I have a 2000 saturn ls 2.2 the timing chain broke and destroyed the engine.
2000 Saturn LS engine complaints
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Driving on the highway around 55 m.p.h in my 2000 l-seize saturn when engine suddenly shuts down. Coasted to the side of the highway after nearly being rearended had vehicle towed to a mechanic. Was told by mechanic timing chain had broke destroying the engine. Was also told by mechanic this was very common for saturns as there is a defect in the oiling system causing premature wear in the timing chain. Contacted local saturn dealership they are aware of problem and could install a new engine for around 10,000.00$. Currently car is still broke due to shortage of this engine. No surprise with all of them breaking. Very lucky with no power steering,no brakes, and no power to make it to the side of the road.
My 2000 saturn ls1's timing chain broke with no warning and as a result, valves in the engine were bent. My mechanic is in the process of placing a used motor in the car. I recently went online to see if other saturn owners were having similar problems. I was amazed to find that this is a continual problem with saturns from the 2000-2003 time frame and that in fact, a recall was instituted for some. Although my car was not among those recalled, I am willing to bet that it should have been recalled and by entering my complaint, I'm hoping to save other saturn owners from the headaches that I have had.
According to the saturn service advisor, saturn recommends replacing the timing chain at 100,000 miles. After performing $1500 worth of repairs (A/C, axle, oil pan dent, transmission fluid leak, and air filters), the mechanic started to take it for a test drive, and the timing chain broke - at just under 89,000 miles. Since they didn't think the engine was damaged, I authorized them to replace the timing chain for $800. A few days later, I learned that the engine was damaged and had to be replaced - $1500. I chose not to do this and donated the car to the salvation army.
I was driving home from work with the cruise on. I thought the car did something funny, maybe it slowed down so I looked down at my speedometer. The check engine light was flashing, I tapped my brakes. Then more lights started flashing and the car was just slowing down. I thought I should start pulling over to stop so I tapped my brakes and it sounded like something flew off my car. I slowly coasted to a stop. I put the car into park and it wasn't running. I turned off the car and lights and called my husband. It was really scary to have the car just stop on you while you were driving and it wouldn't have been good if people were around. My husband came to see if he could get the car running and when he turned the key it just sounded like metal scraping on metal. It was a horrible noise I have never heard before. We towed the car in the middle of the night to the closest town and in the morning found out they did not fix saturns. Another place in town, when our car broke down 2 months ago, could not even figure out what was wrong with it and recommended we bring it to a saturn dealer (no one closer than 250 miles). We hauled our car to a different mechanic who had worked on it in 2005 when the water pump broke while we were driving it. He has stated that the timing belt broke. It will be at least $1500 and that's if it didn't wreck the engine. We aren't sure if we are going to fix it because we are still paying on the car itself. And we just put about $1200 into it in september. We get the oil changed every month because of the miles we drive and we take very good care of the car. This is very frustrating and I have read online that this has happened to many other people owning a 2000 saturn l series car. I hope that someone will do something about this and fix it! If it is a manufacturing problem then we shouldn't have to pay for it.
My car was paid off in may 2007 and the timing chain broke in november 2007. I brought it into the dealer about a year ago with poor fuel economy, rough idle in the morning, oxygen sensor failure and random cylinder misfire. The dealer could not isolate the problem. They pressurized the fuel system to check for leaks. Cleaned the injectors and charged me 150$... Did not help. They said it was probably a bad injector... Had the injectors checked and they were fine. Had the oxygen sensor replaced 3 times. Nothing helped. Turns out the tensioner on the timing chain was failing. The dealership never thought of this even though it is a very common problem on this motor. Well the problem persisted until the chain jumped and the car would not start. 1250$ is the estimate to install the updated timing chain kit not to mention the cost of a rental car, the time and aggravation caused by a saturn design flaw. Ps. My car has 83,000 miles on it.
