2001 SATURN LS Complaints

I HAVE A 2001 L200 SATURN. MY CAR HAS APPROXIMATELY MAYBE 120,000 MILES ON IT. I WENT TO A MECHANIC AND HE TOLD ME THE TIMING CHAIN IS MESSED UP. I CONTACTED ANOTHER MECHANIC TO FIND OUT ABOUT THE PRICE. HE TOLD THE PRICE RANGES FROM 1000-1500 DOLLARS. TODAY I DECIDED TO SEE IF I COULD FIND SOMEONE TO REPAIR THIS CAR AT A MUCH CHEAPER RATE UNTIL I CAME ACROSS ALL THESE ISSUES PEOPLE ARE HAVING WITH THEIR SATURN TIMING CHAIN. *TR

CAR STOPPED RUNNING WOULD NOT RESTART. SATURN DEALER SAID TIMING CHAINS FAILED CAUSING CATASTROPHIC ENGINE DAMAGE. REPLACED ENGINE AT MY COST APPROX 1 YEAR AGO. ON 2-11-09 THE SAME [XXX] THING HAPPENED. *TR INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

IGNITION MODULE WILL NOT RELEASE THE KEY. IT REMOVES PART WAY BUT APPEARS TO BE STUCK. TRIED OBVIOUS REMEDIES LIKE LUBRICATION WITH NO POSITIVE RESULT. CURRENTLY I CANNOT REMOVE THE KEY. *TR

ELECTRICAL ISSUES - ISSUES BEGAN WITH DIMMING DASHBOARD AND CONTINUED TO WORSEN. USING POWER WINDOW ONE MORNING EVERYTHING BEGAN FLICKERING ON THE DASH BOARD INCLUDING ALL MSG LIGHTS AND BACK OFF AGAIN. THE CAR SEEMED TO RUN FINE AND THE RADIO DIDN'T DIE. INITIAL THOUGHT WAS ALTERNATOR WAS TELLING ME THAT I WAS ABOUT TO BE STRANDED 175 MILES FROM HOME. DRIVING FURTHER ANY BLINKER I HIT WOULD CREATE SAME REACTION, THE LAST TIME THE CAR SEEMED LIKE IT WAS GOING TO DIE WHILE TRAVELING AT 65MPH. PARKED CAR AT MY ENDING DESTINATION AND TOOK TWO TIMES TO START BACK UP. BCM SEEMS TO BE THE CULPRIT AS I'VE SEEN ABOUT 1000 POSTS FROM L200 OWNERS WITH SAME ISSUE AND COSTING 400-600. IT SEEMS AS THOUGH SATURN WOULD NOT OR SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO CHARGE FOR THIS ISSUE IF THIS IS ONE OF THE MANY ON THE LIST OF PROBLEMS. THIS IS NOT ETHICAL AND IN THIS TIME, VERY UNFORTUNATE THEY WOULD TREAT CUSTOMERS LIKE THIS AND GENERATE REVENUE FROM A FAULTY CAR TO BEGIN WITH. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SATURN L200. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE TIMING BELT DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED AND WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT YET BEEN REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 117,000.

TIMING CHAIN BROKE. ENGINE IS FREEWHEELING, INTERFERENCE MOTOR, CYLINDER HEAD DAMAGE. A NEW MOTOR WAS NEEDED. I WAS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 45 MPH. WHEN IT HAPPENED. I WAS LUCK THERE WAS A TURN OUT. IT WAS A TWO LANE, CURVY ROAD. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SATURN L200. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE TIMING CHAIN FAILED AND THE VEHICLE STOPPED WORKING. THE CONTACT TOOK HER VEHICLE TO A MECHANIC AND THEY NOTIFIED HER OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 07V519000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). SHE WAS INFORMED TO CALL THE SATURN MANUFACTURER AND THEY STATED THAT THEY WOULD NOT COVER THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SATURN L SERIES. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO REVERSE OUT OF A PARKING SPACE AT 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING AND WOULD NOT RESTART. A LOCAL MECHANIC STATED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN FAILED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 07V519000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); THEREFORE, THEY WOULD NOT ASSUME FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY REPAIRS. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 120,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SATURN L SERIES. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS, THE CONTACT HEARD A STRANGE NOISE OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR INSPECTION AND THE TIMING CHAIN WAS DIAGNOSED AS THE CAUSE OF THE NOISE. THROUGH RESEARCH, THE TECHNICIAN DISCOVERED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 07V519000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); HOWEVER, THE AUTHORIZED DEALER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS EXCLUDED FROM THE RECALL. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS UNAVAILABLE.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SATURN L SERIES. THE VEHICLE STALLED WHILE IT WAS PARKED AND IN IDLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTO SHOP AND THEN TOWED TO ANOTHER AUTO SHOP WITH A BETTER QUOTE. IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 07V519000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AT THE OWNER'S EXPENSE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 140,500. UPDATED 02/24/09. *LJ UPDATED 02/05/09. *JB