The timing chain on my 02 saturn l100 broke causing the car not to start. After reading some of the blogs, I feel fortunate that I was parked when its failure revealed itself.
2002 Saturn LS engine complaints
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My wife's car quit running suddenly. We had it towed to the dealer who reported that the timing chain had broken and repairs would cost $3200, indicating additional damage besides the broken chain. There was no accident, nor were there any injuries. We purchased the car new from the dealer and have had all recommended maintenance performed by the dealer. The car has ~97000 miles on the original engine.
I was driving on the highway at +/- 18:50, on november 18th 2008 with my 2002 saturn l200 when the engine suddenly stalled or cut out. I had to quickly try and switch lanes to get to the right-hand side of the highway while the car was losing speed. When the car stopped I tried to start it again but to no avail. I called my insurance company to have the vehicle towed to the nearest saturn dealership I.e. Saturn of plano. The next morning I phoned the dealership to confirm that my car was there and that I would like them to investigate what is wrong. They phoned back explaining that my timing chain had broke and that it there is a very good chance that my valves where damaged and a 50/50 chance that my pistons were damaged as well. They can't tell exactly what might be damaged until they open the engine which is going to cost me $800 (on top of the investigation charges etc). They said I have 2 options: 1) let them open the engine and determine to see what is damaged of which the outcome might be: a. Valves are damaged - replace engine head for at least $2491 b. Pistons are damaged - replace engine with second hand for at least $3800 or 2) replace the engine from the beginning then I won't have to fork out the initial $800 and it would only cost me at least $3800 when I asked what I could have done to prevented this the answer was: "nothing" and that the chains normally last longer than 100,000 (I think my mileage on the car now stands at about 104,000). I serviced my car at least 3 times at that dealership in the past 12 months and have forked out about +/- $3000 already in the last 12 months - so spending another $3000 or more doesn't sound like a worthy investment. The thing that upsets me is the fact they don't mention that hundreds of other people have experienced similar issues and offer to fix it. Their customer service said that I should first pay the $800 for investigation before they could comment on possible assistance etc. Yet it is their fault.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 saturn l200. While driving less than 50 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was unable to be restarted. An independent mechanic investigated the failure and discovered that the timing chain failed and some of its components fell into the engine. The failure and current mileages were less than 74,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 saturn l100. While driving less than 50 MPH and accelerating, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle would not restart and was towed to an independent mechanic. The mechanic stated that the timing chain was defective. The manufacturer stated that there was a recall for the same year, make, and model vehicle; however, his VIN was not included. The failure and current mileages were 145,000.
Timing chain broke while driving.
Timing chain on my 2002 saturn sl2 broke while pulling out of my driveway. Local saturn dealer claims they had a recall only on 2001 models. Looking at the federal safety agency there seems to be multiple investigations into this problem. Please reference pep08-061.
The car was idling really rough earlier in the day. I was going to the dealership to have it looked at but only got a few feet before the car died. It tries to turn over but no luck. A mechanic friend said it seems to be the timing belt. After review on this and other websites I tend to agree. It's been towed to the dealership and I'm awaiting my diagnosis. If it is in fact the timing belt and saturn knew about this problem why didn't they fix it? A recall would be great but if not that at least notify us of the problem so we can decide whether or not to have it fixed. I'm really upset that this could have happened with my 4 year old and 5 month old in the car with me. Do something saturn!!
Driving down the road, car lost all power, it will not turn back on car has 90,000 miles. Just had water pump replaced 1 mont earlier for leaking. 2002 saturn l100 believe it is the timing chain.
Timing chain on 2002 l200 sedan with 2.2 l engine broke while traveling on interstate at 65 MPH, causing vehicle to stall and refuse to start. This car had not had any problems prior to the unexpected break. Luckily, it was very early in the morning (6:10 am) and traffic was minimal. I did manage to get the car to the edge of the road safely. If this had happened at a busier time, my life would have been in danger. In addition to the timing chain needing replacement, all valves and the head needed to be replaced. Car has been in the shop for a week and cost is estimated to be at least $ 2,500.00. Blue book price for this car is $ 4,165.00.
