On friday, january 29, 2010, my daughter was driving on the highway, when the car started knocking and then just cut off. She was not able to restart it and struggled to quickly guide it to the shoulder of the road. She then called a wrecker who towed it to a local garage. They ran an analysis and discovered the timing chain had broken. He said , in his opinion, that this was highly unusual which spurred us to search the internet to learn if this was a documented problem with other 2002 saturn l200's with less than 100,000 miles, and apparently it is. We called the only saturn dealership left in our city and were told that her VIN number was not on the recall list. With all that I have read in the past 24 hours, I find it very hard to believe this problem is only limited to just the 2001 l200 series. Saturn seems not to want to help in any way, shape or form other than to bring the car in and replace the parts and/or engine at our expense! This is not acceptable for her or anyone else with similar problems! She has always taken good care of this vehicle. If my daughter had not had the presence of mind to get the car off the road when she did, there could have been a far different outcome!
2002 Saturn LS transmission complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 26 of 26, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The timing chain broke. The car was properly cared for and maintained, receiving oil changes and other preventive maintenance at the appropriate times.
I was driving home on 7/26/08 saturday night, and all of the sudden my engine just shut off. I had no warning and almost got in an accident. I pulled over and had to push the car into a parking lot at 11:00 pm. I did hear a noise from the engine right before it stopped, but I had no idea what it was. I had my mechanic tow it to his shop only to have him call me and tell me the timing chain had broken. It is going to cost 2000.00 dollars to fix and I am a single mother, and don't have that kind of money. I guess I am trying to figure out why saturn can get away with only recalling certain year cars for this problem!!!! My car is a saturn l200 series, and I got it in 2002. It only has 45000 miles on it, and I can't believe this timing chain randomly broke!!! They should be held accountable for all the cars in question no matter what the cost. I almost made my daughter motherless!!!!!!!!!!
Consumer complaint about leaking axle seals. Consumer states that the mechanic informed him that the axle seals were leaking and it would cost him about $770.00 to fix it. *kb ***nar***
My son was driving our 2002 l100 saturn at 11:00pm coming home and it just quit. It has been a very well maintained vehicle. It is a timing chain that went out. Saturn doesn't want to do anything about it. It has about 97,000 miles on it.
2002 saturn l200 52,000 miles I was driving on the loop here in lubbock going about 65mph when my car suddenly lost power. My car started going very slow and then came to a complete stop. The car also lost power steering so I was lucky enough to be able to get on the shoulder of the road. I had my car towed to a local mechanic to be worked on and he thought it might be the fuel pump. Well he called later and said it was the timing chain and it had broke. He was very concerned about this because he said it should have outlasted the life of the engine. Not only did this break, but when it broke, it tore up my engine as well. I then did a search on google for "l200 timeing chain" and it seems this is a common problem. Not only is this a common problem, but saturn was aware of this problem and posted a bulletin to their service centers.
Ltr fm (ma) believes the accident he had was caused by a defect in the wheel assembly of his 2002 saturn l100. *ts the vehicle began to shake and consumer lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle was running along the guardrail and the consumer was unable to move it because there was no steering. The consumer attempted to apply the brakes but the pedal went to the floor. When the vehicle finally came to a stop the consumer noticed that non of the front or side air bags deployed. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair facility who determined that the entire transaxle assembly had been smoothly sheared off.
Letter from congressman on behalf of his constituent regarding a traffic accident that occurred when his vehicles wheel assembly detached. *ts the consumer stated he suddenly felt the vehicle shake and then he began riding along the guardrail. There was no steering and the consumer couldn't accelerate away from the guardrail and when he hit the brake, the pedal went to the floor. *jb the entire right wheel assembly including tire, rim, brake asembly, rocker arms, axle and strut were missing.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the entire right front wheel assembly detached, causing the contact to have to guide the vehicle down the right guardrail with the brake depressed to keep the vehicle under control. Also, the air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was taken to a private repair shop, where the mechanic determined that the entire transaxle assembly had been smoothly sheared off. There were no repairs made immediately. There was a police report filed, and the manufacturer was also informed.*ak updated 10/25/2006 -
Dt*: the contact stated recall letter #05v245000 concerning the brake lights was received in december 2005. However, the vehicle was not experiencing any problems and was not taken to the dealer for immediate repair. Recently, the contact was alerted by another driver that the brake lights were not working. The vehicle was driven to the dealer for inspection, and the dealer installed two tail lights, reinforced socket adapters and sockets under the recall. Also, the dealer determined the brake light switch needed to be replaced, but this work has not been completed. When the vehicle was taken from the dealer, the cruise control no longer worked, the gear shift became difficult to shift into drive, and the parking lights and brake lights no longer worked. The dealer informed the contact these items failed as a result of the need to replace the brake light switch. Updated 05/30/06.
Dt*: the contact stated there was a the federal safety agency recall, # 05v245000 concerning the exterior lighting that was performed however; numerous electrical problems evolved since the repair. The dash panel lights intermittently illuminated while driving at various speeds. Although the ignition was turned off the headlights illuminated which resulted in a battery failure. The vehicle was seen by a dealer and the headlight high/low beam dimmer switch was replaced, but the problem persisted. Additionally, the vehicle stalled and was towed back to the dealer which determined there was a failure of the drive shaft and this was replaced. The ongoing electrical problems persisted and the vehicle was taken to the dealer to await further inspection.
While driving consumer her head a roaring in the front end. Drive shift caused consumer to wreck 2002 saturn. *ts the consumer noticed noise/vibration in the front end. The consumer has replaced several tires. When the brakes were applied the vehicle would pull to the left. An alignment was performed correcting the rear cam and setting the front and rear toe. A collapsed motor mount caused rough idle. The rotors and pads had to be replaced. The rear hub assembly had to be replaced twice. Left rear hub bearing had to be replaced. The front driver's side drive axle assembly had to be replaced.
Dt: the contact purchased a used vehicle two years ago, and the second day after purchasing the vehicle there was a roaring noise from the front of the vehicle. The dealer said this was a problem with the front tires ,and the dealer replaced both tires. About two weeks later the noise returned. The vehicle has been to the dealer numerous times for numerous repairs. The vehicle would jerk to the right which caused the contact to hit a curb. There were no injuries but a police report was taken. There have been multiple repairs to the wheel bearings and joints which have not corrected this problem. Also the motor mounts and axles have been replaced in hopes of correcting this problem. The dealer has never been able to accurately repair the vehicle. Currently there is a need for new rotors and more tires. The vehicle continues to have a roaring sound like a locomotive as noted by the contact. *ak update 1/11/2006 -
This car has been nothing but trouble. I have had to have the drive shaft replaced, the motor mounts replaced, the tail light assembly replaced, the steering assembly replaced and I too have a problem with the dash lights dimming. The technicians at the local saturn dealership are nothing but rude. They dont fix the problems you bring the car in for and you end up having to take it back the next day or even sometimes that same evening for a repair that wasnt done properly. I thought this was going to be a good car but it has been constant trouble and is constantly in the repair shop.
Transmission - 2002 saturn l series. Took it in for service to the saturn dealer and the service wrench light came on. Was told that my transmission needs approximately $700 in repairs. Car has 65000 miles on it. Talked to reputable transmission repair garage and they said they have replaced many saturn transmissions.
Saftey interlock for shift lever is bypassed when vehicle is in the acc (accessory mode). Does this consistently.
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