2002 SATURN LS Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 SATURN L200. WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH THE CONTACT FELT A LOSS OF POWER AND THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF. THE VEHICLE BECAME IMMOBILE ,AND THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE IT. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE. THE TIMING CHAIN ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED. HOWEVER; THE VEHICLE STILL WOULD NOT OPERATE PROPERLY. THE MECHANIC ALSO STATED THAT THE INTAKE VALVES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A SATURN DEALER, AND THE INTAKE VALVES WERE REPLACED. THERE HAVE NOT BEEN ANY OCCURRENCES SINCE THE REPLACEMENT OF THE INTAKE VALVES. THE CONTACT FELT THAT SATURN SHOULD HAVE REPLACED COMPONENTS LISTED ON SERVICE BULLETIN # 03-06-01-017. ALSO, THE CONTACT FILED CASE NUMBER SR1-23172743 WITH SATURN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE 64000. *AK UPDATE *4/23/07 *TR

2002 SATURN L200 WITH 111,000 MILES. I HAD A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER WHILE DRIVING DOWN A STATE ROAD. MECHANIC SAID IT WAS THE TIMING CHAIN. POSSIBLY DAMAGE THE ENGINE AS WELL . *AK

MY WIFE'S 2002 L100 SATURN SEDAN, BEGAN TO IDLE ROUGH, SO I CHANGED THE SPARK PLUGS FIGURING IT WAS A BAD PLUG (I ALWAYS KEPT UP WITH MAINTENANCE ON THE VEHICLE, I AM A QUALIFIED AIRCRAFT MECHANIC FOR THE MILITARY, SO I AM MECHANICALLY INCLINED). THE VEHICLE RAN FINE FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS, THEN BECAME EXTREMELY WORSE. THE VEHICLE HAD A ROUGH IDLE, LOW POWER AND WOULD STALL. WE HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE LEXINGTON, KY. DEALERSHIP. LATER THE SERVICE REP. CALLED AND SAID I HAVE SOME BAD NEWS, THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS BAD AND THE IGNITION MODULE, YOU HAVE GONE 3,000 MILES OVER THE WARRANTY. I ASKED HOW DOES A CATALYTIC CONVERTER GO BAD IN LESS THAN 5 YRS. AND UNDER 100,000 MI.? THE REP. SAID I DON'T KNOW BUT IT IS GOING TO COST $3,000 TO REPLACE EVERYTHING. I TOLD HIM WAIT A MINUTE, YOU ALL ALREADY CHANGED THE IGNITION MODULATOR ON THE RECALL BEFORE. I CONTACTED AN OUT IN TOWN MECHANIC, WHO PROVIDED ME WITH RECALL INFO ABOUT THE BAD IGNITION MODULATOR, THAT WHEN IT FAILS IT COULD/WOULD DAMAGE THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. I CALLED THE DEALER BACK WITH THIS INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTATION PROVIDED TO ME FROM THE MECHANIC I SAW. REP. SAID WE HAVE CHANGED THREE MODULATORS BEFORE YOU CAME IN WITH THIS PROBLEM, THEY SEEM TO KEEP FAILING AND YOU SHOULD CALL SATURN'S CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE. I DID AND INFORMED THEM WHAT THE MECHANIC TOLD ME AND WHAT THE DEALER INFORMED ME OF. SATURN SAID THEY WOULD CONTACT ME BACK AFTER CONTACTING THEIR ENGINEERS. SATURN CALLED BACK AND SAID THEY WOULD FIX THE REPAIRS IF I PAID THE DEDUCTIBLE AS IF THE VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. I PAID $100 AND ASKED WHAT ABOUT THIS CONSTANT PROBLEM WITH THE IGNITION MODULE, THEY SAID WHEN IT ACTS UP AGAIN CALL US BACK. SO, SATURN IS AVOIDING THE PROBLEM AT HAND WHICH I WAS SHOCKED BECAUSE I WAS TOLD THEY ALWAYS BACK THEIR PRODUCTS AND APPRECIATE THEIR CUSTOMERS. I PLAN NOT TO PURCHASE A SATURN IN THE FUTURE AND HAVE BEEN ADVISING OTHERS NOT TO EITHER. *JB

