2001 SATURN LS Complaints

SATURN L SERIES 2001 SUDDENLY STALLED WHILE DRIVING AND WOULD NOT RESTART, DEALER REFUSED TO FIX ALTHOUGH UNDER WARRANTY, THE TIMING CHAIN CAUSED THE PROBLEM THE TIMING CHAIN GUIDES WERE ALL BUSTED INSIDE AS WELL. *TT

DRIVING CAR WHEN NOTICED IT WAS NO LONGER ACCELERATING. PUSHED ON GAS PEDAL, NOTHING, THE CAR HAD STALLED OUT ON A VERY BUSY ROAD. HAD TO TRY TO COAST OFF THE ROAD. STEERING & BRAKES WERE VERY DIFFICULT TO USE. CAR WOULD NOT RE-START. HAD IT TOWED, TIMING CHAIN HAD BROKEN CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE CYLINDER.

THERE WERE NO PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR UNTIL IT DIED AND WOULD NOT RESTART. WE HAD IT LOOKED AT AND THE MECHANIC DETERMINED IT WAS THE TIMING CHAIN. I SAW THE RECALL FOR THE TIMING CHAIN ONLINE AND CALLED SATURN. THEY SAID THE RECALL DID NOT AFFECT MY CAR AND THE TIMING CHAIN BREAKING WAS A COINCIDENCE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SATURN LS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH THE CONTACT HEARD A TICKING SOUND IN THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MECHANIC STATED THE TIMING CHAIN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THE TICKING SOUND WAS CONSTANT AND COULD BE HEARD WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND WHILE DRIVING. NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 07V519000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) MAY BE RELATED TO THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

IN DEC 2008 I HAD TO REPLACE THE ENGINE IN MY 2001 SATURN L200, WHICH HAD 63,220 MILES, DUE TO FAULTY TIMING CHAIN. THE MECHANIC CALLED SATURN AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO RECALL, HOWEVER I AM FINDING OUT THERE IS A RECALL ON TIMING CHAINS(PER SATURN VIN#S 1Y504884-1Y559453). MY CAR FALLS WITHIN THAT RANGE AND I AM TOLD IT IS NOT INCLUDED. I CALLED NHTSA AND WAS TOLD THEY ARE NOT GIVEN VIN SPECIFIC INFORMATION. IT IS RIDICULOUS TO FIND THIS MANY PROBLEMS WITH A VEHICLE AND NOBODY WANTS TO HELP CONSUMERS. *TT

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SATURN L200 EQUIPPED WITH BRIGDGESTONE/FIRESTONE MATRIX TIRES, TIRE SIZE 195/65/R15. THE CONTACT NOTICED THE SIDE WALL ON THE FRONT PASSENGER AND DRIVER TIRES EXHIBITED PLY SEPARATION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TIRES WERE PURCHASED THREE MONTHS PRIOR TO THE DEFECT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A TIRE CENTER WHERE BOTH FRONT TIRES WERE REPLACED WITH NEW TIRES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE DEFECTIVE TIRES. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000. THE DOT NUMBER WAS UNAVAILABLE.

