2001 SATURN LS Complaints

BRAKE LIGHTS NOT WORKING RIGHT. RIGHT BRAKE LIGHT HOUSING IS MELTING AND MY BRAKE LIGHTS DON'T CONSISTENTLY WORK WELL. *NM

DEFECT IN STEERING/ BROUGHT TO DEALER/ REPLACED GEAR ASSEMBLY, AND FRONT TORSION BAR LINKS. *JB

FYI - COMMENT NOT A COMPLAINT THE ISSUE OF THE TAIL LIGHT GOING DIM OR JUST OUT. SATURN IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AND THEY ARE STARTING A CAMPAIGN TO REPLACE THE TAIL LIGHT ON THE 00-02 L SERIES STARTING IN OCTOBER. IF THE TAILLIGHT PROBLEM IS CAUSING TO MANY PROBLEM - YOU LOCAL DEALERSHIP AT NO COST REPLACE WITH THE SAME TAIL LIGHT, BUT YOU WILL STILL HAVE TO HAVE YOUR TAIL LIGHT REPLACED ONCE THE NEW DESIGN ONES COME IN. WANT MORE INFO - CALL SATURN CUSTOMER SERVICE 1-800-553-6000. *NM

BRAKE LIGHTS CEASED TO FUNCTION. CAR REAR ENDED DURING EARLY MORNING PILE UP ON I-85 DUE TO TIRE FAILURE ON CAR TWO POSITIONS IN ADVANCE. INVESTIGATE CAUSE OF LIGHT FAILURE AND FOUND MELTED/BURNED LIGHT SOCKET AREA. TRIED TO REPAIR THEN CALLED SATURN FOR PARTS AVAILABILITY. INFORMED THAT THERE WOULD BE A RECALL IN OCT 05 BUT THAT I COULD PURCHASE THE NEW LIGHT ASSEMBLIES MYSELF AND MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET REIMBURSEMENT LATER. COST OVER $350.00 PER ASSEMBLY! UNABLE TO SPEND THIS AMOUNT IMMEDIATELY SO I PARKED THE CAR UNTIL THE RECALL LETTER COMES!*JB

INCREASING NOISE FROM DRIVERS SIDE REAR WHEEL AREA. UPON REMOVAL OF WHEEL/TIRE THE HUB BEARING UNIT WAS NOT ROTATING FREELY. BEARING FAILURE OF SEALED HUB ASSEMBLY. HUB REPLACED. *JB

DT: THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE WHEN HE TURNED A CORNER AND HE HEARD A POP. THE VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER AND WOULD NOT START AGAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AAA TO WESTRIDGE SATURN 4692 RIDGE ROAD WEST, SPENCERPORT, NEW YORK. 585-352-5995. THE CONSUMER THEN LEARNED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN WAS BROKE. THE CONSUMER HAS BEEN TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT IT WOULD BE NEXT WEEK BEFORE THEY COULD GET TO IT TO FIX IT. THE CONSUMER SAYS THAT THE TIMING CHAIN SHOULD LAST LONGER THAN 54000 MILES. *AK *SC

DT: 2001 SATURN L300 SERIES. THE CONSUMER'S WIFE WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD ON COLLISION WHILE TRAVELING 25-28 MPH, AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. HE HAS CONTACTED SATURN AND THEY WERE SENDING A BOOKLET ON THE AIR BAG SYSTEM. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. THE FRONT END WAS BENT. A POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN. THE CONSUMER'S WIFE SUSTAINED CHEST, ABDOMEN, AND KNEE INJURIES, AND WAS TAKEN BY AMBULANCE TO A HOSPITAL.*AK

