2000 SATURN LS Complaints

CUSTOMER HAS SEVERAL QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS SATURN INCLUDING IGNITION AND TIRE REPLACEMENT**CC THE CRANK SENSOR WAS REPLACED, THE SHIFT LIGHT INDICATOR IN THE DRIVE POSITION WENT OUT WHILE THE HEADLIGHTS WERE ON. THE AC WAS NOT COOLING WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IN IDLE. THE TIRES HAD SEVER CUPPING FOLLOWING FOUR CROSS ROTATIONS DUE TO A BAD REAR WHEEL ALIGNMENT. THE IGNITION WOULD NOT UNLOCK. *JB

RECENTLY MY INFANT DAUGHTER JUST BARELY AVOIDED BEING SERIOUSLY INJURED WHEN THE REAR WINDOW BRAKE LIGHT ON THE 2000 LS1 SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY DETACHED AND FELL WHILE DRIVING. WE HAD CHECKED WITH THE DEALERSHIP, WHO TOLD ME THAT NO RECALL HAD BEEN ISSUED BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM, AND THE TECHNICIAN COULD FIND NO REASON WHY IT SHOULD HAVE FALLEN. HIS SOLUTION WAS TO HAVE US ORDER A NEW PART AND PAY A LARGE SUM OF MONEY FOR THE PART AND LABOR TO INSTALL IT. A CHECK WITH THE NHTSA INFORMED US THAT THIS WAS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH 2000 L-SERIES SEDANS. THE NHTSA REPRESENTATIVE TOLD US THAT THIS WAS DUE TO ELECTRONICS WHICH MAY SHIFT OVER TIME. FURTHERMORE, IT APPEARED THAT THIS I WAS DUE TO A DEFECT IN THE DESIGN ,AND REPLACED THE BRAKE LIGHT ASSEMBLY .WOULD DO NOTHING TO PREVENT FURTHER DANGEROUS INCIDENTS. SATURN OFFERED TO PAY $55 TOWARD THE COST OF REPLACING THE PART. A REPRESENTATIVE SAID THAT THEY WOULD NOT ISSUE ANY RECALLS OR TAKE ANY ACTIONS UNTIL FORCED TO DO SO BY NHTSA. THEY REFUSED TO PROVIDE ANY NUMBERS REGARDING THE SIZE OF THE CLASS, SUCH AS NUMBER OF REGISTERED OWNERS OF 2000 L-SERIES SEDANS.*AK

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 SATURN LS1. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE CAUSE OF FAILURE WAS DUE TO THE TIMING CHAIN AND PERFORMED THE REPAIR. APPROXIMATELY FIVE YEARS LATER, THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED THE SAME FAILURE WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN FAILED AGAIN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 82,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000.

KNOCKING SOUND COMING FROM STEERING COLUMN WHEN STEERING WHEEL WAS TURNED FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER. I HAD THIS LOOKED AT BY MY MECHANIC, WHO CONFIRMED THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITHIN THE STEERING COLUMN LEADING TO ITS LINKAGE. HE TOLD ME THAT THIS WAS DEFINITELY A POTENTIAL LIFE RISKING PROBLEM. A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED BECAUSE THE PART IN QUESTION WAS NOT ONE THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO UNDERGO WEAR. IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE GOOD FOR LIFE! ONE MAY NOT GET A SECOND CHANCE IF THE STEERING FAILED WHILE DRIVING, ESPECIALLY ON HIGHWAYS. *AK

TIMING CHAIN FAILURE ON 2000 SATURN LS1 @ 80,000 MILES. NOTICED NHTSA INVESTIGATION IS STILL ACTIVE ON THIS PROBLEM. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR TO SERVICE STATION WITHOUT AN ACCIDENT, BUT AM CONCERNED THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS CAR SHUTS DOWN WITHOUT WARNING. SURPRISED TO LEARN NOW THAT GM HAS A TSB OUT FOR THIS ISSUE, KNOWING THE TIMING CHAIN DOES NOT GET ENOUGH OIL. THIS CAR IS IN BEING SERVICED NOW. *JB

I WISH TO REPORT THE SAME DEFECT ALREADY IDENTIFIED BY ACTION NUMBER PE06006 (AND SUBSEQUENTLY EA06-009). THE TIMING CHAIN DEFECT WAS DISCOVERED BEFORE COMPLETE FAILURE DUE TO VERY ROUGH IDLING, AND AFTER GETTING A FIRST OPINION FROM MY SATURN DEALERSHIP AND A SECOND OPINION FROM A LOCAL GARAGE, I PAID $820 FOR A TIMING CHANGE. SATURN REFUSED TO COVER THIS OBVIOUS DEFECT UNDER WARRANTY. *JB