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 saturn ls1. While driving 35 MPH, the vehicle accelerated and then decelerated. The contact immediately pulled the vehicle over to the shoulder and it would not restart. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic and he stated that the timing chain failed. As a result, the entire engine was damaged. The current and failure mileages were 108,700.
2000 saturn l series timing chain failure while driving down the road. I was not injured but have concern that someone could be. This is a costly catastrophic and potentially dangerous failure that gm has seemed to know about for some time as evidence shows they released an upgrade timing chain kit. The cost from $2700 to over $4000 to repair. The repair cost could exceed the value of the car.
At 104,000 miles, our saturn lw2 wagon's timing chain suffered complete failure while I was traveling with my wife and infant son. When the timing chain failed, it destroyed the valves on its engine, requiring the complete replacement of the engine. The replacement cost has been estimated at $6,000.
Was driving down a busy interstate at 70mph when I started to hear a loud noise (while pressing the gas down) and lost power. When I had the car looked out I was told the timing belt had broke and probably caused further damage to the engine. New engine was quoted at $3,000.
The timing chain on my 2000 saturn ls (80,000 miles) has slipped, and it's being recommended by my saturn dealer that I replace not only the timing chain, but also the head assembly, as when the timing chain goes, it usually ends up impacting the valves, as well.
My 2000 saturn ls1 was working just fine until all of the sudden I lost all power to the car. The car died while I was driving at 45 MPH in the middle of a busy road. I had both of my children in the car, one of who is 10 months old, and luckily I was not hit by another car. I had the car towed to the shop and they said my timing chain was broken and it caused two valves to become bent and the motor head needs to be replaced.
I own a 2000 saturn ls2. I bought it in 2005 at 26,00 miles. It currently has 74,000 miles on it. There was no rattle or warning, but my timing belt broke 6/7/07 and now my car engine is damaged beyond repair.
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 saturn ls1. While driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled and failed to restart. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who stated that the timing chain was bad and needed to be replaced. The dealer is currently repairing the vehicle. The current and failure mileages were 51,300.
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 saturn ls1. While driving 5 MPH, the vehicle shut off without warning. The dealer stated that the cause of failure was due to the timing chain and performed the repair. Approximately five years later, the contact experienced the same failure while driving 70 MPH. The dealer stated that the timing chain failed again. The current mileage is 82,000 and failure mileage was 30,000.
Timing chain failure on 2000 saturn ls1 @ 80,000 miles. Noticed the federal safety agency investigation is still active on this problem. I was able to get the car to service station without an accident, but am concerned this is a safety issue as car shuts down without warning. Surprised to learn now that gm has a tsb out for this issue, knowing the timing chain does not get enough oil. This car is in being serviced now.
I wish to report the same defect already identified by action number pe06006 (and subsequently ea06-009). The timing chain defect was discovered before complete failure due to very rough idling, and after getting a first opinion from my saturn dealership and a second opinion from a local garage, I paid $820 for a timing change. Saturn refused to cover this obvious defect under warranty.
Engine failure, had to replace the engine at saturn. They told me that the timing chain failed due to poor maintenance. They put a new engine in it which failed 60k miles later with the same problem.
The timing chain on my 2000 saturn ls broke and ruined the engine. We had immediate loss of power in the middle of a busy hwy and barely got out of the road in time. After reading numerous complaints about that problem I decided to write this. They need to issue a recall on this, since they will not pay the $3400 to get my engine replaced. This is the 3rd defect on the car that has cost me money to fix before a recall.
Tl* - the contact stated that on december 10, 2006 when he went to get his 2000 saturn ls 122216 inspected the vehicle failed the inspection due to the fuel system gasoline; storage tank assembly leak. The contact paid for the repairs. The contact stated that his car was experiencing the same problems as campaign number 99v197. The contact requests to get reimbursed for the repairs because of denied reimbursement from the manufacturer. *nm updated 2/22/2007 - coolant was also found to be leaking
My daughter was driving our 2000 saturn ls1 in downtown louisville, ky on 12/19/06. The car died as she was driving. She was able to get over to the side of the road. She was carrying two small children in the car at the time. After analysis by a mechanic it was found the timing chain had broken and ruined the engine. Estimated repair cost is $4000. I am turning the car in for salvage.
