SATURN Complaints

VEHICLE: 2002 SATURN L100 WITH 80,800 MILES. DATE: DECEMBER 2013 TO JANUARY 2014 PROBLEM: FOR AT LEAST A MONTH I STARTED SMELLING GASOLINE FUMES COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE REAR AND SIDE AREAS OF VEHICLE AFTER HAVING DRIVEN IT AND STOPPING AND SHUTTING OFF ENGINE. AFTER INSPECTING UNDERNEATH VEHICLE, NO SIGNS OF LEAKING FUEL APPEARED. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH ON THE CARS' FUEL SYSTEM, I SUSPECTED THE LEAK WAS OCCURRING ON TOP OF THE FUEL TANK AROUND FUEL PUMP OR FUEL LINES. SOLUTION: TOOK THE VEHICLE IN TO A MECHANIC TO HAVE FUEL TANK REMOVED TO FIND PROBLEM OF LEAKING FUEL. AFTER IT WAS REMOVED, THE PROBLEM WAS FOUND. THE FUEL PUMP NIPPLE RETURN LINE WAS CRACKED AND BROKEN RESULTING IN LEAKING FUEL DOWN ONTO THE TOP OF THE TANK, CAUSING THE RESULTING FUEL SMELL. TOTAL COST TO REPLACE FUEL PUMP AND LABOR WAS $511.64. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE THAT COULD HAVE RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT OR INJURY DUE TO A FIRE OR OTHER POTENTIAL ISSUES. GENERAL MOTORS SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL OR REIMBURSE AFFECTED OWNERS. *TR

WHILE WARMING UP THE CAR THE POWER STEERING WARNING APPEARED ON THE DRIVER DISPLAY. LOSS OF POWER STEERING WAS CONFIRMED WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT THE POWER STEERING ASSIST REQUIRES REPLACEMENT. I DID DO SOME RESEARCH ON THIS PROBLEM AND FOUND THAT TRANSPORT CANADA HAS FORCED A RECALL BY GM TO REPLACE FAULTY POWER STEERING MODULES IN THAT COUNTRY. WITH MORE RESEARCH I DID DETERMINE THAT THE PART NUMBERS INVOLVED ARE THE SAME IN CANADA AS THE ONES IN THE US. WHY HAS THERE NOT BEEN A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM HERE IN THE US WHEN GM HAS RECOGNIZED THE PROBLEM IN CANADA? *TR

TRANSMISSION WENT BAD RIGHT AFTER 100000 MILES, REVERSE AND 3RD GEAR IS NOT WORKING. I AM ASKING TO GMC TO REPLACE IT SINCE THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF CASES WITH THE SAME SITUATION. *TR

I PURCHASED A 2006 SATURN ION IN MAY OF 2009 FROM ROCKENBACH CHEVROLET IN GRAYSLAKE ILLINOIS. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED THREE TIMES FOR THIS POWER STEERING PROBLEM PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT BY ROCKENBACK MECHANICS. THE MECHANICS SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE, AND THE SALES MANAGER SAID I WAS NOT TO BRING THE VEHICLE IN FOR ANY MORE CHECKS BECAUSE I HAD PURCHASED THE VEHICLE WITHOUT A WARRANTY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED AFTER A START UP FROM AN INTERSECTION WHEN THE POWER STEERING CUT OUT ON JULY 14, 2009. SINCE THAT TIME I HAVE SPOKEN WITH THREE SATURN ION OWNERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS PROBLEM SHOULD BE CHECKED OUT BEFORE ANYONE ELSE IS HURT. *TR

THE VEHICLE SUFFERED TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. DEALER DIAGNOSED THE WELL-KNOWN WAVE PLATE BREAKAGE ISSUE. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN WE-DOCUMENTED FOR YEARS IN VEHICLES WITH THIS TRANSMISSION, AND GM HAS ISSUED VARIOUS TECHNICAL BULLETINS REGARDING THE PROBLEM. WHY IS THERE NO RECALL FOR THIS DANGEROUS PROBLEM? TRANSMISSION FAILURE CAN OCCUR AT ANY TIME, EVEN WHILE DRIVING. *TR

WHILE DRIVING THE CAR WILL RANDOMLY LOSE POWER, THE SECURITY LIGHT BLINKS 3 TIMES THEN THE CAR WILL EITHER REGAIN POWER OR SHUT OFF. *TR

