Left my driveway and started down street. Got a block or so away and car just stopped. Was on main highway. Was very lucky took to garage it is the timing chain. If there was a recall on this I never received it took to gm dealer was told there was never a recall for this *tr
2001 Saturn LS engine complaints
Page 3 of 12: complaints 41 to 70 of 339, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The failure recurred without warning. The contact attempted to restart vehicle, but to no avail. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who advised that the failure was related to the timing chain. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue however, no further assistance was provided. The contact referenced the federal safety agency campaign id number 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The approximate current and failure mileage was 100,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning and failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the timing chain needed to be replaced. There was a recall under the federal safety agency campaign id number: 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling) that may be related to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 138,000.
Heard this strange noise coming from my engine...not sure what it was. Drove a little ore about a mile ad the noise got louder decided to pull over, shut off my car. Tried to turn it back over to see if the noise continued and it would not turn over. Had my car towed to mechanic and was told it was the timing chain (belt). $1000.00 bill. I find out there was a recall on certain VIN's and hundreds more after that complained and nothing is done. That's crap! I am the second owner...the car has only 100,000 on a car that is 11 years old. I have my oil changed every 3000 miles and serviced all the time. I believe this car has a faulty timing chain and I have to pay for it when it is clearly the manufacturers fault. Does someone have to have a fire or die to be covered...it seems that is what your looking for! Could someone please advise!
Tl* the contact owns 2001 saturn l200. The contact stated that that vehicle stalled whenever braking to a stop. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop where the exact failure was not found however the transmission filter and fluid was replaced. The failure ceased for three weeks but later recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with the federal safety agency campaign id number: 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling). They did not provide any further assistance. The contact secured an appointment with the dealer for further inspection. The current mileage was 151,362. The failure mileage was 150,762.
I was going to my part time job on sunday and my car "shut off" on the freeway. I was nearly rear ended by a semi and sidswiped by another car trying to get to the shoulder my hazards where on. I had it towed to a mechanic and they informed me it was the timing chain and the upper end of the engine would need to be rebuilt/replaced. They told me it would be cheaper to replace the engine and those year saturns had a problem with the timing chains. I have since lost my job and quickly aproaching eviction the only reason iam not homeless is because my primary job is 6.8 miles away biking distance .I still owe money on the car so iam now paying $5,000 for a car that needs $2,000 repair I cannot afford. I have owned 2 saturns in the past and they where awesome.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 saturn l series. The contact was driving approximately 30 MPH when the vehicle began to shake with an excessive vibration. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and n authorized dealer who both advised the contact that the timing chain would need to be replaced. The contact referenced the federal safety agency campaign id number: 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling) but was advised that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 37,800.
Driving vehicle on residential street. Car engine stalled out and would no longer run or start. Took it to a mechanic and was told the engine would need to be replaced because the timing chain broke. This car was very gently driven and well-maintained. This should not have happened.
Was driving down the highway when turning right at a stop sign my car just stopped pulled over to the side. Had it towed and was told the timing belt went out and it caused it to break the vals in the car as well have had this car for 10 years so its been a good one for the most part.
While driving 55 MPH the engine shut down. Safely steered car to shoulder of 2 lane highway. Tried to restart car. It would not restart. Had car towed to a saturn certified mechanic. Mechanic found the timing chain had failed. Mechanic is not sure what failed first. (the chain, tensioner or oiler?) mechanic did state the chain guides did not seem excessively worn for the mileage of the car. Mechanic told me gm had problems with the timing chain, gear and oiler sets in this year make and model. Did some research online and decided to report this. We purchased this car new in 2001. Had it serviced every 3,000 miles at the dealer till warranty had expired. Serviced it my self from then on every 3,000 miles. From 36,000 to 157,000 miles we always used full synthetic 5w30 engine oil.
I was driving down a local street in my hometown. I was doing the speed limit and just cruising when all of a sudden I lost all power in my car. I didn't actually notice until I went to push the gas pedal and received no response from my engine. I was able to keep control of the car and get to the side of the road. After looking under the hood and not being able to identify the problem I called my insurance company and they dispatched a tow truck. After getting the car home I called a local mechanic friend of mine hoping he could give me a diagnosis after taking the engine cover off we were able to visibly see that the chain on the left side of my engine was broken. After seeing that he pretty much said I'm looking at a broken timing belt and possibly valve and piston damage. In the end it was obvious that my engine was not fixable. *js
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. The contact was driving approximately 40 MPH when the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where the failure was located at the engine timing belt. The mechanic advised that the timing belt was fractured and caused the engine motor to fail. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 200,000. Updated 06/05/12*lj updated 6/06/2012
The timing chain broke and I found there has been recalls but was told I'm not covered now I have a 6000.00 paper weight!!!!
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. While the contact was driving approximately 20 MPH, the engine reduced speed and immediately stalled. The vehicle failed to restart and the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who recommended that the vehicle be taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis. The vehicle was then towed to a dealer who informed the contact that the timing chain would need to be replaced. The contact referenced the federal safety agency campaign id number: 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling); however the contact's VIN was not included in the recall campaign. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 105,000.
Gm recall #06074 towed to dealer pine belt chevy lakewood n.j. Dealer refuses to make the repairs says theirs a VIN# brake where this # does not cover recall repair from gm I just think they do not want to repair the vehicle .