I was driving my 2000 saturn ls1 and the car lost all power, almost causing an accident. Luckily, I was able to stop the car and avoid other traffic in motion when I lost all power brakes and power steering. The car was towed to a mechanic shop and they found the timing chain broke and the engine can not be repaired. The car only has 68,000 miles and could have caused a major accident with my children in the car. I am unable to afford the engine replacement and I still owe $1500.00 on the loan.
Dt*: the contact stated while accelerating from a stop sign at 10 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to the independent shop who determined that both timing chains were fractured. The parts were replaced; part no. Rc1031. Also, the mechanic observed that when the timing chain fractured it ruined all the oil valves and seals. As a result, a new oil valve and seals had to be replaced as well. The manufacturer was not notified.
Car was running normally car stopped running due to the timing chain breaking entire engine must be replaced.
Saturn 2000 lw200. Wife returned home from an errand and parked the car. Next day she tried to go to work, car would not start. Had it towed to a shop. They think the timing chain slipped (maybe). Mechanic is not 100%. It broke something in the engine, piston, cam shaft not sure. Engine has about 77k. Unable to fix the car at this time as I do not have an estimated 3300.00 to repair using a used engine.
On the 27th of may I had my saturn ls serviced due to a timing chain failure. After spending 3k in repairs I notice a oil leak approx. 3 months later. 3 months to the day of having the repair work done my engine lost power again. The service tech quoted another 2k repair cost to get the car back up and running. The fault was due to low oil pressure over a period of time. My response to that is when I had the car repaired and serviced I should have left with an engine in good repair and a car full of oil. I have purchased 3 saturns and after this incident I can guarantee I won't even consider another saturn or gm car.
1) my car was operating normally until 8/26/06, when I noticed an oil leak. I discovered a 3" fissure in the valve cover, over the timing chain. 2) I removed the valve cover and discovered that the timing chain had ground away the upper guide and was working on "chewing through" the valve cover. The timing chain had not yet broken, but had it done so, I would be looking at over $2000 of engine damage. I was unable to drive the car until I repaired the timing chain issue. 3) according to a saturn tsb 03-06-01-017, the original design of the oilier for the timing chain was ineffective. I have bought a "new design" timing chain kit from the dealer and installed it myself. I will keep all the old parts (guides, valve cover, chain, tensioner, etc. For a couple of months if the federal safety agency wants them.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving various speeds, there was a rattling noise coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer who determined the timing chain was worn and needed replaced. The manufacturer was alerted. Updated 11/21/2006- when the consumer started the vehicle a loud noise was heard coming from the engine compartment. While driving hth noise became louder. The consumer contacted eh manufacturer about the faulty timing chain but they offered no assistance.
The timing chain on my 2000 saturn ls1 (with 80,000 miles) failed while driving at full speed (55 MPH) on the highway. The vehicle lost power and I had to pull off the highway. No warning or previous vehicle malfunction pointed to a need for maintenance. The time chain failure can cause severe engine damage and require complete engine replacement. My vehicle is currently being looked at to determine the full extent of the damage. At a minimum, the timing chain replacement will be $600. Complete engine replacement could be in the range of $3-4,000. It appears that this is a common problem for several saturn models at relatively low mileage and may be due to poor design on the chain lubrication system.
The timing belt on my 2000 saturn ls1 broke on july 20, 2006 with no warning. The car has approximately 65000 miles on it, so I believe there is absolutely no reason for the timing chain to break except that there is a manufacturing defect in the car. The saturn dealer told me that the entire engine would need to be replaced at a cost of $6000-$7000. I understand that timing chain failure is not uncommon in these cars and that the federal safety agency is investigating - thank you.
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