Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - MODULE | ||||||||||||||||
| 03V231000 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | from 06/13/1999 to 07/23/2000 | V (Vehicle) | 239993 | 07/01/2003 | MFR | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 06/23/2003 | 06/23/2003 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | On certain passenger vehicles equipped with 2.2l l4 (l61) engines, a failure of the ignition control module may cause deterioration in idle quality, reduction in overall engine power, and the vehicle may be hard to start. continued operation of the vehicle after such an ignition module failure will result in the | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | Failure of the resonator will cause increased exhaust noise. prolonged operation of the vehicle following a resonator failure may lead to a fire. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Dealers will (1) replace the ignition control module, (2) replace the ignition control module and spark plugs, or (3) replace the ignition control module, spark plugs, and update the powertrain control module calibration. owner notification began on august 4, 2003. owners should contact saturn at 1-800-553-6000, prompt 3. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Gm recall no. 03033/saturn recall no. 03-c-06.customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration | |||||||||||||||
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||||
| 030856002 | 09/01/2003 | 10003597 | Intermittent security telltale illumination and/or diagnostic trouble code b2960. *tt | 10/24/2003 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||||
| 3419 | 10014805 | Ignition key will not rotate back to off position or shift lever will not move out of park. *tt | 05/10/2005 | ||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - FRONT UNDERHOOD | |||||
| 3648 | 10018915 | Hesitation on acceleration after internal engine repairs - check injector harness orientation. *tt | 01/24/2006 | ||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 06/28/2011 | 75000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 saturn l-series. the contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, it would not start and smoke began to rise from underneath the hood. an independent mechanic arrived and disconnected the battery. the vehicle was in the process of being towed to an authorized dealer. the authorized dealer was notified and the contact was informed the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 03v231000 (electrical system:ignition:module). the failure and current mileages were 75,000. rk | |||
| 06/28/2011 | 75000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 saturn l-series. the contact stated that the vehicle would not start. while attempting to start the vehicle, smoke began to rise from under the hood. an independent mechanic appeared on the scene to disconnect the battery. the vehicle was in the process of being towed to an authorized dealer. the authorized dealer was notified and the contact was informed the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 03v231000 (electrical system:ignition:module). the failure and current mileages were 75,000. sm. | |||
| 02/25/2007 | 48000 | 5 | 03/01/2004 |
| Tl*- the contact owns a 2003 saturn l series. while driving at 30 mph the electrical warning light illuminated ,and the front end began to shake. the check engine light also illuminated. the contact stated that she pulled over and turned the vehicle off, and restarted the vehicle after waiting about ten minutes. the check engine light remained illuminated, white smoke started exiting the exhaust pipe and the vehicle began to shake. the dealer was unable to diagnose the failure. the contact stated this occurred on five different occasions. the dealer had replaced the pump and/or gas coolant, insulator assembly front suspension support, oxygen sensor and exhaust system. the current mileage was 48,000. *ak | |||
| 02/02/2003 | 100 | 1000 | 02/02/2003 |
| The interior and exterior lights on my 2003 saturn l200 intermittently dim. the events leading up to the failure was a defective electrical system design by the manufacturer, saturn. the failure and its consequences are that it is difficult, distracting and dangerous to operate this vehicle at night. nothing has been done to correct this failure, except for the manufacturer to hide behind a technical information bulletin (04-08-42-001) claiming this is normal. i must assume then, that every other vehicle whose lights don't flicker must be abnormal. the dealership refuses to correct this defect. *nm | |||
| 09/23/2003 | 11000 | 1 | 02/25/2003 |
| Severe light dimming; all lights dim severely (enough to cause a tractor trailer driver to think i gave him the flash to pass signal, causing him to move over into my lane) at random, sometimes 2 to 3 times per mile driven. saturn has issued a service bulletin, 04-08-42-001, stating light dimming is a characteristic of the l-series, yet they have not driven my car on the highway at night to see the extremity of the dimming in my vehicle. sometimes it occurs right away, other times it takes a while. saturday night, 04/24/04 i took the car to atlanta, ga. between mobile, and montgomery, the lights dimmed severely for dozens of miles. saturday night, 06/19/04 i took the car on a trip to birmingham, al to try to re-create the problem and document it. it didn't occur until after driving it 220 miles. it then dimmed severely many times for around 10 to 15 miles (as many as 2 - 3 times per mile). after that point, it stopped doing it. *ak | |||
