2001 SATURN LS Complaints

OUR 2001 SATURN L200 STOPPED WORKING AS A RESULT OF A BROKEN TIMING CHAIN. OIL CHANGES HAVE BEEN DONE ON A REGULAR BASIS, BUT THE CHAIN STILL FAILED. THE ENGINE WAS DESTROYED DUE TO THE INTERNAL DESIGN OF THE CHAIN LEADING TO A NEED FOR ENGINE REPLACEMENT (COST OF $2800). THE NEW MOTOR IS ON ORDER AND WILL BE REPLACED THIS WEEK, ALL COSTS ARE ON US. SATURN HAS NO IDEA HOW TO PREVENT PROBLEM FROM HAPPENING, THERE ARE NO WARNINGS TO TELL US THERE ARE ISSUES, AND THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE WAS OF NO HELP. *JB

MY CAR SIMPLY WOULD NOT START. IT IS A 2001 SATURN L200 WITH 31,000 MILES. VIN [XXX]. I HAD IT TOWED TO A GM GARAGE IN TOWN. THE PROBLEM TURNED OUT TO BE THE TIMING CHAIN. IT HAD COME LOOSE AND MOVED 2 LINKS, SO THE ENGINE HAD NO COMPRESSION AND COULD NOT START. THE TIMING CHAIN AND GEAR WERE REPLACED, OIL AND COOLANT REPLACED. THE TOTAL BILL WAS $1,104. WITH ONLY 31,000 MILES, THIS FAILURE OF THE TIMING CHAIN IS VERY PREMATURE AND UNEXPECTED. *NM UPDATED 07/16/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I PURCHASED A 2001 SATURN L200 IN OCTOBER 2004. IT HAD ROUGHLY 64000 MILES ON IT. THIS PAST OCTOBER MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THE CAR SLOWED TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE CAR WOULD NOT START. WE HAD IT TOWED TO A SERVICE STATION AND THE NEXT DAY I WAS TOLD THAT THE TIMING CHAIN WAS BROKE. I CONTACTED THE LOCAL SATURN DEALERSHIP : SATURN OF SAGINAW. AFTER I EXPLAINED WHAT HAPPENED ,THEY MADE IT SOUND LIKE IT WAS MY FAULT . THEY CLAIMED THAT I WAS NEGLIGENT WITH MY OIL CHANGES. I TOLD THEM THAT I HAD EVERY OIL CHANGE RECEIPT AND THAT THEY WERE ALWAYS AROUND THE 3000 MILE LIMIT. THEY INFORMED ME THAT THERE WAS NO SERVICE BULLETIN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. THEY INFORMED ME THAT IT WOULD COST $2500 FOR A NEW CHAIN AND REPAIRS(BENT VALVES) OR $ 4000 FOR A NEW ENGINE. THEY CLAIMED THAT I SHOULD EXPECT NO HELP FROM SATURN. SO I HAD THE ENGINE REPAIRED FOR $1700 FROM THE STATION THAT INITIALLY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM. SINCE THE REPAIRS, THE CAR IS RUNNING FINE, I READ ON THE WEB ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE THAT HAS HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AS MYSELF. MY CAR HAD 71000 MILES ON IT WHEN IT FAILED. *JB

I HAVE A SATURN L200, 2001 WITH 54,790 AND THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE AND BENT THE VALVES. SATURN SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. *JB

SUDDEN CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE TIMING BELT ON START-UP ONE VERY COLD MORNING(15 DEGREE.) SERVICE MGR. AT DEALERSHIP LATER EXPLAINED THAT WATER PUMP WAS LEAKING ONTO BELT AND FROZEN COOLANT MAY HAVE FORCED THE BREAK. DEALER REPLACED BELT AND PUMP AT MY EXPENSE ($1100). ONLY "WARNING" I HAD WAS LOW COOLANT WARNING LIGHT THAT CAME ON BRIEFLY DAILY AT STARTUP BEGINNING 1 WEEK BEFORE FAILURE. NO VISIBLE SIGNS OF WATER LEAKING ON ENGINE NOR ANY PUDDLING UNDER THE CAR BEFORE COMPLETE FAILURE. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE WOULD RUN ROUGH AT ANY SPEED. THIS FIRST HAPPENED A YEAR AND A HALF AGO. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE THIRD CYLINDER WAS NOT FIRING AND REPLACED THE SPARK PLUG AND COIL PACK. THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH AGAIN AND THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE PROBLEM HAS REOCCURRED.

