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 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||||
| 01T46 | 10/01/2001 | 626047 | The engine cranks but will not start and/or decklid release is inoperative. *jg | 12/12/2001 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| PE08061 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 10/16/2008 | 04/08/2009 | TIMING CHAIN BREAKS, ENGINE STALL | ||
| On may 22, 2008, theoffice of defects investigation (odi) was petitioned by the north carolina consumers council (nccc) to broaden the scope of safety recall 07v-519, which was conducted by general motors corporation (gm) for model year (my) 2001 saturn l-series vehicles equipped with the l61 2.2l engine and built during a 4-month period from november 2000 through february 2001 (dp08-002). on october 16, 2008, odi granted dp08-002 and opened pe08-061 to investigate timing chain failures resulting in engine stall while driving (swd) in the saturn l-series vehicles equipped with l61 engines and that used the same design timing chain and timing chain lubrication system as the recalled vehicles.a redesigned timing chain and lubrication system were implemented late in my 2002 production (may 1, 2002).hence, the subject vehicles for this investigation are all my 2000 through 2002 saturn l-series vehicles equipped with 2.2l l61 engines and built prior to may 2002 that were not included in recall 07v-519. in this investigation, odi analyzed updated complaint and warranty claims data for timing chain failures resulting in incidents of engine stall while driving, which comprise slightly over half of all timing chain failures occurring in the subject vehicle population.odi's analysis of complaint and warranty data shows that vehicles produced with the subject timing chain and lubrication system experienced elevated failure rates when compared with the my 2002 through 2003 vehicles using the revised components.however, the analysis also showed that the my 2001 saturn l-series vehicles recalled in 07v-518 experienced a significantly higher rate of timing chain failures than the subject vehicles.the complaint rate for timing chain failures resulting in swd was approximately 5 times higher for the recalled vehicles,19.2 incidents per thousand vehicles (iptv), than for the subject vehicles, 3.7 iptv.the warranty claims rate for chain failures resulting in swd was over 3 times higher for the recalled vehicles, 2.4 percent, than for the subject vehicles, 0.7 percent.the complaint and warranty rates for the subject vehicles were similar to rates recorded in other recently closed investigations for conditions that could result in swd with no engine re-start, ea07-015 and ea07-018.analysis of all complaints, field reports and warranty claims found no allegations of crashes or injuries associated with the alleged defect in the subject vehicles after approximately 7 to 9 years in service. odi's analysis of the stalling incidents that have resulted from timing chain failures in the subject vehicles found that they can occur at any speed and almost always result in a no restart condition.these are generally considered to be factors that increase the severity of stalling incidents.however, analysis of swd failure rates in the subject vehicles show that they have occurred at much lower rates than were observed in the recalled population.in addition, the swd complaint and warranty rates for the subject vehicles are similar to rates observed in prior investigations involving similar categories of engine stall consequences that were closed with no action.further investigation of this matter would not be an efficient allocation of agency resources.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will continue to monitor complaints and other information relating to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles and take further action if warranted. | ||||||
| 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). | ||||||
| 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 | |||
| 07/12/2011 | 112500 | ||
| Driving car when noticed it was no longer accelerating. pushed on gas pedal, nothing, the car had stalled out on a very busy road. had to try to coast off the road. steering & brakes were very difficult to use. car would not re-start. had it towed, timing chain had broken causing damage to the cylinder. | |||
| 08/15/2008 | 149582 | 1 | |
| While driving a recently purchased 2001 saturn l-series home the timing chain broke, ruining my engine and leaving me stranded. my date of manufacture is 10-2000, one month before the recall. *tr | |||
| 02/28/2008 | 65000 | 1 | 11/22/2006 |
| 2001 ls saturn - timing belt broke while on the expressway - engine stopped and would not restart. even though saturn has recalled some of the l series for this problem - they say this vehicle is not included! *tr | |||
| 06/19/2007 | 23600 | 1 | 01/10/2004 |
| Timing chain failure at 23,600 miles. *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 08/18/2009 | 106012 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. the contact stated that when driving the vehicle intermittently stalled without any prior warnings. when attempting to start the vehicle it exhibits a no start condition. upon further inspection, he noticed that the links in the engine's timing chain separated. the dealer was notified in reference to recall # 07v519000, engine and engine cooling. a technician concluded that because the vin number was excluded from the vin range, he was ineligible for a free remedy. no repairs have been made. the failure mileage and current mileages were 106,012. | |||
| 10/11/2008 | 100000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn l-series sedan. while attempting to merge onto the interstate at approximately 40 mph, the vehicle completely shut off and would not restart. the vehicle was towed to a repair shop and the mechanic stated that the timing chain failed, which caused further engine damage. recall 07v519000 is related to the failure; however, the vin is not a part of the recall. the vin was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 100,000. | |||
| 07/20/2008 | 108000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn l-series. while driving 70 mph, the vehicle lost power and the power steering and brakes failed as well. she pulled the vehicle to the side of the road and, after several attempts to restart the vehicle, it was towed to a local saturn dealer. the dealer stated that the cause of the failure may be computer related. a mechanic stated that the failure was the timing chain, which damaged the valves. the repairs would cost $2,700. the contact was informed of a possible recall and, through online research, she called the manufacturer and was informed that the vin was not included in the recall. no repairs have been made. the failure and current mileages were 108,000. | |||
