2000 SATURN LS Complaints

WHEN I WENT TO GET NEW TIRES FOR THIS CAR I WAS TOLD THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH MY FRAME AND SHOULD GO RIGHT TO A DEALERSHIP. I CONTACTED SATURN AND THEY AUTHORIZED IT FOR ME TO GO TO MY NEAREST DEALERSHIP, AT THE DEALERS CONVENIENCE AND MY EXPENSE FOR A REVIEW OF THE PROBLEM. I MADE THE APPOINTMENT BUT IN THE MEAN TIME THE FRONT WHEELS STATED TO SHAKE AND SHIMMY. I WAS LOSING CONTROL OF THE CAR, SO I PULLED INTO THE NEAREST REPAIR SHOP AND WAS GIVEN THE ADVICE TO LEAVE THIS CAR PARKED. DO NOT DRIVE IT AT ALL. CONTACTING SATURN AT THIS POINT THEY REFUSED TO EVEN LOOK INTO THIS PROBLEM. NEVER HAVE I HEARD OF A FRAME SUPPORTING THE ENGINE, AND FRONT WHEELS EVER RUSTING THROUGH ON A CAR BEFORE. THEY SAID IT WAS MY CHOICE TO HAVE IT FIXED, THEREFORE THEY HAD NO OBLIGATION TO LOOK INTO THIS ANY LONGER. I BELIEVE I HAD NO CHOICE OTHER THAN TO GET IT FIXED RIGHT THERE AND THEN. NOT ONLY BECAUSE IT HAD TO BE DONE BUT FOR THE SAFETY OF MY FAMILY. *TR

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THE VEHICLE STARTED MAKING NOISE AND STEERING WAS UNCONTROLLABLE. I TRAILERED THE VEHICLE BACK HOME. CLOSER INSPECTION REVEALED THE FRONT SUBFRAME/ENGINE CRADLE WAS COMPLETELY RUSTED THROUGH IN MULTIPLE SPOTS, VERY DANGEROUS!!! I CONTACTED THE DEALER TO GET A NEW SUBFRAME AND I WAS ADVISED THE SUBFRAME IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE AND TO TRY FINDING ONE IN A SALVAGE YARD. I CONTACTED A SALVAGE YARD AND THEY SAID THEY HAD A FEW AND IT WOULD BE NO PROBLEM TO PULL ONE. I GOT THE CALL TODAY SAYING THEY WERE SORRY BUT ALL OF THE FRONT SUBFRAMES ON THE SATURN L SERIES THEY HAVE ARE RUSTED THROUGH AND ARE NOT USABLE. I CONTACTED OTHER YARDS WITH THE SAME RESPONSE. I ENDED UP HAVING TO FIND A SALVAGE YARD DOWN SOUTH THAT HAD A USABLE SUBFRAME. I WENT ONLINE TO FIND NUMEROUS FORUM POSTS DISCUSSING THIS TOPIC AND I'M FINDING IT IS VERY COMMON ON THIS VEHICLE. WHY WAS THERE NEVER A RECALL FOR THIS WITH SUCH A WIDESPREAD SAFETY HAZARD? FROM WHAT I CAN TELL IT HAPPENS ON ALL MODEL YEARS OF THE L SERIES. THE IRONY IS THE REST OF THE CAR IS VERY CLEAN, NO RUST ON THE REST OF THE UNDERCARRIAGE. THERE IS NO CLEAR EXPLANATION WHY THE SUBFRAME WOULD HAVE CORROSION PERFORATION AT SUCH LOW MILEAGE WITH NO OTHER RUST/CORROSION ON THE REST OF THE VEHICLE. AT A HIGHER RATE OF SPEED THIS COULD HAVE HAD A BAD OUTCOME. THANK YOU. *TR

JUST READ THE RECALL ON GM CARS DUE TO FAULTY IGNITION. MY DAUGHTER OWNED A 2000 SATURN LS UNTIL JULY 2012 (WHEN SHE TRADED IT IN) AND ON 2 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS, IT ALSO STOPPED RUNNING AS SHE WAS DRIVING. LUCKILY IT DID NOT RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT. *TR

I WASN'T IN A ACCIDENT THANK GOD BUT I BOUGHT THIS CAR GOING ON A YEAR FROM A AUCTION AND IN ABOUT 4 MONTHS AGO NOTICED THE BACK TAIL LIGHTS KEPT GOING OUT AND THEN JUST WOULDN'T COME BACK ON I TRIED EVERYTHING. AD OF 10/6/2013. I CHANGE THE FUSES THE BRAKE. LIGHTS CAME ON FOR ONE NIGHT AND THEN WENT OUT AGAIN. SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.SO NOTICED THAT IT WAS A RECALL ON THIS. AND I WANTED.TO SEE IF I COULD STILL GET IT FIXED ON THE RECALL BECAUSE I CANT DRIVE MY CAR LIKE THIS AND IT NEED TO BE FIXED. AND DIDN'T HAVE THIS CAR AT THE TIME OF THE RECALL AND THIS IS SERIOUS AND ANY OTHER RECALLS ON THIS CAR THAT NEED TO BE FIXED I NEED IT. *TR

THE VEHICLE LOSES POWER CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TURNS ON AND STARTS BLINKING ALSO THE TAIL LAMP BULB MELTS THE PLASTIC ON BULB. *TR

SUBFRAME ON SATURN TOTALLY RUSTED AWAY ONLY THING HOLDING PASSENGER WHEEL ON WAS STRUT BRACKET. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 SATURN LS1. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE TURNING SIGNALS AND THE HAZARD LIGHTS FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 182,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 SATURN LS2. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE INTAKE SENSOR, SPEED SENSOR AND VARIOUS OTHER COMPONENTS WERE REPLACED. IN ADDITION, THE TURN SIGNALS ALSO BEGAN TO MALFUNCTION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE KEY WAS REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION, IT WAS ABNORMALLY HOT TO THE TOUCH. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN FURTHER REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 62,000.

I HAD JUST GONE TO THE GAS STATION TO FILL UP MY 2000 SATURN LW2 WHEN I WAS ABOUT TWO BLOCKS FROM THE GAS STATION. I WAS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER FROM MY HOUSE, AND HAD JUST TURNED RIGHT ONTO A STREET WITH A HILL. SUDDENLY, MY CAR STARTED SPUTTERING SO I IMMEDIATELY TRIED TO PULL OVER. I WASN'T COMPLETELY OUT OF THE STREET WHEN I SUDDENLY LOST ALL POWER BRAKES AND POWER STEERING GOING DOWN THE HILL AT 25 MILES PER HOUR. I COULDN'T STOP THE CAR SO I PUT IT IN PARK, WHICH STOPPED IT INSTANTLY, CAUSING MY NECK TO JERK, WHICH HAS BEEN SORE FROM WHIPLASH FOR THE PAST FOUR DAYS SO FAR. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE MECHANIC WHO FOUND BITS OF MY TIMING BELT ALL THROUGH THE MOTOR, WHICH BLEW THE ENTIRE ENGINE. AFTER HEARING THAT IT WOULD BE OVER $3,000 FOR A USED ENGINE INSTALLED, WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO DETERMINE OUR NEXT MOVE, FINANCIALLY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 SATURN LSERIES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN INDEPENDENTLY STEERING TO THE LEFT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY CORROSION OF THE SUB FRAME. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 165,000. UPDATED 10/25/12 *CN UPDATED 11/08/12 ..UPDATED 11/14/12 *BF UPDATED 11/15/2012 *JS