Was driving at about 25-30 MPH and the engine stalled and would not restart. Created an immediate traffic hazard in rush hour traffic and could not move off curbed roadway. Towed to repair where diagnosis is broken timing chain. After researching on the internet found recall on 2001 version of same vehicle. Now I read there is an investigation and same concerns in 1999-2003 versions of this vehicle. I also read that saturn is claiming these would probably happen when the car is in park due to heavy load on chain at that time. Mine failed at approximately 25-30 MPH! I also read that in reopening this case the federal safety agency is especially interested in the number of these failures in years other than 2001 in which the vehicle was on the road. Mine fits this situation. My car is being repaired but I believe that saturn should pay the bill as my engine is the same one that is recalled just a year later. Saturn didn't know about this problem in 2002 so why would they have made a change in the engine? Saturn obviously knows this is the tip of the iceberg and is hoping to get by with a one-year recall when it should be more. I have maintained timely maintenance of my 2002 saturn with routine work (oil changes, etc). The vehicle has 99,000 miles on it.
Timing chain broke on our car 2002 l-series saturn that has 50,000 miles on it. This is a common problem and only the 2001 year make of my car is covered on a recall, even though my car was purchased in 2001. The dealer just worked on this part 5 months ago and they deny that the two problems are related.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 saturn l200. While driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The dealer stated that the engine's timing chain failed and needed to be replaced at the cost of $3,000. The manufacturer stated that because his model year was not affected by the federal safety agency campaign id number 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling), they would only assume partial financial responsibility. The contact is in the process of having the vehicle repaired. The failure and current mileages were 90,000.
Complete loss of power while driving down the road. Mechanic reported that the timing chain failed. There was no warning or indication that there was a problem prior to the failure. Service report from saturn dealership, when taken in for routine maintenance, a few weeks before, did not list any problem with the timing chain. Saturn service representative actually said this car does not have a timing chain. Had the timing chain replaced but engine has no compression, on two cylinders. Estimated cost to repair engine damages, as a direct result of the timing chain breaking, exceeds the value of car. I have the old chain, on which, one of the links failed. The car has 78k miles. The failure occurred at approximately 25 MPH under light to moderate acceleration.
I was driving on the pennsylvania turnpike at 65 MPH at night. When suddenly I heard a noise in the engine and the car immediately starting slowing down. I nearly was involved in accident with two tractor trailers trying to make to the side of the road. This is the first time I had a timing belt brake. I took the car to saturn, they replaced the head asm,core-head, gasket as, chain pgk, seal asm, bolt asm, gasket-en, bolt-6, and bolt hv. The total repair cost was $2,780.34.
2002 saturn l 200 had complete engine failure while on route 197 and car stopped in middle of road and wouldn't restart. Car has about 60k miles on it. Fortunately my daughter was able to get the car off the road. Problem was found to be timing chain failure with destruction of the engine. Saturn reviewed our maintenance record, deemed it "excellent" and said it would cost me only $3500 to get a rebuilt engine put in. They refused to acknowledge any problem with timing chain. I am reluctantly going forward with repair because I can't afford a new car now, but I think this problem could lead to more serious consequences for other drivers and timing chain problem in all l200 should prompt recall.
My 2002 saturn l200, purchased from saturn of schaumburg in december of 2005, no longer runs because of a 'serious design flaw in the timing chain mechanism'. The vehicle has only about 48,000 miles on it and the timing chain broke while I was driving. This caused the valves in the engine to bend. I was told by saturn of schaumburg that this problem did not effect my make or year, only 2001 vehicles. I was further told that this problem 'hardly ever happened with the l-series' however, upon further investigation I discovered that the timing chain assembly used in the recalled vehicles was also used in model year 1999 through 2003 saturn l-series vehicles with 2.2 liter engines, which would include my vehicle. I got this information from consumer affairs. I also found that saturn has repaired 2,932 vehicles under warranty because of timing chain failures and there are another 890 consumer complaints regarding this problem. When I called with this new information I was told that I had to tow my disabled vehicle to saturn for their diagnosis at additional cost to myself before they could tell me if any of the cost of repair (estimated at $2,272.00 by an independent mechanic) would be covered by saturn. I also spoke to tim in saturn's customer service center, who said he would try to get the diagnosis charged waived, but probably wouldn't be able to. He also informed me that since I purchased the vehicle used, if saturn did decide to cover something it was highly unlikely that they would cover 100%.
