04 Saturn Vu rpm drop in snow no power
 

My daughter bought this vehicle last winter and has had no issues until this winter. We has a lot of snow in a 24 hr period, she pulled in the driveway and said she was stuck. I got in the car and when I push the accelerator pedal to the floor in gear, rpm would go to 1500rpm and drop to idle...over and over...tou could hear a light popping sound from the engine compartment and tires would barely spin...once we pushed the car and got it going all was fine until she hit the next deep snow and same thing. She has the 2.2L with CVT transmission. We turned off the traction control but it seemed like that didnt help at all. Possible traction control the issue???? Hooked up to my innovative scanner, no codes. I'm at a loss. Going g to change transmission oil and filter. Also only has 120,000km's. Any help or suggestions appreciated!!!

I'm not at all familiar with a Vue, but is sounds like the axles are disconnecting for some reason. I have no idea how the traction control on these things work.

All I can think of is a combination of traction control and the CVT transmission. It is possible that turning off the traction control really doesn’t turn it off entirely to protect the transmission.

I'm thinking I haven't seen a post from someone with a cvt Saturn running other than one of our regulars in years.

If it seems to be slipping w TC off, it is likely CVT related. The CVT in that vehicle is a time bomb. Sell it in the spring.