2003 SATURN L200 Complaints

TIRES HAD TO BE REPLACED AT 32,000 MILES. CONSUMER WAS CONCERNED, AND HAD THE VEHICLE INSPECTED, WHEREBY THE CONTROL ARM HAD TO HAVE HOLES GROUNDED IN ORDER TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM. THE CONTROL ARM WAS DEFECTIVE.*AK

REPLACED REAR DOOR WINDOW REGULATOR AND REPLACED REAR DOOR WINDOW SWITCH NUMEROUS TIMES, YET IT CONTINUES TO MALFUNCTION AND RESULTS IN TOTAL INABILITY TO USE REAR WINDOWS. *AK

WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH, THE DRIVER HEARD A NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR AND THE VEHICLE VIBRATED UNCONTROLLABLY. THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND DROVE IT TO THE REPAIR SHOP FOR INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE DRIVER THAT THE REAR STRUTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO A BLOW OUT. *LA *NM

WHILE PULLING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY, THE CONSUMER STARTED SMELLING WHAT SEEMED LIKE ELECTRONICS BURNING. AFTER DRIVING A FEW BLOCKS THE CONSUMER SMELLED SMOKE COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. THE CONSUMER PULLED OVER AND CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR AN EXAMINATION. THE DEALER FOUND THAT THE SIGNAL INDICATOR ARM WAS THROWING SPARKS. B*JB

SEVERE LIGHT DIMMING; ALL LIGHTS DIM SEVERELY (ENOUGH TO CAUSE A TRACTOR TRAILER DRIVER TO THINK I GAVE HIM THE FLASH TO PASS SIGNAL, CAUSING HIM TO MOVE OVER INTO MY LANE) AT RANDOM, SOMETIMES 2 TO 3 TIMES PER MILE DRIVEN. SATURN HAS ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN, 04-08-42-001, STATING LIGHT DIMMING IS A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE L-SERIES, YET THEY HAVE NOT DRIVEN MY CAR ON THE HIGHWAY AT NIGHT TO SEE THE EXTREMITY OF THE DIMMING IN MY VEHICLE. SOMETIMES IT OCCURS RIGHT AWAY, OTHER TIMES IT TAKES A WHILE. SATURDAY NIGHT, 04/24/04 I TOOK THE CAR TO ATLANTA, GA. BETWEEN MOBILE, AND MONTGOMERY, THE LIGHTS DIMMED SEVERELY FOR DOZENS OF MILES. SATURDAY NIGHT, 06/19/04 I TOOK THE CAR ON A TRIP TO BIRMINGHAM, AL TO TRY TO RE-CREATE THE PROBLEM AND DOCUMENT IT. IT DIDN'T OCCUR UNTIL AFTER DRIVING IT 220 MILES. IT THEN DIMMED SEVERELY MANY TIMES FOR AROUND 10 TO 15 MILES (AS MANY AS 2 - 3 TIMES PER MILE). AFTER THAT POINT, IT STOPPED DOING IT. *AK

THIS IS THE THIRD INCIDENT, SECOND IN SAME DAY, WHERE THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILED. AUDIBLE CLICKING SOUND UNDER DASH AND LIGHTS REPEATEDLY TURNING ON & OFF, LOCKS ON AND OFF AND HORN SOUNDING. ON 1 PRIOR OCCASIONS, AUDIBLE CLICKING HEARD AND LOCKS REPEATEDLY TURNING ON AND OFF. CLEARLY NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT, AS I CAN SEE FROM OTHER COMPLAINTS THAT OTHER OWNERS OF THIS MODEL ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. CONSEQUENCES OF THE PROBLEM --- NEIGHBORS CALLED POLICE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT NOISE. UNABLE TO KEEP ALARM ON DUE TO CONTINUING PROBLEM, LEADING TO INSECURE CAR. ALSO, SAFETY ISSUE WITH LIGHTS AND LOCKS REPEATEDLY TURNING ON AND OFF WITH THE ELECTRICAL FAILURE. DEALER WILL SERVICE IN TWO DAYS (FIRST AVAILABLE APPT!!) AND WILL UPDATE THEN.