| 12/12/2006 | 87400 | 1 | 02/23/2004 |
| Went out one morning and tried to start car and it would crank but would not start. had towed to mechanic and was told that the timing chains were broke and needed replaced. *tr | |||
| 03/30/2007 | 72000 | 1 | 12/05/2001 |
| I was driving a 2002 saturn l-100 with 72,000 miles on it. i was stopped waiting for the traffic to clear, and when it did, i stepped on the gas to merge with the highway traffic. at about 45 mph, the car stalled and i coasted it to the side of the road. i was unable to start the car, and had it towed. the mechanic told me that the engine had suffered a timing chain failure. i was lucky that there was little traffic, as i would have been unable to avoid anyone or anything had circumstances been different. the car immediately loses power, but due to the fact that the mass of the engine is still turning, the lights informing you that the car has stalled do not come on. my oil and ignition lights only came on when the car was traveling slower than 10 mph. drivers are unaware that the engine has stalled, then you have very little brake power remaining. once the vacuum booster is full of air, the brakes become harder to actuate, but due to the fact that the lights do not come on, it did not occur to me that my brakes were also about to go. it was truly weird. *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 11/08/2005 | 69000 | 1 | 02/12/2004 |
| I have a 2001 saturn l-series, 2.2l engine. i was driving under 30 mph,engine died. diagnosis: timing chain broke, + all the valves bent cost to me $2400 (see odi id #10142499.) also see complaint odi id #10129780, dated 7/16/05. this vehicle was a 2000 saturn l-series, passenger car. this individual was driving on highway 101 in california when his motor suddenly stopped working. he was told several days later that the timing chain broke and in his case the entire motor needed to be replaced. i am sure in his case because he was driving at a higher rate of speed and the valves continued to hit the pistons damaging the entire engine. had he been in heavy traffic this could have resulted in a serious safety issue. i don't know if saturn has issued any technical service bulletins, my dealer says no but i would guess they have since the area (engine rebuilders association) has issued a technical bulletins dated april 2004 which says, the area technical committee offers the following information regarding changes to the timing chain and oiling nozzle on the 2000-2003 saturn 2.2l engines. all gm timing chain kits available through gm service have a revised nozzle included in the kit. the revised nozzle has higher flow rate characteristics that will increase oil flow to the timing chain under low rpm operating conditions. whenever replacing the timing chain, it is important to replace the oil nozzle. this same engine is in at least the chevy cavalier. i contend that the original timing chain oil is faulty, it does not maintain the proper oil to the timing chain under low rpm, thus causing it to heat up and over time break, which causes major engine damage and expense to the customer. this could be a serious safety problem should this happen in rush hour traffic around any major city putting innocent people's lives in jeopardy. gm should issue a recall and fix this problem by installing or in mine and i am sure others cases paying for the repair. *jb | |||
| 11/08/2005 | 69000 | 1 | 02/09/2004 |
| I have a 2001 saturn l-series passenger vehicle with a 2.2 4-cylinder engine. the engine has 69k miles and the timing chain broke causing severe engine trouble (bent valves), with an estimated cost of $2400. if there is damage to any of the pistons then the cost will increase significantly. the mechanic that i take my vehicle to used to teach auto mechanics at the local high school until they eliminated the program. as my mechanic was explaining the problem to me he tells me that one of his former students now works as a mechanic for saturn. my mechanic had trouble diagnosing the problem and so he called his former student who informed him that it could possibly be a broken timing chain. he goes on to tell me that the timing chain is oiled by spraying oil on to the chain through an orifice that is not much bigger than a pin hole. this tiny hole where the oil sprays from is at the end of a plastic piece about a half inch long. if something should block this hole the chain becomes dry and eventually breaks. it is my opinion that their original design had a fatal design flaw, which saturn came to recognize, i can only assume due to numerous problems with the timing chain breaking, probably while the vehicles were under warranty, forcing them to come up with the redesign. i believe this could be a serious safety issue as well for anyone who drives a saturn with the original oilier. it is a disaster waiting to happen. should someone be driving on a freeway and have their timing chain break for it would be like someone putting on the brakes but without the signal thus placing them as well as anyone behind them in a dangerous situation. i sent the full story to your webmaster. you need to allow more space. *nm *sc | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | |||
| 07/04/2006 | 65000 | 1 | 05/29/2001 |
| July 4, 2006, several months after just having new computer installed on my 2001 saturn l-series 200, i was driving with my mother and two sisters when suddenly the vehicle lost all power including steering and braking capability. the engine died and the vehicle was difficult to control. fortunately, i was traveling at a low rate of speed rounding a rather innocuous bend. but had this taken place under different circumstances the casualty loss, both property and personal, could have been disastrous. the vehicle had to be towed to a dealership, where the next day a mechanic told me that it was the timing chain that broke. proceeded to call saturn, they said it would be roughly three-thousand dollars to fix. the car is outside of warranty, but i was still making payments. there is absolutely no reason why a car in today's day and age, should not be warranted against an unreasonable dangerous defect such as what is happening with the saturn l-series 200. please help with contacting saturn and seeing about a replacement to cover my loss. thank you. *nm | |||