2003 SATURN L200 Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SATURN L200. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDSHIELD FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 02V283000 (VISIBILITY). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 75,000.

PARKED CAR AND LOCKED WITH REMOTE. UPON RETURN TO VEHICLE SMELLED GAS AND WAS LOCKED OUT OF 2003 SATURN LS200 AFTER ONLY 17,500 MILES DRIVEN. PURCHASED NEW IN 2003. STRANDED UNTIL AAA TOW TO LAS VEGAS FINDLAY GM DEALERSHIP. OPENED MANUALLY WITH KEY INSTEAD OF REMOTE. ATTEMPTED TO START CAR ENGINE. TURNED OVER FOR A FEW SECONDS AND DIED. ALL DASHBOARD GAUGES NOT WORKING. PROBLEM PER GM DEALER WAS TWOFOLD: (1) FAULTY BODY CONTROL MODULE (BCM) THAT CONTROLS VEHICLE'S ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILED AND REQUIRED COSTLY REPLACEMENT PART AT $614 PLUS LABOR; ALSO (2) FUEL PUMP FAILED AND REQUIRED COSTLY PART REPLACEMENT AT $498 PLUS LABOR AND CLEANING OF FUEL SYSTEM. AFTER BRIEF INTERNET SEARCH I FOUND THESE TWO PARTS ARE NOTORIOUS FOR FAILURES IN SATURN VEHICLES. HAVE BEEN FAILING SINCE 2003 AND CONTINUE TO FAIL. COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN MADE BY SATURN OWNERS TO GM AND THE NTSB. GAUGES AND LIGHTS HAVE REPORTEDLY FAILED EVEN WHEN DRIVING BECAUSE OF FAULTY BCM. AN INITIAL BODY CONTROL MODULE (BCM) RECALL (SATURN RECALL #03C06) IS NOTED BY OTHER OWNERS, BUT I NEVER RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION. THE BCM AND FUEL PUMP SHOULD NOT FAIL AT 17,500 MILES!! THIS IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT. THE BCM AND FUEL PUMP ARE VERY EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR! *TR

AS I WAS TURNING INTO THE GAS STATION THE TIMING CHAIN AND BOTH TENSIONERS BUSTED THE PISTON SMASHED ALL OF THE VALVES THE ENGINE WOULD NOT RESTART AND THE VEHICLE WAS ALMOST SIDESWIPED. *TR

CAR IGNITION DOES NOT WANT TO TURN TO "OFF" WHEN CAR IS TURNED OFF AND IN PARK, REFUSES TO RELEASE KEY UNTIL WE PRY IT OUT OR MOVE STEERING WHEEL INTO LOCKED POSITION. HAS EATEN A KEY ALMOST COMPLETELY THROUGH IN THE PAST YEAR. MANY SATURNS ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM WITH THE IGNITION. *TR

I AM MORTIFIED BY ALL OF THE COMPLAINTS OF ENGINE FAILURE OF THE L200 SERIES DUE TO THE TIMING CHAIN AND AM EVEN MORE DEVASTATED THAT THERE IS NO RECALL INFORMATION ON IT. MY CAR HAD 78K MILES ON IT AND DID NOT START TODAY. IT WAS TOWED TO A SHOP AND THEY CALLED ME TO INFORM ME THAT IT WAS MY ENGINE DUE TO THE TIMING CHAIN. THE REPAIR SHOP ALSO SAID THAT IT WAS THE 4TH SATURN WITH THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM THAT THEY HAD SEEN THIS MONTH. I AM A COLLEGE STUDENT WITHOUT A CAR THAT IS STILL MAKING CAR PAYMENTS LIVING ON MY OWN. SATURN BETTER BE HAPPY THAT IT NO LONGER EXISTS, BUT GM BETTER HAVE SOME ANSWERS FOR ME. THERE ARE RECALLS FOR THE SAME PROBLEM FOR 2001 MODELS, THERE ARE EVEN MORE REPORTED ISSUES WITH LATER MODELS. HOW HAS GM GOTTEN AWAY WITH THIS? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SATURN L200. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BODY CONTROL MODULE SHUT OFF WHICH CAUSED THE GAUGES TO MALFUNCTIONED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE VEHICLE TO STALL AND FAILED TO RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO DIAGNOSE THAT THE BODY CONTROL MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

