2001 SATURN LS Complaints

MY CAR ENGINE WOULDN'T TURN OVER. MECHANIC DIAGNOSED IT AS TIMING CHAIN BROKE. MY MECHANIC ADVISED ME OF A RECALL FOR THIS PART FOR MY CAR. I NEVER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE. I CALLED SATURN DEALER TO INQUIRE ABOUT THIS RECALL. THEY TOLD ME IT DIDN'T PERTAIN TO MY PARTICULAR CAR EVEN THOUGH MY CAR IS 2001 SATURN L-SERIES MODEL DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL NOTICE RECALL NUMBER 06074. I WAS NOT SATISFIED WITH SATURNS RESPONSE TO ME . I TOLD THEM THIS WAS A SAFETY ISSUE & THEY SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT. I ENDED UP PAYING OVER $900.00 TO GET IT FIXED. I TOLD SATURN I WOULD BE REPORTING THIS PROBLEM TO YOU. *TR

TIMING CHAIN FAILING PER MY MECHANIC CAR OCCASIONALLY CHUGS & SPUTTERS AT STOP LIGHT, TYPICALLY WHEN AIR COND IN USE NOTHING REPLACED OR DONE YET DUE TO COST & POTENTIAL RECALL.*TR

I HAVE A 2001 SATURN L200 WITH THE 2.2 LITER 4 CYLINDER WITH 73,500 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. IT WOULD NOT START,I HAD IT TOWED TO A SATURN SHOP WHERE THEY CALLED ME BACK AND SAD IT WAS A LOOSE TIMING CHAIN AND THE DAMAGES ARE ANYWHERE FROM 2400 TO 3000 DOLLARS.*TR

ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON, JUNE 29, 2008 I WAS TRAVELING ON A 3 LANE IN EACH DIRECTION HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH WHEN MY 2001 SATURN (WITH 41,000 MILES)SUDDENLY STALLED, LOSING ALL POWER FUNCTIONS (STEERING, BRAKES AND SPEED CONTROL). I WAS ABLE TO COAST ACROSS 3 LANES OF FOLLOWING TRAFFIC AND ONE LANE OF PARKING LANE WHERE I BEACHED THE CAR INTO A PARKING LOT AND TRIED TO RESTART IT. UNFORTUNATELY, THE CAR WOULD CRANK, BUT NOT TURN OVER. I EVENTUALLY WAS ABLE TO ARRANGE FOR A TOW TO MY MECHANIC'S NYS LICENSED GARAGE IN THE NEXT TOWN. MY MECHANIC NOTED THE TIMING CHAIN FAILED AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED AS WELL AS ITEMS DAMAGED BY THE FAILURE LIKE INLET AND EXHAUST VALVES AS WELL AS THE HEAD GASKET NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO THE REQUIRED ACCESS TO THE PARTS AND OTHER PARTS INVOLVED. USING A SEARCH I FOUND THAT OVER 20,000 SATURNS WITH THE 2.2L ENGINE (LIKE MINE) HAD BEEN RECALLED FOR THIS SAME FAILURE (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID #07V519000). I CALLED SATURN CUSTOMER SUPPORT, I WAS ISSUED SERVICE REQUEST # . I PROVIDED HER THE DETAILS INCLUDING MY VIN NUMBER. I MENTIONED I THE OTHER SATURNS OF MY YEAR AND MODEL THAT ALSO EXPERIENCED THE PREMATURE FAILURE OF THE DRIVE CHAIN AND REQUESTED MY NEED FOR SUPPORT. SATURN SAID LOOKING UP MY VIN THAT MY CAR DID NOT QUALIFY FOR THE RECALL, ALTHOUGH OVER 20,000 SIMILAR UNITS WERE QUALIFIED, BUT IF I BROUGHT THE CAR TO SATURN, THEY WOULD EVALUATE IT FOR ME. I EXPLAINED THAT THE CAR NEEDED TO BE TOWED AND TO TOW IT TO THE NEAREST DEALER WAS NOT POSSIBLE AS THE MECHANIC HAD ALREADY DETERMINED THE PROBLEM AND WAS WORKING ON IT, AND I COULD SUPPLY THE RECEIPT AND BROKEN PARTS AS EVIDENCE. SHE SAID IT WAS NOT UNDER COVERAGE AS THE CAR WAS OVER 5 YEARS OLD. THREE DAYS LATER I RECEIVED THE BILL FOR THE REPAIRS AND TOWING (ALMOST $2,700.00) AND CALLED SATURN AGAIN TO CHECK TO BE SURE THERE WAS NOTHING SATURN WOULD DO. EXCEPT FOR THE OLD HEAD GASKET, I HAVE ALL VALVES, TIMING CHAIN AND BROKEN LINKS INVOLVED IN THE REPAIR. *TR

