Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||||
| 3135 | 01/01/2004 | 10010045 | Pop noise from engine area during heavy throttle input. *tc | 11/03/2004 | |
| 3116 | 01/01/2004 | 10009971 | Ses illuminated engine miss/misfire feel or rough idle. *sc | 11/02/2004 | |
| 040604008 | 10/01/2004 | 040604008A | 10006167 | Service engine soon (ses) lamp illuminated with dtc p0135 ho2s heater circuit performance bank 1 sensor 1 and/or dtc p0155 ho2s heater performance bank 2 sensor 1. *mr this bulletin replaces previous 04-06-04-008. *eh | 04/23/2004 |
| 00T66A | 10/01/2001 | 00T66 | 627844 | Information regarding engine oil leaks and or engine coolant leaks. *yh | 02/25/2002 |
| 00T66A | 10/01/2001 | 00T66 | 627007 | Information regarding engine oil leaks and/or engine coolant leaks, on v-6 engines.*jb | 02/04/2002 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||||
| 02T86 | 12/01/2002 | 10000028 | Service information regarding elimination of auxiliary water pump and instructions to install 2nd design heater inlet hose and heater inlet elbow in place of the 1st design water pump and heat inlet hose. *tt | 02/10/2003 | |
| 02T37 | 05/01/2002 | 633449 | Subject regarding service information on new oil cooler cover sealant. *jg | 09/23/2002 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - RADIATOR ASSEMBLY | |||||
| 3120 | 01/01/2004 | 10009964 | Aux coolant pump will not connect to replacement radiator. *sc | 11/02/2004 | |
| 02T16 | 03/01/2002 | 632269 | Service information regarding design change to thermostat housing, thermostat housing bolts, and thermostat housing o-ring seal. *tt | 07/12/2002 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| PIP-4495C | 03/01/2011 | 10038510 | Gm: there may be noise coming from the cylinder head, because of low oil pressure which is caused by debris. *rm | 06/16/2011 | |
| PIP-4495C | 03/01/2011 | 10038510 | Ready | 06/16/2011 | |
| 040604085 | 12/01/2004 | 10011533 | Service engine soon (ses) and/or reduced power lamp illuminating following cold engine start up in subfreezing temperatures, diagnostic trouble codes (dtc) p0638, p1510 and/or p1516 stored in engine control module (ecm). *tt | 01/26/2005 | |
| 010604016 | 12/01/2004 | 010604016A | 10011039 | Service engine soon (ses) telltale illuminated with diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) p0171, p0172, p0174 and/or p0175. *tt | 12/27/2004 |
| 040601011 | 05/01/2004 | 10006979 | Service manual update for engine block clearance, cylinder head clearance and fastener torque specifications. *tt | 05/20/2004 | |
| 040601010 | 04/01/2004 | 10006740 | Blue smoke at engine start-up. *tt | 05/11/2004 | |
| 040601009 | 04/01/2004 | 10006739 | Oil leak from front cover seal during extremely cold weather. *tt | 05/11/2004 | |
| 040601004 | 09/01/2004 | 040601004A | 10006088 | Service information regarding engine support during removal of right front engine mount assembly. *tt | 04/16/2004 |
| 030090003 | 09/01/2003 | 10003976 | Oil filter cap assembly and oil filter element design change. *tt | 11/10/2003 | |
| 030604043 | 09/01/2003 | 10003592 | Malfunction indicator lamp (mil) service engine soon telltale lamp on, reduced power lamp may illuminate with diagnostic trouble codes p0121, p0221, and/or p2135. *tt | 10/24/2003 | |
| 030601019 | 06/01/2003 | 10002882 | Service manual update - revised engine torque specification table. *tt | 09/30/2003 | |
| 030601017 | 06/01/2003 | 10002122 | Timing chain design change and revised service procedures. *tt | 08/13/2003 | |
| 030601014 | 05/01/2003 | 10001667 | Service manual update regarding the use of saturn special tool j-42065 crank hub holding tool. *tt | 06/18/2003 | |
| 030601015 | 05/01/2003 | 10001668 | Service manual update for removal of the sealer used on oil pump gasket during oil pump installation. *tt | 06/18/2003 | |
| 030604016 | 03/01/2003 | 10001199 | Service information regarding the engine control module (ecm) connector and terminal locations on saturn v6 engines. *tt | 04/22/2003 | |
| 02T86 | 12/01/2002 | 10000789 | Service information regarding elimination of auxiliary water pump and instruments to install 2nd design heater inlet hose and heater inlet elbow in place of the 1st design water pump and heater inlet hose. *tt | 03/31/2003 | |
| 01T39 | 08/01/2001 | 622180 | Service information regarding redesigned oil filter element and oil filter cap. *tt | 10/16/2001 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||||
