2000 SATURN LS Complaints

WHILE USING TURN SIGNAL THE BRIGHTS WOULD COME ON AND SOMETIMES WOULDN'T GO OFF FOR AWHILE. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME TWICE AND I HAVE HAD IT REPLACED TWICE AT MY COST SEEING AS HOW THE VEHICLE HAD JUST GONE OUT OF WARRENTY THE FIRST TIME

DT: CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR SERVICE. DEALER DONE A SAFETY CHECK ON VEHICLE AND TOLD CONSUMER THAT FRONT BRAKE PADS WERE 30 PERCENT LEFT, AND FRONT ROTORS BELOW SPECS. CONSUMER DECLINED TO HAVE FRONT BRAKE JOB DONE BECAUSE DEALER WANTED ABOUT $300 TO DO WORK. HE COULD DO IT FOR MUCH LESS. CONSUMER'S CONCERN WAS THAT THE ROTORS SHOULD NOT BE WORN OUT AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED WITH 30 PERCENT PADS LEFT AND ONLY 46412 MILES ON VEHICLE. CONSUMER ALWAYS TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR SERVICE, AND THIS IS WAS DONE REGULARLY. BRAKES WERE NOTICED BY DEALER ON JULY 14, 2005. DEALER WAS SATURN OF HOUSTON NORTH WEST 290, IN HOUSTON, TEXAS. *AK

I OWN A 2000SATURN LS1 WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY MY CAR JUST DIED. AFTER MY MECHANIC LOOKED AT IT I WAS TOLD ONE OF THE LINKS IN THE TIMING CHAIN CRACKED AND BROKE THE TIMING CHAIN ,WHICH WRAPPED AROUND THE VALVES AND DESTROYED THE ENGINE. AFTER LOOKING ON DIFFERENT WEB SITES IT SEEMS TO HAVE HAPPENED TO QUITE A FEW PEOPLE WHO HAVE SAID THEY REPORTED IT TO YOU FOR INVESTIGATION. MY CAR WAS MAKING NO NOISES AND GAVE NO INDICATION THERE WAS A PROBLEM. I CONTACTED SATURN AND BECAUSE I TOOK THE CAR TO MY OWN MECHANIC AND DON'T HAVE ALL MY RECORDS THEY SAY THEY CAN'T HELP ME ALSO NOW THEY SAY IT IS BECAUSE I AM NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNER. MY CAR HAS ABOUT 42,000 MILES AND WAS BOUGHT PRE-OWNED FROM A DEALERSHIP. LUCKILY THERE WAS NO INJURY OR DAMAGE.

I WAS DRIVING TO WORK AT APPROX. 35 MPH. I OWN A SATURN 2000 LS WITH A 3.0 V6 WITH 56,413 MI. MY SES LIGHT & BATTERY LGHT CAME ON WHILE I WAS DRIVING - ALMOST AT THE SAME TIME MY CAR DIED.MY CAR WOULD NOT START.ALL MY GAGES WERE NORMAL PRIOR TO THE CAR DYING. I HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED.IT WAS TOWED TO PEP BOYS THEY TOLD ME THAT THE TIMING SLIPPED AND THAT THE SERPENTINE BELT WAS MELTED. THEY TOLD ME TAKE IT TO A SATURN DEALERSHIP IN ORDER TO FIX IT.THEY ALSO INFORMED ME THAT THIS WAS THE 3RD SATURN LS2 IN THE SHOP THIS WEEK WITH THE SAME PROBLEM.THE CAR WAS TOWED TO SATURN OF ORCHARD PARK.SATURN HAD THE CAR FROM 06/28/05 UNTIL I PICKED IT UP ON 7/06/05.THE TECH TOLD ME THAT HE FOUND THAT THE WATER PUMP HAD LEAKED ONTO THE TIMING BELT - THE TIMING BELT SLIPPED CAUSING THE CAR TO JUMP TIMING - THIS CAUSED THE SEPENTINE BELT TO SNAP AND IT MELTED INTO THE PULLEYS. I TOLD HIM THAT THERE WAS NO INDICATION TO ME THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE WATER PUMP. THERE WAS NO LEAKING OF FLUID ON THE DRIVEWAY OF MY HOME.THE ENGINE TEMP.GAUGE WAS NORMAL.I JUST HAD THE OIL CHANGED AND THE TRANSMISSION CHECKED. IN THE END THE TECH REPLACED THE WATER PUMP (THIS IS THE SECOND WATER PUMP FOR THIS VEHICLE - THE FIRST ONE WAS REPLACED WHEN THE CAR HAD 19,958 MILES IN 2001). ALL PULLEY GROOVES WERE GROUND OUT. THE TENSIONER PULLEY AND BELTS WERE REPLACED. ENGINE STILL WOULD NOT START. ALL THE INTAKE AND SOME EXHAUST VALVES WERE DAMAGED. BOTH HEAD CYLINDER BANKS WERE REPLACED THE CAM AND TIMING WERE SET. THE CAR WAS ROAD TESTED. $ 4,313.05 LATER - I HAVE MY CAR BACK. I COULD HAVE BEEN IN A SERIOUS REAR END COLLISION. SATURN IS WELL AWARE OF THE PROBLEMS WITH THIS ENGINE. THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT THE SAME THING WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. I HAVE CONTACTED SATURN CUSTOMER SERVICE - THEY OFFER NO ASSISTANCE. I BELIEVE THAT THERE IS A SERIOUS DESIGN FLAW WITH THIS ENGINE. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS INVESTIGATED.