I WENT INTO A PARKING LOT AND OVER A SPEED BUMP WITH A PASSENGER IN THE CAR. AS SOON AS WE WENT OVER THE SPEED BUMP THE LIGHT ON MY DASH THAT SHOWS AN AIRBAG BEING DEPLOYED LIT UP. NOW THE DEALERSHIP SAYS THE PASSENGER PRESENCE MODULE FOR THE PASSENGER AIR BAG IS BAD. SINCE THIS IS A "SMART" AIRBAG SYSTEM THE MODULE HAS TO BE CHANGED AND CALIBRATED AT THE DEALER. THIS WAS ONE OF A VERY FEW TIME I'VE HAD A PASSENGER IN MY CAR AND SEEMS BEYOND COMPREHENSION THAT THIS SENSOR WOULD BREAK WITH SUCH LIMITED USE AND COST $1000 TO REPLACE. I HAVE FOUND THROUGH MY RESEARCH THAT MANY THOUSANDS OF GM PRODUCTS ARE HAVING VERY SIMILAR ISSUES WITH VERY SIMILAR COST TO REPAIR. SURE SEEMS LIKE GM KNOWS THERE IS A PROBLEM BUT HAS FOUND THAT IT'S MORE PROFITABLE TO KEEP REPLACING THEM AT THE OWNERS COST! *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 AURA SATURN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ENGAGE INTO REVERSE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST BUT WAS NEITHER DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

MY CAR WAS BEING PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY ON JANUARY 4TH AROUND 12:30 A.M., WHEN THE KEY WOULD NOT TURN THE CAR OFF, NOR WOULD IT COME OUT OF THE IGNITION. THAT JUST SO HAPPENED TO BE THE WEEKEND OF THE FAMOUS POLAR VOPRTEX, FEATURING A SNOW STORM AND RECORD-BREAKING FREEZING TEMPERATURES. I DROVE MY CAR TO THE NEAREST REPAIR SHOP, AND REQUESTED AN EMERGENCY ROAD SERVICE TECHNICIAN THROUGH MY INSURANCE COMPANY. WHEN HE ARRIVED, THE ONLY WAY HE COULD TURN THE CAR OFF WAS TO REMOVE A FUSE. ONCE EXAMINED ON 1/8/14 BY THE REPAIR SHOP, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE CAR WOULD THEN HAVE TO BE TOWED TO THE NEAREST GENERAL MOTORS DEALER, ADVANTAGE CHEVROLET IN BOLINGBROOK, IL. AFTER BEING NOTIFIED BY THE DEALERSHIP OF WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS, BEING QUOTED THE PRICE OF $431.00 TO REPAIR IT, I RESEARCHED THE IGNITION SWITCH PROBLEM AND DISCOVERED OVER 500 COMPLAINTS ON THE SAME ISSUE, MAKE, AND MODEL CAR AS MINE. I THEN NOTIFIED GENERAL MOTORS' CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO TRY AND AT LEAST GET SOME MONEY OFF THE REPAIR BILL, BUT TO ALSO NOTIFY THEM THAT THERE IS A DEFECT WITH THE 2006 SATURN ION IGNITION SWITCHES. NEEDLESS TO SAY, I GOT NO ASSISTANCE FROM GM WITH THE BILL, AND THERE ARE STILL OTHER CONSUMERS OUT THERE WHO WILL BE MILKED FOR HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS FOR THIS SAME REPAIR. *TR

LOS ANGELES CA. HEADING NORTH BOUND ON 5 FRWY DOING ABOUT SIXTY AND CAR SOUNDED LIKE THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED INTO NEUTRAL, ENGINE WINDED UP IN RPMS, THE GEAR WAS IN DRIVE POSITION, WITH NO ACCELERATION I COASTED TO A STOP AT BOTTOM OF NEXT EXIT. I WAS TOWED TO MY MECHANIC AND WAS TOLD THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF OVER 5500. DOLLARS. I'M EXTREMELY UPSET AND WONDERED IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO TO RECIEVE ANY COMPERNSATION OR ASSISTANCE TO GET THIS REPAIRED? I LOOKED AT INTERNET AND FOUND THERE ARE MANY UNSATIFIED CUSTOMES WITH THE SAME EXPERIENCE. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF THERE'S ANY WAY YOU CAN HELP. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR