2002 SATURN LS Complaints

VERY STRONG FUEL ODOR COMING FROM CAR WHILE DRIVING, WHEN STOPPED OR PARKING CANT HAVE THE WINDOWS DOWN BECAUSE THE SMELL MAKES YOU SICK AND GIVES YOU A HEADACHE. CANT BELIEVE THERE ARE NO RECALLS ON THIS. MECHANIC SAYS HE CANT SEE THE LEAK BUT BELIEVES ITS THE FUEL EVAPORATION SYSTEM NOT WORKING. THIS CANT BE SAFE!!!!!!!!!! MY FAULT AGAIN FOR BUYING AN AMERICAN CAR!!!!!!!!!! *TR

STRONG GASOLINE ODOR IN PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. REPAIR SHOP FOUND LEAK AT TOP OF GAS TANK WHICH SPRAYED GAS UP THROUGH THE BACK SEAT. PROBLEM WAS ONLY DISCOVERED LONG AFTER IT STARTED PUTTING MY FAMILY AT SERIOUS RISK! *TR

THE STEERING WAS NOT PERFORMING CORRECTLY WHICH MADE THE CAR UNSTABLE AND SCARY TO DRIVE SO I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC TO FIND OUT THE PROBLEM. I WAS ADVISED THE SUBFRAME HAD RUSTED ALL THE WAY THROUGH AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THEY TOLD ME ALL THAT HELD THE SUBFRAME TOGETHER WAS SOME RUSTY PARTS. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A BAD CRASH IF IT HAD FAILED ON THE HIGHWAY. I KNOW I LIVE IN AN AREA THAT THEY SALT THE ROADS BUT THERE IS NO REASON A 9 YEAR OLD CAR SHOULD HAVE A SUBFRAME THAT HAS FAILED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 SATURN L200. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 35 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC THAT LOCATED THE FAILURE AT THE TIMING CHAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE WAS 85,415 UPDATED 12/12/11*LJ UPDATED 12/14/11

TIMING CHAIN SEPERATED ON MY 2002 SATURN L200 AT 15 MPH 2 MONTHS AGO. IT COST ME $2700 TO REPLACE ENGINE AND THEN I FOUND THE LINKS ABOUT A POSSIBLE RECALL ON THIS VERY ISSUE BUT WAS TOLD BY SATURN THAT IT DIDN'T COVER MY CAR. I AM HIGHLY UPSET ABOUT THIS AS MY ENGINE DID EXACTLY WHAT ALL THE OTHER SATURNS IN THE RECALL DID SO WHY IS MINE EXCLUDED?? I WANT MY YEAR COVERED IN THE RECALL. *TT

MY CAR SHOWED NO WARNING OF ANY PROBLEM. STARTED TO WORK LOST POWER. COASTED TO A SAFE PLACE AT A BUSINESS. WAS TOLD TIMING CHAIN HAD BROKEN AND I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE. IT WILL COST $2600.00 TO REPAIR. ALSO THERE HAS BEEN A PROBLEM WITH HEADLINERS SAGGING. *TR

TIMING CHAIN BROKE. COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER AND DESTRUCTION OF ENGINE. NO NOISE OR WARNING BEFOREHAND. TRAVELING IN CENTER LANE OF THREE LANE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY DURING AFTERNOON RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. LUCKY TO MAKE IT TO SHOULDER WITHOUT ACCIDENT. COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN INJURED OR KILLED IF STOPPED ON ROADWAY. AFTER READING ABOUT THE INVESTIGATION, I'M APPALLED THAT NO INFORMATION HAS BEEN SENT BY GM SUGGESTING A REPLACEMENT OF THE CHAIN TENSIONER AND OILER. I COULD HAVE DONE THIS MYSELF. INSTEAD, I SPENT $2000 FOR AN ENGINE.

DURING NORMAL DRIVING ON I-35 IN DALLAS, VEHICLE DIED, DRIVER WAS ABLE TO COAST TO SIDE OF ROAD. AFTER TOWING VEHICLE, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT TIMING CHAIN HAD SNAPPED. AFTER DETERMINING ENGINE WAS INTERFERENCE MODEL & VIEWING NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 07V519000 I CALLED SATURN TO DETERMINE IF THE 2002 WAS COVERED UNDER THIS. SATURN REPLIED IT WAS NOT. NOT REPAIRED YET BUT AWAITING FURTHER INSPECTION TO DETERMINE IF ENTIRE ENGINE MUST BE REPLACED OF IF DAMAGED HEAD CAN BE REBUILT. LOWER END WILL ALSO HAVE TO BE INSPECTED AND POSSIBLY REPAIRED IF HEAD IS REBUILT. *TT

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 SATURN L-SERIES SEDAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WAS INOPERABLE AND HE WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE HOW MUCH FUEL WAS IN THE VEHICLE, HOW MANY MILES WERE ON THE ODOMETER, HOW FAST THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING, OR WHAT TEMPERATURE THE ENGINE WAS OPERATING AT. THE DEALER HAD NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN INSPECTED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 94,841.

I OWN A 2002 SATURN L 300 6 CYLINDER 3.0 ENGINE CAR. IN JUNE 2010 I HAD A THROTTLE BODY ISSUE WITHMY CAR (REDUCED POWER, CHECK ENGINE, SERVICE ENGINE LIGHTS). I TOOK IT TO A REPAIR SHOP AND IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A THROTTLE BODY ISSUE. I PURCHASED THE THROTTLE BODY FROM GM DIRECTLY AND HAD IT INSTALLED AT AN OUTSIDE MECHANIC. NOT KNOWING THE ELECTRICAL ISSUES AND COMPUTER PROGRAMMING ISSUES AROUND THIS CAR, I LET THE OUTSIDE MECHANIC DO THE INSTALLATION NOT KNOW ALL THE COMPUTER PROGRAMMING ISSUES AROUND THIS PART. ABOUT A MONTH OR SO LATER I CONTINUED TO HAVE ISSUES WITH THE SAME ERROR MESSAGES, BUT THIS TIME I BROUGHT IT TO GM, WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED A WIRING ISSUE. SINCE THEN I HAVE HAD IT BACK TO GM 5 MORE TIMES REPLACING THE ENTIRE WIRING TO THE THROTTLE BODY, THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE, AND ON MAY 2, 2011 ANOTHER TRIP TO HAVE THE COMPUTER RE-PROGRAMMED TO SYNC THE NEW ECM TO THE THROTTLE BODY. THIS PAST WEEK I BEGAN GETTING AN ERROR MESSAGE (SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT) FOR THE THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR. I CALLED GM DIRECTLY AND OPENED A COMPLAINT CASE NUMBER AND BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TOT HE GM DEALER NOW FOR THE 6TH TIME. THE PRIOR VISITS TO GM THEY HAVE TOLD ME THEY WON'T HONOR ANY GUARANTEES BECAUSE THE ORIGINAL THROTTLE BODY REPLACEMENT WAS DONE AT AN OUTSIDE MECHANIC SHOP. I CAN SEE THAT HOLDING WEIGHT THE FIRST OR SECOND VISIT BACK TO GM, BUT NOW THIS IS THE 6TH VISIT BACK AND THEY STILL HAVE YET TO COMPLETELY FIX THE ELECTRICAL ISSUES ON MY CAR. I HAVE SPENT OVER 3,000.00 TRYING TO GET THIS RIGHT TO NO AVAIL. AND I AM SOMEWHAT STUCK SINCE I CANNOT AFFORD TO BUY A NEW CAR. *TR