When I started my car this morning I tried to turn wheel and it was really hard to turn. I noticed a light on my dashboard that looked like a steering wheel with a exclamation point next to it. I also got a service power steering message. My car is a 4 cylinder. Does anyone know what this could mean? Fuse?

 

Your Vue has electric power assist. It is part of the steering column. I'm sure there is a fuse for the circuit, I doubt that it is the only problem. You will need to scan the car for diagnostic codes for the column.

 

Thank You for your response.. I will look into it.

 

I will guess that it suffers from whatever the Outlook suffers from w r t power steering, if the engine is one that is offered in the Outlook as well.

There are TSBs regarding Intermittent loss of power steeering on 2010 Outlooks that point backwards to include older models. I THINK the identical system is used on the Vues, with Vue drivers complaining of the same symptoms, but GM will not issue a TSB for the Vues nor a recall for the problem. It is across GM's line -- not limited to Saturns.

NHTSA Reference
#10081074

 

yea, i noticed that it has electronic steering when i changed trans, no lines going to rack.... no Hydraulic lines, no power steering pump. go figure... learning more and more.

 

I have a 2010 Saturn Vue, over the last few months i have noticed a pause when turning sharp left or right and it is gradually getting worse. Gradual turns are ok. I am preparing to take it to the shop but wanted to get some opinions to try to make sure I dont get ripped off. No warning lights are showing that there is an issue with the power steering and the fluid seems to be full every time i check it. When i had the oil changed, they also checked the fluid and i was told it looked foamy which is an indication that the pump might be failing.

 

I believe your Vue has electric power steering assist.
There is no fluid nor pump with electric power steering assist. That said, I'm not sure what fluid reservoir you have been checking. Where is the reservoir under the hood?

I would also recommend reading the above mentioned TSB to see what other owners have experienced and how GM is addressing it.

You did not mention whether you are taking it to a GM shop or an independent one. I have had mixed experiences with independent shops and Saturns. The issue is that independents don't usually work on alot of Saturns unless they are popular in the area. So you risk misdiagnosis.

I don't remember the troubleshooting steps nor the remedy, but with known power steering issues on this vehicle, this might be a case where paying dealer prices once to get it fixed ends up cheaper than having an independent shop play swap-a-part in a guessing game that costs you time, parts cost and repeated labor costs.

Read the TSB.