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. The contact was driving 55 MPH when the vehicle stalled and all of the warning lamps in the instrument panel illuminated. The contact inspected the vehicle and realized that the timing chain was fractured. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign id number: 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling). The VIN was not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 112,000.
Timing chain has slipped causing car to speed up and slow down and stall. Narrowly avoided causing an accident. This failure is reported in security bulletin 06074 yet dealer refuses to honor recall.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 saturn l-series. The contact was traveling 60 MPH when the timing chain fractured. The contact had the vehicle towed to a mechanic were the contact was informed of a recall for the timing chain. The contact spoke with the manufacturer and was told that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency recall campaign id number: 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling). The vehicel was not repaired. The failure mileage was 102,400. Updated 10/27/11*lj updated 12/06/2011
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while accelerating from a stop. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle needed a new motor. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with the federal safety agency campaign id number 07v519000(engine and engine cooling). The failure mileage was 135,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 saturn l series. The contact was driving 50 MPH when the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle coasted to a stop and the contact was unable to restart the engine. The vehicle was towed to a local repair shop for failure diagnosis. The repair shop diagnostic a timing chain failure. The manufacturer was contacted and advised that the contact's VIN did not qualify for repair under the federal safety agency campaign id number: 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling). The vehicle was not repaired and the VIN was unavailable. The failure and current mileage was 95,000. Updated 08/31/2011 *ln
Driving car when noticed it was no longer accelerating. Pushed on gas pedal, nothing, the car had stalled out on a very busy road. Had to try to coast off the road. Steering & brakes were very difficult to use. Car would not re-start. Had it towed, timing chain had broken causing damage to the cylinder.
There were no problems with the car until it died and would not restart. We had it looked at and the mechanic determined it was the timing chain. I saw the recall for the timing chain online and called saturn. They said the recall did not affect my car and the timing chain breaking was a coincidence.
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. The federal safety agency 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.
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 the federal safety agency 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.
I purchased a 2001 saturn l200 in november 2010 in jan 2011 the timing belt broke I had it repaired at the car lot where I bought the car while getting the repairs the mechanic found problems with the valves they sent them to a head shop to be shaved when I got the car back it was running real ruff & loud so I took it back after the repairs from the noise the car didn't have the pulling power as before after a week went by the car wouldn't start I took car back to mechanic and he said it needed a power pack he replaced it then a month or two past when I noticed a oil leak where I park I checked the oil there was no oil in the car it had all leaked out I put 3 quarts of oil in the car in 2 to 3 days I was putting more oil in the car so about every 4 days I was adding oil I took car to 3 mechanics they all told me something different after getting a 4th opinion I had a mechanic to repair the rear main seal,after about a week I notice more oil leaking in the same spots I haven't been able to take car back because the car had a gear cord to break I had it repaired temporary now it is not changing gears at all unless I go under the hood to change it its been one problem after another since I drove this car off the lot I was told by an attorney they couldn't help me because I bought the car as is no warranty and it didn't fall under the lemon law.
My insurance company notified me that my vehicle type (2001 saturn l200) had a recall for the timing chain (the federal safety agency campaign id no. 07v519000 & gm recall no. 06074) . I called saturn and they said although the recall was for my vehicle make, model, and year, that the recall was VIN # specific, and my VIN # wasn't included. My 2001 saturn l200 timing chain broke shortly after that (diagnosed by certified auto techs at tire kingdom), while I was driving on the highway doing about 70 MPH. After this dangerous event occurred (engine cutoff, lost power, control), I was fortunately able to coast to a stop on the side of the highway in the median. It' s possible the timing chain failure caused more internal damage to the engine, but that will have to be looked at. It's estimated to cost around $1400 to repair the timing chain, but that may or may not be the only damage now. If there's more damage, I may need a rebuild or new engine ranging up to $6500. Gm/saturn said there was nothing they could do about the my VIN not being included in the recall. I have researched numerous saturn l200 owners that have the same issue. No one knows how exactly gm/saturn came up with what VIN #'s would or wouldn't be included in that recall, but it seems they only included a few VIN #'s just to "save face." someone could get hurt due to the unreliable design of their timing chain, not to mention the cost associated with this problem. The recall needs to include more VIN #'s. It's not right what gm is doing, getting over on many consumers with a problem design.
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 l200. While the vehicle was being serviced at a local repair shop, the contact was advised by the mechanic that the timing chain would need to be replaced. The mechanic referenced the federal safety agency campaign id number: 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling) but was advised by the manufacturer that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 178,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 saturn l100. While attempting to decelerate with the brakes pressed, the contact noticed that the vehicle stalled without warning and was unable to restart. The vehicle was towed to a private mechanic who inspected the vehicle and informed the contact that the timing chain was fractured and needed to be replaced. Both the dealer and manufacturer advised the contact that his vehicle had not been included in the federal safety agency campaign id number: 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling) and offered no additional assistance. No repairs were performed. The approximate failure mileage was 114,736.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 to 15 MPH, she heard a noise in the engine area and the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who performed a diagnostic and located the failure at the engine timing chain. The dealer replaced the engine timing chain and pistons yet, the failure recurred while the contact was starting the vehicle. The timing chain would need replacing again and the manufacturer was contacted who advised that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign id number: 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer would not assist any repairs and the vehicle was not further repaired. The failure mileage was 63,000 and the current mileage was 88,000.
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