2001 SATURN LS Complaints

WIFE'S CAR...SHE NOTICED A NOISE,TOOK TO MECHANIC...TIMING CHAIN BROKE. DAMAGE TO PISTONS....REPORTED TO (GEICO MECHANICAL BREAKDOWN INSURANCE) INSPECTOR CAME OUT SAID LACK OF OIL CHANGES. WANTED RECORDS...I DO ALL OIL CHANGES. MANY INCIDENTS REPORTED ON INTERNET. TECH SERVICE BULLETIN 03-06-01-017. SATURN SAYS ONLY FOR DEALERSHIPS TO READ ... SATURN L200 WITH 63000 MILES. *JB

TIMING CHAIN FAILURE AT LOW SPEED RESULTING IN STALL. CAR RESTARTED AFTER A FEW TRIES AND WAS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN ABOUT 2 BLOCKS HOME WITH VERY POOR PERFORMANCE. AFTER TURNING OFF ENGINE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART. INDEPENDENT MECHANIC DIAGNOSED TIMING CHAIN FAILURE. *NM

ODOMETER SUDDENLY BEGAN DISPLAYING ONLY MILEAGE 694978 WITH NO MILES REGISTERED UNDER THE TRIP ODOMETER. RESEARCH INDICATES THAT THE BODY CONTROL MODULE HAS FAILED. (THIS FOLLOWS HAVING TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE ENGINE DUE TO THE FAILED TIMING CHAIN WITH ONLY 48000 MILES ON THE ENGINE.) THE CAR CURRENTLY HAS APPROXIMATELY 51300 MILES, SINCE I CANNOT READ THE ACTUAL MILEAGE AT THIS POINT. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH ON A CITY STREET, THE TIMING BELT FRACTURED WITHOUT WARNING AND THERE WAS A LOSS OF ALL VEHICLE POWER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP WHO DETERMINED THE ENGINE WAS DAMAGED WHEN THE TIMING BELT FRACTURED. THE MECHANIC SUGGESTED REPLACING THE ENGINE AS WELL AS THE TIMING BELT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED.

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR 2001 SATURN L-100 WEST BOUND ON I-70 TRAVELING AT APPROX 65 MPH. WHEN SHE BEGAN DECELERATING WHILE APPROACHING THE EXIT RAMP FOR US 33 SOUTH THE ENGINE QUIT. FORTUNATELY TRAFFIC WAS LIGHT AND SHE WAS ABLE TO NAVIGATE THE CAR TO AS SAFE STOP ON THE BERM OF THE EXIT RAMP. AFTER HAVING THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE SATURN DEALER, WE WERE IN FORMED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN HAD STRETCHED AND SKIPPED A TOOTH CAUSING THIS ZERO CLEARANCE ENGINE TO REQUIRE A REBUILD COSTING NEARLY $3000. THE DEALER TOLD ME THIS WAS PROBABLY DUE TO INSUFFICIENT OIL CHANGES ON MY PART. I CHANGE THE OIL IN THIS CAR EVERY 5000 TO 6000 MILES. SINCE THIS INCIDENT I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF OTHER SATURN L-SERIES OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SAME FAILURE, MANY WITH LESS MILES THAN MY CAR. FORTUNATELY THIS DID NOT HAPPEN DURING A HIGH TRAFFIC TIME OF DAY WHILE DRIVING IN A MIDDLE OR LEFT LANE ORE WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MERGE IN A HIGH TRAFFIC SITUATION. *JB

MY 2001 L-SERIES SATURN DEVELOPED A LOW SPEED MISS, WAS DIAGNOSED AS A STICKING VALVE AT SATURN OF FREDERICK, MD. THREE DAYS LATER ON A NARROW ROAD MY TIMING CHAIN BROKE AT 55 MPH. CAUSING A SUDDEN SHUT DOWN OF THE VEHICLE. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO DRIFT THE VEHICLE OVER TO A VERY NARROW SHOULDER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL AUTO REPAIR SHOP. DIAGNOSIS WAS MADE AS BROKEN TIMING CHAIN WHICH ALSO CAUSED BENT VALVES IN THE CYLINDER HEAD. NEW TIMING CHAIN KIT WAS INSTALLED AND THE HEAD WAS RE-DONE WITH NEW VALVES AND GASKETS. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE NEW TIMING CHAIN KIT WAS AND UPDATED KIT CORRECT EARLY DESIGN PROBLEMS WITH AN OILIER NOZZLE. *JB

CAR IS A 2001 SATURN LW 200 STATION WAGON, WHICH HAD BEEN MAINTAINED REGULARLY WITH THE DEALER (LAST DATE OF SERVICE WAS APPROXIMATELY 3 1/2 TO 4 MONTHS PRIOR TO INCIDENT). VEHICLE'S TIMING BELT FAILED DURING SHORT LOCAL TRIP (2 MILES FROM HOME) UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. TIMING BELT FAILURE RESULTED IN ADDITIONAL ENGINE DAMAGE INCLUDING DENTED VALVES. DRIVER HAD NO WARNING OF IMPENDING FAILURE: ENGINE SIMPLY STALLED OUT AND NEVER STARTED AGAIN. CAR HAD BEEN MAINTAINED REGULARLY WITH DEALER AND DEALER NEVER INDICATED THAT TIMING BELT WAS WORN OR REQUIRED SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE. CAR IS ONLY FIVE YEARS OLD AND HAD APPROXIMATELY 60,000 MILES ON IT. CAR WAS TOWED TO REPAIR SHOP FOR EVALUATION OF PROBLEM. FIRST REPAIR SHOP BELIEVED PROBLEM WAS TIMING BELT BUT WAS NOT EQUIPPED TO HANDLE THE PROBLEM; RECOMMENDED DEALER SERVICE. DEALER ESTIMATED REPAIR COSTS AT $2300. OWNERS DECIDED TO DELAY REPAIR PENDING POTENTIAL SALE OR DONATION OF THE DAMAGED VEHICLE. *JB

WE PURCHASED A 2001 SATURN L200 FROM A SATURN DEALER IN 2002 WITH 14,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. WE HAD THE VEHICLE PROPERLY MAINTAINED BY A CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP MECHANIC. THE OIL WAS CHANGED EVERY 3,000 MILES. THE VEHICLE HAD TIMING CHAIN FAILURE AT 57,000 MILES RESULTING IN SUDDEN AND COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER WHILE ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. THE CYLINDER HEAD HAD TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $2,348.00. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 20MPH, THE TIMING CHAIN FRACTURED WITHOUT WARNING. AFTERWARDS, THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP WHO DETERMINED THAT UPON THE INITIAL FRACTURE OF THE TIMING CHAIN, THE ENGINE WAS DAMAGED, AND BOTH COMPONENTS WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED.

AT 62000 MILES, TIMING CHAIN BROKE IN ENGINE - NO WARNING, CAR JUST STOPPED THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE VALVES AND PISTONS. 2001 SATURN L-200 2.2 L ENGINE, 5-SPEED TRANSMISSION