I HAVE A SATURN SL YEAR 2000. IT CURRENTLY HAS 63,000 MILES ON IT. ABOUT 6 WEEKS AGO I WAS DRIVING TO WORK AND IT SUDDENLY STARTED ACCELERATING ON ITS OWN, I WENT THROUGH A RED LIGHT BECAUSE I COULDN'T SLOW IT FAST ENOUGH. THE BRAKES WOULD SLOW IT DOWN IF I FLOORED THEM BUT NOT SLOW IT TO A STOP. THE ENGINE RPMS WERE UP TO 5 AND WOULD NOT DECREASE. I HAD TO THROUGH THE CAR IN TO NEUTRAL THEN PARK (RPMS STILL AT 5) THEN TAKE THE KEYS OUT. I HAD THE NEAREST AUTO REPAIR CHECK IT AND THEY SAID THAT AN ICE BLOCK HAD FROZE IN THE AIR INTAKE CAUSING ACCELERATOR TO FREEZE. 2 WEEKS LATER THE SAME EVENT OCCURRED. I PROCEEDED WITH THE SAME ACTIONS TO STOP, AND WHEN I RESTARTED THE CAR THE PROBLEM WAS GONE. (THIS TIME I SMELLED AN AWFUL BURNING SMELL WHICH I ASSUME WAS EITHER FROM RIDING MY BRAKES OR FROM THE ENGINE REVVING SO HIGH) LUCKY NO RED LIGHTS THIS TIME AND NOT CAUGHT OFF GUARD AS THE FIRST TIME. I DECIDED TO USE THE SATURN DEALER SHIP TO HAVE THE CAR CHECKED. THEY STATED THAT "MICE" HAD CHEWED THROUGH THE WIRES GOING TO THE ACCELERATOR SENSOR/CONTROL. THEY REPLACED THE WIRES AND SAID IT WAS FIXED. NOW 2 WEEKS LATER THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED. I CALLED THE SATURN DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THAT THEY MAY HAVE TO KEEP THE VEHICLE UNTIL THEY CAN DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM TO DIAGNOSE IT. I EXPLAINED IT HAS OCCURRED ONLY ABOUT EVERY 2 WEEKS AND THAT I HAVE ONLY ONE VEHICLE. I THEN DECIDED TO RESEARCH THE INTERNET ABOUT THE PROBLEM. ON ONE SITE WWW.CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM I FOUND A FEW DISTURBING REPORTS/COMPLAINTS FROM PEOPLE (INCLUDING ONE 10 MILES FROM WHERE I LIVE). THEY DESCRIBED THE SAME PROBLEMS ( ALTHOUGH 1 WAS A SATURN 2002) AND THAT AFTER MANY INCIDENTS AND VARIOUS REPAIRS THEY HAVE NOT HAD THEIR PROBLEM RESOLVED AND THEY ARE TERRIFIED TO DRIVE THEIR VEHICLE. ONE DESCRIBED THEIR VEHICLE AS A POSSESSED DEATH TRAP WHICH IS EXACTLY HOW I AM FEELING. . I AM VERY FRIGHTENED TO EVEN DRIVE NOW. PEOPLE COULD BE KILLED BY THIS PROBLEM. *JB

ENGINE FAILURE, HAD TO REPLACE THE ENGINE AT SATURN. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE TIMING CHAIN FAILED DUE TO POOR MAINTENANCE. THEY PUT A NEW ENGINE IN IT WHICH FAILED 60K MILES LATER WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. *JB

THE TIMING CHAIN ON MY 2000 SATURN LS BROKE AND RUINED THE ENGINE. WE HAD IMMEDIATE LOSS OF POWER IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY HWY AND BARELY GOT OUT OF THE ROAD IN TIME. AFTER READING NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THAT PROBLEM I DECIDED TO WRITE THIS. THEY NEED TO ISSUE A RECALL ON THIS, SINCE THEY WILL NOT PAY THE $3400 TO GET MY ENGINE REPLACED. THIS IS THE 3RD DEFECT ON THE CAR THAT HAS COST ME MONEY TO FIX BEFORE A RECALL. *NM

TL* - THE CONTACT STATED THAT ON DECEMBER 10, 2006 WHEN HE WENT TO GET HIS 2000 SATURN LS 122216 INSPECTED THE VEHICLE FAILED THE INSPECTION DUE TO THE FUEL SYSTEM GASOLINE; STORAGE TANK ASSEMBLY LEAK. THE CONTACT PAID FOR THE REPAIRS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HIS CAR WAS EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEMS AS CAMPAIGN NUMBER 99V197. THE CONTACT REQUESTS TO GET REIMBURSED FOR THE REPAIRS BECAUSE OF DENIED REIMBURSEMENT FROM THE MANUFACTURER. *NM UPDATED 2/22/2007 - COOLANT WAS ALSO FOUND TO BE LEAKING*NM