SATURN Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SATURN LS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH THE CONTACT HEARD A TICKING SOUND IN THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MECHANIC STATED THE TIMING CHAIN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THE TICKING SOUND WAS CONSTANT AND COULD BE HEARD WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND WHILE DRIVING. NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 07V519000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) MAY BE RELATED TO THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

I HAVE A 2008 SATURN OUTLOOK THAT HAS A FAULTY HEADLIGHT. AT FIRST, I THOUGHT IT WAS A BULB AND PURCHASED A NEW ONE. THEN, IT WENT OUT AGAIN A FEW WEEK LATER. DID THE SAME THING AGAIN, PURCHASED A BULB AND REPLACED IT. THAT WENT OUT SHORTLY ALSO. FINALLY HAD TO TAKE TO DEALER. TURNS OUT TO BE A FAULTY WIRING HARNESS AND IT COSTS HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS TO FIX. BECAUSE I WAS OUT OF MY BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY BY THAT TIME THE FIX WAS NOT COVERED EVEN THOUGH IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY WHEN IT FIRST WAS A PROBLEM. MY WARRANTY EXPIRED DURING THE TIME I WASTED WITH CHANGING BULBS. BASED ON MY RESEARCH THIS HAS BEEN A CHRONIC KNOWN PROBLEM FOR GM FOR SEVERAL YEARS, YET GM HAS NOT RESOLVED THE SITUATION WITH A RECALL. *TR

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, THE DRIVER HEARD A LOUD "POP" FROM REAR OF CAR. AFTER PULLING OVER THE DRIVER SAW THAT THE TOP OF THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL WAS TIPPED IN. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED SATURN REPAIR FACILITY. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE RIGHT REAR LATERAL LINK ASSEMBLY BROKE. THE MOUNTING BOLT BROKE CAUSING THE MOUNTING FLANGE TO BRAKE OFF OF THE FRAME. THIS ACTION ALSO CAUSED THE FRAME TO BEND. IT WAS NECESSARY TO REPLACE THE FRAME, LINKS, CONTROL ARMS AND SHOCK ABSORBER. TOTAL COST TO ME WAS $1,602.00 SATURN SAID THEY WERE NOT RESPONSIBLE AND WOULD NOT PAY FOR ANY EXPENSES. THE DRIVER WAS TRAVELING AT 30 MPH, DID NOT HIT A POT HOLE OR OTHER OBJECT. THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT INVOLVED, AND NO ONE WAS INJURED. THESE ARE NOT PARTS THAT REQUIRE PERIODIC MAINTENANCE OR UPKEEP. THE PARTS ON THIS CAR FAILED. IF THIS FAILURE WOULD HAVE OCCURRED ON AN INTERSTATE ROAD GOING AT A MUCH FASTER RATE OF SPEED, I CAN'T IMAGINE THE CONSEQUENCES. THANK YOU.

LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT WENT OUT IN DECEMBER 2010. REPLACED BULB. LIGHT WENT OUT AGAIN IN JULY 2011. WIRE CASING IS MELTED. KNOWN ISSUE WITH GM/SATURN. *TT

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE KEY WOULD NOT DISENGAGE FROM THE IGNITION. THE CONTACT HAD TO HAVE THE FUSE IN THE ENGINE DISCONNECTED IN ORDER FOR THE VEHICLE TO SHUT OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 88,000.

DOOR LOCKS WILL UNLOCK AT HIGHWAY SPEED ON THEIR OWN DOOR LOCK SWITCHES ARE UNRESPONSIVE ONLY MANUAL LOCKING OR KEYLESS ENTRY FOB WILL LOCK OR UNLOCK WHILE VEHICLE IS IN OPERATION. AS A SAFETY MEASURE I THOUGHT THE KEYLESS ENTRY WAS DISABLED DURING OPERATION OF VEHICLE. *TT

TRANSMISSION SHIFT CABLE 2008 SATURN AURA XE: THE TRANS. SHIFT CABLE IN MY 2008 SATURN AURA WITH 47,305 MILES HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE CAR WOULD NOT START, I TRIED TO HAVE A PASSERBY JUMP THE VEHICLE BECAUSE INITIALLY I THOUGHT MAYBE IT WAS THE BATTERY. WHEN HE LIFTED THE HOOD AND BEGAN TO PLACE THE CABLES ON THE BATTERY THE VEHICLE ROLLED FORWARD ALMOST KNOCKING HIM DOWN. LUCKILY I WAS IN THE CAR AND FELT THE VEHICLE MOVE AND PLACED MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE PUSHING ON THE SHIFTER TO THE POSITION FOR PARK BELIEVING THAT MAYBE IN ERROR I HADN'T HAD THE VEHICLE IN PARK BUT IT WAS IN PARK ALREADY - I THEN APPLIED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. WHEN THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER CAME TO TOW THE VEHICLE I EXPLAINED I COULDN'T GET THE VEHICLE INTO PARK AND THAT IT HAD MOVED ALMOST RUNNING OVER SOMEONE. HE SAT IN THE VEHICLE AND PUT IT IN NEUTRAL AND STARTED THE CAR STATING THAT IT WAS IN NEUTRAL SAFETY MODE BECAUSE THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT CABLE WAS STRETCHED OR BROKEN. THE CABLE HAS BEEN REPAIRED BY ME AND WASN'T COVERED UNDER A RECALL OR WARRANTY. *TT

IN DEC 2008 I HAD TO REPLACE THE ENGINE IN MY 2001 SATURN L200, WHICH HAD 63,220 MILES, DUE TO FAULTY TIMING CHAIN. THE MECHANIC CALLED SATURN AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO RECALL, HOWEVER I AM FINDING OUT THERE IS A RECALL ON TIMING CHAINS(PER SATURN VIN#S 1Y504884-1Y559453). MY CAR FALLS WITHIN THAT RANGE AND I AM TOLD IT IS NOT INCLUDED. I CALLED NHTSA AND WAS TOLD THEY ARE NOT GIVEN VIN SPECIFIC INFORMATION. IT IS RIDICULOUS TO FIND THIS MANY PROBLEMS WITH A VEHICLE AND NOBODY WANTS TO HELP CONSUMERS. *TT

THE TURN SIGNALS WORK ONLY INTERMITTENTLY. THEY WILL WORK AND THEN STOP WORKING, REQUIRING A RESTART OF THE VEHICLE TO GET THEM WORKING AGAIN. *TT

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT POWER STEERING WOULD FAIL SPORADICALLY. THERE WAS AN UNUSUAL CHIME THAT SOUNDED AS THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 78,864.