHY THERE WASN'T A RECALL BY SATURN.”

“I BOUGHT A USED 2005 SATURN RELAY 3 IN JANUARY 2010. I HAVE 2 MAJOR ISSUES GOING ON: POWER SLIDING DOORS WILL NOT RECOGNIZE THAT THEY ARE CLOSED AND WILL CONTINUE TO DING AS IF I WAS DRIVING WITH THEM OPEN...ON A FEW OCCASIONS I HAVE HEARD THE POWER DOOR MOTOR START ON ITS OWN AS IF IT WAS TRYING TO OPEN THE DOORS WHILE I AM DRIVING! SECOND ISSUE IS ABS/TRACTION CONTROL LIGHTS HAVE BEEN COMING ON SPORADICALLY SINCE I PURCHASED IT. OF COURSE, NO ONE CAN FIND THE PROBLEM BECAUSE THEY CAN'T REPLICATE IT. IT DOESN'T MATTER THE DRIVING CONDITIONS, DRIVING TIME, WEATHER OR ANYTHING ELSE. BOTH HAVE HAPPENED AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. CURRENTLY THE LIGHTS ARE STAYING ON MORE THAN OFF AND YESTERDAY WHILE DRIVING, THE WARNING LIGHTS WERE OFF UNTIL I STEPPED ON THE BRAKES, FELT AND HEARD A CLUNKING SOUND, THE BRAKE PETAL GAVE WAY SOME, AND THE SERVICE ABS/NO TRACTION CONTROL LIGHTS CAME BACK ON AGAIN. THE CAR DID STOP. TALKED TO THE USED CAR DEALERSHIP THAT SOLD IT TO ME AND I AM CURRENTLY MAKING ARRANGEMENTS TO HAVE VEHICLE LOOKED AT. IN RESEARCHING I HAVE FOUND NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THESE SAME ISSUES ON A NUMBER OF FORUMS. *TR”

“I HAD A 2005 SATURN. I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. I WOULD HAVE RATED IT AS THE MOST LIKED CAR OF MY LIFE. HOWEVER, THE STEERING OR BRAKES FAILED AND ACTUALLY CAUSED MY CAR TO ACCELERATE. I WAS IN A CHURCH PARKING LOT, GETTING READY TO PARK MY VEHICLE AND WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES, THE CAR ACCELERATED AND I WAS HEADED FOR A TREE,WHEN I RAN OVER A PIECE OF PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT THAT STOPPED MY WILD RIDE. WHEN I TOOK IT TO SATURN OF LAKELAND, THEY SAID NOTHING HAD SHOWN UP ON A COMPUTER BUT THEY DID TEST DRIVE IT AND COULD FIND NOTHING. THEY TOLD ME THAT I MUST HAVE HAD MY FOOT ON THE GAS INSTEAD OF THE BRAKE. I HAD A SIMILAR INCIDENT, MUST LESS DRAMATIC BEFORE THAT WHEN I WAS PULLING IN TO PARK. BOTH TIMES I WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN. THAT TIME I WAS ALMOST STOPPED BUT DID RUN INTO THE CURB. I HAVE DRIVEN 49 YEARS AND THESE ARE THE ONLY TWO INCIDENTS WHEN I SUPPOSEDLY HAD MY FOOT ON THE GAS AND NOT THE BRAKE. IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKELY AT ALL TO ME. WELL THE FROSTING ON THE CAKE WAS THAT ABOUT TWO MONTHS LATER, I WENT OUT AND WAS GOING TO START MY CAR AND WHEN I TRIED TO PUT THE CAR IN GEAR THE SHIFTING LEVEL FELL OUT OF POSITION AND WAS ONLY HELD IN PLACE BY THE…”