SATURN Complaints

WHILE DRIVING THE CAR THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE TRANSMISSION FAILED TO OPERATE. THE ENGINE POWER WAS ALSO REDUCED TO ALMOST 0 AND THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. THIS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING THE CAR AND I WAS FORTUNATE THAT I WAS IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA AT A LOWER RATE OF SPEED. THE DIAGNOSIS BY THE REPAIR SHOP WAS A FAILED WAVE PLATE IN THE TRANSMISSION WHICH SEEMS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE FOR THIS TRANSMISSION. THIS IS A SEVERE ISSUE THAT COULD CAUSE ACCIDENTS BASED ON WHEN THE TRANSMISSION PART WERE TO FAIL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 SATURN AURA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT FROM DRIVE TO REVERSE WHEN THERE WAS A POP IN THE GEAR SHIFTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE SHIFTED TO REVERSE AND THEN INTO PARK BUT THE VEHICLE WAS STILL ENGAGED IN DRIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER FOR INSPECTION WHERE THEY STATED THAT THE SHIFT CABLE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 141,000.

WHEN YOU HAVE WINDSHIELD WIPERS, DEFROSTER AND HEAD LIGHTS THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WILL REST ITSELF WHILE DRIVING. *TR

WHILE DRIVING I NOTICED THE TACHOMETER, SPEEDOMETER, COMPASS, AND OUTSIDE TEMP GAUGES WERE NOT WORKING. I ARRIVED AT MY STOP AND TURNED THE ENGINE OFF. UPON STARTING THE ENGINE AND PROCEEDING ON HOME THE GAUGES ALL WORKED FINE AND HAVE DONE SO SINCE THAT DAY. AFTER THIS HAPPENED, I NOTICED THE AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCKS NO LONGER WORK. (WHICH IS A GOOD THING IN MY OPINION). THIS CAR HAS ALWAYS HAD A HISTORY OF THE COMPASS AND TEMP GAUGE ACTING UP. IF IT AIN'T BROKE THEY CANNOT FIX IT SO THEY SAID AT THE DEALER. ALONG WITH THE GAUGES NOT WORKING AT TIMES, I CANNOT GET THE CHANGE OIL LIGHT TO RESET. I JUST GAVE UP ON THAT AS I DID ON THE OTHER GAUGES. I HAVE CHALKED IT UP TO ANOTHER CHEAP GM PRODUCT WITH POOR CUSTOMER RELATIONS AT THE SATURN DEALER BEFORE GOING OUT OF BUSINESS. NO MORE GM PRODUCTS FOR ME. *TR

WHILE DRIVING MY CAR THE POWER STEERING LIGHT CAME ON AND THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT. AFTER I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON IT WORKED FINE. SINCE THEN IT HAS BEEN GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE/MORE FREQUENT. I CAN HEAR A CLICK WHEN THE POWER STEERING GOES OUT. *TR

I PULLED OVER ON THE EXPRESSWAY TO INVESTIGATE MY TMPS COMING ON FOR NO REASON, ONCE CHECKED AND FOUND NO ISSUES, I ATTEMPTED TO MERGE BACK ON THE EXPRESSWAY, BUT THE SPEEDOMETER SHOT TO 70 MPH AND WAS STUCK AS WELL AS THE REST OF MY GAUGES, THEY ALL SHOWED FAULTY READINGS, AND THE ISSUE WAS NOT SELF CORRECTING AFTER STARTING AND SHUTTING OFF THE VEHICLE REPEATEDLY. THE ONLY WAY TO FIX THE ISSUE WAS TO PULL THE FUSE CONTROLLING THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER, THIS HAS BEEN A RECURRING ISSUE HAPPENING WHEN IT IS RAINING OR THE HUMIDITY IS HIGH. *TR

WHILE MAKING A LEFT-HAND TURN, THE STEERING SEEMED TO CATCH AS IF IT WAS LOCKING UP. THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN WITH EACH LEFT-HAND TURN, BUT IS HAPPENING MORE FREQUENTLY. IT NOW HAPPENS WITH BOTH LEFT- AND RIGHT-HAND TURNS. *TR