| 10/06/2003 | 70 | 9999 | 02/28/2003 |
| A tractor trailer was passing me on the interstate. just as his trailer was approximately 2/3 past me, my lights dimmed out on my car by themselves. the driver of the tractor trailer thought i had flashed my headlights at him, to let him know he had cleared my car and was safe to come into my lane, which was not the case. this made the drivers behind me and the tractor trailer in all 3 lanes, to slam on their brakes. the truck driver almost lost control of his rig trying to keep from hitting me when he realized that he did not have clearance as my lights suggested to him that he had. all of us were fortunate at this time not to have wrecked. (yet i received a lot of jerking of my neck and head when braking and steering to get out of the way). next time my lights do this it could make another trucker or person pulling an rv or a school bus full of kids or tour bus full of tourists think i have given the clearance to move into my lane; when i have not. someone is going to get killed if this issue won?t force to be repaired by gm/saturn. i reported to saturn, what caused this severe power drain on my car. when the auxiliary cooling fan near the compressor kicks in, it puts a severe power drain on the cars lights, which was using the heat or a/c that could be dozens of times in a matter of minutes if it appears that i am flashing my headlights to those in front of me and tapping my brakes to those behind me. last week, my local dealership was trying to fix my car. on the 2nd day of working on my car the service dept. called saturn incorporated for help. my dealership was forced by saturn corporation to stop working on my car. they were told not to fix my car claiming all saturns are designed this way. they said it is not a safety or warranty issue because my lights don't go all the way off. my lights might not go all the way out but they go out too much to be considered safe. note:(the 2004 l-300 loaner they had supplied me does it too) *la | |||
| 10/06/2003 | 70 | 9999 | 02/28/2003 |
| A tractor trailer was passing me on the interstate. just as his trailer was approximately 2/3 past me, my lights dimmed out on my car by themselves. the driver of the tractor trailer thought i had flashed my headlights at him, to let him know he had cleared my car and was safe to come into my lane, which was not the case. this made the drivers behind me and the tractor trailer in all 3 lanes, to slam on their brakes. the truck driver almost lost control of his rig trying to keep from hitting me when he realized that he did not have clearance as my lights suggested to him that he had. all of us were fortunate at this time not to have wrecked. (yet i received a lot of jerking of my neck and head when braking and steering to get out of the way). next time my lights do this it could make another trucker or person pulling an rv or a school bus full of kids or tour bus full of tourists think i have given the clearance to move into my lane; when i have not. someone is going to get killed if this issue won?t force to be repaired by gm/saturn. i reported to saturn, what caused this severe power drain on my car. when the auxiliary cooling fan near the compressor kicks in, it puts a severe power drain on the cars lights, which was using the heat or a/c that could be dozens of times in a matter of minutes if it appears that i am flashing my headlights to those in front of me and tapping my brakes to those behind me. last week, my local dealership was trying to fix my car. on the 2nd day of working on my car the service dept. called saturn inc for help. my dealership was forced by saturn corporation to stop working on my car. they were told not to fix my car claiming all saturns are designed this way. they said it is not a safety or warranty issue because my lights don't go all the way off. my lights might not go all the way out but they go out too much to be considered safe. note:(the 2004 l-300 loaner they had supplied me does it too) *la | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||
| 08/15/2003 | 15758 | 10 | 01/31/2003 |
| Problems with vehicle's power steering system.*mr consumer noticed the failure when driving off the lot but thought i was due to cold weather. later she learned the rack and pinion needed to be replaced due to fluid leaking. after the repair, consumer started hearing grinding noise when turning. on 10/08/03, the consumer learned the steering pump had to be replaced. after picking up the vehicle on this date, consumer heard more noises. this time it was a air pocket in the steering fluid. in addition, the automatic climate control system fails to work as designed. it's programmed at 87 degrees when its cold outside. instead of heat, it would blow warm then cold air. the computer was reprogrammed and the problem became worst than at first. there were countless other problems with this vehicle. *ph | |||