Courtesy Ron Moore The 2002 Saturn VUE is the first sport utility vehicle with extensive use of polymer plastic outer body panels.

New for the 2002 model year is Saturn’s first sport utility vehicle, called the VUE. In addition to this new four-door SUV, the 2003 Saturn lineup will introduce the Saturn ION and the ION Quad Coupe. In this article, we’ll study the EMS and extrication challenges that will be presented by the VUE and the ION Quad Coupe Saturn vehicles.

The Saturn VUE sport utility vehicle (pronounced “view”) is Saturn’s all-new entry into the compact sport utility segment. Produced on a split manufacturing line with Saturn’s S-Series vehicles in Spring Hill, TN, the VUE uses the familiar plastic polymer panels for fenders, doors, quarter panels and bumper trim. For responders, it will be the first SUV to employ polymer plastic body panels to this degree. The roof panel of the VUE is sheetmetal, as are the hood and liftgate.

Below: The VUE’s single-piece side frame rails run from the A pillar to the rearmost part of the vehicle. The area around the front hinge and A pillar has higher-yield-strength steel and increased thickness to resist roof crush.

Above: Beneath the plastic body panels lies a sheet steel structure. This material must be dealt with during roof removal or any spreading evolution.

Courtesy Ron Moore With the headliner of the VUE removed, the loaded roof airbag system and the outer sheetmetal roof panel is completely visible. The airbag’s stored gas inflator module is the black cylinder mounted along the roofline at the D-pillar.

Beneath the skin of this front-engine, front-wheel or all-wheel-drive vehicle is a welded steel space frame with bolt-on front and rear subframes. The space frame of the VUE is constructed almost entirely from high-strength steel and unlike the uni-body structure of earlier model Saturn sedans, incorporates full-length frame rails and the occupant steel safety cage into a single welded structure.

A construction feature becoming increasingly more common on modern vehicles is the dash support pipe. In the VUE, this welded-steel beam inside the instrument panel supports both the instrument panel and steering column, serves as an air duct for the HVAC system, and contributes to body structural rigidity and side-impact strength. For crews performing dash rolls or jacking the dash, contact with this support pipe will be beneficial in moving a major portion of the dash and instrument panel up and away from front seat occupants.

Courtesy Ron Moore The ION sedan is a four door, five passenger sedan and if involved in a crash or fire incident, will be able to be handled by responders similar to the way we currently deal with Saturn vehicles.

For its 15.5-gallon fuel tank, the VUE uses a molded multi-layer design that locates the tank ahead of the rear suspension components and under the rear seat. Vehicle ground clearance is 8 inches with a total weight of the V6 all-wheel-drive version at 3,200 pounds.

The optional head curtain air bag system available for the VUE is stored along the upper roof rail above the headliner. Based on feedback from electronic sensors located along the sides of the vehicle, the air bag drops from the roof rail as it inflates, providing a cushion to help protect the head and neck region. If electrical power is interrupted during a collision, backup power is supplied through an airbag capacitor to the frontal and the side-impact air bags to assure that they function if needed. Both stored gas inflator cylinders are located horizontally along the roof rail, not on a roof pillar. The canister pressurizes the roof airbag as it receives the deployment signal through wiring attached to the back of the inflator.

Courtesy Ron Moore The ION Quad Coupe will be identifiable by its two front door handles and the seams of the rear-opening RADs.

After any airbag deployment, interior lights are automatically lit for up to 25 minutes. In addition, the power door lock system automatically unlocks all doors to enhance access to the interior.

The 2003 Saturn ION sedan and Quad Coupe, replacing the S series Saturn, go on sale this fall. The two ION models are completely new designs from the ground up. The ION sedan can be identified by the logo on the rear trunk lid and the four door handles, one on each door.

Courtesy Ron Moore With a front door and the RAD open on the same side, there is good patient access. There are no B-pillars present on the Quad Coupe.

The Quad Coupe, however, will be of interest to emergency responders due to the rebirth of what rescuers called “suicide doors” back in the 1960s. Now, Saturn has coined a new phrase, “rear-access doors,” or RADs. The RADs are an industry first: dual rear-hinged, rear-opening doors on a passenger vehicle.

Only the front doors of the Quad Coupe have door handles. The third and fourth RADs hide their door handles along their front edges similar to rear hinged doors on current models of pickup trucks. In addition, with the front door and the RAD open on the same side, there is no B-pillar. This challenges rescue crews when the front driver or passenger are trapped by the dash and firewall structure. In addition, with both RADs open, adequate vehicle stabilization will be required before any roof pillar cuts are made. Done without stabilization, it is possible for the vehicle to collapse as the roof cuts are made.

Courtesy Ron Moore Done without stabilization, it is possible for the vehicle to collapse as the roof cuts are made.

Both 2003 ION vehicles continue the Saturn tradition of polymer side panels. Of interest to EMS personnel is what Saturn has done different inside the ION. The quad coupe is equipped with “fold-flat” passenger front and rear seats. With the seats folded flat, the presence of large bulky items is possible inside the passenger compartment similar to what one might expect to find inside a hatchback vehicle. The flexibility of the seats may also be an asset to patient packaging and extrication procedures.

Courtesy Ron Moore The flexibility of either front seatback as well as the back of the rear seat may be beneficial to EMS personnel when increased patient access or working room is necessary.

Dual-stage driver and passenger air bags are standard, and Saturn’s head-curtain air bag system is optional. In addition, front seatbelt pre-tensioners, three-point safety belts for all seating positions, and new LATCH (Lower Anchorages and Tethers for Children) child-seat attachment system are all standard equipment. OnStar is available as an option on both the ION sedan and quad coupe.