I DETECTED THE SMELL OF GASOLINE WHEN GETTING OUT OF THE VEHICLE. LATER DURING THAT WEEK THE SMELL OF GASOLINE BECAME PRESENT WHILE DRIVING AS WELL AS WHEN THE CAR WAS STATIONARY. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LICENSED REPAIR FACILITY TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. THEY PUT IT ON A LIFT AND DISCOVERED THAT THE FUEL TANK WAS STAINED AND IT LOOKED TO BE LEAKING FROM THE AREA AT THE TOP OF THE TANK. ON SEPT 27, 2012 THE CAR WENT IN FOR SERVICE. UPON REMOVING THE FUEL TANK THE TECHNICIAN FOUND THE FUEL PUMP TO HAVE BROKEN BRITTLE PLASTIC AT THE TOP WHERE THE FUEL LINES COME OUT. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED ON 9/29/12. SINCE THEN I LEARNED THAT GM IS RECALLING SOME VEHICLES FOR THE SAME PROBLEM, YET THIS VEHICLE ISN'T INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. *TR

2003 SATURN L200. CONSUMER STATES VEHICLE RUNS ROUGH AND HAS LOW POWER AND SOMETIMES ENGINE LIGHT WOULD COME ON *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED A FEW WEEKS AGO, THE VEHICLE MADE A HORRENDOUS NOISE AND STARTED TO RUN ROUGH. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A REPAIR SHOP, BUT A CODE DID NOT SHOW ON THE COMPUTER. HOWEVER, WHEN THEY LOOKED ON THE INTERNET, THEY FOUND A RECALL REGARDING THE IGNITION CONTROL MODULE, WHICH DESCRIBED WHAT THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED. THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP STATED ACCORDING TO THEIR RECORDS, THE RECALL HAD ALREADY BEEN PERFORMED. ALSO, THE IGNITION TOWER HAD SINCE FAILED. THE CONSUMER STATED HE WAS NEVER NOTIFIED OF A RECALL.

WHILE ON VACATION AND 1,250 MILES FROM HOME, DRIVING ON A ENTRANCE RAMP TO AN EXPRESSWAY A THUMP WAS HEARD THEN THERE WAS A RAPID LOSS OF CONTROL. THE STEERING WHEEL WAS THROWN 90 DEG. OFF CENTER AND ONLY AFTER A QUICK DECELERATION TO ABOUT 10 MPH. ENOUGH CONTROL WAS GAINED TO CONTINUE TO THE DESTINATION (ABOUT 1 MILE). AN EXAMINATION UNDER THE HOOD REVELED THAT THE FRAME HAD BROKEN AT THE SUSPENSION CONTROL ARM AND HAD ROTATED ABOUT 45DEG. THE FRAME IS EXTREMELY RUSTY ON THE RIGHT SIDE BUT NOT ON THE LEFT. THIS CAR IS 9 YEARS OLD AND HAS ONLY 70,500 MILES AN IS IN OTHERWISE GREAT SHAPE. THE NHTSA DOCUMENTS SAY THE AVERAGE LIFE OF A CAR IS JUST OVER 13 YEARS AND 165,000 TO 200,000 MILES. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT A CAR SHOULD SUFFER SUCH A MAJOR FAILURE WITHIN THE AVERAGE LIFESPAN. I HAVE COMPLETE DOCUMENTATION AND PHOTOS UPON REQUEST. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY 2003 SATURN AND WHEN I STOP IT MADE A NOISE IN THE ENGINE. WHEN I WENT TO START IT,IT TURNED OVER REAL FAST AND WOULD NOT START. IT HAS SPARK AND FUEL BUT NO NOT THINK IT HAS COMPRESSOR. WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THIS CAR IS UNDER A RECALL FOR THE TIMING CHAIN. IT HAS 107,000 MILES ON IT. IT SEEM LIKE IT WOULD BE VERY COSTLY TO FIX. *TR