2005 SATURN L300 Complaints

MY 2005 SATURN L300, HAD AUTOMATIC HEADLIGHTS AND REMOTE START INCLUDED WITH THE PACKAGE UPON BUYING. AFTER APPRX 1 YEAR, AUTOMATIC HEADLIGHTS (NOT THE RUNNING LIGHTS) WOULD FAIL TO TURN ON AT NIGHT, TURN OFF DURING DAY. COULD NOT OVERRIDE PROBLEM BY MANUALLY TURNING ON LIGHTS. ISSUE WAS INTERMITTENT. SATURN COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM AND SUGGESTED THAT IT WAS THE REMOTE START CAUSING THE PROBLEMS. REMOTE START WAS REPLACED. SEPTEMBER 2006, HEADLIGHT ISSUE RETURNED. ONCE AGAIN, SATURN SUGGESTED IT WAS THE REMOTE START. BCM MODULE OF REMOTE START WAS REPLACED. JULY - AUGUST 2007, NO HEADLIGHT ISSUES. HOWEVER CAR HAS STARTED ON IT'S OWN ACCORD. KEY FABS WERE SITTING ON TOP OF CAR, SO THE BUTTONS WERE NOT ACCIDENTALLY PUSHED. TAILLIGHTS WOULD PERIODICALLY FLASH FOR APPRX A MINUTE. GAS GAUGE WOULD REGISTER AT EMPTY BUT UPON TURNING CAR OFF AND BACK ON AGAIN GAS GAUGE WORKED FINE. SATURN SUGGESTED THE REMOVAL OF THE REMOTE START. REMOTE START WAS REMOVED, NO REIMBURSEMENT WAS MADE, I WAS STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF TWO COMPANIES (SATURN AND SUNROOF, ETC) BICKERING ABOUT WHO WAS AT FAULT. SOLUTION, AFTER HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE OVER A SPAN OF THREE YEARS, CAR WAS TRADED IN FOR A VOLKSWAGEN. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRAVELING 25 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO NOT BE ABLE TO TURN AND CRASHED INTO A TELEPHONE POLE. NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED, AND A POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN. THE VEHICLE WAS AT THE SERVICE DEALER, WHO COULD NOT DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. THE INSURANCE COMPANY DEEMED THE VEHICLE TOTALED.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE APPLYING PRESSURE TO THE ACCELERATOR OR BRAKE PEDAL AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, BOTH WERE PRESSED DUE TO THE CLOSE PLACEMENT OF THE TWO. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY THE DEALER WHO DETERMINED THIS WAS THE WAY THE PEDALS WERE DESIGNED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED.

LOW COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON FOR THE 3RD TIME. OIL COOLER SEALS WERE LEAKING. ALSO HAVING ALIGNMENT PROBLEMS. *NM

4/1/06-LOUD THUMPING WHILE DRIVING. REAR 2 TIRES CUPPING. SATURN STATED IT WAS A DESIGN FLAW AND SAID IT NEEDED A BOLT SHIM KIT AND 2 NEW TIRES. 4/11/06-SATURN PUT ON BOLT SHIM KIT, 2 NEW TIRES AND ALIGNED THE CAR. 7/8/06-LOUD THUMPING WHILE DRIVING. REAR 2 TIRES CUPPING. SATURN STATED THAT I WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE TIRES. SATURN REPLACED 1 OF THE NEW TIRES FROM 4/11/06 BECAUSE IT WAS WEARING BAD. 7/11/06-SATURN STATED THE ALIGNMENT WAS WAY OFF. SATURN ALIGNED THE VEHICLE AND PUT ON 2 NEW TIRES. ALSO LOW COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON FOR THE THIRD TIME AND SATURN REPLACED THE OIL COOLER SEALS. 7/25/06 - VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. *NM

THE CAR ROUTINELY WOULD NOT START OR WOULD START AND STALL OUT ON THE FIRST START OF THE DAY OR AFTER SITTING FOR SEVERAL HOURS. THE VEHICLE WOULD APPEAR TO RUN NORMALLY AFTER THE VEHICLE STARTED ON THE SECOND OR THIRD ATTEMPT. THE VEHICLE COULD THEN BE STARTED AND TURNED OFF NORMALLY. IF THE VEHICLE SAT AGAIN THEN THE PROBLEM WOULD APPEAR AGAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SATURN OF LAKESIDE WHERE THEY WERE UNABLE ABLE TO REPRODUCE THE STALL IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. THEY RETURNED THE VEHICLE AND SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND ANY PROBLEMS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN IN AGAIN A WEEK LATER WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS AND SATURN KEPT THE VEHICLE OVERNIGHT. THEY WERE FINALLY ABLE TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. THEY CURRENTLY HAVE RULED OUT FUEL PROBLEMS, COMPUTERS, AND THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR. SATURN IS CURRENTLY AWAITING HELP FROM THE SATURN ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT AND CURRENTLY HAVE NO SOLUTION AND ARE WORKING TO RESOLVE IT. *NM

