2000 SATURN LS Complaints

TIMING CHAIN FAILURE ON A 2000 LW1 STATION WAGON. ENGINE MUST NOW BE REPLACED WITH AN ESTIMATED REPLACEMENT COST OF $2500. *TR

CAR STARTED TO MAKE LOUD RATTLING NOISE FROM THE ENGINE...I SAW A SMALL CRACK ON THE TOP OF THE CAM COVER ABOUT 4 IN. LONG. I WENT TO A REPAIR SHOP THAT I HAVE USED BEFORE AND THEY SAID IT WAS THE TIMING CHAIN HITTING THE COVER!! THIS SHOULD NEVER HAPPENED TO A CAR WITH 61,000 MILES ON IT ! I CALLED AND WROTE TO THE MFG. IN TN. AND TALKED TO THE AREA MGR.AND SHE ADVISED BRING THE CAR TO THE DEALER. I BROUGHT THE CAR IN AND THE SERVICE MGR. SAID THE CHAIN TENSIONER FAILED AND THAT CAUSED THE CHAIN TO HIT THE COVER. THE TIMING CHAIN AND ALL PARTS MUST BE REPLACED $985.00 + TAX. THE AREA MGR. SAID THERE WAS NOTHING SHE COULD DO FOR THE REPAIR COST THAT IS A MECHANICAL PART AND IT JUST FAILED! I TOLD HER THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THE 2001 YR. BUT MINE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. *TR

I OWN A 2000 SATURN LS2. THERE HAVE BEEN 2 RECALLS ON THE "L" SERIES VEHICLES. ALTHOUGH MY MODEL IS CONSIDERED THE LS SERIES, I HAVE EXPERIENCED THE EXACT SAME SYMPTOMS WITH MY VEHICLE AS DESCRIBED WITH THE L SERIES RECALL. THE MOST RECENT WAS THE REPLACEMENT OF ALL FOUR OF THE OXYGEN SENSORS IN MY VEHICLE WHICH I BELIEVE TO BE THE SAME PROBLEM AS DESCRIBED WITH THE L SERIES VEHICLE AND ATTRIBUTED TO THE SATURN PART KNOWN AS THE IGNITION CONTROL MODULE. OVER A PERIOD OF ABOUT 2 MONTHS I NOTICED: 1. A DETERIORATION IN IDLE QUALITY 2. A REDUCTION IN OVERALL ENGINE POWER 3. THE ENGINE WAS HARD TO START THESE ARE EXACTLY THE SAME PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED WITH THE ICM RECALL ON THE "L" SERIES. I HAD TO REPLACE, AT MY OWN EXPENSE, ALL 4 OF THE OXYGEN SENSORS FOR THIS VEHICLE. AFTER CONTACTING SATURN, THEY INSISTED, BASED ON MY VIN #, THAT MY CAR WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL. IT SEEMS RATHER COINCIDENTAL THAT I HAVE EXPERIENCED THE EXACT SAME SYMPTOMS AS 2 RECALLS ON THE SAME MODEL YEAR CAR FROM THE SAME MANUFACTURER. IT IS MY BELIEF THAT THE RECALLS SHOULD BE EXTENDED TO COVER THE LS SERIES VEHICLES AS WELL. *TR

I HAVE A 2000 SATURN LS 2.2 THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE AND DESTROYED THE ENGINE. *TR

DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AROUND 55 M.P.H IN MY 2000 L-SEIZE SATURN WHEN ENGINE SUDDENLY SHUTS DOWN. COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AFTER NEARLY BEING REARENDED HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO A MECHANIC. WAS TOLD BY MECHANIC TIMING CHAIN HAD BROKE DESTROYING THE ENGINE. WAS ALSO TOLD BY MECHANIC THIS WAS VERY COMMON FOR SATURNS AS THERE IS A DEFECT IN THE OILING SYSTEM CAUSING PREMATURE WEAR IN THE TIMING CHAIN. CONTACTED LOCAL SATURN DEALERSHIP THEY ARE AWARE OF PROBLEM AND COULD INSTALL A NEW ENGINE FOR AROUND 10,000.00$. CURRENTLY CAR IS STILL BROKE DUE TO SHORTAGE OF THIS ENGINE. NO SURPRISE WITH ALL OF THEM BREAKING. VERY LUCKY WITH NO POWER STEERING,NO BRAKES, AND NO POWER TO MAKE IT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. *TR

MY 2000 SATURN LS1'S TIMING CHAIN BROKE WITH NO WARNING AND AS A RESULT, VALVES IN THE ENGINE WERE BENT. MY MECHANIC IS IN THE PROCESS OF PLACING A USED MOTOR IN THE CAR. I RECENTLY WENT ONLINE TO SEE IF OTHER SATURN OWNERS WERE HAVING SIMILAR PROBLEMS. I WAS AMAZED TO FIND THAT THIS IS A CONTINUAL PROBLEM WITH SATURNS FROM THE 2000-2003 TIME FRAME AND THAT IN FACT, A RECALL WAS INSTITUTED FOR SOME. ALTHOUGH MY CAR WAS NOT AMONG THOSE RECALLED, I AM WILLING TO BET THAT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED AND BY ENTERING MY COMPLAINT, I'M HOPING TO SAVE OTHER SATURN OWNERS FROM THE HEADACHES THAT I HAVE HAD. *TR

