1996 SATURN SL Complaints

PLASTIC BUSHING THAT CONNECTS THE SHIFT LEVER TO THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION BREAKS WHITHOUT ANY WARNING, AND LEAVES YOU WITHOUT THE ABILITY TOSHIFT.THIS HAPPENED WHILE PULLING ONTO THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AND ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. *AK

IN SUMMER OF 2002, I PAID OVER $1500 TO HAVE A HEAD GASKET REPAIRED ON MY SATURN. LAST THURSDAY, THE CAR WAS HAVING THE SAME ISSUES AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT IT HAS A CRACKED ENGINE CYLINDER. THIS IS AN ITEM ON A TSB ISSUED FROM SATURN, I REALIZED TODAY. NOW I AM FACING OVER $2000 TO HAVE THE CYLINDER REPLACED, PUTTING MY TOTAL COST FOR REPAIRS OVER $3700 ON AN ISSUE THAT SATURN HAS BEEN AWARE OF FOR SOME TIME, YET NEVER NOTIFIED ITS CUSTOMERS.

DIFFERENTIAL PIN IN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 1996 SATURN SL2 (MP7 TRANSMISSION) THIS PIN WORKS IT'S WAY LOOSE AND PUTS A HOLE IN THE FRONT PUMP COVER WHICH INTURN LEADS TO FLUID LEAKING AND AN EXPENSIVE REPAIR. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME.

THE VEHICLE'S HEAD GASKET CRACKED CAUSING THE OIL FROM THE ENGINE TO POURS INTO THE RADIATOR COOLANT. THIS CAUSES THE ENGINE TO OVER HEAT. *MR

MY WIFE AND I OWN A 1996 SATURN SL1 WITH 69001 MILES ON IT. I NOTICE THAT OIL WAS IN THE COOLANT RESERVOIR. CONTACTED SATURN OF CORPUS CHRISTI AND ASKED IF THEY HAD AN IDEA OF THE PROBLEM. MAYBE A BAD HEAD GASKET AND GAVE ME AN ESTIMATE OF $840 PLUS $2.30/MILE TO TOW IT IN. LIVING OUTSIDE OF BEEVILLE 65 MILES AWAY A TOTAL OF 13O MILES. CONTACTED MY MECHANIC TOLD HIM THE PROBLEM AND HE GAVE ME AN ESTIMATE OF $900 SAVING ON TOWING FEE, I WENT TO HIM. HE LOOKED AT IT AND TOLD ME THAT MY CYLINDER HEAD WAS ALSO CRACKED. HE THEN SHOWED ME A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN #96-T-65B THAT SATURN SENT OUT IN MAY 1999 DOCUMENTING THIS PROBLEM WITH THE CYLINDER HEADS CRACKING. HE THEN SHOWED ME THAT MY CYLINDER HEAD WAS CRACKED JUST LIKE THE DIAGRAMS ON PAGE 2 OF THE BULLETIN SHOWED. I CONTACTED SATURN IN TENNESSEE TALKED TO CHAD OF CUSTOMER SERVICE, HIS SUPERVISOR MS. RAMIREZ, HER SUPERVISOR BRENDA SALSBERRY, HER SUPERVISOR JOEY FITZGERALD AND ALL GAVE ME THE SAME ANSWER THAT OUR CAR WAS OVER 6 YEARS OLD. THEY SAID THAT THEY'LL SENT OUT TO ALL SATURN OWNERS SPECIAL POLICY#99-P-01 IN JUNE 1999 EXTENDING OUR WARRANTY FOR THIS SPECIFIC PROBLEM FOR 6 YEARS OR 100,000 MILES WE NEVER RECEIVED ANY EXTENSION POLICY FROM SATURN FOR US TO BE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM. AFTER THEM KNOWING AND DOCUMENTING PROBLEMS WITH CYLINDER HEADS DOES THIS NOT MAKE IT A DEFECTIVE OR FLAWED PART, AND THERE IS NO WARRANTY TIME ON DEFECTIVE PARTS. I'M ASKING YOU TO INVESTIGATE THIS FOR US INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE GETTING NO WHERE WITH SATURN. I DON'T THINK THAT IT IS JUST A COINCIDENCE THAT MY CYLINDER HEAD CRACK JUST AS THEY DREW UP ON PAGE 2 OF BULLETIN 96-T-65B. HELP! *LA

