1997 SATURN SL Complaints

DUE TO DESIGN REAR DISC BRAKES MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING CORROSION. THIS, IN RETURN, RESULTED IN EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE WHICH COULD CAUSE A CRASH. *AK THE CALIPERS ON THE REAR DISC BRAKES CORRODE REDUCING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE REAR BRAKES. *YH

WHILE DRIVING ON ROUGH ROADS OR MAKING A TURN AROUND A CORNER CONSUMER HEARD A CLUNKING NOISE OR SOMETHING LOOSE. TOOK TO DEALER , AND THEY COULD NOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM. *AK.

EXHAUST SYSTEM RUSTED OUT IN 3 YEARS--HAD TO REPLACE. CAR WAS NEVER DRIVEN IN WINTER, WAS WASHED EACH WEEK, WAS PARKED OFF-STREET. CLEARLY, INFERIOR PARTS WERE INSTALLED BY SATURN.

I HAVE EXPERIENCED LOSS OF POWER, NO START CONDITIONS,AND LONG PERIODS OF CRANK TIME,EVEN KILLING A BATTERY THAT I HAD TO PAY FOR! NOTIFIED MY DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME IF THEY---DETERMINED IT WASN'T THE FUEL PUMP, I WOULD HAVE TO PAY A SERVICE CHARGE !---AND I HAVE THE BEST EXTENDED WARRANTY THEY HAVE !

THE TRUNK LID WILL SELDOM REMAIN IN THE UP POSITION WHEN PLACING ITEMS IN THE TRUNK. THE TRUNK STARTS TO CLOSE, STRIKING THE PERSON. THIS WILL HAPPEN WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN THE LEVEL POSITION. SATURN OF DATONA HAS REPLACED THE TRUNK LID SPRINGS, AND ASSURED THEY ARE ADJUSTED CORRECTLY FOR A SATURN WITH A FACTORY INSTALLED SPOILER. THIS DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. SATURN CORP., THROUGH THEIR CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER, RECOMMENDS THE REMOVAL OF THE SPOILER TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. I DO NOT FEEL I SHOULD HAVE TO REMOVE A FACTORY PROVIDED ITEM AND CHANGE THE VEHICLE EXTERIOR CONFIGURATION TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM. IF THIS IS THE SOLUTION, HOW CAN SATURN CONTINUE TO SELL VEHICLES IN THIS CONFIGURATION? I BELIEVE THIS IS A DESIGN PROBLEM AND COULD REPRESENT A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD, I.E., WOMAN BEING STRUCK IN THE HEAD, A CHILD BEING INADVERTENTLY LOCKED IN THE TRUNK. WOULD LIKE SATURN TO PRVIDE A RESONABLE SOLUTION WHICH WOULD NOT RESULT IN CHANGING THE EXTERIOR VEHICLE CONFIGURATION.*AK

RRED ONE YEAR AGO. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND HE FIXED IT. NOW IT IS FALLING AGAIN. IT SEEMS THAT IT IS MORE LIKELY TO FAIL WHEN HEADLAMP IS OFF. IN ADDITION, I ALSO SAW OTHER CARS OF SAME MODEL HAD THE SIMILAR FAILURES. *AK

VEHICLE STALLED INTERMITTENTLY WHILE TRAVELING. VEHICLE BEEN IN/OUT OF DEALER SHOP ON FOUR OCCASIONS, AND DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

THIS VEHICLE ([XXX])LOSES OIL 1 QUART PER 700 MILES! *AK INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

DURING A LEFT TURN DRIVING AT 15 TO 20 MILES PER HOUR, ATTEMPTING TO SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN, THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED ITS ENTIRE RANGE WITHOUT SLOWING OR STOPPING THE CAR. THE BRAKES WHERE THEN PUMPED SEVERAL TIMES WITHOUT SUCCESS, THE CAR WAS EVENTUALLY STOPPED BY USE OF THE PARKING BRAKE. *AK

2 OCCURRENCES OF FRONT BUMPER CATCHING ON GROUND OBJECTS AND CRACKING GRILL AND WHEEL WELLS. I OWN A 1996 SL2 AND A 1997 SL2. BOTH MY WIFE AND I HAVE SUFFERED THIS SAME OCCURANCE. (WE ARE BOTH NEAR 50 YEARS OLD AND HAVE NO PREVIOUS INSTANCES OF SUCH OCCURANCES. THIS HAS NOW HAPPENED TWICE; ONCE TO HER, ONCE TO ME. THE AIR DAM IS HINGED AND FLEXES BUT DOESN'T BREAK. THE BUMPER HOWEVER, IS LOW SET, HAS A BOTTOM EDGE THAT IS ABRUPT, AND CATCHES EASILY ON LOW-LYING OR LOW-SETTING GROUND OBJECTS. IT CATCHES ON THINGS INSTEAD OF BEING ABLE TO 'ROLL OVER' OR 'FLEX OVER'. THE RESULTING 'PULL' PULLS THE BUMPER AWAY (IN A FORWARD DIRECTION) FROM THE CAR, BREAKING THE LOWER GRILL AND INNER WHEEL WELLS. THE FIRST TIME THE DAMAGE WASN'T NOTICED UNTIL A DAY LATER; AND MANY MILES HAD BEEN DRIVEN. I BELIEVE THE CONDITION OF THE FRONT BUMPER ASSEMBLY BEING LOOSE, HANGING, AND DROOPING AS IT DID, PROVIDED A DEFINITE SAFETY PROBLEM (THE COMPONENTS COULD HAVE IMPAIRED STEERING AND/OR BRAKING. THE SECOND OCCURENCE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED YET. THE COST TO REPAIR WAS SIGNIFICANT. *AK