| 02T40 | 06/01/2002 | 633468 | Subject regarding service manual update for engine service manuals regarding evaporative emission (evap) system flowchart. *jg | 09/23/2002 | |
| 02T22 | 04/01/2002 | 633395 | Subject regarding whistle noise under certain engine operating consitions. *jg | 09/23/2002 | |
| 02T35 | 05/01/2002 | 633443 | Subject regarding service manual update for engine service manuals regarding balance shaft timing procedure. *jg | 09/23/2002 | |
| 02T04 | 01/01/2002 | 631943 | Subject regarding service manual and quick reference specifications guide update regarding incorrect cylinder head bolt torque specifications. *slc | 06/25/2002 | |
| 02T22 | 04/01/2002 | 631308 | Information regarding whistle noise under certain engine operating conditions.*jb | 05/22/2002 | |
| 01T16 | 03/01/2001 | 622167 | Some customers may comment about intermittent click / tick noise coming from engine compartment. *tt | 10/15/2001 | |
| 01T13 | 03/01/2001 | 619133 | Some customers may comment about the engine cranks but will not start and / or the engine starts and then stalls. *tt | 05/15/2001 | |
| 01T14 | 03/01/2001 | 619134 | Some customers may comment about the engine running rough at idle after a cold engine start in ambient temperatures between 10 degrees - 30 degrees celsius (50 degrees - 85 degrees fahrenheit. *tt | 05/15/2001 | |
| 00T70 | 12/01/2000 | 616623 | Customers may comment the service engine soon lamp is illuminated and / or the transaxle shifts are harsh or erratic. *tt | 03/06/2001 | |
| 00T63 | 11/01/2000 | 615599 | On some vehicles, the engine will start and then stalls, engine cranks but will not start, or engine hesitates under heavy acceleration. *tt | 01/25/2001 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL | |||||
| 02T48 | 06/01/2002 | 633491 | Subject regarding mass air flow sensor failure due to oil contamination of sensor membrane (install new mass air flow (maf) sensor and update electronic control module calibration) *jg | 09/23/2002 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | ||||||
| DP05008 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 12/20/2005 | 02/06/2006 | TIMING CHAIN FAILURE | ||
| Analysis undertaken in response to the petition identified 26 complaints alleging timing chain failures in my 2000-2003 saturn l-series vehicle equipped with the 2.2l l4 engine.most complaints of timing chain failure reportedly resulted in a sudden loss of engine power and stalling.odi also noted that certain my 2002-2003 saturn vue and my 2003 saturn ion model vehicles with the 2.2l engine vehiclescovered by a technical service bulletin (03-06-01-017) that addressed timing chain design and service procedure changes, exhibited no complaints of timing chain failure.odi will grant the petition and open a preliminary evaluation to assess the frequency, trend, scope and safety consequences associated with the alleged defect in the subject vehicles.refer to pe06-006. | ||||||
| PE06006 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 01/24/2006 | 06/06/2006 | TIMING CHAIN FAILURE | ||
| On december 12, 2005, odi received a defect petition (dp05-008) requesting the investigation of timing chain failures that could cause stalling in saturn vehicles equipped with the 2.2l (l61) engine. odi opened pe06-006 on january 24, 2006, with 24 vehicle owner complaints that alleged a broken timing chain caused the vehicle to stop operating.on april 12, 2006, odi received information from general motors (gm) concerning timing chain failures in approximately 412,000 model year (my) 2000 through 2003 saturn l-series and ion vehicles with 2.2l engines. gm's response included 1,020 owner complaints and field reports concerning timing chain failure, including 228 that alleged the failure caused the vehicle to stall while driving.gm also provided warranty claim data that showed 1,902 subject vehicles receiving timing chain repairs, including 261 which indicated that a stall while driving resulted from the failure.the gm complaints, field reports and warranty claims that did not contain sufficient information to determine that a stall while driving occurred were provided in the category other.gm stated that the majority of these incidents probably occurred while the vehicles were parked since the timing chain is more likely to break during high chain load situations, such as engine startup.gm's data showed elevated failure rates in approximately 20,500 my 2001 l-series vehicles produced during a four month period from november 2000 through february 2001.over one-third of gm's total