2002 SATURN LS Complaints

WHILE DRIVING MY 2002 SATURN L100 2.2L 4-CYLINDER VEHICLE ON 9/13/2010 THE ENGINE'S TIMING CHAIN SEPARATED WHILE THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING , THE ENGINE STALLED , THE VEHICLE LOST ALL MOTIVE POWER AND WOULD NOT RESTART AND CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO TWO OF THE ENGINE'S VALVES. *TR

IN NOVEMBER OF 2009, THE BRAKES ON MY 2002 SATURN 200L SUDDENLY GAVE OUT. THEY WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. AFTER PUMPING THEM SEVERAL TIMES, THEY CAME UP A LITTLE. I THOUGHT THE BRAKES NEEDED CHANGING, SO I HAD THAT DONE. A FEW MONTHS LATER, IT HAPPENED AGAIN. IT HAS HAPPENED A TOTAL OF 4 TIMES. I GO TO STOP AND SUDDENLY THERE ARE NO BRAKES. THEY ALWAYS WORK OK AFTER SEVERAL PUMPS. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM AND I SEE ON MYCARSTATS.COM THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SAME PROBLEM. *TR

2002 SATURN FUEL PUMP WENT VERY BAD... CAR OK WHEN PARKED IN GARAGE NEXT MORNING BAD GAS FUMES COULD HAVE CAUSED EXPLOSION..HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED AND REPLACED THE PUMP. *TR

I WAS LEAVING WORK AND PULL ONTO A 2 LANE HIGHWAY WHEN GAINING SPEED AND AT APPROXIMATELY 45MPH I HEARD A THUMP IN THE ENGINE AND THE CAR STALLED AND COASTED LONG ENOUGH FOR ME TO GET IT HALFWAY OF THE HIGHWAY. IT WAS THEN TOWED TO A NEARBY CONVENIENCE STORE TO GET IT OFF THE ROAD AND THEN TOWED HOME FOR REPAIR. UPON INVESTIGATION, CHECKING COMPRESSION, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE TIMING CHAIN HAD IN FACT BROKE DURING OPERATION ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS INTERN HAS CAUSED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE INTERNAL ENGINE AND NO FAULT OF MY OWN. *TR

MY 2002 SATURN L100 TIMING CHAIN BROKE. LOOKING INTO THE REPAIR I FOUND MANY COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET ABOUT THIS HAPPENING TO OTHER SATURN OWNERS. I HAVE NOT REPAIRED THE CAR AS OF YET DUE TO THE COST. I THINK THIS BEING A COMMON FAILURE SATURN SHOULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING ABOUT IT. *TR

DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY GOING ABOUT 70 MPH. THE CAR'S ENGINE SUDDENLY DIED, AND THE CAR DECELERATED. THERE WAS NO NOISE OR WARNING LEADING UP TO THE ENGINE DYING. AFTER PULLING OVER TO THE SIDE, I TRIED RESTARTING THE CAR. THE ENGINE TRIED TO TURN OVER, BUT IT WOULDN'T START. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTO SHOP. IT WAS FOUND THAT THE TIMING CHAIN HAD BROKEN AND DESTROYED THE ENGINE (CYLINDER HEAD SPECIFICALLY). NO REASON FOR THE BREAKAGE COULD BE FOUND. IT WAS RECOMMENDED THAT A NEW ENGINE WOULD BE NEEDED. *TR

THE OIL AND ANTIFREEZE HAVE A COMMON WALL IN THE RADIATOR. THE ANTIFREEZE IS CORROSIVE AND ATE THRU ALLOWING THE OIL AND ANTIFREEZE TO MIX IN THE ENGINE CAUSING THE ENGINE TO BE COMPLETELY REBUILT WITH MOST PARTS REPLACED. THE TEMP GAUGE HAS BEEN REPLACED 4 TIMES AS THE ENGINE RUNS COOL AND WILL FAIL INSPECTION AND DESTROY THE O2 SENSORS. THE POWER STEERING PUMP HAS GONE OUT 2 TIMES AS WELL AS THE AC COMPRESSOR. THE REAR LIGHTS ON THE DRIVER SIDE ARE ALWAYS GETTING HOT AND BURNING OUT. THE TAILLIGHT FITTINGS FOR THE STOP LIGHT HAVE GOTTEN SO HOT THAT THEY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED 3 TIMES. DASH LIGHTS ARE CONSTANTLY FLICKERING WHEN YOU APPLY THE BRAKE OR (WHEN IT IS RUNNING) TURN ON THE AC UNIT OR THE HEATING SYSTEM. THE SAFETY LATCH ON THE FRONT DOORS HAVE BEEN REPLACED 2 TIMES AS THEY WERE CRACKING. I PAID FOR ALL OF THE REPAIRS AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS A RECALL BASED ON THE ANTIFREEZE THAT GM USED AS IT WAS CORROSIVE AND AFFECTED MANY MODELS OF GM CARS. I FILLED IN ALL OF THE FORMS FOR THE CLASS ACTION SUIT AND AT THE END I WAS TOLD THAT THE SATURNS WERE NOT COVERED - THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAD ALLOWED THIS CLASS TO BE REMOVED FROM THE GM CLAIM. THIS WAS NOT FAIR AS IT WAS THE SAME PROBLEM CAUSED BY THE CORROSIVE ANTIFREEZE USED BY GM AND THE POOR DESIGN OF USING A COMMON THIN WALL TO SEPARATE THE OIL AND THE ANTIFREEZE. *TR

2002 SATURN L300 V6 EXCESSIVE TIRE WEAR AND ENGINE PROBLEMS THE OIL DRAINED INTO THE RADIATOR AND THE WHOLE ENGINE HAD TO BE REWORKED ALL HOSES SENSORS AND RADIATOR HAD TO BE REPLACED THE VALVES AND LOTS OF OTHER HEAD WORK HAD TO BE DONE. WE HAVE HAD TO HAVE IT ALIGNED 3 TIMES IN 18,000MILES AND 60,000 MILE TIRES LAST ABOUT 12-18,000 MILES BEFORE BEING TOLD THEY ARE HAZARDOUS AND HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE NEW OIL SENSOR REPLACED WITH THE ENGINE REBUILD NOW IS LEAKING AGAIN AND WE HAVE TO REPLACE IT AGAIN. REAR BRAKE LAMPS BLOW OUT CONSTANTLY AND EVEN BURNED THE WIRING AND PLASTIC FRAME. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 SATURN L200. WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 55 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED AN UNUSUALLY OVERPOWERING GASOLINE FUEL SMELL. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND WAS UNABLE TO PROVIDE A REASON AS TO WHY THE GASOLINE ODOR WAS EMITTING FROM THE VEHICLE WITHOUT A DIAGNOSTIC. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT YET TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 98,000.

2002 SATURN LW200 2.2L ENGINE. I WAS PULLING OUT OF A PARKING LOT WHEN THE ENGINE STOPPED AND WOULD NOT RESTART. HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO MY MECHANIC WHO INFORMED ME THAT THE TIMING CHAIN HAD BROKEN AND RUINED THE ENGINE. I HAVE READ THAT THE 2001 MODEL HAS A RECALL FOR THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM.