2001 SATURN LS Complaints

I HAVE BEEN HAVING TROUBLE WITH MY SATURN 2001 L200 SERIES ENGINE; WHERE IT WILL STALL THE FIRST TIME STARTING THE ENGINE IN THE MORNING. I RESEARCHED THE PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PART OF A RECALL FOR THE TIMING CHAIN. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE THE VEHICLE SERVICED UNDER THE RECALL. I WAS TOLD THAT MY VEHICLE WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL, BECAUSE MY VIN# WAS OUTSIDE OF THE RECALL RANGE. I ASKED THE DEALERSHIP "WHAT IS THE RANGE"? I WAS TOLD THE EXCLUDED RANGE IS BETWEEN 1Y504884 AND 1Y559453. I THEN ASKED THE DEALERSHIP "WHAT IS THE LIFE EXPECTANCY FOR THE TIMING CHAIN"? I WAS TOLD THE CHAIN SHOULD LAST THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE; AS LONG AS I CHANGE THE OIL ACCORDING TO THE VEHICLE'S MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE. I DID FURTHER RESEARCH ON THE TIMING CHAIN ISSUE A FOUND THAT VEHICLES IN THE EXCLUDED RANGE HAVE HAD TIMING CHAIN FAILURES AS WELL. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN AND I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO FOR ME. I HAVE NOT ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE SINCE THE STALLING PROBLEM; FOR FEAR THAT I MAY CAUSE DAMAGE, IF NOT ALREADY, TO THE VEHICLE. I BEEN TOLD, BY SEVERAL MECHANICS, THAT THE REPAIR COULD COST ANY WHERE FOR $2500 TO $4000; DEPENDING ON THE DAMAGE TO ENGINE. HOW CAN THE MANUFACTURER GET AWAY WITH PICKING AND CHOOSING WHOSE VEHICLE IS REPAIRED UNDER THE RECALL, WHEN THEY KNOW THAT THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A SERIOUS MANUFACTURER DEFECT. SUPPOSE MY VEHICLE HAD STALLED ON A CROWDED HIGH SPEED HIGHWAY; IN FRONT OF A CAR OR A BUS OR A TRACTOR TRAILER? WOULD THE MANUFACTURER RESPOND TO MY REQUEST, AFTER MY OR SOMEONE ELSE'S DEMISE. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE NHTSA FORCE THE MANUFACTURER TO LIVE UP TO THEIR ETHICAL AND LEGAL RESPONSIBILITIES, WHEN IT COMES TO A RELIABLE AND SAFE VEHICLE. IT APPEARS THAT THE MANUFACTURER KNEW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM THROUGHOUT THE 2001 AND 2002 MODEL YEARS AND CHOSE NOT TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE PROBLEM. THAT IS A TOTAL DISREGARD FOR PUBLIC SAFETY. *TR

THE HORN HAS STOPPED TO SOUND, THE FUSE WAS REPLACED AND THE HORN WAS PRESSED AND THE FUSE BLEW AGAIN. THERE IS NO HORN ON THE VEHICLE NOW CAUSING IT TO BE VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE AS DEER HAVE RUN OUR IN FRONT OF ME WHILE DRIVING AND HAVE ALMOST BEEN HIT BY A CAR THAT COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS WHICH COULD BE PREVENTED OR NOTICED WITH A HORN. *TR

ON 3 SEPARATE OCCASIONS I WAS DRIVING AND WENT TO ACCELERATE TO PASS A VEHICLE WHEN THE VEHICLE LOST POWER CAUSING ME TO PUT THE VEHICLE INTO NEUTRAL TO RESTART IT CAUSING THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT TO COME ON AND THE VEHICLE TO HAVE HARD SHIFTING. THE RESULT WAS DUE TO THE FAILURE OF THE O2 SENSOR WHICH I REPLACED ONCE WITH SATURN THAT FAILED 2 YEARS LATER AND 2 OTHERS REFURBISHED THAT WERE PURCHASED FROM NAPA WHICH THE FIRST FAILED 3 MONTHS AFTER INSTALLATION AND THE OTHER A MONTH AFTER THAT ONE WAS REPLACED. *TR

WE WERE DRIVING ON RT. #98 RUNNING ABOUT 40 MPH AND THE MOTOR JUST STOPPED. WE DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING SO COASTED TO EDGE OF HIGHWAY. GOT OUT AND RAISED THE HOOD AND COULD SEE NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY. TRIED TO START THE ENGINE AND IT JUST CRANKED OVER AND WOULD NOT RESTART. THIS IS THE FIRST PROBLEM WE HAVE HAD WITH THIS VEHICLE. CALLED AAA ROAD SERVICE AND THEY TOWED CAR BACK TO MY HOME SINCE IT WAS LATE IN THE AFTERNOON. THE NEXT MORNING I CHECKED IT ALL OVER AND DECIDED THAT I COULD NOT DISCERN WHAT WAS WRONG. I THEN HAD IT TOWED TO MSC REPAIR HERE IN MARYSVILLE AND THEIR MECHANIC FOUND OUT THE TIMING CHAIN HAD BROKEN SO I HAD HIM GO AHEAD AND REPAIR THIS AT AN ESTIMATED COST OF $1500.00. AFTER HE HAD IT BACK TOGETHER AND BEFORE HE TRIED TO START IT HE RAN A COMPRESSION TEST AND FOUND OUT THAT THE VALVES WERE BENT SO THE HEAD HAD TO BE TAKEN OFF TO ASSESS THE DAMAGE AND DEPENDING ON HOW BAD IT IS IT COULD RUN ANOTHER $2000.00 TO FIX IT IF IT CAN BE FIXED. SO FAR ALL GEARS AND TIMING CHAIN,BALANCE KIT AND GASKETS HAVE BEEN REPLACED AND WILL NOT KNOW FOR SURE ABOUT OTHER PARTS UNTIL THE HEAD HAS BEEN EVALUATED. *TR

TIMING CHAIN FAILURE. NO RESTART OF VEHICLE, TOWED TO NEAREST REPAIR SHOP, ( NOT SATURN) WAS TOLD BY SATURN NO RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR THIS VEHICLE, THEREFORE I HAD NO RECOURSE AVAILABLE TO ME. ENGINE DAMAGE OCCURRED. OPTIONS ARE REPLACE ENGINE OR PURCHASE NEW VEHICLE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SATURN L SERIES. WHILE DRIVING LESS THAN 50 MPH, THE RPMS DECREASED AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE RESTARTED AND WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE TIMING BELT FAILED. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE MOTOR COULD HAVE POSSIBLY BEEN DAMAGED FROM THE TIMING BELT FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE LESS THAN 120,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SATURN L-SERIES SEDAN. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MERGE ONTO THE INTERSTATE AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUT OFF AND WOULD NOT RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP AND THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN FAILED, WHICH CAUSED FURTHER ENGINE DAMAGE. RECALL 07V519000 IS RELATED TO THE FAILURE; HOWEVER, THE VIN IS NOT A PART OF THE RECALL. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 100,000.

ON THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 11 2008 WHILE DRIVING MY 2001 "L" SERIES SATURN STALLED, CUT OFF IN TRAFFIC AND WOULD NOT RESTART. LUCKILY NO ONE WAS BEHIND ME. I HAVE CONTACTED CUSTOMER SERVICE, AND A COUPLE OF PEOPLE AT THE MAIN OFFICE. 2 PEOPLE FROM THE MAIN OFFICE STATED I SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE WARRANTY WORK OF THE SERVICE BULLETIN AND 2 PEOPLE FROM CUSTOMER SERVICE STATED I WAS NOT INCLUDED. I HAVE TRANSCRIPTS OF EVERY CONVERSATION, A COPY OF THE SERVICE BULLETIN, MY RECEIPTS AND PHOTOS. *TR

OUR 2001 SATURN HAS A BROKEN TIMING CHAIN AND WITH LITTLE HELP FROM GM OR THE SATURN CORP. OUR LOCAL DEALER IS DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN, BUT THEIR HANDS ARE TIED TO AN EXTENT. OUR CAR HAS JUST UNDER 70,000 MILES AND WE ARE THE ORIGINAL OWNERS AND HAVE TAKEN CARE OF THE CAR. THIS HAS HAPPENED AND WE FEEL THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME ACCOUNTABILITY FROM THE MANUFACTURER. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SATURN L200. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE ENGINE SHUT OFF AND WOULD NOT RESTART. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE AND THEN TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN FAILED. THE FAILURE CAUSED OTHER DAMAGES TO THE ENGINE. CURRENTLY, THE VEHICLE IS INOPERABLE AND HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED FAILURES IDENTICAL TO THE ONES MENTIONED IN THE RECALL; HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS EXCLUDED. THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 80,000.