I PURCHASED A 2001 SATURN L200 IN NOVEMBER 2010 IN JAN 2011 THE TIMING BELT BROKE I HAD IT REPAIRED AT THE CAR LOT WHERE I BOUGHT THE CAR WHILE GETTING THE REPAIRS THE MECHANIC FOUND PROBLEMS WITH THE VALVES THEY SENT THEM TO A HEAD SHOP TO BE SHAVED WHEN I GOT THE CAR BACK IT WAS RUNNING REAL RUFF & LOUD SO I TOOK IT BACK AFTER THE REPAIRS FROM THE NOISE THE CAR DIDN'T HAVE THE PULLING POWER AS BEFORE AFTER A WEEK WENT BY THE CAR WOULDN'T START I TOOK CAR BACK TO MECHANIC AND HE SAID IT NEEDED A POWER PACK HE REPLACED IT THEN A MONTH OR TWO PAST WHEN I NOTICED A OIL LEAK WHERE I PARK I CHECKED THE OIL THERE WAS NO OIL IN THE CAR IT HAD ALL LEAKED OUT I PUT 3 QUARTS OF OIL IN THE CAR IN 2 TO 3 DAYS I WAS PUTTING MORE OIL IN THE CAR SO ABOUT EVERY 4 DAYS I WAS ADDING OIL I TOOK CAR TO 3 MECHANICS THEY ALL TOLD ME SOMETHING DIFFERENT AFTER GETTING A 4TH OPINION I HAD A MECHANIC TO REPAIR THE REAR MAIN SEAL,AFTER ABOUT A WEEK I NOTICE MORE OIL LEAKING IN THE SAME SPOTS I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO TAKE CAR BACK BECAUSE THE CAR HAD A GEAR CORD TO BREAK I HAD IT REPAIRED TEMPORARY NOW IT IS NOT CHANGING GEARS AT ALL UNLESS I GO UNDER THE HOOD TO CHANGE IT ITS BEEN ONE PROBLEM AFTER ANOTHER SINCE I DROVE THIS CAR OFF THE LOT I WAS TOLD BY AN ATTORNEY THEY COULDN'T HELP ME BECAUSE I BOUGHT THE CAR AS IS NO WARRANTY AND IT DIDN'T FALL UNDER THE LEMON LAW. *TR

MY INSURANCE COMPANY NOTIFIED ME THAT MY VEHICLE TYPE (2001 SATURN L200) HAD A RECALL FOR THE TIMING CHAIN (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NO. 07V519000 & GM RECALL NO. 06074) . I CALLED SATURN AND THEY SAID ALTHOUGH THE RECALL WAS FOR MY VEHICLE MAKE, MODEL, AND YEAR, THAT THE RECALL WAS VIN # SPECIFIC, AND MY VIN # WASN'T INCLUDED. MY 2001 SATURN L200 TIMING CHAIN BROKE SHORTLY AFTER THAT (DIAGNOSED BY CERTIFIED AUTO TECHS AT TIRE KINGDOM), WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY DOING ABOUT 70 MPH. AFTER THIS DANGEROUS EVENT OCCURRED (ENGINE CUTOFF, LOST POWER, CONTROL), I WAS FORTUNATELY ABLE TO COAST TO A STOP ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY IN THE MEDIAN. IT' S POSSIBLE THE TIMING CHAIN FAILURE CAUSED MORE INTERNAL DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE, BUT THAT WILL HAVE TO BE LOOKED AT. IT'S ESTIMATED TO COST AROUND $1400 TO REPAIR THE TIMING CHAIN, BUT THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE THE ONLY DAMAGE NOW. IF THERE'S MORE DAMAGE, I MAY NEED A REBUILD OR NEW ENGINE RANGING UP TO $6500. GM/SATURN SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO ABOUT THE MY VIN NOT BEING INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. I HAVE RESEARCHED NUMEROUS SATURN L200 OWNERS THAT HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. NO ONE KNOWS HOW EXACTLY GM/SATURN CAME UP WITH WHAT VIN #'S WOULD OR WOULDN'T BE INCLUDED IN THAT RECALL, BUT IT SEEMS THEY ONLY INCLUDED A FEW VIN #'S JUST TO "SAVE FACE." SOMEONE COULD GET HURT DUE TO THE UNRELIABLE DESIGN OF THEIR TIMING CHAIN, NOT TO MENTION THE COST ASSOCIATED WITH THIS PROBLEM. THE RECALL NEEDS TO INCLUDE MORE VIN #'S. IT'S NOT RIGHT WHAT GM IS DOING, GETTING OVER ON MANY CONSUMERS WITH A PROBLEM DESIGN.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SATURN L SERIES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND IT WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN WAS FRACTURED AND DAMAGED THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT INTERMITTENTLY, WHEN TRYING TO START THE VEHICLE THE KEY WOULD NOT TURN IN THE IGNITION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED BY A DEALER NOR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 70,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SATURN L200. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING SERVICED AT A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP, THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED BY THE MECHANIC THAT THE TIMING CHAIN WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE MECHANIC REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 07V519000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) BUT WAS ADVISED BY THE MANUFACTURER THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 178,000.