service hybrid system?

That message could mean many things. On a hybrid you can have all of the "problems" of a gas powered engine and all the issues of an electric car as well. Service Hybrid System usually points to a problem on the electric side of the system, either a battery or controller issue. However, with the check engine light it could be an engine issue that is causing both indicators to come on. The only real way to know is to use a scan tool and pull the code(s). Then use that as a guide to determine where the fault is. The catch with hybrids is that the electric side of them generally requires a dealer or very well equipped independent to work on them because of all the computer controls that you need a scan tool to talk to as you test. The first step though is to get the codes.

I took my SUV to the dealer, they told me it's the hybrid battery. I bought new battery, gave it to expert who changed for me, still have Hybrid system warning on my instrument panel, the car is not switching to hybrid when i get to a traffic light, anybody knows?I feel the car dealer people lied to me, and most likely it's an easy fix but they wanted to pull one on em.

GINO09 Could you add your vehicle information please? One of the issues with all the hybrids is the dual systems make diagnostics difficult. On a "normal" vehicle it is easier to tell someone to "look at this part and measure this" On a hybrid doing that could get someone seriously hurt if they touch the wrong parts.
In your case I doubt they lied to you. More likely they saw the error code and it pointed to the battery and that it still has a problem related to that side of the system. There are no "simple" repairs on a hybrid.

Hello Steve, not sure what information do you need, but it's 2009, miles 61,000. When i start the car, i see the reflection of my lights on the building wall in front of me, and they dim on and off in steady intervals. Hope this helps.

Just wanted to verify if it was the same type as the original post. We get quite a few people who will ad to an earlier post but not have the same type or make of vehicle.
From your description the problem sounds like it is in the charging control and voltage regulation system. Not a system that I like to play with as it carries lethal voltages. The pulsing lights would be due to the voltage surging as the system tries to regulate itself. Unfortunately testing that system requires some very high dollar equipment so it isn't a DIY thing. If you don't trust the dealer you might want to try a different shop for a second opinion. They can do some hands on testing to verify the problem.

Okay, thank you, will keep you posted.

Sorry I'm not more helpful but without the proper scan tool to actually see where the issue is I wouldn't have you start testing on the system like I could. The codes in the system can provide a good starting point.
Do have a related question, you said you had the battery changed? Which battery? Your vehicle has a total of 4. There is one under the hood that is just the starting battery. Then there are the hybrid battery cassettes in the 36 volt system themselves. You might want to run your VIN number to see if those were replaced under the recall GM had for them cracking. Plus there was another one for the greenline versions that also was hybrid battery replacement for 8 years/100K miles.
You might want to call GM customer service and talk to them about your concerns and see if they would help you as a goodwill gesture. 1-866-522-9559

The one I have it changed was the one in the trunk area, behind the back seats.
The dealer said it's $2,200.00 just for the battery, so I am assuming it's the 36 V you are talking about. I will give them a call tomorrow.

Yep, that would be the three batteries used for the hybrid system. You might want to have the under hood battery tested, if it starts going wonky it can cause issues as well.

Here is my dashboard dimming, you have stare at it to see it, thanks.

That is a power regulation issue. Not caused by the battery itself, but it can damage a battery if it continues. Plus it is still happening after the battery was changed. A scan tool that shows live data would allow you to look at the charging system and see if it is an issue on the 12 or 36 volt side of the system as they are somewhat interconnected.

So you think it's causing my hybrid system to stop functioning?

Any charging fault will cause an error that can trigger a warning. A good scan tool can read the codes and at least point the way. The problem that sets the codes will also trigger different actions depending on what that fault is in an attempt to minimize damage if possible. In your case lets say that the main charging system has a bad part causing the charging voltage to rise and fall, this could damage the controller and the batteries so the programming sees the fault and takes the hybrid drive offline to protect it.

Hello Steve,

Today my Vue went out of wack, switched off, lost power, couldn't steer it, then a couple seconds came back. I was able to drive to my parking spot and I left there.

It kind of sounds like the battery is shorting out internally but this is difficult to find, maybe you should try to swap it out.

Well, the tech came today, to our office where I left the car overnight afraid of driving, with new hybrid battery, he took the one he installed the other day and replaced with a new one, it's voila. I am not keeping this car. Need to fix the other problem which I think a new computer, I think they call VST or VDS something like that, and then selling it. I remember the car dealer told me $700.00 just for the part.

Glad to hear the battery helped. I just hope that is the real repair. Loss of power from the battery may have shut it down, but if the charging system is still iffy it might not last.

With hybrids, you pay a premium up front to buy one new, then you discover that you not only have to pay ridiculous prices for parts but also that because you have what amounts to two different drive trains in most of them, you get to buy twice as many parts.

Looked at my headlight reflection this morning, steady, very bright. Yes I hear you, I am selling this asap.

Sounds like it may have worked then, good to hear that. Any thoughts on the replacement?

Yes, staying away from American vehicles. :-)

Well the Saturn Vue is a Mexican made Opel Antara designed in Germany that they stuck a Saturn badge on. These days it's hard to tell where or what a vehicle actually is. LOL
The only ones I stay away from are European makes. They seem to add a lot of extra "engineering" that tends to fail a lot.
Hope you find a great vehicle whatever you choose, but we will be here if you need us. Thanks for using 2CarPros.

Thank you Steve, appreciate all the time to answer my questions.

No problem, it's what we do. Come back anytime.