Selling a junk or broken Saturn Aura

An Aura stuck in Park, or one with a steering warning on every start, may not be worth the next repair. We buy whole non-running and junk cars. Sell the whole car as it sits, with free pickup anywhere in the US.

The shifter recalls

Wikipedia says GM recalled 473,841 Chevrolet Malibus, Pontiac G6s and Saturn Auras from the 2007-2010 model years with 4-speed automatics: 426,240 in the US, 40,029 in Canada and 7,572 elsewhere. That's NHTSA campaign 12V460. On these cars, tabs on the shift cable end can fail. The dealer fix is a retainer fitted over the cable end, or a new cable. The 426,240 figure covers all three models, not just the Aura.

Two more campaigns touch the shifter:

• 14V224 (2007-2008): GM first recalled 56,214 Auras, then added 1,074,899 more vehicles, for 1,131,113 in all. An Aura owner can get the shift cable assembly and mounting bracket swapped by a dealer at no cost.
• 09V073 (2009): an adjustment clip on the shift cable might not be fully seated. Its 276,729 vehicles come from ten GM models, the Enclave, Traverse and Outlook crossovers among them.

Problems by model year

The Aura ran one generation on GM's Epsilon platform, built at the Fairfax Assembly plant in Kansas City, Kansas, and related to the Chevrolet Malibu. Wikipedia lists a 2.4-liter four, a 3.5-liter V6 and a 3.6-liter V6, with 4-speed or 6-speed automatics, plus the Green Line hybrid.

2007: the launch year

Its debut year drew 608 complaints, the Aura's high. Power train tops that list at 141, then air bags (93) and service brakes (70). It has three recall campaigns, including two shifter recalls: 12V460 for 4-speed automatics and 14V224 for the floor shift cable.

2008: steering moves up

Of 434 complaints on the 2008, power train still leads (105), but steering is close behind at 91. One death is reported in 2008 complaints. Recall 14V153 covers the electric power steering assist on 2008-2009 Auras. Its 1,373,177-vehicle count includes the Malibu, HHR, Cobalt, Ion and G6. Dealers perform one of four GM bulletins.

2009: steering takes over

Steering is named in 164 of the 2009's 392 complaints, more than any other system on any Aura year. Electronic stability control follows power train with 41. Recall 14V252 covers 2007-2010 Auras. The dealer remedy sets the body control module's wiring harness on a spacer and coats both connections in dielectric lubricant. The 2,440,524 count covers a campaign led by 2004-2012 Malibus.

2010: barely a year

Wikipedia says the Aura was discontinued during the 2009 model year, along with the Saturn division, though a second-generation Aura based on the Opel Insignia had been planned. NHTSA has just 2 complaints filed under 2010. The final Aura years show fewer owner reports, mostly because those cars have spent fewer years being driven.

Year-by-year complaint and recall counts

We pulled these Aura numbers from NHTSA complaint files on October 10, 2026. A recall naming more than one Aura year is listed in every year it names.

Fix the Aura or sell it as it sits?

Set the shop's written estimate beside the asking price of a working Aura like yours. When the two are near each other, fixing it rarely pays.

1. Look up open recalls at NHTSA first. Shift cable and steering work under a recall is dealer work.
2. Transmission slipping or not shifting? See our bad transmission guide.
3. Recall still open and you don't want to deal with it? Selling with an open recall covers what to tell a buyer.

How to sell the Aura

1. Write down the Aura's VIN, its miles, the symptoms and whether it moves.
2. Get an offer online, or call (877) 421-6008.
3. Tell us where it's parked and whether it's stuck in Park. Pickup is free anywhere in the US.
4. Leave it whole, wheels and converter included. Say if anything is gone.
5. Have the title and keys at pickup. For plates and insurance afterward, read after you sell.

The Aura replaced the L-Series. See also the Outlook and Ion, or every Saturn.