1993 SATURN SL Complaints

CONSISTENT PROBLEM WITH ENGINE CHECK LIGHT/ABS LIGHT, AND BATTERY LIGHT COMING ON AND OFF. *AK THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO INDICATED THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. AFTER THE CONSUMER LEFT THE DEALER ALL THE DASH LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE SHUT DOWN. *NM

AFTER TURNING THE VEHICLE ON AND PLACING THE GEAR IN PARK OR NEUTRAL VEHICLE WILL JUMPED FORWARD, DEALER EXAMINED THE VEHICLE, AND FOUND THAT THE VALVE BODY ASSEMBLY HAD TO BE REPLACED. *AK THE CONSUMER OWNS FOUR OTHER SATURN VEHICLES. THREE OF THEM HAVE ALSO HAD THEIR VALVE BODY ASSEMBLIES REPLACED. ALL OF THE VEHICLES HAD UNDER 50000 MILES ON THEIR ODOMETER'S. *NM

THE ALTERNATOR BELT BROKE FOUR TIMES SINCE OWNERSHIP. ON ONE OCCASION, THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AT 50 MPH AND THE BELT BROKE, WHICH CAUSED THE POWER STEERING TO BECOME INOPERATIVE, AND ALMOST RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT. DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER HAVE BEEN INFORMED OF THE PROBLEM.*AK THE SERPENTINE BELT FELL OFF WHILE DRIVING, DEALER REPLACED. *TS *JB

OUR VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE WHILE WE WERE ON OUR WAY TO VACATION ON HIGHWAY 95. NO WARNING WAS GIVEN. WE WERE APPROACHED BY ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT THE CAR WAS ON FIRE. AT THIS POINT WE SAW SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD OF THE CAR, AND IMMEDIATELY, THE CAR WAS FILLED WITH SMOKE FROM UNDER THE DASHBOARD OF THE CAR. VISIBILITY IN THE CAR WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBILE. WE TRIED TO STOP THE CAR, BUT WE HAD NO BRAKES, NOR ANY EMERGENCY BRAKES. WE TRIED PUTTING THE CAR IN PARK, BUT THE GEAR SHIFT HAD BEEN MELTED DOWN AS WELL. WE HAD TO CUT THE CAR COMPLETELY OFF AND LET IT COAST TOWARDS A DITCH TO STOP IT.WE JUMPED OUT AND RAN OVER A DITCH. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS THERE WITHIN TWO MINUETS FROM ANOTHER BURNING CAR. EVERTHING UNDER THE HOOD WAS MELTED. WE WERE TOLD BY THE FIREMEN THAT UNDER THE CAR WAS ALSO MELTED DOWN. *AK

VALVE TRAIN SEEMS TO FAIL AT ABOUT 95-160 THOUSAND MILES WITH UNKNOWN CAUSE. CALLED BOTH DEALER AND REPAIR SHOPS. BOTH SEEM TO SAY THE SAME. EITHER VALVE SEATS OR PISTON RINGS FAIL AT THESE POINTS OF MILAGE. BETWEEN 95,000 TO 160,000 MILES WITH UNKNOWN CAUSE. SOME SAID MIGHT BE THE ALUMINUM HEAD DEFECT, OTHERS SAID THAT THERE ARE STRESS CRACKS FROM THE MOLDING OF THE HEAD. THEY ALL SAY CAN NOT REALLY TELL UNTIL TAKEN APART AND VISUALLY CHECKED. HIGH COST TO DO THIS. BUT NO KNOWN RECALLS ON THE HEAD DEFECT OR VALVE SEAT OR VALVE TRAIN SYSTEM. ALSO ON THE DOOR HINGE, THE DOOR SEALS LET WATER DOWN TO THE HINGE AND IT ROTS OUT THE HINGE ON THE DOOR, CAUSING THE DOOR TO FALL OR ROT OFF.

WHILE STARTING VEHICLE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT WILL WORK ON DIFFERENT OCCASIONS SEAT BELT TENDS TO BE INOPERABLE. HAS HAD SEAT BELT SERVICED. THIS WILL BE THE 2ND TIME FOR SERVICE ON SAME PROBLEM.*AK

THE CONSUMER ADDED COOLANT SEVERAL TIMES BUT THE LOW COOLANT LIGHT KEPT COMING. THE DEALER DETERMINED THE CAUSE TO BE A CRACKED CYLINDER HEAD WHICH WAS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT THAT CAUSED THE ENGINE OIL TO BE CONTAMINATED WITH THE ANTIFREEZE. *YH

TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE ON BRAKING FROM 40MPH. BRAKE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR BUT DOES NOT STOP VEHICLE.*JB

VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE WHILE ON WAY TO AIRPORT. NO WARNING WAS GIVEN . CONSUMER WAS FLAGGED BY ANOTHER AUTOMOBILE THAT HER VEHICLE WAS SMOKING. THEN SHE STOPPED, GOT OUT, THEN ALMOST IMMEDIATELY CAR EXPLODED.*AK

ABS LIGHT WAS COMING ON AND OFF INTERMITTENTLY, CURRENTLY, ABS LIGHT REMAINS ON WHILE DRIVING, AND CAUSES ABS TO BE NON OPERATIONAL. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. *AK COMPUTER FOUND ERROR AND IF THE CODE RESETS CONSUMER WILL NEED TO REPLACE ABS CONTROLLER. *JG