MY 2001 SATURN, L200 SERIES, STOPPED SUDDENLY WHILE DRIVING. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A NEARBY SATURN DEALER AFTER I WAS UNABLE TO RESTART IT. THE DEALERS SERVICE DEPARTMENT INFORMED ME THAT THE MY TIMING CHAIN WAS BROKEN AND IN THE PROCESS, SOME VALVES WERE BENT. I WAS LED TO BELIEVE BY THE DEALER THAT IT WAS PROBABLY DUE TO A LOW QUANTITY OF OIL. I WAS TOLD THAT I NEEDED ANOTHER MOTOR AND THE COST WOULD ABOUT $2,900.00. I TOLD THEM THAT I WAS NOT IN A POSITION TO HAVE THEM REPAIR THE CAR AND THAT I WOULD HAVE IT TOWED TO ANOTHER LOCATION. CURRENTLY, THE CAR IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REPAIRED BY AN INDEPENDENT AUTO MECHANIC WHO INFORMED ME THAT MY CAR'S TIMING CHAIN SHOULD NOT HAVE BROKEN, WITH ONLY 88,000 MILES. ALSO, HE SAID THAT THE CAR HAD SUFFICIENT OIL (MY LAST OIL CHANGE IN APRIL, 2008) AND THAT IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE TIMING CHAIN BREAKING. AT THIS TIME, HE BELIEVES THAT TO FIX THE CAR, HE WILL NEED TO REPAIR THE ENGINE HEAD, AS WELL AS THE TIMING CHAIN AND SEVERAL VALVES AND REPLACE OIL AND OIL FILTER. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SATURN L-SERIES. WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND THE POWER STEERING AND BRAKES FAILED AS WELL. SHE PULLED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND, AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO RESTART THE VEHICLE, IT WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL SATURN DEALER. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE MAY BE COMPUTER RELATED. A MECHANIC STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS THE TIMING CHAIN, WHICH DAMAGED THE VALVES. THE REPAIRS WOULD COST $2,700. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED OF A POSSIBLE RECALL AND, THROUGH ONLINE RESEARCH, SHE CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 108,000.

ENGINE FAILURE, TURNS OUT THAT AT LEAST 1 VALVE IS BENT DUE TO A SLIPPING TIMING CHAIN. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SATURN L SERIES. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE SEVERELY INCREASED THE RISK OF A CRASH. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER AND A TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN LINK FAILED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 07V519000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE VIN RANGE WAS BETWEEN 1Y504884 AND IY559453. THE CONTACT NOTIFIED THE MANUFACTURER AGAIN AND WAS INFORMED THAT THEY WOULD COVER THE EXPENSE OF THE PARTS; HOWEVER, HE WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MORE THAN $800 IN LABOR COSTS. THE CONTACT IS IN THE PROCESS OF HAVING THE VEHICLE REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 109,788.

2001 L300 SATURN 2.2 L V6 TIMING BELT TENSIONER SEIZED WHILE DRIVING IN LATE APRIL 2008. TIMING BELT BROKE AND ENGINE JUMPED TIME AND BENT ALL VALVES ACCORDING TO SATURN OF RT. 33, PENNSYLVANIA. VEHICLE DOES NOT START, NOR WILL RUN. SATURN DEALERSHIP OFFERED TO CHANGE ENGINE FOR $4500 AND SATURN HOTLINE OFFERRED DISCOUNT ON NEW OR USED VEHICLE. NO RECALLS WERE MENTIONED. ENGINE HAS 57-58,000 MILES.

TIMING CHAIN FAILURE IN L61 (ECOTEC) ENGINE. SERVICE "TECH FOUND THAT THE TIMING CHAIN IS STARTING TO SEPARATE" DURING VISIT FOR BRAKE MAINTENANCE, AT 69,000 MILES. VEHICLE MANUFACTURED 2 MONTHS BEFORE WINDOW FOR RECALL 07V-519 (NOVEMBER 2000 - FEBRUARY 2001). PARTS REPLACED AS PER RECALL PROCEDURE. *TR