My 2002 saturn l series car had the exact same thing happen to it as your #07v519000. The timing chain broke while I was driving and engine stalled and it would not restart. Luckily there was no crash.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 saturn l200. While driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle lost power and the battery warning light illuminated on the instrument control panel. The vehicle was inspected by a local service shop and they stated that the timing chain failed, which caused the valve in the engine to fail also. The dealer stated that the repair would cost $2,300. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 60,000.
I have a 2002 saturn l200 with 37157 - the timing chain snapped on a major highway at 60 MPH. I called saturn who said this is not covered in any way.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 saturn l200. While driving between 55-60 MPH, the engine stalled and would not restart. The vehicle was coasted off the road and towed. There were no warning indications prior to the failure. The first diagnosis was that the fuel pump and fuel filter needed to be replaced. After they were replaced, the failure still persisted. The second diagnosis was that the timing chain needed to be replaced. The current and failure mileages were 100,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 saturn l300. While driving the vehicle at various speeds, the exterior lights remain illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the switches for all the lights on the vehicle needed to be replaced. The check engine light was illuminated because the engine module computer needed to be replaced along with other sensors. The contact also stated that the oil housing failed. While getting an oil change at jiffy lube, the contact was informed that the oil housing screw was loose and the filter could not be changed. The current mileage was 82,564 and failure mileage was 500.
Timing chain failure on my vehicle caused the car to stop suddenly while driving around 65mph on a highway. The saturn technician said my chain 'snapped in two' and caused damage to the head. After brief research I found that this is a common issue with the ecotec engine in the saturn l-series from 2000-2003. Saturn was very unwilling to help or accept any sort of responsibility.
This vehicle has had 3 catalytic converters replaced. The first one when the car was made, second one was installed 09/17/2004, which was put on backwards by the dealership, which caused my exhaust manifold to crack in several places and the third catalytic converter was installed on 03/03/2005, six months after the second one. I have strong exhaust fumes inside my vehicle. I have asked the saturn dealership why so many converters are having to be replaced and they tell me it's either cheap gas or lack of tune-ups. They want $2,000.00 to replace the manifold and another converter. Also, my head lights keep flickering. I am the second owner of this car, so when I started having problems with it, I had the dealership do a history summary on the vehicle and noticed the first owner had the same problems that never had been resolved.
I was driving to champaign traveling about 60 MPH when the saturn l200 died. The steering wheel locked and I was lucky to make it to the side of the road. I had my kids with me and they were terrified! I had the car towed to saturn of champaign. They called and told me that the timing chain had broken. I was shocked because it totaled the engine. It was just after christmas and I had no money. Saturn told me I needed a new engine $2700. I had to get a loan for the repairs which has caused more financial problems. I just found out that they new there was a problem with the part and said nothing!
My wife was driving our 2001 saturn l200 to work at highway speed when the engine stalled and would not restart. She was able to coast to the side of the road without causing a collision. Diagnosis by a gm mechanic found that the timing chain had broken, causing 6 exhaust valves to bend. We are currently pursuing our options for repair.
Our 2002 l200 saturn had the timing chain fail at aprox 79,000 miles. Cost to repair this was $2973.15 that is including the cost of towing o the dealer. The timing chain should not of failed at 79,000 miles. They need to include 2002 l200's in the recall that they already have on the 2001 l series cars for the timing chain on those. There is obviously a problem with the 2002's as I have read many others with this year having the same problem.
Ignition control module and catalytic converter failure. Car would not run.
Electronic ignition and catalytic converter went out. Car would not operate.
Saturn l200 2.2 ecotec - timing chain failed while at highway speed on route 2 in lincoln ma. Drifted to stop on side of road. The engine was ruined and required replacement.
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