WAS DRIVING THE CAR WHEN THE ENGINE QUIT AND ALL POWER WAS LOST. MECHANIC SAID THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE AND THE ENGINE DAMAGED AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED.

DT: VEHICLE BLEW UP, THERE NO LIGHTS PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. DEALERSHIP SAID THAT THE TENSIONER STOPPED THE SERPENTINE BELT. AFTER THE CAR STOPPED THE BATTERY LIGHT DID CAME ON. DEALERSHIP SAID THAT THE ENGINE LIGHT WOULD NOT COME ON BECAUSE THAT WAS A MECHANICAL PROBLEM NOT ELECTRICAL. DALSO, EALERSHIP SAID THAT THE SERPENTINE BELT SHREDDED. VEHICLE WAS SERVICED ABOUT ONE MONTH PRIOR TO THIS AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE.*AK

DT: WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 45 MPH CALLER HIT A HORSE WITH CAR AND THE AIR BAGS ON DRIVER'S SIDE OR PASSENGER'S SIDE DID NOT DEPLOY. NO LIGHTS OF WARNING CAME ON DASHBOARD. VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. DEALER WAS OF NO HELP, AND MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED YET. *AK

DT: TIMING CHAIN BROKE. FOUND INFORMATION ON SERVICE BULLETIN SAYING NEW OILING NOZZLE FOR THE CHAIN CAUSED OLDER NOZZLE DOES NOT APPLY OIL PROPERLY ON LOW RPMS. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND DEALER SAID TIME CHAINING BROKE. FURTHER DAMAGE WAS DONE AND THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

TAIL LIGHTS FAILED ON SATURN 2000 LS TWICE. 2004 REPLACED ENTIRE TAIL LIGHT ASSEMBLY. APRIL 2005 REPLACED REAR ASSEMBLY AGAIN . I WAS TICKETED TWICE FOR THIS BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW WHEN THESE LIGHTS ARE OUT. ALSO, THIS IS VERY UNSAFE IN RURAL AND SUBURBAN AREAS WHERE THERE ARE A FEW OR NO STREET LIGHTS.*AK

THE BRAKE AND TAIL LIGHTS REAPEATEDLY FAIL TO WORK CORRECTLY. THE LIGHTS WILL FAIL TO ILLUMINATE. THERE IS A DESIGN PROBLEM IN THE TAIL LIGHT ASSEMBLIES. SATURN IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND HAS ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN BUT HAS FAILED TO RECALL THE ASSEMBLIES. I'VE ALSO NOTICED THE LAMP SOCKETS ARE STARTING TO OVERHEAT AND MELT. I'VE REPLACED THE SOCKETS.*AK