1) ON THE EVENING OF FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 2007 MY 2002 SATURN L-100 SEDAN STALLED WHILE I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK. I WAS DRIVING AT ABOUT 40 MPH WHEN IT SUDDENLY "DIED". I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE AUTO MECHANIC SHOP NEAR MY HOUSE. 2) THE NEXT DAY THEY CALLED TO ADVISE THAT THE TIMING CHAIN HAD BROKEN. THE CAR HAS LESS THAN 49,000 MILES ON IT. THEY RECOMMENDED REPLACING THE ENGINE, ABOUT $6,000 WORTH OF WORK. I CONTACTED SATURN AND THEY ADVISED I SHOULD HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED TO ONE OF THEIR FACILITIES, WHICH I DID THAT EVENING. THE SATURN SERVICE CENTER CONFIRMED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN HAD BROKEN BUT SUGGESTED REPLACING THE HEAD WITH A REBUILT PART FROM GM, APPROXIMATELY $3,200 WORTH OF WORK. AT THIS POINT SATURN IS REQUESTING MAINTENANCE RECORDS FOR OIL CHANGES. *JB

ON FEBRUARY 24, 2007 AT ABOUT 3:30 PM, WE WERE HEADING EAST ON HIGHWAY 509 IN TACOMA, WASHINGTON WHEN THE CAR JUST LOST POWER & DIED. WE WERE COMING AROUND A CORNER AND MADE IT TO A NARROW SHOULDER & WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY SO THAT CARS COULD BARELY GO AROUND. WE HAD SEVERAL NEAR MISSES WHILE WAITING FOR THE TOW TRUCK SINCE THE SHOULDER WAS NOT VERY WIDE & WE WERE STRANDED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF A MILD CORNER. THE CAR WOULD NOT RESTART AND WE WAITED FOR A TOW TRUCK. WHEN WE FINELY GOT THE VEHICLE HOME, I CALLED SEVERELY LOCAL MECHANICS TO SEE IF THEY WOULD KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. MOST TOLD ME THAT IT WAS PROBABLY THE TIMING CHAIN & INSTRUCTED ME ON HOW TO CHECK. ONCE THE COVER WAS OFF, IT WAS CLEARLY VISIBLE THAT THE TIMING CHAIN WAS GONE. I WAS THEN TOLD THAT MY WHOLE ENGINE WAS NOW PROBABLY GONE. THIS WAS AN EXTREMELY UNSAFE SITUATION FOR US TO BE IN DUE TO SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAVE LASTED MORE THAN 57,000 MILES, THE TIMING CHAIN. *JB

TL*- THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 SATURN L200. THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE WHILE DRIVING AT 20 MPH AND RUINED OTHER PARTS OF THE VEHICLE THAT REQUIRED THE ENGINE TO BE DISASSEMBLED. THE VEHICLE WAS CURRENTLY INOPERABLE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE 65,000. SATURN AGREED TO DO A 50/50 SPLIT FOR THE REPAIRS AND SHE DID NOT AGREE THAT SHE SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY OF THE REPAIRS. THE MAINTENANCE PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE PRIOR TO THE FAILURE INCLUDED AN OIL CHANGE, REPLACING THE PCV VALVE, AND 4 NEW TIRES. THERE WERE SEVERAL RELATED COMPLAINTS ON THE WEBSITE. *AK UPDATED 03/19/07. *JB

I WAS PULLING OUT OF A DRIVEWAY AND MY SATURN L200 ENGINE JUST DIED. UPON INSPECTION AT SATURN OF DAYTON NORTH, I WAS TOLD THAT THE TIMING CHAIN HAD FAILED. I HAVE CHANGED THE ENGINE WITH USED AND STILL HAVE LITTLE POWER. I AM WAITING FOR TEST RESULTS. THE REPAIR SHOP SAID THAT THE OIL WAS DIRTY, BUT THE TIMING CHAIN SHOULD NOT BREAK AFTER ONLY 61,000 MILES. I ALWAYS BELIEVED THAT SATURN WAS A DIFFERENT KIND OF AUTO COMPANY. NEEDLESS TO SAY I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH SATURN'S RESPONSE THAT I MUST NOT HAVE CHANGED THE OIL! I WILL NEVER BUY OR RECOMMEND A SATURN TO ANYONE, AT THIS POINT IN MY EXPERIENCE. *NM