complaints and field reports (34.3%) and warranty claims (38.2%) involved l-series vehicles built during the 4-month period, which are only about 5% of subject vehicle production.the timing chain failure rate in the vehicles built during this range is over 10 times greater than the remaining subject vehicle population. for the my 2001 l-series vehicles built during the 4-month period, the 36-month failure rate for repairs involving stall while driving is slightly under one percent.however, if the incidents coded as other are added, the 36-month failure rate rises to nearly five percent for those vehicles.odi and gm are continuing to assess the number of complaints and warranty claims coded by gm as other that involve incidents of stall while driving.gm's statistical modeling of the failure data initially concluded that the failure rates were declining with age and mileage for any set of warranty data analyzed (e.g., stall while driving, other or combined).however, subsequent analysis showed that the failure rates are increasing. based on the high complaint and warranty rates for timing chain failure in the 4-month production period for the my 2001 l-series vehicles, this investigation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis to further assess the frequency of stall incidents due to timing chain failures in those vehicles (ea06-009). | ||||||
| DP08002 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 06/18/2008 | 10/16/2008 | TIMING CHAIN FAILURE-STALL | ||
| On june 6, 2006, odi opened an investigation of timing chain failure resulting in engine stall while driving with no restart in approximately 20,514 model year (my) 2001 saturn l-series vehicles equipped with 2.2l engines (l61) built from november 2000 through february 2001 (ea06-009).the vehicles built during those months exhibited higher failure rates than similarly equipped vehicles built before and after.gm introduced a new timing chain design in production in may 2002.odi closed its investigation after gm initiated a safety recall on november 7, 2007 (recall 07v-519). on may 22, 2008, the north carolina consumers council (nccc) submitted a defect petition to odi requesting the expansion of recall 07v-519 to include all my 1999 through 2003 saturn l-series vehicles with 2.2l engines using the same timing chain design as the recalled population.the petition states that the nccc continues to receive complaints from consumers that have had a timing chain fail in vehicles built outside the production range covered by the recall.the petition also notes that odi has continued to receive complaints.since the closing of ea06-009 odi has received 80 new complaints from consumers who had a timing chain fail in a my 2000 through 2002 saturn l-series with the 2.2l engine that were not covered by recall 07v-519 and were built prior to the timing belt change in may 2002.the complaints describe the same failure mode as the recalled population where the timing chain can break suddenly and without warning, resulting in engine damage and loss of motive power.the defect petition has been granted. a preliminary evaluation (pe08-061) has been opened. | ||||||
| EA06009 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 06/06/2006 | 11/09/2007 | TIMING CHAIN FAILURE - STALL | 07V519000 | |
| In a november 7, 2007 letter, general motors (gm) notified odi that it had determined that a safety defect existed in certain model year (my) 2001 saturn l-series vehicles equipped with the 2.2l 4-cylinder (l61) engine built from november 2000 through february 2001.the defect could result in engine stall while driving with no restart. gm will recall (07v-519) the vehicles to replace the timing chains with redesigned parts. during this engineering analysis gm and odi contacted saturn owners that had warranty work performed related to timing chain replacements or repairs in order to determine certain safety consequences associated with timing chain failure.based on analysis of warranty claim verbatim text for indications of stall while driving (swd) and the results from a survey of warranty claims with ambiguous text, gm estimated that 55% of all timing chain warranty repairs involved swd incidents.odi's analysis estimated approximately 76% of warranty repairs may have involved a swd.the surveys were also used to assess the safety consequences of the swd incidents.the calls found that none of the vehicles that experiencing stalls due to timing chain failure could be restarted.inaddition, approximately one-third of the stalls occurred at speeds greater than 40 mph and about 20% indicated that they were not able to get the vehicle out of traffic after the engine died.gm's statistical analyses of failure data estimated stall while driving rates of 1.7% and 5.2% at 3 and 6 years in service.odi's analyses estimated slightly higher rates of 2.3% and 7.0% at 3 and 6 years in service. this engineering analysis is closed based on gm's recall. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 04/11/2011 | 114736 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2001 saturn l100. while attempting to decelerate with the brakes pressed, the contact noticed that the vehicle stalled without warning and was unable to restart. the vehicle was towed to a private mechanic who inspected the vehicle and informed the contact that the timing chain was fractured and needed to be replaced. both the dealer and manufacturer advised the contact that his vehicle had not been included in nhtsa campaign id number: 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling) and offered no additional assistance. no repairs were performed. the approximate failure mileage was 114,736. | |||
| 04/11/2011 | 114736 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2001 saturn l100. while attempting to decelerate with the brakes pressed, the contact noticed that the vehicle suddenly lose all power without warning and was unable to restart. the vehicle was towed to a private mechanic who inspected the vehicle and informed the contact that the timing chain was fractured and needed to be replaced. both the dealer and manufacturer advised the contact that his vehicle had not been included in recall number:07v519000 (engine and engine cooling) and offered no additional assistance. no repairs were performed due to cost. the approximate failure mileage was 114,736. bw | |||
| 10/08/2009 | 86000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2001 saturn l series. when attempting to start her vehicle, it exhibited a no-start condition. a private mechanic towed the vehicle to his repair facility. upon inspection he discovered that the timing chain fractured. she contacted the dealer in reference to recall # 07v519000 ( engine and engine cooling). she was advised that since her vehicle identification number was excluded from the recall, she was ineligible for a free remedy. no repairs were made. the failure mileage was 86,000. | |||
| 03/08/2009 | 124000 | 1 | |
| My car has service light on. my lights flicker. saturn has a recall on timing belt and saturn company says my car is not in a recall. *tr | |||
| 12/27/2007 | 128749 | 1 | 06/01/2003 |
| The timing chain failed while my wife was driving on the hwy at 50mph. fortunately she was able to coast to the side of the road. upon hearing about the saturn recall for the same problem, i submitted mt claim to saturn for reimbursement. they called me about a week later to tell me that my claim was being processed. about a week ago they called to tell me that my claim was denied. i requested but have not received written confirmation of that denial. i suspect that the denial was based on the fact that my saturn was manufactured in 09/00 and the recall was for cars manufactured from 11/00 to 02/01. i request that the recall order be expanded to include the date that my car was manufactured. *tr | |||
| 12/27/2007 | 0 | 12/01/2001 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn l-series. the contact received a recall notice for nhtsa campaign id number 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling). he has made several attempts to have the vehicle repaired; however, the dealer would not honor the recall. there had been no failure to date. the vin was unknown. the current mileage was 35,000. | |||
| 08/04/2006 | 49145 | 1 | 08/23/2001 |
| On august 4, 2006 my 2001 saturn l series sedan did not start. as the saturn dealership is 20 miles away, i had my car towed to a local auto repair shop. i was informed that the timing chain on the vehicle and gears were defective. the mechanic and myself thought this was odd as the car has only 49,145 miles on it. luckily, i was not driving the car when this failure occurred, although i could have been. i researched this problem and found there is an ongoing investigation concerning this problem in my type vehicle. i contacted saturn and was told there would be no reimbursement as this was not an open recall for my car. the cost to repair this defective part was $940. i have had the gears and timing chain replaced and still have the defective parts. *jb | |||