MY NEW 2005 L300 HAS BEEN IN THE DEALERSHIP 5 TIMES FOR THE SHAKING IN THE FRONT SUSPENSION, IT THUMPS AND SHAKES THROUGHOUT THE FRONT BODY, PEDALS AND STEERING MAKING HANDLING DIFFICULT AT HIGHER SPEEDS AND ESPECIALLY IN SLUSH AND SNOW. THE TIRES HAVE BEEN REPLACED TWO TIMES AND BALANCED 5 TIMES. EVEN THOUGH CHANGING TIRES NEVER STOPS THE SHAKING. I'VE LOST CONTROL ON THE HIGHWAY CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SWERVE FROM SIDE TO SIDE DUE TO THE CONTROL LOSS DUE TO SHAKING. ALTHOUGH THE DEALER CORRECTED SOME OF THE STEERING ISSUES ON THE LAST VISIT THE VEHICLE STILL SHAKES AND THUMPS AND IS HARD TO CONTROL IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS. *JB

DT: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE BRAKING THE REAR PASSENGER SEAT BELT DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE DETACHMENT OCCURRED WHERE THE SHOULDER HARNESS WAS ATTACHES TO THE PILLAR. HE CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER, AND THEY WERE GOING TO CALL HIM BACK. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THERE HAVE BEEN NO REPAIRS MADE. *AK

OUR 2005 L300 HAS 17,000 MILES ON IT - ONLY DRIVEN 8 MONTHS, WITH NO ACCIDENTS, NOT EVEN A BUMPER-TO-BUMPER INCIDENT. WE ALREADY HAVE TO REPLACE TWO WHEELS (AT $417 EACH - OUT OF OUR OWN POCKET) BECAUSE THE RIMS BENT SO BADLY THEY ARE USELESS (THEY ARE BOTH SAVED AT OUR HOME). WE BELIEVE, SINCE THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT OR INCIDENT TO CAUSE THIS PROBLEM, THE RIMS MUST HAVE BEEN DEFECTIVE, AND WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY FOR THEIR REPLACEMENT. WE ALSO HAVE TO REPLACE A STRUT, WHICH SATURN OF BLUE SPRINGS, MO SERVICE TELLS ME IS "SO RARE WE HAVE HARDLY EVER KNOWN IT TO BE THE CASE". I AM NOT GETTING THE SERVICE FROM SATURN THAT THEY ADVERTISE, AND I AM VERY DISSATISFIED. THIS IS OUR SECOND, AND LAST, SATURN. WE HAD MANY PROBLEMS WITH THE FIRST (2002 L200) SATURN WE HAD, AND WE TRADED IT IN ON THIS ONE, BEFORE THE EXTENDED WARRANTY RAN OUT, BECAUSE WE WERE AFRAID ALL THE PROBLEMS WOULD CONTINUE. NOW WE ARE HAVING MANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS ONE. THE DEALERSHIP IN BLUE SPRINGS MADE AN APPOINTMENT FOR THE NEXT DAY TO FIX THE STRUT, AND WHEN I CAME IN, THEY ADMITTED THEY HAD NOT EVEN ORDERED THE PART. THEY SAID THEY DIDN'T THINK IT WAS REALLY GOING TO BE A STRUT PROBLEM (SATURN OF OLATHE SAID THE SAME THING OVER THE PHONE - THEY ADMITTED THEY WOULDN'T EVEN ORDER THE PART UNTIL THEY HAD THE CAR TO VERIFY IT, AND I'D BE THERE ALL DAY). I DROVE OVER 100 MILES FOR NOTHING. AND IT TOOK ALMOST TWO HOURS FOR THEM TO GET ME A RENTAL CAR, SO I CAN COME BACK TOMORROW, ANOTHER 100 MILES OF GASOLINE AT $2.75 A GALLON, OUT OF MY POCKET AGAIN, TO GET MY CAR - ALL BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T THINK I KNEW WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT. *NM

THIS COMPLAINT COMES AFTER 4 OTHER PREVIOUS ONES WITH THIS SAME VEHICLE. 1ST - CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, 2ND - TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT, 3RD AND 4TH - LOW COOLANT LIGHT. PREVIOUS COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN FILED FOR THESE ALREADY. NOW THE HEADLIGHTS AND DASH LIGHTS DIM DOWN AND THEN COME BACK ON TO FULL POWER. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. SATURN OF FOND DU LAC SAYS THIS IS NORMAL. I HAVE NEVER OWNED A VEHICLE OR TALKED TO ANYONE WHO EVER HAS HAD THIS HAPPEN. THIS IS NOT NORMAL. IF THEY TOLD ME THAT THIS "NORMAL" DIMMING OF THE HEADLIGHTS AND DASH LIGHTS HAPPENED BEFORE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE; I WOULD HAVE NOT PURCHASED THE VEHICLE AND I DON'T KNOW OF ANYONE WHO WOULD. *NM