2001 SATURN LS Complaints

WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AT 55 MILES PER HOUR, MY CAR SUDDENLY DECREASED SPEED TO 20MPH. MY CAR CONTINUED TO LIMIT IT'S SPEED TO 30MPH FOR ONE HOUR. AFTER AN HOUR I WAS ABLE TO REGAIN SPEED. I LATER TOOK MY CAR INTO A SHOP WHERE THEY TOLD ME THAT MY TIMING CHAIN GUIDE HAD RUBBED UP AGAINST A CYLINDER CAUSE IT TO CRACK THUS LEAKING COOLANT INTO THE ENGINE. MY CAR HAS 102,000 AND NOW REQUIRES A NEW ENGINE. IN 2007 I HAD ALL THE CYLINDER HEAD GASKETS REPLACED AND HEAD BOLT SET REPLACED BECAUSE MY INTAKE VALVES WAS LEAKING AND THE HEAD THE GASKETS WERE ALL BLOWN. *TR

MY 2001 SATURN SL200 HAD EXTREME VIBRATION AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT WHILE ON A LONG TRIP OUT OF STATE. THIS CAR IS DRIVEN BY MY COLLEGE AGE STUDENT. CAR ENGINE WAS JUMPING, IDLING VERY ROUGH, AND LOSING POWER. FORTUNATELY, SHE DID MADE IT BACK TO COLLEGE SAFELY. THE CAR WAS BROUGHT TO SATURN OF MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE AND PLUGS, WIRES AND SPARK PLUG CASSETTE WERE REPLACED DUE TO A MISFIRING DIAGNOSIS. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS PICKED UP, IT STILL RAN ROUGH. I RETURNED TO DEALER AND THEY SAID VALVE COVER AND ENGINE WERE DIRTY. ALSO, THEY SAID TIMING CHAIN SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS SLIPPING. I WAS NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THIS AUTOMOBILE. WHEN I ASKED ABOUT THE SATURN TIMING CHAIN RECALL, THEY STATED THIS CAR WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. TO ME, DRIVING THE CAR, IT SOUNDS EXACTLY LIKE A TIMING CHAIN PROBLEM. SATURN CHARGED ME AN EXORBITANT AMOUNT TO DO ALL THE ABOVE WORK (OVER $900.00). I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT THIS CAR SHOULD BE ON THE RECALL LIST, SINCE SATURN CONTINUED TO MAKE CARS WITH THE EXACT DESIGN AFTER FEBRUARY 2001. I BELIEVE THAT GM IS TRYING TO GET OUT OF REPAIRING AN EXTREME SAFETY ISSUE FOR THIS CAR. THIS CAR IS A POTENTIAL DEATH TRAP. THE FIRST IN SERVICE DATE OF THIS VEHICLE WAS JUNE 2001, SO I CAN ALMOST CONCLUDE THAT THIS VEHICLE WAS MANUFACTURED DURING THE RECALL TIME FRAME. IF NOT, SHORTLY THEREAFTER. I AM SURE THERE WERE ADDITIONAL CARS MADE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AFTER GM'S CUTOFF OF PROBLEM VIN NUMBERS. MY CAR NEEDS TO BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. *TR

I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE HEATER CONTROL SWITCH TWO TIMES OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS. THERE APPEARS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH THE WIRING HARNESS OVERHEATING AT THE WHITE CLIP (WHERE IT PLUGS INTO THE HEATER CONTROL UNIT. IF LEFT UNDETECTED, IT MELTS THE PLASTIC OF THE SWITCH MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO SWITCH FROM HI TO LOW. RESEARCH ON THIS MAKE AND MODEL DOES NOT INDICATE A RECALL, HOWEVER, I FOUND AN INDICATION THAT SATURN IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND HAS MADE REPAIRS TO CORRECT THE SITUATION. I AM CONCERNED THIS MAY EVENTUALLY LEAD TO A FIRE HAZARD, IF NOT THAT THEN A COSTLY REPAIR. I HAVE REPLACED THE BLOWER MOTOR, BLOWER MOTOR RESISTOR AND HEATER CONTROL UNIT. COULD COST NEARLY $1000.00 BASED ON ESTIMATES THROUGH DEALERSHIP. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SATURN L SERIES. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO START HER VEHICLE, IT EXHIBITED A NO-START CONDITION. A PRIVATE MECHANIC TOWED THE VEHICLE TO HIS REPAIR FACILITY. UPON INSPECTION HE DISCOVERED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN FRACTURED. SHE CONTACTED THE DEALER IN REFERENCE TO RECALL # 07V519000 ( ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). SHE WAS ADVISED THAT SINCE HER VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER WAS EXCLUDED FROM THE RECALL, SHE WAS INELIGIBLE FOR A FREE REMEDY. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 86,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SATURN L200. WHENEVER THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE, SHE NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OVER 40 MPH AND THAT WHEN IDLING THE VEHICLE WILL BEGAN SHAKING. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER. 2 DAYS PRIOR TO THE FAILURE, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 148876.

