I have had multiple problems with this car, I have had issues with the catalytic converter, a fire in the resonator and 4 or 5 times where the car just stops running and I'm not able to get it to start again for a while. The car has accelerated when my foot was not even on the peddle making me go 65 in 30 with no control over the vehicle. I have also had times where the gas peddle was stuck and I was unable to slow down even when slamming on the brakes. At stop lights the wheels keep spinning when my foot is on the brake and the car moves into the intersection.
2001 Saturn LS electrical complaints
Page 2 of 4: complaints 11 to 40 of 80, newest first, as owners wrote them.
2nd owner of vehicle, tail lamps had over heating issue, the federal safety agency issued recall on 2 june 2005, saturn refuses to address the issue, saying auto is to old. Date for fixing issue is 10 years from date bulletin was issued. Was told by a saturn "customer care rep." that adapters were installed in feb 2009. Auto wasn't registered in 2009, and no adapters have ever been installed. I am a disabled vietnam veteran living on a very meager monthly income and can't afford to replace these lamps. I am driving this auto with no brake lights, aside from anti-collision lamp at top of rear windshield. I hope this letter has more impact than I've been able to achieve, as of today. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
The security system in my 2001 saturn l100 is defective, as many other vehicles of this model and year are experiencing the same problem. After consulting with "customer service rep" (ha!ha!) told to take the car to dealership & technicians will reset the security system. This is a craftsmanship issue caused by defective item. General motors has lost a longtime "be american~ buy american" car buyer. This is theft plain and simple!
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. While parked, the contact noticed that the air conditioner would not activate. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnostics where the technician stated that the wiring harness was found to have been melted. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 109,000. ..updated 09-26-12 *bf updated 10/01/2012
The security light blinks constantly all night long running down my battery in turn the car wont start , I have had the bcm replaced which the dealer said was bad , have had battery replaced and still having the same problem one tech. Says the light is suppose to blink all night another electrical tech says it not the manual say it will blink twice to let you know it is armed. It has cost me a thousand dollars already and the car is still having the same problem.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 saturn l series. The contact stated that the vehicle suddenly stalled without any warning. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle and it was towed to an independent mechanic where the contact was advised that the timing chain was fractured and damaged the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact stated that intermittently, when trying to start the vehicle the key would not turn in the ignition. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 saturn l 200. The contact was driving approximately 70 MPH uphill when the vehicle experienced an abnormal reduction of engine power. In addition, the service engine warning light flashed intermittently and the exhaust became abnormally loud. The contact inquired with the manufacturer in regards to the federal safety agency campaign id number: 03v231000 (electrical system:ignition:module) but was advised that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.
This car has been nothing but problems since the day I bought it (literally) the day I took it home I made it half way there and the check engine light came on !! It was raining. So I took it back and they said nothing was wrong reset the light and sent men home. It drove okay for another two days (not raining outside) until the third day (again raining) I started it up and drove for about 20 minutes and the check engine light came on again and it ran really rough, so again I go back to the dealer they told me there was nothing wrong and again reset the light and said have a nice day. I then proceeded to my nearest auto parts store and picked up my own scanner and checked it myself and found it to be the mass airflow sensor. I took it back to the dealer and explained to them that they could fix it or keep it as I wasn't going to live with this light in my dash. They did fix it after a heated argument and a call to general motors canada. Way to go guys !! No wonder you went bankrupt.
My brake lights have again gone out at the same time. Last time the mechanic stated it was an electrical issue.
I have a 2001 saturn l300 I bought the car 5 months ago 2 weeks after the purchase the check engine light comes on. I took the car to the dealership mechanic which is not affiliated with saturn and was told it was nothing (I think partially in part because I am a female) by the way I was given a 2 week warranty lol! About a month or two ago I noticed that I would go to start my car and it would be dead. Later I realized my lights were staying on after I turned them off. My check engine light returns so I take it to autozone to be diagnosed only to find out I had 18 codes! For a little over a month now I have had to jump my car with each start fearing I will cause further damage and what do you know last night I jump my car and know the battery and abc break light appears causing my car to lose power while in traffic and for the lights that do not want to cease to flash on and off at incoming motorists with my brights I really don't want to cause someone an accident due to saturn faulty cars and its system. Numerous websites I've visited consulting this issue have many other purchasers with similar problems and mutual complaint with the tardiness of saturns action to respond promptly and effectively. I am truly outrageous at this matter and to continue to make payments on this poorly structured vehicle.
