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Saturn L300 stalling problems

14 of the 128 owner complaints about the Saturn L300 describe engine stalls while driving, most of them for the 2004 model year.

owner complaints
14
worst model year
2004
typical mileage
77,000
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.

By model year

What owners say

Filed Aug 31, 2017 · Engine · 129,472 miles · OK

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 saturn l300. While driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was determined that the serpentine belt had fractured and entered into the engine compartment. In addition, the mechanic noticed a large hole in the engine cover, which allowed the drive belt to enter into the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and referred the contact to the dealer. The vehicle was towed from the independent mechanic to hudiburg chevrolet in midwest city, oklahoma. Per the manufacturer's recommendation, the vehicle could not be diagnosed because the engine had been disassembled by the contact's mechanic. The failure mileage was 129,472.

Filed Mar 8, 2015 · Brakes, Engine · 125,000 miles · NJ

Car stalled while driving in traffic and would not restart. Car also failed to start on some mornings and also after filling at gas station. Its seems that this issue can go on for sometime between the times it happens.

Filed Nov 22, 2014 · Electrical · 66,010 miles · FL

The car just shuts down while in motion. Most of the time it shuts off when trying to stop the vehicle. It will eventually crank up in about an hour only to shut down again. The car shut down as I was with my wife and daughter on I-95 going 65 MPH. We were stranded for about 3 hrs. On the interstate before the car cranked back up. The vehicle was purchased through drive time and has a warranty on it . After complaining to the company about the vehicle they instructed me to have a diagnosis done on it to find out what the problem was. I was also informed that a recall was out for saturn cars from the news. I contacted gm and explained what was happening and they gave me a case number but also stated that the model car I have was not on the recall list and for me to take it to a gm dealership near me to have another diagnosis done on the car which was an extra $125. U.s.a auto service performed a diagnosis on the car the to see if it was the ignition switch that was causing the car to shut completely off while the car was moving. They could not get a diagnosis from the ignition. I contacted the warranty company for drive time and they informed me that nothing was covered because it was electrical. Then I called gm back and told them the car was not safe to drive and what the diagnosis report said and they told me that there was nothing they could do unless I paid the $125 with them to have another one done. Then they would determine if it was the ignition. I am at my wits end because nobody wants to take responsibility for the electrical system that will cost close to $1,000 to have fix. I am currently making payments on this car and can't afford all this money. I had the car serviced with u.s.a auto service because drive time requires you to keep up with the maintenance of the car which I faithfully did. Now the whole electrical system has failed.

Filed May 19, 2014 · Engine · 93,000 miles · FL

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn l300. While driving 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, but they could not diagnose the cause of failure. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 93,000.

Filed Apr 3, 2014 · PA

I have had problems with the vehicle stalling on numerous occasions while driving without warning, the last being on april 1, 2014, when I was almost rear-ended by another vehicle. I strongly believe that this particular make and model, being the l300, should be added to the recall list, as numerous complaints have been made by other drivers and still nothing is being done to alleviate any of the issues raised. I cannot comprehend why other vehicles of the same make, being a saturn, are being recalled, yet individuals owning the l300 experiencing theses same issues are being ignored. It is clearly apparent that numerous complaints have been and are being by individuals experience these problems which are blatantly being ignored. I strongly urge that this model, the l300 be added to the recall list. It should not be the responsibility of the owner for something that is so egregiously defective that was clearly known about for over 10 years.