EIGHT MONTHS AFTER I BOUGHT A 2001 SATURN L300 I STARTED HAVING TIRE PROBLEMS. IT STARTED OUT WITH THE FRONT RIGHT TIRE RUBBING WHEN I TURNED THE WHEEL WHILE BACKING UP. I ONLY HAD 6400 MILES ON THE TIRES. LOUD NOISES WERE COMING FROM THE TIRES AT 12964 MILEAGE. MY SATURN SERVICE DEPT. RESET THE FEA TO NEW SPECS AND INSTALLED A CAMBER CASTER KIT AND 4 NEW TIRES. THIS WAS THE 2ND SET OF TIRES FOR MY 2001 SATURN L300. AT 17224 MILEAGE THE RUBBING ON THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE WAS BACK. THIS TIME THE SERVICE DEPT. RE-SECURED THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL HOUSE. THEN ON NOV 24, 2003 (25277 MILEAGE) THE LOUD NOISE WAS BACK. AT THIS TIME THE TECH FOUND THE TIRES STARTING TO SLIGHTLY CUP. HE RE-INSPECTED AND FOUND ALL 4 TIRES OUT OF SPECS AND IT WAS NECESSARY TO REALIGN ALL. I TOOK THE CAR (27115 MILEAGE) BACK IN ON JAN 16, 2004 AND THE TIRES WERE MAKING LOUD NOISES. THIS TIME THE TECH CONFIRMED THAT THE TIRES WERE CUPPING AND OUT OF ROUND. THEY REPLACED ALL 4 TIRES AND RESET TO NEW FACTORY SPECS. ALSO, DID A WHEEL ALIGNMENT. THIS WAS THE 3ND SET OF TIRES. ON DEC 20, 2004 I HAD A RATTLE ON THE RIGHT FRONT. AT THIS TIME THEY REPLACED THE RIGHT FRONT LINK BAR(38871 MILEAGE). MARCH 29, 2005 THE CAR WAS BACK IN THE SERVICE DEPT. WITH LOUD TIRE NOISE(42667 MILEAGE). THE TIRES HAD HIGH AND LOW SPOTS. I WAS TOLD I NEEDED TO REPLACE THE TIRES AGAIN. I TOOK THE CAR BACK IN FOR NEW TIRES ON JUNE 22, 2005. AT THIS TIME AFTER CALLING SATURN CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THE DEALER MANAGER, I AGREED TO BUY 2 TIRES AND SATURN BUY 2 TIRES. SATURN PAID TO REALIGN THE TIRES. AT THIS TIME I WAS TOLD BY A TECH THAT SATURN HAD A MANUFACTURING PROBLEM WITH THE 2001 L300 SERIES. IT HAD TO DO WITH THE TIRES CUPPING AND MAKING LOUD NOISES. HE SAID THAT AS LONG AS THE CAR DROVE AND TURNED WITH NO PROBLEMS THAT SATURN DID NOT CONSIDER THE CUPPING, LOUD NOISES AND REPLACING TIRES EARLY A PROBLEM. HE SAID IF I COULD TAKE THE CAR TO A NASCAR GARAGE, IT COULD BE FIXED AND SATURN COULD FIND OUT HOW TO FIX THE L300 SERIES. *NM

DURING THE MONTH OF JULY 2005, WHILE DRIVING MY 2001 SATURN L300, I NOTICED STRONG GASOLINE FUMES ENTERING THE INTERIOR OF THE CAR AND ALSO ON THE EXTERIOR. THE MILEAGE HAD DROPPED DRASTICALLY AND I WAS USING HALF TANK OF FUEL TO DRIVE 120 MILES. THINKING IT COULD BE A TORN OR LOOSE FUEL LINE, I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC OF TRUST FOR AN INSPECTION. HE FOUND THE FUEL TANK LEAKING AND ADVISED ME TO REPLACE IT. I CONSENTED BECAUSE I NEEDED THE CAR TO COMMUTE TO WORK IN TAMPA ON A DAILY BASIS. HE REMOVED THE TANK AND FOUND THE FUEL PUMP MODULE CRACKED AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. AGAIN I CONSENTED TO REPAIRING THE VEHICLE. MY WIFE CALLED MITSUBISHI MOTORS OF HERNANDO, WHERE I HAD PURCHASE THE VEHICLE AND REPORTED THE PROBLEM. SHE WAS TOLD THAT WE NEEDED TO CONTACT SATURN OF PORT RICHEY DEALER. I CALLED THAT DEALER AND EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM AND WAS REFERRED TO GM SATURN (1-800-553-6000) AND SPOKE TO MARY FROM CUSTOMER SERVICE. I TOLD HER THAT I HAD INFORMATION ON A RECALL FOR THE SATURN FOR THAT PARTICULAR PROBLEM. I EVEN READ HER THE CAMPAIGN NUMBER AND THE DATE (00V309000 - 2000 OCT 12). SHE PUT ME ON HOLD AND AFTER A FEW MINUTES SHE TOLD ME THAT SHE COULD NOT FIND ANY RECALL FOR THAT MODEL BUT SHE WOULD CHECK AND CALL ME BACK WHEN SHE DID FIND IT. SHE HAS NOT DONE SO TO THIS DATE. THE REPAIRS (REPLACEMENTS, PARTS, AND LABOR TOTALED $1,010.71. I AM SENDING THE NHTSA COPIES OF THE RECALLS AND THE REPAIR ESTIMATES. I WOULD LIKE FOR GM SATURN TO REIMBURSE ME FOR THE UNNECESSARY EXPENSES INCURRED DUE TO THE FAILURE OF THE FUEL TANK AND FUEL PUMP ASSEMBLY. *JB

THE TIMING CHAIN ON MY WIFE'S 2001 SATURN L-200 UNEXPECTEDLY BROKE, CAUSING PERMANENT ENGINE DAMAGE, REQUIRING (ACCORDING TO THE DEALER SERVICE DEP'T) A REBUILT ENGINE. DRIVING CONDITIONS WERE NORMAL (FLAT SURFACE, IN-TOWN DRIVING, BROKE ABOUT 3 BLOCKS FROM HOME), AND NO PREVIOUS WARNING SIGNS WERE AVAILABLE (SPUTTERING, LOSS OF POWER, ETC.). THIS PART IS LABELED AS NOT NEEDING SERVICING/REPLACING UNTIL 100,000 MILES. MY WIFE'S CHAIN BROKE AT APPROXIMATELY 75,000 MILES. THE DEALER REFUSES TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY, EVEN THOUGH THE VEHICLE HAS HAD ITS REGULARLY SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE VISITS. $3000 FOR A REBUILT ENGINE TO REPAIR DAMAGED CAUSED BY AN ADVERTISED "MAINTENANCE-FREE" PART IS RIDICULOUS.*JB