2000 SATURN LS Complaints

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE STOPPED IN TRAFFIC, THE VEHICLE WAS HIT FROM BEHIND BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. UPON IMPACT THE DRIVER'S SEATBELT DID NOT HOLD CAUSING THE OCCUPANT TO HIT THE STEERING WHEEL. THE DASH BOARD CAME FORWARD ONTO THE OCCUPANT AND THE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. THE OCCUPANT SUSTAINED HEAD, BACK, NECK AND RIGHT HIP INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP, WHICH REPAIRED THE VEHICLE BODY DAMAGES. ALTHOUGH THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION, NO OTHER REPAIRS WERE MADE.

I HAVE HAD ONGOING PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE SINCE I PURCHASED IT IN 2003. I PURCHASE THIS CAR IN AUGUST 2003. IN OCTOBER 2003, THE CAR WOULD NOT START. IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE WRONG TYPE BOLT WAS IN THE BATTERY CAUSING THE CAR NOT TO START. I PURCHASED THE BOLT AT THE DEALERSHIP HAD IT INSTALLED. IN OCTOBER 2004, THE CAR STARTED SHIFTING HARD. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT IT NEEDED SOME TYPE OF VALVE AND THAT WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM. AGAIN, THE DEALERSHIP INSTALLED THIS VALVE AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE. NOVEMBER 2005, THE BLOWER FOR THE HEATING AND DEFOGGER ONLY WORKS WHEN THE CAR HAS SAT OUT IN THE SUN FOR A WHILE. IT DOES NOT WORK IN THE MORNING WHEN THE CAR IS INITIALLY STARTED IN THE MORNINGS. THREE DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS 2005, WITH ONLY APPROXIMATELY 68,000 MILES ON THIS CAR, THE TIMING BELT BROKE. IT DID NOT DAMAGE THE MOTOR AND I HAD IT REPAIRED AT A COST OF AROUND $900.00. THIS TIME I DID NOT HAVE THE DEALERSHIP DO THE REPAIRS BECAUSE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY INCONVENIENT AND EXPENSIVE FOR ME TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED THE DEALERSHIP FROM WHERE IT BROKE DOWN. WHILE LOOKING THROUGH MY OWNERS MANUAL, I NOTICED THAT IT STATED THAT MY TIMING BELT SHOULD LAST AT LEAST TO 100,000 MILES (MY THIRTEEN YEAR OLD NISSAN'S TIMING BELT LASTED UNTIL 120,000 MILES). WHEN I ADDRESSED THIS WITH YOUR CUSTOMER CARE LINE, I WAS TOLD THAT THE 100,000 MILES WAS JUST A SUGGESTION AND THAT THE BELT COULD ACTUALLY GO AT ANY TIME. I GUESS MAYBE THE WORD SUGGESTION/SUGGESTED SHOULD HAVE BEEN PUT IN THE OWNERS MANUAL BECAUSE THAT IS NOT HOW I UNDERSTOOD IT WHEN I READ IT AS PRINTED. JANUARY 2006, THE CAR STARTS HARD SHIFTING AGAIN AND AGAIN I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS TIME THE TRANSMISSION CAN'T SEEM TO FIGURE OUT THE SPEED OF THE CAR AND IT WOULD COST AN ADDITIONAL $80.00 FOR THEM TO TRACK IT DOWN. *NM

2000 SATURN LS200 V6 ENGINE, 28,500 APPROX. MILEAGE. I WAS COMING OFF THE FREEWAY AND THE CAR DIED. NO WARNING, NO IDIOT LIGHTS, IT JUST COMPLETELY DIED. I HAD ENOUGH SPEED TO GET OVER TO THE SIDE OUT OF TRAFFIC, BUT IT WAS INCREDIBLY HARD TO STEER. IT WOULD NOT START. MY HUSBAND CAME AFTER ABOUT 20 MIN. IT STARTED. I THOUGHT IT WAS BAD GAS, BUT IT DIED AGAIN SEVERAL TIMES, NO WARNING, JUST COMPLETELY DIED. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, THEY SAID IT WAS THE CRANKSHAFT SENSOR. $260 TO FIX. I WENT BACK AND ASKED THEM WHY SOMETHING LIKE THAT WOULD GO OUT WITH SO LITTLE MILEAGE, THEY SAID BECAUSE THE CAR HADN'T BEEN DRIVEN VERY MUCH. I CONTACTED SATURN CORPORATE. NO ANSWERS THERE EITHER. HOWEVER, THE DEALER THINKS IF ANYTHING ELSE GOES OUT, THERE WILL BE SOME WARNING. *JB

