Saturn LS knocking problems

Filed Apr 23, 2012 · Engine · 74,500 miles · WI

Engine began having a slow knocking noise, prior to that I would hear a noise of the chain slapping, which I was explained to by saturn that this was normal in my vehicle. Drove the vehicle home then while I was parking, heard a loud bang and when I got out - there was oil gushing from underneath. Parked the car and have not repaired it since... Was just doing research now to replace the engine and found that finally there was another round of recalls regarding the engine. I have asked my saturn dealer before about this (while they were still in business) and was told that only specific years were covered...

Filed Feb 10, 2012 · Engine · 100,000 miles · MI

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 saturn ls. While driving approximately 35 MPH the contact heard a ticking noise in the engine. The noise was heard while driving various speeds. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed the noise was coming from the timing belt located in the engine. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

Filed Jul 13, 2011 · Engine · 80,000 miles · MD

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.

Filed Dec 29, 2010 · Engine · 102,000 miles · OH

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 saturn l200. While driving approximately 30 MPH, there was a knocking sound from the engine area. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The technicians stated the engine needed to be replaced because the timing chain broke. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 102,000.

Filed Feb 1, 2010 · Transmission · 95,257 miles · VA

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!

Filed Nov 2, 2009 · Engine · 92,000 miles · PA

Have ticking coming from timing chain area on engine. Luckily I have caught it before the chain breaks causing the engine to seize and need replacing. Called gm and they said my vehicle is not part of the recall list. My timing chain design is exactly the same as the recalled vehicles. A petition was opened from north carolina but closed due to "further investigation of this matter would not be an efficient allocation of agency resources." here's the link to the recall on your website: http://www-odi.the federal safety agency.dot.gov/cars/problems/defect/results.cfm?action_number=dp08002&searchtype=quicksearch&summary=true please let me know if I have any recourse? *tr thank you for your time, jeff harris

Filed Jan 8, 2009 · Engine · 71,000 miles · TN

I was picking my kids up from the babysitters when I heard a ticking noise. Let me remind you that I hadn't any engine problems before this day. Anyway, I heard the ticking noise as I was pulling up to the sitters house and cut my car off. Restarted the car and the noise was louder. Took my car to the shop and they told me that my timing chain was broken and that my engine had to be replaced. I don't understand why this was not covered under saturn because my car only has 70k miles. It's a 2000 saturn ls2 and it was running fine up until this date. There was no sign of this problem before it happened and I just don't understand why I should have to pay $3600 out my pocket but saturn will take no responsibility for this major problem. Can you help me out? What if this would have happened while I was on the highway with my kids and an accident happened?

Filed Nov 1, 2007 · Electrical, Engine · 77,535 miles · OH

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.

Filed May 30, 2007 · Engine · 77,468 miles · NY

Engine knocking badly. Dealer listed cause as "weak timing chain tensioner"told it was not normal for the mileage (77468). Chain pkg cost $733.86 (parts/labor) I've heard that there are many saturns with this type of problem.

Filed May 19, 2007 · Steering · 98,000 miles · 00

Knocking sound coming from steering column when steering wheel was turned from one side to the other. I had this looked at by my mechanic, who confirmed that there was a problem within the steering column leading to its linkage. He told me that this was definitely a potential life risking problem. A recall should be issued because the part in question was not one that was supposed to undergo wear. It is supposed to be good for life! One may not get a second chance if the steering failed while driving, especially on highways.