Used Saturn Aura Buying Guide: Best Years, Shift Cable Recalls and Trouble Spots

The used Saturn Aura worth your money is a 2008 or 2009 XR with the 3.6-liter V6 and six-speed automatic, or a clean XE if the price reflects its older four-speed. Whatever trim you find, get GM's records for that VIN first and look for two transmission shift cable recalls, 12V460 and 14V224, because a failed cable can leave the car rolling while the shifter says Park. Saturn has been gone since 2010, so a Chevy dealer does the recall work now.

I pulled every Aura model year through NHTSA's recall API on October 18, 2026, and read Consumer Guide's 2007-09 Aura review and Consumer Reports' Aura page for the driving notes and trouble spots. The Aura has a small claim to fame: it was named 2007 North American Car of the Year, beating the Honda Fit and Toyota Camry, as CBC reported from Detroit. Awards don't fix shift cables, though.

Trims, engines and the year question

The 2007 lineup was simple. The XE got a 224-hp 3.5-liter pushrod V6 and a four-speed automatic, and the XR got a 252-hp 3.6-liter V6 with a six-speed and paddle shifting. A Green Line hybrid with a 2.4-liter four joined during 2007. For 2008 Saturn added a 169-hp four-cylinder XE, made StabiliTrak standard on everything but that car, and rated the 3.5 at 219 hp. For 2009 the XE V6 was dropped, a four-cylinder XR appeared, and the Green Line was just called Hybrid. Consumer Reports calls the 3.5 "coarse" and the 3.6 smoother and stronger, and says both V6 cars got 20 mpg overall in its testing.

The sources don't agree on the last year. Consumer Reports says 2009 was the final one, and Consumer Guide's review stops there too. NHTSA's database lists 2010-model Auras in two campaigns, and one summary covers cars built through May 26, 2009. If a seller calls it a 2010, run it through our Saturn VIN decoder guide and check what the 10th digit says.

Recalls to clear by VIN

• 12V460, 2007-2010 with the four-speed automatic: tabs on the shift cable end can fracture, so the lever can sit in Park while the transmission isn't. Dealers add a retainer or replace the cable.
• 14V224, 2007-2008: GM first recalled 56,214 Auras for shift cables that can fracture while driving, then grew it to more than 1.1 million cars with Malibu and G6 four-speeds. Dealers replace the cable assembly and bracket.
• 09V073, 2009: the shift cable adjustment clip may not be fully engaged, with the same Park mismatch risk.
• 14V252, 2007-2010 built April 24, 2006, through May 26, 2009: resistance at the body control module connector can make brake lights stay on or not work, make cruise hard to cancel, let the shifter leave Park without the brake, and switch off traction and stability control.
• 14V153, 2008-2009: sudden loss of electric power steering assist.
• 14E044: an aftermarket one. Dorman recalled replacement intermediate steering shafts sold for 2007-2009 Auras because the u-joint can separate. Ask if the steering shaft was ever replaced.

Check the VIN on the NHTSA recalls API and at a Chevrolet dealer. Our Saturn recall check by VIN post covers how orphan-brand campaigns still get done.

Trouble spots that aren't recalls

Consumer Guide's list is long and specific. On 2007-2010 cars, the A/C can quit because the cooling fan fuse blows, and the fix involves rewiring and a bigger fuse. Water can get into the trunk and spare tire well through a body seam, sometimes soaking the amplifier so the radio dies. The power steering can growl until it's bled with a special tool. Early 3.6 V6 cars (2007) could set a check engine light from stretched timing chains. On hybrids, a voluntary program replaced the engine control module and batteries when the hybrid function failed. So lift the trunk floor and smell for mildew, listen at full lock in a parking lot, and ask for timing chain receipts on a 2007 XR.

Honestly, these were never rare cars, and plenty of them have been neglected. A $3,000 Aura with no service history and a check engine light is not a bargain. Consumer Reports also notes both V6 versions could slide their tails at the limit, and only the XR and hybrid had stability control at first, so a 2007 XE drives a little more old-school than its looks suggest.

How it compares to its siblings

Consumer Guide says the Aura shares its architecture with the Pontiac G6 and Chevy Malibu Maxx, and the shift cable recalls also cover 2008-2010 Malibus and G6s with the four-speed, so a lot of the list above carries over. Our used Chevy Malibu guide and used Pontiac G6 guide cover those cars. The Aura's case is the cabin, which Consumer Reports says used much nicer materials than past Saturns. The case against is parts and trim pieces: the brand died after Penske's deal to buy it collapsed in September 2009, and GM had already stopped building Auras in Kansas City by then, per the AP report.

History report and price

Search NMVTIS for salvage and flood brands, and don't accept a printout from the seller as proof of anything. We sell CARFAX and AutoCheck reports as a licensed reseller and aren't affiliated with CARFAX, AutoCheck, Experian or GM. As of mid October 2026, you'll pay roughly $5.50 for a guest report, about $4.50 as a member, or near $6.75 for both brands together, versus around $39.99 to $44.99 retail. Prices shift, so go by what checkout shows.

Sources

• Consumer Guide: 2007-09 Saturn Aura; Consumer Reports: Saturn Aura
• NHTSA recallsByVehicle, 2007-2010 queried Oct. 18, 2026
• CBC News, Jan. 8, 2007; AP via NBC News, Sept. 30, 2009
• NMVTIS