Saturn LS loss of power problems

Filed Sep 24, 2019 · Brakes, Engine · 175 miles · CA

Vehicle was in motion at 30 MPH on city street, engine completely stopped working with loss of power steering and power brakes. Coasted vehicle to a side street & stopped. Had car towed to a mechanic. We were quoted $1700 bill to repair due to broken timing chain. Researched recalls and found that the federal safety agency had a recall #07v519000 for 2001 saturn l100. This seems grossly shortsighted on the part of the federal safety agency, as there have been dozens of duplicate complaints. This prompted the state of north carolina consumers council to issue a defect petition for 2000-2003 saturn l series with the 2.2l engine with the federal safety agency. It is surprising how little effort the federal safety agency has made in light of the scope of this problem.

Filed Mar 20, 2017 · 180,000 miles · TN

While driving down the interstate my timing chain snapped. Car lost power and put me and my family at risk of an accident.

Filed Oct 10, 2016 · Electrical, Engine · 164,155 miles · CA

I lost power at highway speeds and at full throttle there was no acceleration. It made a loud boom like a backfire and a large piece of material that looked fiberglass matting and rocks blew out of the exhaust. The car accelerated fine for about 15 miles then started to bog down again. Shut off vehicle and tried to restart unsuccessful, waited a few hours then car restarted with no issues ran vehicle off and on over a three day period, that is when it started malfunctioning again with very rough idle, almost dies, extreme loss of power w/almost no acceleration at full throttle. Contacted mechanic the vehicle resonator was expanded to the point of splitting the seam, he removed the resonator to find all the fiber packing gone and the resonator packed with what looked like rocks. He stated the bits that looked like rocks were part of the catalytic converter packing that had been heated above the limits of the material. The disintegrated material made a blockage in the resonator not allowing the exhaust gasses to flow he checked for tsb's and recall campaigns and found camp # 03v231000 action # 03033 recall # 03-c-06 (electrical system ignition control module) and camp # 07v519000 action # ea06009 recall # 06074. (eng. Timing chain) called gm recall center given case #8-2430110427 per brandy she is getting many calls on this, she shows only the recall 03-c-06 only and she is to deny any additional claims even though they replaced the part with the same part that was recalled to begin with. Investigated recall # 06074 and found that did not include the 2002 saturn l series however per my mechanic both recalls are contributing factors with the outstanding issues with my vehicle. The car is unsafe to drive. The 2002 saturn l series should not be on the road and it shouldn't take an accident or a death before you people decide to recall these vehicles.

Filed Dec 30, 2014 · Transmission · 15,500 miles · CA

Car lost power on freeway at 60 m/hr. Car was towed to repair shop. Timing chain was found broken. Repair cost is estimated to be about $2000. Saturn dealer claimed that recall gm #06074 does not apply to my VIN. I must pay for all tow, repair costs.

Filed Dec 30, 2014 · Engine, Transmission · 15,500 miles · CA

At 60 MPH on freeway the timing belt broke. I lost power and control of the car. It cannot be started. Since the repair cost is too high (more than $2000), and my VIN is not included in the gm recall #06074, I had to junk the car. *js the car is dangerous to drivers. Gm is not willing to recall all 2001 l200. However, due to so many complains of the same problems from drivers of the 2001 saturn l200 (whose cars are not included in the recall) the federal safety agency should force gm to recall all 2011 saturn l200.

Filed Apr 14, 2014 · Electrical · KS

My car began by running with the ignition key being able to be pulled out while running. I never knew when it was going to start or not. When the vehicle stopped u would be stranded and lose power because the power steering would lock up. I also had the expense of a new key and many tows the cylinder swich and housing were a huge expense around 500.00 with the labor and tow.

Filed Oct 21, 2012 · Brakes, Engine · 102,012 miles · ME · 1 injury

I had just gone to the gas station to fill up my 2000 saturn lw2 when I was about two blocks from the gas station. I was right around the corner from my house, and had just turned right onto a street with a hill. Suddenly, my car started sputtering so I immediately tried to pull over. I wasn't completely out of the street when I suddenly lost all power brakes and power steering going down the hill at 25 miles per hour. I couldn't stop the car so I put it in park, which stopped it instantly, causing my neck to jerk, which has been sore from whiplash for the past four days so far. I had the car towed to the mechanic who found bits of my timing belt all through the motor, which blew the entire engine. After hearing that it would be over $3,000 for a used engine installed, we've been trying to determine our next move, financially.

Filed Apr 19, 2012 · Engine · 127,112 miles · CA

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

Filed Mar 21, 2012 · Engine · 85,000 miles · TX

Driving on us hwy 290 at approx 70 MPH, vehicle totally lost power. Was able to pull over to shoulder, but we were nearly 50 miles outside of houston. Vehicle would not restart. After $350 of towing and diagnosis fees, informed that the timing chain has failed, causing catastrophic failure to the engine. Now I find out that there were recalls issued on this same engine for 2001 saturns, and only a tsb on the 2002 models indicating a need for a new oiler for the timing chain.

Filed Sep 10, 2011 · Engine · TN

My car showed no warning of any problem. Started to work lost power. Coasted to a safe place at a business. Was told timing chain had broken and I needed a new engine. It will cost $2600.00 to repair. Also there has been a problem with headliners sagging.