2003 L-200 PURCHASED FEB 03. SOON FOUND NUMEROUS ISSUES WITH CAR, TO THIS DAY HAVE NOT BEEN FIXED. TRIED SATURN 800 # TO NO AVAIL. REP WAS RUDE. FLAT OUT TOLD ME NOTHING TO BE DONE BY SATURN IF LOCAL DEALER CAN'T FIX. TOLD BY LOCAL SVC MGR SUPV I WAS MAKING PROBS UP & NO ONE ELSE HAD THESE PROBLEMS. HE TOLD SVC REPS HALT CORRECTING OR REVIEWING WARRANTY WORK ON OUR CAR. ESCALATED & WRKD W/ DIR OF OPRTNS. HE WASN'T ABLE TO FIX PROBS DUE TO RESISTANCE FRM SATURN. WAS TOLD NO MORE WORK ON PROBS BECZ SATURN INTERVENED IN DOING MORE WARRANTY WORK. IN "ALL" INSTANCES WERE GIVEN FINAL RESOLUTION PER SATURN ALL PROBLEMS ARE "WORKING AS DESIGNED", HAVE NO INTENTION TO FIX THEM. SAID NOT GOING TO INVEST MONEY TO FIX IN '03 BUT USE COMPLAINTS LOOK AT POSSIBLE CHANGES FUTURE CARS. WE HAVE HAD AND CONTINUE TO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH 1) "SAFETY ISSUE": EXTERIOR LIGHTS FLASHING ON/OFF 2) "SAFETY ISSUE": EXTERIOR AUTO ON/OFF FOR DAY RUNNING AND HEADLIGHTS DOESN'T REGISTER PROPERLY WHICH ONE TO USE & WHEN 3) INTERIOR LIGHTS DIM HIGHER & LOWER INTERMITTENTLY 4) AUTOMATIC CLIMATE CONTROL DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY. DOES NOT PROPERLY REGULATE THE HEAT & A/C. TEMP MUST BE SET A MIN. 84 DEGREES FOR HEAT THEN WILL ONLY STAY FOR AWHILE WHEN SUDDENLY IT GOES AWAY &THE A/C COMES ON. ONLY 1/2 WAY FIX FOR ISSUE IS TO USE THIS UNIT IN A MANUAL MODE SET TO A MIN. 84 DEGREES & BURN UP THE INSIDE THEN TURN OFF, TURN BACK ON TO WARM, KEEP REPEATING. IN MANUAL MODE YOU ALSO EXPERIENCE COLD AIR WHEN IT RUNS OUT OF HOT AIR. 5) SIX DISC CD/CASSETTE PHILIPS SYSTEM: VOLUME GOES FROM VERY SOFT TO VERY LOUD IN 1 CLICK WITH NO INBETWEEN. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED SYSTEM WITH LIKE ONE TO FIND IT DOES SAME THING. TOLD AN OUTSIDE VENDOR PIECE OF EQUIPMENT & CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. FIGURE OUT WAY TO BALANCE IT, PUSH ALL SOUND TO BACK OF CAR, LISTEN TO IT LOW OR NOT AT ALL. AS YOU MIGHT WELL IMAGINE I WOULD "NOT" RECOMMEND TO ANYONE TO PURCHASE A SATURN VEHICLE. *AK

THE DRIVER HAS TO APPLY EXCESSIVE EFFORT TO ACTIVATE THE HORN AND ONCE IT WAS PRESSED THERE WAS A 4 TO 5 SECOND DELAY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO INDICATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. *NM

MY CAR HAS A 1/4 TANK OF GAS & IT WILL NOT START. I HAD TO PUT MY CAR IN NEUTRAL & COAST IT SLIGHTLY DOWN A HILL WITH THE FRONT END FACING DOWN THE HILL. I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR SERVICE & THEY TOLD ME THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR.... ON TOP OF THAT, THEY ASKED ME WHAT BRAND OF GAS I WAS USING... I TOLD THEM SUNOCO. SILLY ME WAS SUPPOSED TO BE USING AMOCO!?!?!? BUT THIS PROBLEM PERSISTS! *JB

PROBLEMS WITH VEHICLE'S POWER STEERING SYSTEM.*MR CONSUMER NOTICED THE FAILURE WHEN DRIVING OFF THE LOT BUT THOUGHT I WAS DUE TO COLD WEATHER. LATER SHE LEARNED THE RACK AND PINION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO FLUID LEAKING. AFTER THE REPAIR, CONSUMER STARTED HEARING GRINDING NOISE WHEN TURNING. ON 10/08/03, THE CONSUMER LEARNED THE STEERING PUMP HAD TO BE REPLACED. AFTER PICKING UP THE VEHICLE ON THIS DATE, CONSUMER HEARD MORE NOISES. THIS TIME IT WAS A AIR POCKET IN THE STEERING FLUID. IN ADDITION, THE AUTOMATIC CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM FAILS TO WORK AS DESIGNED. IT'S PROGRAMMED AT 87 DEGREES WHEN ITS COLD OUTSIDE. INSTEAD OF HEAT, IT WOULD BLOW WARM THEN COLD AIR. THE COMPUTER WAS REPROGRAMMED AND THE PROBLEM BECAME WORST THAN AT FIRST. THERE WERE COUNTLESS OTHER PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE. *PH