MY L200 SATURN HAD A TIMING CHAIN FAILURE AT 85,000 MILES. THIS IS CLEARLY DUE TO A DEFECT BECAUSE SATURN HAS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN INDICATING A LARGER OIL NOZZLE IS INCLUDED IN THE TIMING CHAIN REPLACEMENT KIT DUE TO INSUFFICIENT LUBRICATION AT LOW ENGINE RPM. IT IS FORTUNATE THAT THIS DID NOT OCCUR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS BECAUSE WITH THE STANDARD TRANSMISSION FATALITIES COULD HAVE EASILY RESULTED. THIS CAR WAS METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED WITH OIL AND FILTER CHANGES EVERY 3-5K MILES. SATURN HAS THE CAR NOW AND HAS REPORTED IN ADDITION TO THE FAILED TIMING CHAIN IT ALSO HAS A BENT VALVE AND POSSIBLE PISTON DAMAGE. THIS EFFECTIVELY MEANS THIS TIMING CHAIN FAILURE DESTROYED THE ENGINE. THERE IS NOW NO CONFUSION IN MY MIND WHY THE JAPANESE AUTO INDUSTRY IS EATING DETROIT'S LUNCH. *JB

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY NORTHBOUND FROM CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA WE PULLED OUR 2002 SATURN L200 INTO THE PASSING LANE TO OVERTAKE A SLOWER MOVING VEHICLE. WHILE WE WERE MAKING THE PASS THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST COMPLETE POWER AND THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN. FORTUNATELY THERE WAS NO ONCOMING TRAFFIC AND WE WERE ABLE TO DRIFT TO THE SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY. THERE WAS THE POTENTIAL FOR A SERIOUS PROBLEM HAD THERE BEEN HEAVY TRAFFIC INVOLVED. WE HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE NEAREST SERVICE CENTER. THEY FOUND THAT THE TIMING CHAIN HAD BROKEN WHICH IMMBOLIZED THE VEHICLE. THERE WAS NO PREVIOUS WARNING OF ANY TIMING CHAIN ISSUES. NO SOUNDS, NOTHING. WE HAVE SERVICED OUR VEHICLE AT THE SATURN DEALERSHIP FOR EVERY SERVICE INTERVAL SINCE BUYING THIS VEHICLE NEW. WE HAVE RESEARCHED THIS ISSUE AND FOUND IT TO BE QUITE COMMON IN THE VEHICLE WE OWN. OUR VEHICLE IS STILL INOPERABLE AS OF THIS WRITING. *JB

THIS IS RELATED TO EA06009 ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, WHILE DRIVING ON A 50 MPH HIGHWAY WE LOST POWER TO OUR SATURN LW200 2002 WAGON. WHILE WE WERE ABLE TO PULL THE CAR OVER TO THE SHOULDER, WE CAME WITHIN SECONDS OF BEING HIT BY ANOTHER CAR. THE CAUSE OF THE POWER LOSS WAS A BROKEN TIMING CHAIN. WE HAVE ABOUT 50,000 MILES ON THE CAR, AND HAVE CHANGED OIL EVERY 3-4000 MILES. SATURN DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS A DEFECT. AS A RESULT, WE HAVE TO PAY THE FULL COST (>$2000) TO GET THE ENGINE FIXED. PLEASE NOTE, THE CHAIN BROKE ON THE HIGHWAY, AND NOT AT START-UP AS GM STATED IN A LETTER TO YOU ON THIS MATTER. MY WIFE AND I CAME CLOSE TO DYING. AN ENGINE THAT HAS A TIMING CHAIN THAT BEAKS ON A HIGHWAY WITH JUST 50,000 MILES ON THE ENGINE IS A SAFETY ISSUE. PLEASE ACT BEFORE SOMEONE DIES DUE TO THIS DEFECT. *NM