ACCORDING TO THE SATURN SERVICE ADVISOR, SATURN RECOMMENDS REPLACING THE TIMING CHAIN AT 100,000 MILES. AFTER PERFORMING $1500 WORTH OF REPAIRS (A/C, AXLE, OIL PAN DENT, TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAK, AND AIR FILTERS), THE MECHANIC STARTED TO TAKE IT FOR A TEST DRIVE, AND THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE - AT JUST UNDER 89,000 MILES. SINCE THEY DIDN'T THINK THE ENGINE WAS DAMAGED, I AUTHORIZED THEM TO REPLACE THE TIMING CHAIN FOR $800. A FEW DAYS LATER, I LEARNED THAT THE ENGINE WAS DAMAGED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED - $1500. I CHOSE NOT TO DO THIS AND DONATED THE CAR TO THE SALVATION ARMY. *TR

I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK WITH THE CRUISE ON. I THOUGHT THE CAR DID SOMETHING FUNNY, MAYBE IT SLOWED DOWN SO I LOOKED DOWN AT MY SPEEDOMETER. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS FLASHING, I TAPPED MY BRAKES. THEN MORE LIGHTS STARTED FLASHING AND THE CAR WAS JUST SLOWING DOWN. I THOUGHT I SHOULD START PULLING OVER TO STOP SO I TAPPED MY BRAKES AND IT SOUNDED LIKE SOMETHING FLEW OFF MY CAR. I SLOWLY COASTED TO A STOP. I PUT THE CAR INTO PARK AND IT WASN'T RUNNING. I TURNED OFF THE CAR AND LIGHTS AND CALLED MY HUSBAND. IT WAS REALLY SCARY TO HAVE THE CAR JUST STOP ON YOU WHILE YOU WERE DRIVING AND IT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN GOOD IF PEOPLE WERE AROUND. MY HUSBAND CAME TO SEE IF HE COULD GET THE CAR RUNNING AND WHEN HE TURNED THE KEY IT JUST SOUNDED LIKE METAL SCRAPING ON METAL. IT WAS A HORRIBLE NOISE I HAVE NEVER HEARD BEFORE. WE TOWED THE CAR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT TO THE CLOSEST TOWN AND IN THE MORNING FOUND OUT THEY DID NOT FIX SATURNS. ANOTHER PLACE IN TOWN, WHEN OUR CAR BROKE DOWN 2 MONTHS AGO, COULD NOT EVEN FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH IT AND RECOMMENDED WE BRING IT TO A SATURN DEALER (NO ONE CLOSER THAN 250 MILES). WE HAULED OUR CAR TO A DIFFERENT MECHANIC WHO HAD WORKED ON IT IN 2005 WHEN THE WATER PUMP BROKE WHILE WE WERE DRIVING IT. HE HAS STATED THAT THE TIMING BELT BROKE. IT WILL BE AT LEAST $1500 AND THAT'S IF IT DIDN'T WRECK THE ENGINE. WE AREN'T SURE IF WE ARE GOING TO FIX IT BECAUSE WE ARE STILL PAYING ON THE CAR ITSELF. AND WE JUST PUT ABOUT $1200 INTO IT IN SEPTEMBER. WE GET THE OIL CHANGED EVERY MONTH BECAUSE OF THE MILES WE DRIVE AND WE TAKE VERY GOOD CARE OF THE CAR. THIS IS VERY FRUSTRATING AND I HAVE READ ONLINE THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED TO MANY OTHER PEOPLE OWNING A 2000 SATURN L SERIES CAR. I HOPE THAT SOMEONE WILL DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS AND FIX IT! IF IT IS A MANUFACTURING PROBLEM THEN WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY FOR IT. *TR

MY CAR WAS PAID OFF IN MAY 2007 AND THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE IN NOVEMBER 2007. I BROUGHT IT INTO THE DEALER ABOUT A YEAR AGO WITH POOR FUEL ECONOMY, ROUGH IDLE IN THE MORNING, OXYGEN SENSOR FAILURE AND RANDOM CYLINDER MISFIRE. THE DEALER COULD NOT ISOLATE THE PROBLEM. THEY PRESSURIZED THE FUEL SYSTEM TO CHECK FOR LEAKS. CLEANED THE INJECTORS AND CHARGED ME 150$... DID NOT HELP. THEY SAID IT WAS PROBABLY A BAD INJECTOR... HAD THE INJECTORS CHECKED AND THEY WERE FINE. HAD THE OXYGEN SENSOR REPLACED 3 TIMES. NOTHING HELPED. TURNS OUT THE TENSIONER ON THE TIMING CHAIN WAS FAILING. THE DEALERSHIP NEVER THOUGHT OF THIS EVEN THOUGH IT IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM ON THIS MOTOR. WELL THE PROBLEM PERSISTED UNTIL THE CHAIN JUMPED AND THE CAR WOULD NOT START. 1250$ IS THE ESTIMATE TO INSTALL THE UPDATED TIMING CHAIN KIT NOT TO MENTION THE COST OF A RENTAL CAR, THE TIME AND AGGRAVATION CAUSED BY A SATURN DESIGN FLAW. PS. MY CAR HAS 83,000 MILES ON IT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 SATURN LS1. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AND THEN DECELERATED. THE CONTACT IMMEDIATELY PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SHOULDER AND IT WOULD NOT RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE LOCAL MECHANIC AND HE STATED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN FAILED. AS A RESULT, THE ENTIRE ENGINE WAS DAMAGED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 108,700.