| 05/15/2003 | 200 | ||
| I bought the car brand new and it was in the shop two weeks later. so far i've gone through 2 catalytic converters, 2 electronic control modules. i think only one coil, with a couple oxygen sensors to go along with that. both of the cylinders have gone out on the clutch. i'm still waiting for saturn to call me on an air check valve that supposedly failed. as for the power locks, they just seem to lock or not to lock when they feel fit to do so. i also get a service light that comes on when it feels like it to..... | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 11/28/2007 | 1 | 04/10/2003 | |
| Engine failure due to broken timing chain 2001 l2 saturn. *tr | |||
| 11/09/2005 | 3 | ||
| (01-03-05) consumer saturn timing belt broke. *ts the blower fan was inoperative. the consumer stated the manufacturer re-designed the oiling nozzle and included it with a kit when replacing the timing chain, because they were aware of the potential failure of the timing chain. *jb | |||
| 11/01/2005 | 1 | 02/01/2004 | |
| Fax fm (ks) request that a recall is issued by gm/saturn for a faulty timing chain, reply attn shawn cowing/ overload park ofc. *ts the consumer stated the manufacturer was aware that there was a problem, therefore they redesigned the timing chain oiler. the consumer was unable to get any financial assistance. *jb | |||
| 06/21/2005 | 1 | 06/15/2001 | |
| Dt: the timing chain broke for this vehicle. she has found other information that states that the timing chain is too light for this vehicle. some of the information that she found was actually from some of the saturn technicians | |||
| 01/29/2005 | 1 | ||
| The vehicle stalled while driving at 30 mph. then vehicle failed to restart when a jump was attempted. vehicle was towed to the dealership, who indicated that the engine collapsed due to a manufacturing defect. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 05/17/2007 | 59000 | 1 | 05/25/2006 |
| 2001 saturn l200. 59,000 miles. timing chain failure. youngest daughter was driving car and she lost power. thankfully, she was able to get the car to the shoulder of the road and call for help. no one was hurt. i read that this was a very common problem with this engine. i collect cars and this is the first one that i have ever had a timing chain go out on without serious revving, and release of the engine rpms!! *ak | |||
| 02/07/2007 | 40000 | 1 | 01/01/2001 |
| While at a stop sign, my 2001 saturn l200 with out any warning died. fortunately i was not traveling on the express way. i had car towed to repair shop and was told the timing chain broke. they advised me to call my saturn dealer because a well maintained auto with only 40,000 miles should not have this problem. i called the dealer and i'm still waiting for them to call me back. *nm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | |||
| 10/21/2006 | 94000 | 1 | 12/30/2002 |
| I was driving with my two young children on i-75 in kentucky doing 70 miles per hour. i noticed that i lost the gas peddle and barely had steering. no lights were on in the dash and i had very little control over the vehicle. i managed to get my car to the right side of the road on a steep down grade crossing 3 lanes of traffic! had my car towed to a local mechanic (after sitting for 2 hours on the side of the highway with children). the mechanic said that the timing chain broke and caused additional damage to the engine. the car was then 3 hours from home with it needing a completely new engine!! i consider myself lucky to not have been hurt! my children and myself could have been seriously injured or killed on a busy highway with a car the decided to quit running on a steep grade and all the semis around!! *nm | |||
| 04/01/2006 | 75000 | 1 | 05/15/2004 |
| 2000 saturn l100 timing chain failure. sudden power loss at 50 mph. *nm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| 05/15/2003 | 200 | ||
| I bought the car brand new and it was in the shop two weeks later. so far i've gone through 2 catalytic converters, 2 electronic control modules. i think only one coil, with a couple oxygen sensors to go along with that. both of the cylinders have gone out on the clutch. i'm still waiting for saturn to call me on an air check valve that supposedly failed. as for the power locks, they just seem to lock or not to lock when they feel fit to do so. i also get a service light that comes on when it feels like it to..... | |||