2001 SATURN LS Complaints

THE ENGINE ON MY 2001 SATURN LW 200 (73K MILES) SUDDENLY QUIT WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE FREEWAY IN SEATTLE. I WAS LUCKY TO BE ABLE TO PULL OFF TO A SHOULDER WITHOUT GETTING RAMMED. MY MECHANIC FOUND A BROKEN ENGINE TIMING CHAIN, WHICH HE SAID IS UNUSUAL FOR A CAR WITH THAT MILEAGE. I CHECKED ON-LINE AT NHTSA AND SAW THAT ONLY A LIMITED NUMBER OF 2001 L SERIES SATURNS WERE RECALLED FOR CORRECTION OF THIS POTENTIALLY LIFE-ENDANGERING PROBLEM. WHEN I CONTACTED SATURN, SUCH AS IT IS IN 2010, THE REPRESENTATIVE SAID THAT MY PARTICULAR VEHICLE (BASED ON VIN) WAS NOT COVERED BY THE RECALL, AND THAT I WAS OUT OF LUCK. I WAS NEARLY KILLED BECAUSE OF THIS DEFECT, WHICH MANY OTHERS HAVE REPORTED ON-LINE. SATURN SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIR COSTS, WHICH ARE IN EXCESS OF $2,000. *TR

TIMING CHAIN BROKE WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 40 CAUSING CATASTROPHIC ENGINE DAMAGE. ENGINE HAD TO BE REBUILT. OLD PARTS ARE AVAILABLE. *TR

I HAVE A 2001 SATURN L2000,WITH 95,000 MILES. I BROUGHT THE CAR IN 2007 WITH 86,000 MILE. ON AUGUST 30, I TRIED TO START MY CAR, AND IT WOULD NOT TURN OVER. I HAD IT CHECKED AND MY TIMING CHAIN WAS BROKEN. MY REPAIRS ARE SUPPOSE TO BE AROUND $1000 OR MORE. I HAVEN'T DECIDED WHETHER IT'S WORTH REPAIRING. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SATURN L200. WHILE TRAVELING 20 MPH, THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL THUMP FROM THE EXTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE. SECONDS LATER, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE ENGINE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THERE WERE NO PRIOR WARNINGS. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 86,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SATURN L SERIES. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35-40 MPH WHEN HE HEARD AN UNUSUAL RATTLE FROM THE EXTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE THEN STALLED. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND IT WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL REPAIR FACILITY FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MECHANIC ADVISED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE TIMING CHAIN THAT RESULTED TO INTERNAL DAMAGES WITHIN THE ENGINE. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO LOCATE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 07V519000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) BUT WAS ADVISED THAT HIS VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE FAILURE WAS SIMILAR TO THE RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 110,000.

MY BRAKE LIGHTS HAVE AGAIN GONE OUT AT THE SAME TIME. LAST TIME THE MECHANIC STATED IT WAS AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE. *TR

FAILURE SIMIAR TO SAFETY RECALL 06074. THE CAR STALLED ON THE HIGHWAY. THE MECHANIC SAID IT IS A POSSIBLE TIMING CHAIN THAT BROKE JUST AFTER 100,000. *TR

HEADING I-64 WESTBOUND IN KY WHEN THERE WAS A VERY LOUD POP/BACKFIRE TYPE NOISE HEARD FROM ENGINE COMPARTMENT. IMMEDIATELY LOST ALL POWER AND WAS BARELY ABLE TO GET OUT OF TRAFFIC. CAR MADE HUMMING NOISE WHEN I TURNED THE KEY, THAT WAS IT. IMMEDIATELY CALLED TOW SERVICE. CAR WAS CHECKED OUT AND I WAS TOLD I WAS BASICALLY LOOKING AT A MOTOR. I WAS TOLD THE TIMING CHAIN HAD BROKE AND THAT BECAUSE IT WAS AN INTERFERENCE ENGINE THE RODS/PISTONS ETC. BECOME DAMAGED BECAUSE MOTOR FINISHES ITS REVOLUTION. CALLED LOCAL GM DEALER NEXT AND WAS TOLD THAT SOMETIMES THE BLOCK CRACKS WITH THESE ALSO WHEN THIS HAPPENS. NOW A NICE CAR WITH NO MOTOR. ESTIMATES ARE THROUGH THE ROOF. CALLED SATURN,WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING KNOWN AT THIS TIME. THEY GAVE ME THEIR NAME, NUMBER, AND EXTENSION TO LET THEM KNOW WHEN IT WAS GOING TO A DEALER. *TR

MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING OUR 2001 SATURN L200 TO WORK. WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE THE CAR JUST SHUT COMPLETELY OFF SO HE HAD TO COST OVER FOUR LANES TO GET OFF OF THE EXIT RAMP. HE HAD IT TOWED TO THE AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR PLACE WE USE AND OF COURSE THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE. THE ESTIMATE FOR JUST THAT IS $900 NOT EVEN INCLUDING IF THE VALVES OR ANYTHING ELSE IS BROKE. I HAVE RESEARCHED ABOUT THIS AND I HAVE READ ABOUT THE RECALL ON THEM BUT OF COURSE MY CAR IS NOT INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL. THE SAME THING THAT HAPPENED TO EVERYONE ELSE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL IS THE SAME EXACT THING THAT HAPPENED TO ME. I HAVE HAD NO HELP WITH SATURN ON THIS ISSUE. I HAD JUST BOUGHT THE CAR NOT EVEN A MONTH BEFORE IT BROKE DOWN. *TR

IN 9/2007 I WAS DRIVING MY 2001 SATURN L200 ON A CITY STREET, PULLING OUT ONTO A BUSY STREET NEAR A SCHOOL. THE CAR LOST POWER AND DIED. I WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN SEPARATED AND DAMAGED THE VALVES ETC. AND THE CAR NEEDED THE ENGINE REPLACED. I AGREED TO LET THE MECHANIC REPLACE MY RUINED ENGINE WITH A NEWER, BUT USED, ENGINE, AS IT WAS ALL I COULD AFFORD. RECENTLY I DISCOVERED THE RECALL OF FEB '08, AND MY VEHICLE FALLS WITHIN THE RANGE OF RECALLED VEHICLES. HOWEVER, WHEN I TRIED TO GET REIMBURSED, GM CLAIMED MY CAR DID NOT ACTUALLY FALL UNDER THE RECALL BECAUSE THE ISSUE WAS ATTRIBUTED TO A SMALL PART THAT APPARENTLY MY CAR DID NOT HAVE. FROM THE INFORMATION I HAVE GATHERED ON THE INTERNET, I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS FACED THIS ISSUE. I AM REQUESTING THAT THE RECALL BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE ALL CARS IN THE RANGE. REGARDLESS OF THE SMALL PART ISSUE, MY CAR MET THE SAME REPAIR ISSUES - TIMING CHAIN SEPARATING AND DESTROYING THE ENGINE. *TR