2000 SATURN LS, 6 CYLINDER, HAD SLIPPAGE OF THE TRANSMISSION FOLLOWED BY THE SERVICE LIGHT. BY THE TIME I REACHED THE DEALER THE CAR WAS BUCKING AND FELT LIKE I WAS REPEATEDLY BEING HIT FROM BEHIND. THE MECHANIC TOLD ME IT WAS THE SENSOR MODULE AND WHEN IT BROKE THE PRESSURE WAS FULL OPEN AND THAT'S WHAT CAUSED THAT PROBLEM. SUBSEQUENTLY THE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN, THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED AND THE MODULE WAS REPLACED AGAIN. IT THEN HAPPENED A 3RD TIME AND THE MODULE WAS REPLACED AGAIN. WHEN DRIVING IT HOME AFTER REPAIR, I NOTICED THAT THE TRANS WAS SLIPPING A LITTLE. TOOK IT BACK INTO THE SHOP, THEY SAY THEY CAN'T RIP DOWN THE TRANS UNLESS THE LIGHT COMES ON AND IT GIVES CODES AGAIN. I ONLY HAVE 11,000 MILES ON THE WARRANTY. I BELIEVE THERE IS ANOTHER PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION. *NM

CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL LETTER REGARDING SATURN TAIL LIGHT BRACKET HOUSING- BULB REPAIR. WHEN CALLED TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT CONSUMER WAS TOLD REPAIR WORK WAS ALREADY DONE. *TS ***NO ANSWER REQUIRED*** *JB

BRAKE LIGHTS CONTINUALLY FAIL. ONLY ONE LIGHT WILL COME ON & THE ONE THAT IS ON IS BRIGHTER THAN IT SHOULD BE. MULTIPLE LIGHT REPLACEMENTS DO NOT WORK. DEALERSHIP HAS NOTED THAT THE POWER CIRCUIT IS RUN THROUGH THE LIGHT ASSEMBLY ITSELF & THAT IT ISN'T ALWAYS SEATED RESULTING IN FAILED CIRCUIT. IN DRIVING I SEE MULTIPLE SATURNS WITH THIS ISSUE. SECONDARILY THE HIGH MOUNTED BRAKE LIGHT IF 1 BULB BLOWS IT SHORTS OUT THE INTERIOR DASHBOARD LIGHTS. *NM

DT: THE CONSUMER STATED THAT HER VEHICLE EXPERIENCED ROUGH IDLE. THE CONSUMER THEN TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC DISCOVERED A PROBLEM WITH TIMING CHAIN. THE TIMING CHAIN WAS REPLACED BY THE MECHANIC. THE CONSUMER PAID FOR THE REPAIR OUT OF POCKET. *NM (12/01/05) *SC

DT: THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH FUMES INSIDE THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE. SHE FIRST NOTICED THE PROBLEM IN AUGUST 2005. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUMES CAUSED LETHARGIC BEHAVIOR AND FAST HEART BEAT. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED YET. WHEN THE CONTACT HAD BEEN RIDING IN A FRIEND'S VEHICLE SHE DID NOT HAVE THESE PROBLEMS. BUT WHEN SHE RODE IN HER OWN VEHICLE THEY OCCURRED. *AK

EXTERIOR LIGHTING - BRAKE LIGHTS AND CRUISE CONTROL. BRAKE LIGHTS RANDOMLY FAIL TO WORK. WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS ARE ON, BRAKE LIGHTS, TAIL LIGHTS AND CRUISE CONTROL DO NOT WORK. WE WERE ABLE TO ADJUST THE LIGHTS SLIGHTY TO GET THEM TO WORK FOR A PERIOD OF TIME, BUT THEY WOULD GO OFF AND ON. WE WERE NOT AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM UNTIL DRIVING AT 10:30 P.M. AND BEING TOLD WE HAVE NO REAR LIGHTS. HAVE CHANGED THE LIGHT BULBS A FEW TIMES AND ALSO HAVE BEEN TO THE DEALER 5 + TIMES ON THIS ISSUE. THE LAST TIME THEY REPLACED THE COMPLETE LIGHT SOCKETS. THIS SEEMS TO HAVE STOPPED THE PROBLEM FOR NOW. *NM

EXCESSIVE NOISE FROM THE STEERING RACK, LOSS OF POWER STEERING ASSIST INTERMITTENTLY. *JB