2002 SATURN LS Complaints

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WITHOUT WARNING THE VEHICLE STALLED AND WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED TO HAVE A BROKEN TIMING BELT. THE DEALER REPLACED THE TIMING BELT AND THE PROBLEM WAS CORRECTED.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WITHOUT WARNING, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. THERE HAD BEEN NO PRIOR PROBLEMS AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP. THE REPAIR SHOP DETERMINED THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE AND THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. UPDATED 04/06/06. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THERE WAS A NHTSA RECALL, # 05V245000 CONCERNING THE EXTERIOR LIGHTING THAT WAS PERFORMED HOWEVER; NUMEROUS ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS EVOLVED SINCE THE REPAIR. THE DASH PANEL LIGHTS INTERMITTENTLY ILLUMINATED WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. ALTHOUGH THE IGNITION WAS TURNED OFF THE HEADLIGHTS ILLUMINATED WHICH RESULTED IN A BATTERY FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS SEEN BY A DEALER AND THE HEADLIGHT HIGH/LOW BEAM DIMMER SWITCH WAS REPLACED, BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTED. ADDITIONALLY, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND WAS TOWED BACK TO THE DEALER WHICH DETERMINED THERE WAS A FAILURE OF THE DRIVE SHAFT AND THIS WAS REPLACED. THE ONGOING ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS PERSISTED AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO AWAIT FURTHER INSPECTION.

I WAS DRIVING MY 2002 SATURN L200 HOME FROM BOSTON ON 3-12-06 APPROX. 6:00 PM WHEN THE ENGINE STOPPED. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED HOME AND CONTACTED SATURN. AFTER THEY EXAMINED THE VEHICLE, THEY CAME UP WITH THE DIAGNOSIS OF A FAILED TIMING CHAIN AND ENGINE FAILURE. I ASKED THE TECHNICIAN IF THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM AND I WAS TOLD THAT IT WASN'T. I GOOGLED COMMON PROBLEMS FOR THE SATURN L200 AND BROKEN TIMING CHAINS ARE VERY COMMON WITH MANY SATURNS. GMAC EVEN WENT AS FAR AS TO ISSUE TECH. BULLETINS ABOUT TIMING CHAIN ISSUES. GMAC KNOWS ABOUT THE HIGH FAILURE RATE OF THESE TIMING CHAINS AND HAS NOT TAKEN APPROPRIATE MEASURES TO RECTIFY THE SITUATION AND ARE TRYING TO PASS THE COST OF REPAIRING THIS DEFECT ON TO THEIR CONSUMERS.*JB

ON THE 22ND OF FEBRUARY OF 2006, MY 2002 SATURN L-200 ENGINE SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING, DIED. THE CAR, LUCKILY, WAS GOING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH. IT WAS TOWED TO A REPUTABLE REPAIR SHOP AND DIAGNOSED WITH TIMING CHAIN FAILURE WITH POSSIBLE REPAIR COSTS STARTING AT $ 2,800.00. MY WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED SO I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A SATURN DEALER TO SEE IF ANYTHING COULD BE DONE TO HELP SAVE MONEY. THE SATURN DEALER RECOMMENDED A FULL ENGINE REPLACEMENT FOR $2,130.00. I CONTACTED CORPORATE SATURN TO SEE IF MORE COULD BE DONE TO HELP WITH COSTS AT WHICH TIME I QUOTED TO THEM THE INFORMATION I HAD FOUND ONLINE ABOUT THE NHTSA INVESTIGATION GOING ON REGARDING THE L-SERIES AND THE TIMING CHAIN FAILURE. THE REPRESENTATIVE STATED THAT SHE HAD NEVER HEARD OF THE INVESTIGATION. THEY DECLINE TO ASSIST ME AT THAT TIME. THE CAR IS NOW GETTING A NEW USED ENGINE THE 580,000 MILES ON IT WITH A 12 MONTH/12,000 MILE WARRANTY. *JB

2002 SATURN LW300 WITH APPROXIMATELY 40K MILES (BOUGHT NEW). POSITIVE TERMINAL OF AC DELCO BATTERY FOUND LEAKING. I REPLACED IT WITH A SEARS DIEHARD. AFTERWARDS CAR WOULD NOT START AND WAS LOCKED IN PARK GEAR. DISCONNECTING THE BATTERY ACTIVATED THE ANTI-THIEF SYSTEM WHICH I COULD NOT RESET PER OWNERS MANUAL. DEALER SAID IT MUST COME IN FOR REPROGRAMMING. AT DEALER I WAS TOLD THAT THE BCM UNIT WAS BAD AND WOULD COST $600 TO REPLACE. I DID NOTHING WRONG WHEN CHANGING THE BATTERY, AND THE CAR WAS FINE BEFORE. AC DELCO 78-6YR (FALSE LABELING) IS OWNED BY GM AND THEIR LEAKY SIDE-TERMINAL BATTERIES ARE A WELL KNOWN PROBLEM. I BELIEVE THESE BATTERIES AND SATURN'S BCM UNITS ARE DESIGNED TO FAIL AND GENERATE PROFIT. AS AN ELECTRICAL ENGINEER, I CAN'T UNDERSTAND HOW CHANGING A BATTERY CAN KILL A MODULE LIKE THIS. I AM 56 AND HAVE REPLACED MANY BATTERIES, ALL CORRECTLY. I HAVE FOUND MANY CASES LIKE THIS ON THE INTERNET. IN SOME CASES THE CARS STOP DEAD IN THEIR TRACKS DUE TO AC DELCO SIDE-TERMINAL BATTERIES. I AM AMAZED AT HOW MANY DEALER TRY TO IMMEDIATELY BLAME THE CUSTOMER FOR DOING SOMETHING WRONG (AS I WAS BY SATURN). *NM

HEADLIGHTS FLICKER WHEN BREAK AND CLUTCH ARE APPLIED. THEY ALSO FLICKER WHEN JUST NORMAL DRIVING. THIS IS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. *NM

DEFECTIVE AIR BAG SENSOR MODULE. I WAS LUCKY THAT MY EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERED THIS. SHOULD BE COVERED FOR MORE THAN 3 THREE YEARS. *JB

WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR ON MY 2002 SATURN L200 HAS FAILED TO WORK PROPERLY. I NOTICED THAT A SIMILAR RECALL HAD BEEN PLACED ON THE 2003 MODELS AND THOUGHT IT MAY BE RELATED. *JB

THE REAR OF MY SATURN LW200 WAGON IS MAKING MY TIRES WEAR OUT PREMATURELY. IT'S CAUSING THE INSIDE TREAD EDGE TO WEAR OUT BEFORE THE REST. SATURN WANTS TO CHARGE ME 235 TO DO AN ALIGNMENT AND PUT IN A SPACER KIT WHICH I UNDERSTAND IS A FACTORY DEFECT FROM THE BEGINNING. SATURN SHOULD PAY FOR THIS AND MY TIRES. *JB