VEHICLE 2001 SATURN L200 , WAS BEING DRIVEN AT APPROX 10MPH THRU RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD APPROX 100 YARDS FROM RESIDENCE, APPROACHING STOP SIGN. GM WAS CONTACTED ABOUT RECALL WAS TOLD VEHICLE WAS NOT PART OF RECALL, BY 5 UNITS. VEHICLE SAT FOR 6 MONTHS. I EXAMINED ENGINE FOUND TIMING CHAIN TO BE BROKEN. 4 BENT VALVES, CYL 2 BOTH INTAKE & CYL 4 BOTH EXHAUST VALVES. CYL 2 & 4 PISTONS HAD HEAVY IMPACT MARKS, CYL 1 PISTON HAD LIGHT IMPACT MARKS, FROM THE VALVES HITTING THEM. PARTS REPLACED UPDATED TIMING CHAIN KIT, BALANCE SHAFT CHAIN, TENSIONER & GEARS WATER PUMP & THERMOSTAT CYLINDER HEAD GASKET UPPER KIT CYLINDER HEAD BOLT SET TIMING COVER GASKET KIT DRIVE BELT TENSIONER & DRIVE BELT SPARK PLUGS 4 COST TO REPAIR APROX: $2700 PARTS & LABOR EXAMINATION OF THE PARTS REMOVED SHOW'S THE OILER FOR THE TIMING CHAIN TO BE OF SIGNIFICANTLY SMALLER SIZE THAN THE UPDATED CHAIN OILER IN THE NEW UPDATED TIMING CHAIN KIT. CHAIN WAS EXCESSIVELY WORN AND BROKE AT A LINK, CHAIN TENSIONER WAS IN PIECES. THEIR IS NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT THE ENGINE IN THIS VEHICLE SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE RECALL. *TR

POWER STEERING CUT OFF AND FLASHED A PWR STR ON MY DASHBOARD. AFTER TURNING THE CAR OFF AND TURNING BACK ON, IT WOULD WORK. I HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH THIS FOR ABOUT THE LAST YEAR, AND IT IS PROGRESSIVELY GETTING WORSE. IT WILL WAIT LESS THAN 2 MINUTES BEFORE THE STEERING GOES OUT VS. ABOUT 10 MINUTES WHEN THE PROBLEM FIRST OCCURRED. I HAVE A FEELING THAT BECAUSE I'M HAVING TO TURN THE WHEEL COMPLETELY ALL THE TIME WILL WEAR ON MY AXEL AND CREATE MORE PROBLEMS. *TR

I EXPERIENCED THE SAME ISSUE AS A LOT OF OTHER OWNERS, THE GEAR SHIFT WOULD NOT GO INTO PARK SO THEREFORE MY CAR STARTED TO ROLL AWAY. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS I WAS STILL NOT ABLE TO GET IT IN PARK SO I LEFT IT IN NEUTRAL AND PUT ON THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. TO START MY VEHICLE I HAVE TO HAVE MY CAR IN NEUTRAL OR ELSE IT WILL NOT START. I RESEARCHED THE ISSUE AND SAW THAT THIS WAS AN APPARENT ISSUE THAT SEVERAL OWNERS HAVE SEEN SO I CALLED GM TO GET SOME INFORMATION. THE LADY THAT ANSWERED THE PHONE HAD A HEAVY ACCENT AND IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND HER BUT SHE STARTED A CASE AND TOLD ME TO TAKE MY CAR TO THE LOCAL AUTHORIZED SATURN REPAIR FACILITY. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN INVESTIGATED THE ISSUE AND DETERMINED THAT THIS PROBLEM WAS INDEED THE EXACT ISSUES THAT THE RECALL WAS TO ADDRESS, THE GM SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE WAS NOTIFIED AND THEY REFUSED TO AUTHORIZE THE DEALER TO PROCEED WITH THE REPAIR. HER REASON WAS THAT THE CAR HAD TOO MANY MILES AND THAT THE CABLE BROKE BECAUSE OF NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. THE DEALER INFORMED ME THAT IT WOULD BE CLOSE TO $600 TO REPAIR MY CAR AND AT THE POINT, I INFORMED THEM NOT TO DO THE REPAIR DUE TO LACK OF FUNDS ON MY PART. I AM STILL DRIVING THIS CAR WITH THIS PROBLEM, I JUST HAVE TO REMEMBER TO ALWAYS ENGAGE MY EMERGENCY BRAKE AFTER SHUTTING OF MY CAR. I'M SO GLAD THAT OUR GOVERNMENT AGREED TO BAIL OUT GM AND THEN HAVE THEM OUTSOURCE THEIR CALL CENTER AND REFUSE TO HONOR THEIR RECALLS, GREAT MOVE. UPDATED 6/13/13 *CN INVOICE RECEIVED. UPDATED 06/17/13....UPDATED 10/19/15 *BF UPDATED 11/03/15.*JB