Filed Mar 2, 2014 · Fuel system · 62,129 miles · NY

I own a 2004 saturn l300 and my dad owns a 2002 saturn lw300 (wagon). We both had troubles with a leaking fuel pump which is a terrible fire hazard. There have been many recalls on the saturn ions with the same problem, but the l300 have not been recalled. 2004 saturn - I had my fuel pump replaced on 5/23/2012 with 62,129 miles. I would parked the car and smell fuel so I decided to bring my car to my regular mechanic. The fuel was coming from the fuel pump towards the top of the pump. It cost me $881.01. At that time I thought I should have no problems with a fuel pump for another 75 to 100k miles. I was driving on the highway doing about 55 to 60 MPH and my car stalled out. At first I thought it was a computer glitch or just a bad sensor. Next day same problem. My car stalled out on the highway. So I took the car back to my regular mechanic. At the end result it was a defective fuel pump again. My car was not getting enough fuel pressure when the car reached 50+ MPH. The mechanic was very nice and didn't charge me for the part, but it cost me another $283.78 just for labor. Between the first pump / second pump it happened within 22 months and 24,143 miles. I have spend $1165 between the first / second fuel pumps not counting my father. I definitely understand parts wears out as car ages. Replacing two fuel pumps within 86k miles is unacceptable. I should be reimburse for gm negligence and I hoping you look into this so other drivers and cars do not catch fire and cause serious accidents on the highway. It is very scary when you are driving on the highway and your car stalls out. It is not fair and car manufactures do not want to help consumers like me until people gets killed and love ones loose families. If you have any questions or need me to clarify anything up, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Filed Jul 21, 2012 · Electrical, Engine · 84,500 miles · CA

Engine stalls after 10 minutes of driving. Won't start again for 2 or 3 hours only to run for 10 minutes and stall again. Sometimes engine will stall while idling. Sometimes the engine light with the wrench in it comes on and the vehicle starts to shift roughly. If I turn off the vehicle and start it again, this light goes off and the vehicle shifts normally.

Filed Oct 21, 2010 · Engine · 60,000 miles · MO

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn l300. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing a recurring failure in which it would stall while driving at any speed, without warning. The contact would allow the vehicle to cool off before he was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to several authorized dealers as well as independent repair facilities where they were unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was repaired but to no avail. The vehicle continued to stall intermittently at any speed. The failure mileage was 60,000 and the current mileage was 62,000.

Filed Feb 13, 2008 · Transmission · 81,000 miles · PA

I own a 2004 saturn l300 sedan. On october 25, 2007, I was driving my car on the highway in the passing lane going about 65 to 70 MPH and the car stalls and the gas pedal shows no response. The car engine warning light comes on along with the service engine light and loss of power light on the dashboard. I had to crossover a lane and pull the car over. While putting the car in park the car shakes. I turn the ignition off and start the car again and I am able to go but the transmission shifts very hard. There were no precursor signs that the car was having problems. The car was towed to the saturn dealership, and they expressed that code p0606 showed up and that they had to replace the engine control module (ECM/PCM) because it was faulty. On january 31, 2008, I was driving on the freeway and the car stalled again while I was in the passing lane. I took the car to an auto parts store so that they could get a quick scan on the computer. Again the code p0606 shows up. I had the gentleman print me out a copy of the code, for my own record. The receipt stated that the probable cause for the problem is a failed ECM. So I return to the saturn dealership to have them check up on the problem. Later that day, they told me that they could not find the problem and then when I showed them that I had the codes read just before I came in, they had told me that "yes , that code came up, but that was an old code from before, so we just erased it". Even though I had proof that it was a new code, they ignored my concerns. On february 12, 2008, just 12 days after being in the shop, it happened again. I was driving down the highway and the car stalls while I am in traffic going about 65 MPH. I again go to the auto store to obtain the receipts of what is wrong with the car. The same code comes up again p0606 (ECM/PCM fault). I take it to the dealership and the decide to replace to mass air sensor because that's what they think is wrong with it.

Filed Feb 13, 2008 · Engine · 77,000 miles · PA

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 saturn l300. While driving 60 MPH, the engine stalled. The engine was still running, but the vehicle would not accelerate. The low power and engine warning indicator lights illuminated after the failure occurred. The vehicle was pulled over and restarted. The dealer replaced the ECM, but the failure continued. The dealer stated that the vehicle needed a new air sensor and they made the replacement. The failure mileage was 77,000 and current mileage was 82,000.

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

Questions about the Saturn L300 stalling

Which Saturn L300 years have engine stalls while driving problems?

The model years with the most reports are 2004 (8 complaints), 2003 (4 complaints) and 2005 (2 complaints).

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