I just received a 1999 saturn sl 2 series a year ago from my mother for my very first car. I got it at about 100,000 miles and it is now currently at 122,446. I noticed about a month ago while I would be driving, usually after about 1-2 miles after starting up the car and driving, my gears began to slip. I kept up with just about monthly oil changes, accompanied by transmission fluid checked and topped off. My transmission oil has never been low. Then, about 4 days ago I went to leave from my work orientation, and I couldn?t back up my car from my parking spot, the reverse had went out. So I put the car back in drive, then back to reverse thinking maybe it didn?t go into reverse all the way and it did not work. I revved up the engine, nothing happening until I did it pretty hard, and eventually it started rolling back a little. I looked up on the internet to see if this was a pretty big issue or not, and I realize I see it a lot in 1999 saturns. A recall I believe would be the best option for fixing this issue and would further prevent people from spending so much money. I took my car to a mechanic and it?s currently sitting there now. I don?t know what they are going to tell me. I believe it could be a small part that just needs replaced, but I?m sure they?re going to just have me purchase a whole new transmission which is not what I prefer to do as a 18 year old college student. Especially if the car was only 700$ that I purchased it for.
Saturn SL transmission failure problems
33 of the 2,211 owner complaints about the Saturn SL describe complete transmission failure, most of them for the 2000 model year.
- owner complaints
- 33
- worst model year
- 2000
- typical mileage
- 56,000
By model year
- 20024
- 20012
- 20007
- 19993
- 19984
- 19972
- 19962
- 19954
- 19941
- 19934
Often reported together
Slipping 2Sudden acceleration 1Won't shift 1Stalling 1Jerking 1Hesitation 1Fire or smoke 1
What owners say
Roll pin on retainer in transmission differential sheered off causing the retaining pin to wear through the bell housing and seize transmission. A roll pin is like using a rivet to hold a very important mechanical component together. This is another horrible gm design. This is an accident waiting to happen. $2300 later to replace the transmission.
Only had the car for a couple of months - started having problems with the transmission..... Kept shifting real hard from 2nd to 3rd (automatic). Took it to our mechanic and said it was out of his hands and referred us to a transmission specialist. Had the car towed to them and once he looked it over it needed a new transmission!!!! Only had 60,000 miles - go figure. Valve body!! Wrote a letter to the saturn corporate office about the problem to see what they could do and told us that we should have taken the car to a saturn service station. We already were in the process of getting it repair, costing us $ 2,000.00!!!! I feel that saturn should look into their customer's complaints and realize that there actually is a problem with this models transmission. This could lead to an injury or something more serious. I don't think saturn would like to have that on their shoulders!! The more complaints about the transmission problem the better and hopefully they will make this a recall for the safety of the consumers.
Transmission failure on 2002 saturn sl mileage: 50+k only 2nd owner bought from used auto dealer. Covered on dealer warranty and fixed in 2005. Transmission failure again after warranty expiration- 2008.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn sl2. The contact stated that the vehicle would surge and jerk when the gears were shifted. The mechanic inspected the vehicle twice but was unable to diagnose the failure on the first occasion. On the second occasion, they stated the transmission failed and recommended a replacement. The current mileage was 102,000 and failure mileage was 8,050.
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 saturn sl2. While attempting to shift gears at 10 MPH, the gears became stuck and could not shift into neutral. The failure nearly caused a crash. The dealer stated that a new transmission was needed; however, the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign id number 00v310000 (power train:automatic transmission:park/neutral start switch). The contact filed a complaint with the manufacturer. The vehicle has not been repaired. The current and failure mileages were 56,000. Updated 12/07/07
I have a 2002 saturn sl2 and I've had to replace my transmission twice now. I believe that the dealership in manchester, nh knowingly sold it to me like this since I had brought up a very slight speed up effect the car had to the car sales woman, and she had told me that it was because the car had a slightly more powerful engine than the 4.0 I was used to (it had a 4.6) and the jump was just the "extra power". I haven't even owned the car for 18 months yet. It's a piece of crap and I have a pretty bitter taste in my mouth from dealing with the car dealerships in nh and in md. The dealership in salisbury, md wanted to charge me $3100 for a new transmission. I noticed (after the fact) that there was some technical problems with the transmission from the beginning in all '02 s-series, but I really think that if there's so many people having issues that there should be some sort of recall on the product. It has already cost me about $5000 on top of the 9,000 that I have already spent to purchase it (cost of car plus bank interest for loan). The car is hardly worth $14,000 but I'm still upside-down on my loan so I can't get rid of the thing. I've looked into the research on the federal safety agency website in hopes that it will give some insight on how to fix the problem permanently (more money down the drain) but saturn should really be reprimanded or made to reimburse the customers somehow. Cars are really too big of a purchase for things to go this wrong.
My car when put into reverse, makes a loud bang noise and slams hard into gear. I am told I need a new transmission. Many complaints on the same exact situation all over the internet.
Set screw that holds the shaft that holds the spider gears in place came loose causing the shaft to back out breaking the transmission apart and locking up in middle of road. Had to replace transmission trans is available.
While driving at 30 MPH the transmission failed without warning. As a result the steering and brakes also failed without warning. Please provide additional information.
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission: park/neutral start interlock switch
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: certain passenger vehicles, equipped with automatic transaxles, fail to comply with the requirements of fmvss no. 114, "theft protection." these vehicles were built with an improperly adjusted automatic transaxle park lock cable assembly. If improperly adjusted, it is possible to shift from the "park" position with the ignition key removed.
- Risk
- This condition increases the risk of a crash resulting from the unintended movement of parked vehicles.
- Remedy
- Saturn is asking owners and retailers to perform a functional check of the automatic transaxle park lock cable assembly operation, and if necessary, to have the cable adjusted. If owners are not comfortable performing the functional check themselves, they can have their dealer perform this inspection for them.
Recall number 00V310000 · Recall details
Power train: clutch assembly: pedal/hand lever(motorcycle)
- What is wrong
- The automatic transaxle park lock cable assembly was improperly adjusted making it possible to shift from the "park" position with the ignition key removed, or remove the ignition key with the shift lever in a position other than "park." this does not meet the requirements of fmvss 114, "theft protection."
- Risk
- Consequence of non-compliance: unintended vehicle movement can occur which could result in an accident.
- Remedy
- Consumers are being asked to inspect the park lock cable. If it does not perform correctly, dealers will make the necessary adjustments.
Recall number 94V217000 · Recall details
Power train
- What is wrong
- The transaxle valve assemblies were improperly machined. Vehicles may not properly engage in neutral or park, even though the gear selector indicates the vehicle is in neutral or park.
- Risk
- If the gear selector indicates the vehicle is in park orneutral, it could be in reverse or drive. If this happens, the car could startin reverse or drive, or might move unexpectedly, which may result in a vehiclecrash or injury to persons outside the vehicle, without prior warning.
- Remedy
- Replace the defective valve bodies.
Recall number 92V098000 · Recall details
Questions about the Saturn SL transmission failure
Which Saturn SL years have complete transmission failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2000 (7 complaints), 1993 (4 complaints) and 1995 (4 complaints).
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