UPON DRIVING HOME FROM WORK, MY SATURN 2001 L200 SUDDENLY STALLED - BRAKING, ACCELERATOR, AND STEERING BECAME COMPLETELY UNRESPONSIVE. WITH DIFFICULTY, I MANAGED TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND EVENTUALLY GET TOWED 40MILES TO MY LOCAL REPAIR CENTER. THEY ADVISED ME THAT THE TIMING CHAIN HAD BROKEN AND MAY HAVE ALSO DAMAGED THE ENGINE VALVES.I WAS ADVISED BY SATURN, THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE TIMING CHAIN FOR THIS MODEL BUT MY VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED AND ALL REPAIR COSTS WOULD BE AT MY EXPENSE. MY COMPLAINT IS THE DANGEROUS NATURE OF HOW THIS ISSUE CAN MANIFEST ITSELF AND ALSO THAT I WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THIS POTENTIAL DANGER EARLIER AS PART OF THE ONGOING RECALL NOTICE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SATURN L200. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE INTERMITTENTLY STALLED WITHOUT ANY PRIOR WARNINGS. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE IT EXHIBITS A NO START CONDITION. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION, HE NOTICED THAT THE LINKS IN THE ENGINE'S TIMING CHAIN SEPARATED. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED IN REFERENCE TO RECALL # 07V519000, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING. A TECHNICIAN CONCLUDED THAT BECAUSE THE VIN NUMBER WAS EXCLUDED FROM THE VIN RANGE, HE WAS INELIGIBLE FOR A FREE REMEDY. NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 106,012.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SATURN LW300 SERIES. THE TRANS AXLE SHIFT CABLE CABLE SLIPPED OUT OF ITS BRACKET AND THE TRANS AXLE LEVER WOULD NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IN PARK THE TRANS AXLE CAUSED IT TO REMAIN IN NEUTRAL MODE WHICH MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO PLACE HER FEET ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND TURN THE VEHICLE OFF; HOWEVER, IT CONTINUED TO INDICATE THAT IT WAS IN NEUTRAL INSTEAD OF PARK. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT HER VIN WAS NOT A PART OF RECALL #00V344000, POWER TRAIN: AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION: GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL) AND THAT THE REPAIR COST WAS $560. A COMPLAINT WAS ALSO FILED WITH THE MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 54,101.

I OWN A 2001 SATURN L200 SERIES TIMING CHAIN BROKE FOR NO REASON OR WARNING GOING 50 MPH ALMOST HIT SATURN REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE TIMING CHAIN. *TR

2001 SATURN L100, CAR BROKE DOWN ON MASS PIKE, OVERHEATED; TOWED TO MECHANIC, HE REPLACED THERMOSTAT, BUT THE WATER PUMP WAS STILL NOT OPERATING CORRECTLY AND IN PROCESS OF FURTHER TESTING FOUND ONE OF THE TIMING CHAINS HAD BROKEN AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED; (THIS SATURN MODEL HAS TWO CHAINS-ONE RUNS THE ENGINE AND ONE THE COOLING SYSTEM); WHEN LOOKING UP THE INFORMATION TO ORDER THE PARTS FOR THE REPAIR HE GOT A TECH NOTE ON A RECALL FOR THIS SPECIFIC PROBLEM. ONLY SATURN SAID MY VIN NUMBER IS NOT COVERED IN THE RECALL. I'VE SEEN MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS LIKE THIS ON THE WEB. SATURN WILL NOT REPLACE THE TIMING CHAIN AS A PART OF THE RECALL. I AM HAVING IT DONE ON MONDAY AT SATURN OF MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS. I WAS TOLD TO BE SURE TO REGISTER THIS COMPLAINT WITH YOU IN HOPE OF HAVING THE RECALL EXPANDED TO COVER MY CAR AND OTHERS LIKE IT WITH THIS PROBLEM THAT WAS RECALLED, BUT THAT SATURN HAS SOMEHOW FOUND A LOOP HOLE AND IS NOT FIXING. I HAVE NOT HAD A CAR SINCE JULY 28--THE LONGEST SINCE I WAS 16; MY EMAIL IS [email protected]; KAREN BURKE; SHOULD I ASK SATURN TO SAVE THE OLD PARTS? I SENT EMAIL INFORMATION TO JOHN PAUL AND HANK PHILLIPPE RYAN--LOCAL SOURCES FOR HELP IN MATTERS LIKE THIS. JOHN PAUL RESPONDED AND SUGGESTED I BE SURE TO REGISTER THIS COMPLAINT IN HOPE OF EXPANDING THE RECALL. THE INCIDENT WAS REPORTED TO THE STATE POLICE BECAUSE IT WAS A CLOSED ROAD--AAA COULD NOT RESPOND TO MY NEED FOR A TOW. I WAS REFERRED THROUGH THE STATE POLICE FOR SERVICE ON THE MASS PIKE. AGAIN I HAVE SEEN OTHER COMPLAINTS ONLINE ABOUT THIS SITUATION. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE RECALL EXPANDED. OBVIOUSLY THE PROBLEM EXISTS, MY CAR IS PROOF. *TR