My 2001 l200 saturn had a problem with dash lights/and gauges dimming and at times I had no interior dash lights....it ended up being a main module which cost me $595. Seems like reading all the other complaints similar to mine they have been numerous problems. I think this is a saturn problem and they should have taken care of this for free. I have replaced the steering box, struts front/rear...stabilizer rear bar, catalytic converter twice.....I am very disappointed in this car. I have put more money in this than my other two saturn's which I had only normal things; tires, brakes, etc. I wish I had never bought this 3rd one.
Cracked battery case thus causing acid leakage which caused a battery terminal cable bolt to corrode. Thus shorting out the odometer. Do a web search and you will find other saturn owners who have had this same issue. Seeing them made me enter this complaint.
I have had nothing but problems since I purchased this used 2001 saturn in 2001. I have put 2 catalytic converters, steering rack, stabilizer bar, front struts, had a head gasket major problem. I have owned two other new saturn's with no problems...I am roughly disappointed in this car. Also my dash lights dimmed when security light flashed on and when that happened also my temp gauge and gas gauge would go from right to left and then back quickly. I had to have a modular replaced. Again, I am sooooo disappointed with this car. Within the first year of owning this I had two inline fuel filters as the car just stopped while driving...speed went down and down and nothing. Has anyone else had so many problems
I replaced the heater control switch, blower motor, and resistor due to the fact that the heater blower would not work. After doing all the above, the heater still did not work. It appears that the wiring harness behind the heater control was the problem. Two of the prongs in the white plug were burnt and did not allow the dc electric current to go into the heater control unit. It is lucky that the fan went out before it had caught fire. There are two children who ride in the car, one 5 years old and one 9 years old. I was surprised that the 40 amp fuse did not blow even though the circuit kept coming on and off. We had already changed the engine 3-4 years ago because the timing chain broke and saturn would not fix.
I have had to replace the heater control switch two times over the past three years. There appears to be a problem with the wiring harness overheating at the white clip (where it plugs into the heater control unit. If left undetected, it melts the plastic of the switch making it impossible to switch from hi to low. Research on this make and model does not indicate a recall, however, I found an indication that saturn is aware of this problem and has made repairs to correct the situation. I am concerned this may eventually lead to a fire hazard, if not that then a costly repair. I have replaced the blower motor, blower motor resistor and heater control unit. Could cost nearly $1000.00 based on estimates through dealership.
I own a 2001 saturn l200 series timing chain broke for no reason or warning going 50 MPH almost hit saturn refuses to acknowledge the recall on this vehicle timing chain.
I was driving my 2001 saturn and it seemed like it was running okay. I stopped at my daughters house to pick her up for an appointment and when I got back into the car it would not start. I had a mechanic look at it and he said the timing chain was bad. My car has about 60,000 miles on it. I cannot give the exact amount right now because the car is sitting at saturn of boise. I had it towed to the saturn dealership, because I read about the recall of 2001 saturn's for timing chain issues and they said they might be able to help me. Well, they said it was my fault the timing chain went out of it, because the oil had not been changed often enough. That is untrue, but my husband changes the oil every 6000 miles or less, but I do not have any "records" showing this because he is the one to change the oil. They said that it had probably slapped the valves, even though it was not broken so I had to get the engine replaced and they could do it for only $3100. I am having the car towed home and will have a local mechanic change the timing chain. I am glad that I was stopped when it quit working, because I would have lost control of the car. My local mechanics said that the chain should not have given out so soon as I only drive this car 8 or so miles per workday.
Ignition module will not release the key. It removes part way but appears to be stuck. Tried obvious remedies like lubrication with no positive result. Currently I cannot remove the key.
