In jan. 1998 my timing chain broke and cracked my engine and valve cover. Prior to this I did take my car to the dealer who states timing chain replacement or new engine if timing chain breaks. Being that my saturn sl2 was a 1994 it was funny that so soon timing chain problems occurred. My timing chain did break, and I was unable to get it repaired intil 2001 by the local dealer with a used engine that leaked oil every where I parked, my complaints yielded no results. Needless to say I was able to continue driving the car which began to overheat, cooling fan failed and in august 2004, the timing chain on the other used engine started to rattle and also broke, so today I am carless and don't know where to begin. Obviously there is a problem with these saturn timing chains. Is there an investigation ongoing?
1994 Saturn SL: engine failure
6 of the 286 complaints about the 1994 Saturn SL describe engine failure.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 2%
- recalls
- 0
Engine failure by model year
What owners say
Cylinder head cracked. This could result in sudden total engine failure, causing loss of control of vehicle. Investigation revealed this is a result of a known manufacturing defect. I found several other instances through internet research. Manufacturer not helpful in resolving issue.
Alternator seized up and belt continued to turn, resulting in a fire. Dealer has been notified.
With no indication, engine was short 3 or more quarts of oil causing a possible failure of lifters and/or valves. Oil warning light functions when starting the car. Vehicle is not usable and may require engine replacement. We have heard this same problem from two other sources who have saturns. Oil has been changed at 3,000 mile intervals since we purchased. Discovered the problem when taken for oil change.
The timing chain on my car and two others that I am aware of wore through the plastic guides, causing metal to get into the engine and causing an engine seizure ruining the engine. It happened to all three cars within a month of each other. One engine had 58,000 miles and mine has 62,000 miles . The manufacturer and the dealer both say it is not their problem and I have to replace the engine with a new one or a used one at my expense. It would appear that there is an engineering problem if I know of two others that failed for the same reason. Can you help? What else can I do?
Engine failure; also, transmission malfunctioned.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 1994 Saturn SL engine failure
Is engine failure a common problem on the 1994 Saturn SL?
6 of 286 owner complaints about the 1994 Saturn SL (2%) mention engine failure. The model year with the most reports is 1995.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1994 Saturn SL?
There are 0 recalls and 1 service bulletin for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1994 Saturn SL
Adaptive cruise 29No deployment 14Brake failure 13Seat belt 8Stalling 8ABS 7Loss of power 5Wipers 5
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