IF YOU WOULD TAKE A LOOK AT THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE RADIATOR. WOULD YOU BELIEVE IT'S PLASTIC? WHERE THIS PLASTIC IS MOLDED TOGETHER THERE IS A CREASE AND IN EVERY PERSON I HAVE SPOKE WITH WHO HAS ONE IT SPLIT OPEN RIGHT DOWN THE CREASE IN WHICH CAUSES WATER AND COOLANT TO LEAK SOMETIMES SPRAY OUT. THIS IS A DEFECT ON THE MANUFACTURES PART AND SHOULD BE REDESIGNED AND REPLACED FREE OF CHARGE, INSTEAD THEY ARE OVER LOOKING THESE PROBLEMS AND SAYING IT'S AFTER WARRANTY. SATURN SHOULD STAND BEHIND THE MAKING OF THEIR VEHICLES AND ADMIT THEIR MISTAKES, BETTER YET CORRECT THEM. THIS IS NOT THE ONLY PROBLEM I HAVE FOUND TO BE WRONG WITH THESE CARS IT'S JUST THE ONLY ONE THAT'S A DESIGN FLAW AND ONLY SATURN CAN MAKE RIGHT. SEVERAL OTHERS I KNOW HAVE GOTTEN NEW RADIATORS AND REPLACED THEM AND STILL THEY BREAK OPEN SAME PLACE. THE TEMP GAUGE DOESN'T SHOW THE VEHICLE RUNNING HOT AND SAYS IN THE MANUAL THAT THE GAUGE WILL DEFAULT AND RETURN TO THE MIDDLE POSITION NOW YOU TELL ME WHAT GOOD THAT DOES FOR TELLING IF YOUR CAR IS RUNNING HOT. COME ON SATURN DO SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR MISTAKES!!!!!!!! *JB

I HAVE A 1996 SATURN, SL1 WITH 65,000 MILES ON IT. WHEN I TOOK IT IN FOR A REGULAR OIL CHANGE, I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE WATER COOLING SYSTEM. THE CYLINDER HEAD CRACKED AND OIL LEAKS INTO THE RADIATOR SYSTEM. I CALLED SATURN AND WAS TOLD THAT I NEED TO TALK TO A LOCAL DEALER. I WAS NOT EVEN ABLE TO EXPLAIN THE PROBLEM, AND WAS DISMISSED HUMILIATINGLY. I CONTACTED THE DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME THEY WOULD CONTACT SATURN, AFTER WHICH I WAS TOLD THAT I WAS ON MY OWN AS THE PURCHASE DATE WAS BEFORE THE 6 YEAR WINDOW THEY HAD DESIGNATED (6 YEAR/100,000 MILES WARRANTY). IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT SATURN KNEW ABOUT THE DESIGN FAULT SO THEY WENT WITH THIS SECRET WARRANTY. IT IS COSTING ME OVER $1000 FOR A PROBLEM I DID NOT CAUSE! I DO NOT BELIEVE SATURN SHOULD GET AWAY WITH SUCH A PRACTICE, AND I WOULD LIKE TO BE REIMBURSED FOR THE REPAIRS AND MY TIME (I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH THE HARDSHIP AND INCONVENIENCE I HAVE EXPERIENCED BECAUSE OF THIS DECEPTIVE ACTION BY SATURN.) I HOPE YOU WILL BE MY (AND THE OTHER CITIZENS IN MY SITUATION) ADVOCATE AND HELP US IN THIS MATTER. SINCERELY,FASSIL GHEBREMICHAEL. *JB

CRACKED HEAD CYLINDER - MANUFACUTURER HAS "SECRET WARRANTY" ON THIS PART FOR 1994-1996 SATURNS. SATURN WOULDN'T COVER WHOLE REPLACEMENT BECAUSE THE "SECRET WARRANTY EXPIRED IN JUNE 2002" ON MY CAR. REASON I BELIEVE THEY SHOULD PAY FOR ALL OF IT: (1) KNOWN DESIGN DEFECT WITH ENGINE (2) MY CAR WAS IN THE DEALERSHIP GARAGE FOR ENGINE WORK DURING THE SECRET WARRANTY TERM AND DURING MY WARRANTY COVERAGE, FOR AN OIL CONSUMPTION PROBLEM. ENGINE WAS REBUILT BUT HEAD CYLINDER WAS NEVER CHECKED FOR KNOWN PROBLEM AND I WASN'T NOTIFIED OF THE KNOWN PROBLEM. NOW BOTH WARRANTIES ARE EXPIRED SO THEY WANTED ME TO PAY THE WHOLE BILL. I REFUSED BUT THEY ONLY OFFERED TO COVER HALF. I HAVE PUT A COMPLAINT INTO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE AND THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU.

AFTER TURNING THE VEHICLE ON AND WHEN PLACING THE GEAR IN PARK OR NEUTRAL,VEHICLE JUMPED FORWARD. DEALER EXAMINED THE VEHICLE, AND FOUND THAT THE VALVE BODY ASSEMBLY HASDBEEN REPLACED. *AK

WHEN TRYING TO RESET THE CRUISE CONTROL ACCELERATOR PEDAL WENT DOWN TO THE FLOOR, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE UP TO 70 MPH. AFTER A COUPLE OF SECONDS ACCELERATOR PEDAL POPPED UP, AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN. *AK *PH