1) THE CAR WAS DRIVEN TWO BLOCKS FROM HOME TO BRING A FAMILY MEMBER TO WORK. THE CAR STARTED NORMALLY, DROVE FINE AND GAVE NO WARNING OF ANYTHING GOING WRONG. THERE WERE NO STRANGE NOISES OR ANYTHING. NO WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON EITHER! 2) WITH A LOAD BANGING NOISE, THE TIMING CHAIN INSIDE THE ENGINE BROKE CAUSING THE ENGINE TO IMMEDIATELY STOP. ALL POWER ASSISTED STEERING AND BRAKING WENT OUT AND THE CAR COASTED TO A STOP. IT WAS NAVIGATED THROUGH TRAFFIC TO PULL INTO A STORE PARKING LOT NARROWLY AVOIDING BEING HIT BY OTHER CARS ON THE ROAD. IT WAS A VERY FRIGHTENING EXPERIENCE. 3) THE ENGINE WAS FULLY DISASSEMBLED TO REPLACE THE TIMING CHAIN, RELATED TENSIONER(S) AND 6 BENT VALVES. SEVERAL GASKETS AND OTHER MISCELLANEOUS PARTS AND KITS WERE USED TO REASSEMBLE THE ENGINE. *NM

2001 L300 SATURN HAS BEEN TO DEALER FOR CONTINUING REPAIRS. CAR BUCKS WHEN SHIFTING FROM 2ND TO 3RD GEAR AND WRENCH LIGHT OR SES LIGHT WILL COME ON. DEALERS SERVICE PERSONNEL DOCUMENT THEY CANNOT SEE LIGHT ON DIAGNOSTICS, BUT PROBLEM CONTINUES INTERMITTENTLY. CAR FAILED COMPLETELY ON INTERSTATE IN COMMUTER TRAFFIC. STATE POLICE ASSISTED OWNER. CAR EXITED INTERSTATE. CAR FAILED AGAIN. CAR TOWED TO REPAIR SHOP FOR A BATTERY WHICH HAD JUST BEEN REPLACED BY DEALER A MONTH EARLIER. CAR DRIVEN FROM REPAIR SHOP AND FAILED FOR THIRD TIME SAME DAY. CAR TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. CAR FIXED AND CUSTOMER CHARGED. COMPLAINT FILED WITH SATURN CORPORATE. CAR BUCKING AND SHIFTING RETURNED IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS. LIGHTS UP INTERMITTENTLY. CAR UNSAFE! SATURN CORPORATE SAYS DEALER WILL OFFER A DISCOUNTED REPAIR. CUSTOMER NO LONGER TRUSTS DEALER OR CORPORATION DUE TO REPEATED REPAIRS FOR SAME ISSUES. CAR HAS ALWAYS BEEN SERVICED BY SELLING DEALER EXCEPT FOR SINGLE TOW DAY OF FAILURE. SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION AND COMPLETE REPAIR HISTORY AVAILABLE. *AK

NUMEROUS PROBLEMS SINCE DAY 1 OF OWNERSHIP. TODAY THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME & REMAINED ON, THE GAS GAUGE WOULDN'T MOVE NOR WOULD THE TEMP. GAUGE. THE ODOMETER WENT TO ZERO. WIPED ALL MILEAGE OUT. CAR IS A LEMON AND NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. SCARED TO DRIVE IT. *JB

(01-03-05) CONSUMER SATURN TIMING BELT BROKE. *TS THE BLOWER FAN WAS INOPERATIVE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE MANUFACTURER RE-DESIGNED THE OILING NOZZLE AND INCLUDED IT WITH A KIT WHEN REPLACING THE TIMING CHAIN, BECAUSE THEY WERE AWARE OF THE POTENTIAL FAILURE OF THE TIMING CHAIN. *JB