Electrical issues - issues began with dimming dashboard and continued to worsen. Using power window one morning everything began flickering on the dash board including all msg lights and back off again. The car seemed to run fine and the radio didn't die. Initial thought was alternator was telling me that I was about to be stranded 175 miles from home. Driving further any blinker I hit would create same reaction, the last time the car seemed like it was going to die while traveling at 65mph. Parked car at my ending destination and took two times to start back up. Bcm seems to be the culprit as I've seen about 1000 posts from l200 owners with same issue and costing 400-600. It seems as though saturn would not or should not be able to charge for this issue if this is one of the many on the list of problems. This is not ethical and in this time, very unfortunate they would treat customers like this and generate revenue from a faulty car to begin with.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. While driving 30 MPH, the vehicle accelerated out of control. The contact shifted into neutral and drove into a shopping center parking lot. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, but they could not duplicate the failure. The dealer replaced the ignition module, but they were unsure if it was the cause of the failure. The contact stated that if the engine warning indicator illuminates, the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. A report was filed with the manufacturer. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle was repaired according to the federal safety agency campaign id number 03v231000 (electrical system: ignition module) on september 30, 2003. The failure and current mileages were 130,000.
The horn has stopped to sound, the fuse was replaced and the horn was pressed and the fuse blew again. There is no horn on the vehicle now causing it to be very dangerous to drive as deer have run our in front of me while driving and have almost been hit by a car that could have resulted in a number of accidents which could be prevented or noticed with a horn.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. The contact's spouse left the vehicle in drive, removed the key from the ignition, and exited the vehicle. The vehicle suddenly rolled backwards down a hill. There were no injuries. The current mileage was 70,000 and failure mileage was 67,000. Updated 10/03/08 *bf the consumer stated the key should not have been able to be removed with the vehicle in drive. Updated 10/07/08.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. The contact stated that her air bag light illuminated and would not dim. In 2007, she had her air conditioning system serviced, but it continued to fail. She took the vehicle to the dealer several times before the failure was finally corrected. Most recently, as the temperature became hotter in her state, the air conditioning failure recurred. The dealer stated that the alternator was the cause of the noise in the air conditioning. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer regarding a timing belt recall. After discussing the failures with the dealer, the contact was informed that they would only repair the air bag failure if she repaired the issue with the alternator. The recall number was unknown. The current mileage was 86,857 and failure mileage was 86,757.
Ignition switch in all saturn cars if faulty and highly susceptible to locking up whether driving, starting or turning off the vehicle. There is no recall on this part. Where as many consumers have paraded there should be a recall. Instead it is a $150-$300 replacement charge depending on location and vehicle.
2001 saturn l300 won't start, after several repairs including replacing the fuel pump, it still won't start. After being diagnosed, can't still find the problem.
The blinker / light handle on the left hand side of the steering wheel, which also controls the bright lights. When I turn the blinker on either turning left or right, the bright lights come on, and causes the blinker electrical wiring to arc and cause a small fire in the steering column area, which emits smoke into the cabin of the vehicle, also an odor of burning wires. At one point there was a small fire in that area, which caused me to have to pull over and blow out manually (do not have a place for a fire extinguisher in the vehicle). Ever since that day, it has done this, arcing and causing the smoke in the cabin. One time only has it flared up with visible flames and it did not destroy the vehicle, nor caused any other damage of any sort. However it still does cause the arcing in the wiring and cause the smoke to fill part of cabin.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn l300. While driving 30 MPH, the check engine light illuminated and both the speedometer and odometer stopped working. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times for the same failures. The dealer stated that the speedometer stopped working because the battery was losing power. The manufacturer advised the contact to have the vehicle diagnosed and then they would try to assist. The current and failure mileages were 63,642. The consumer stated the above statement is not what she said. While driving, the service engine soon light illuminated. The speedometer and odometer failed at the same time. The consumer stated the failure has happened previously which resulted in the bcm module being replaced. The consumer stated the battery died 2 days after the incident. Updated 12/12/07
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. While driving 65 MPH, the vehicle shut off without warning. The contact heard a persistent knocking sound coming from the front of the vehicle. The failure occurred intermittently and she was unable to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that the instrument panel lights flickered when she depressed the brake pedal. The dealer inspected the vehicle, but was unable to diagnose the cause of the failures. The current and failure mileages were 77,535.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn l300. While driving 45 MPH, the vehicle suddenly lost power. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The dealer stated that the sensor failed and they made the replacement, however, the failure recurred. The dealer was unable to determine the cause of the recurrence. No repairs were made. The current mileage was 64,435 and failure mileage was 63,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn l100. When the contact applied the brakes, the vehicle completely shut off and would not restart. The vehicle was towed to the saturn dealer who stated that the timing chain, alternator, and battery were not working properly. The vehicle has not been repaired. The current and failure mileages were 83,000.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2001 Saturn LS?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history