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 | |
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. | ||||||
| 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). | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE | |||
| 10/25/2012 | 80000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2001 saturn l-200. the contact was driving 70 mph when the timing chain fractured. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the timing chain and advised him of nhtsa campaign id number: 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling). the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in any recall. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure and current mileage was 80,000. kmj | |||
| 10/03/2012 | 117000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. the contact started the ignition and within a few moments, the engine unexpectedly stalled. the vehicle was towed to an independent auto shop for diagnosis. there was a recall related to the defect under nhtsa campaign id number 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling); however the contact | |||
| 10/03/2012 | 117000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. the contact started the ignition and within a few moments the engine unexpectedly shut off. the vehicle was towed an independent auto shop for diagnosis. there was a recall related to the defect under nhtsa campaign id number 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling); however the vin was ineligible. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the defect. the approximate failure mileage was 117,000. js | |||
| 08/05/2012 | 100000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. the contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the vehicle stalled. the failure recurred without warning. the contact attempted to restart vehicle, but to no avail. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who advised that the failure was related to the timing chain. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue however, no further assistance was provided. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign id number 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling) however, the vin was not included. the approximate current and failure mileage was 100,000. | |||
| 08/05/2012 | 100000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. the contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the vehicle stalled. the failure recurred without warning. the contact attempted to restart vehicle, but to no avail. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who advised that the failure was related to the timing chain. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue however, no further assistance was provided. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign id number 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling) however, the vin was not included. the approximate current and failure mileage was 100,000. kmj | |||
| 08/05/2012 | 100000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. the contact stated that while driving at 30 mph, the vehicle stalled. the failure occurred without warning. the contact attempted to restart vehicle, but was not able to. the vehicle was taken to a repair shop, who stated the failure was related to the timing chain. the manufacturer was made aware; however no further assistance was provided. there was a recall related to failure, nhtsa campaign id number 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling); however the vin was not included. the approximate current and failure mileage was 100,000.yn | |||
| 08/13/2012 | 138000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. the contact stated that while driving approximately 15 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning and failed to restart. the vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the timing chain needed to be replaced. there was a recall under nhtsa campaign id number: 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling) that may be related to the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vin was not included in the recall. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 138,000. pmb | |||
| 07/01/2012 | 150762 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns 2001 saturn l200. the contact stated that that vehicle stalled whenever braking to a stop. the vehicle was taken to a repair shop where the exact failure was not found however the transmission filter and fluid was replaced. the failure ceased for three weeks but later recurred. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number: 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling). they did not provide any further assistance. the contact secured an appointment with the dealer for further inspection. the current mileage was 151,362. the failure mileage was 150,762. | |||
| 07/01/2012 | 150762 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns 2001 saturn l200. the contact stated that that vehicle stalled whenever braking to a stop. the vehicle was taken to a repair shop where the exact failure was not found however the transmission filter and fluid was replaced. the failure ceased for three weeks but later recurred. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number: 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling). they did not provide any further assistance. the contact secured an appointment with the dealer for further inspection. the current mileage was 151,362. the failure mileage was 150,762. kmj | |||
| 07/01/2012 | 150762 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns 2001 saturn l200. the contact stated that vehicle stalled every time made a stop. the vehicle was taken to a repair shop where the exact failure was not found; however the transmission filter and fluid were replaced. the failure ceased for three weeks. the failure recurred and vehicle stalled, when contact made a stop. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure, there was a recall nhtsa campaign id number: 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling); however vin was not included. they did not provide any further assistance. the contact made appointment to take vehicle to dealer again. the current mileage was 151,362. the failure mileage was 150,762.yn | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 09/11/2012 | 102294 | 1 | |
| Left my driveway and started down street. got a block or so away and car just stopped. was on main highway. was very lucky took to garage it is the timing chain. if there was a recall on this i never received it took to gm dealer was told there was never a recall for this ## vin passed ## 2001 saturn l200 ## *tr | |||
| 04/22/2012 | 157000 | ||
| Was driving down the highway when turning right at a stop sign my car just stopped pulled over to the side. had it towed and was told the timing belt went out and it caused it to break the vals in the car as well have had this car for 10 years so its been a good one for the most part. | |||
| 04/21/2012 | 157000 | ||
| While driving 55 mph the engine shut down. safely steered car to shoulder of 2 lane highway. tried to restart car. it would not restart. had car towed to a saturn certified mechanic. mechanic found the timing chain had failed. mechanic is not sure what failed first. (the chain, tensioner or oiler?) mechanic did state the chain guides did not seem excessively worn for the mileage of the car. mechanic told me gm had problems with the timing chain, gear and oiler sets in this year make and model. did some research online and decided to report this. we purchased this car new in 2001. had it serviced every 3,000 miles at the dealer till warranty had expired. serviced it my self from then on every 3,000 miles. from 36,000 to 157,000 miles we allways used full synthetic 5w30 engine oil. | |||
| 04/22/2012 | 157000 | ||
| Was driving down the highway when turning right at a stop sign my car just stopped pulled over to the side. had it towed and was told the timing belt went out and it caused it to break the vals in the car as well have had this car for 10 years so its been a good one for the most part. | |||
| 04/15/2012 | 127112 | ||
| I was driving down a local street in my hometown. i was doing the speed limit and just cruising when all of a sudden i lost all power in my car. i didn't actually notice until i went to push the gas pedal and received no response from my engine. i was able to keep control of the car and get to the side of the road. after looking under the hood and not being able to identify the problem i called my insurance company and they dispatched a tow truck. after getting the car home i called a local mechanic friend of mine hoping he could give me a diagnosis after taking the engine cover off we were able to visibly see that the chain on the left side of my engine was broken. after seeing that he pretty much said i'm looking at a broken timing belt and possibly valve and piston damage. in the end it was obvious that my engine was not fixable. | |||
| 12/20/2011 | 105000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. while the contact was driving approximately 20 mph, the engine reduced speed and immediately stalled. the vehicle failed to restart and the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who recommended that the vehicle be taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis. the vehicle was then towed to a dealer who informed the contact that the timing chain would need to be replaced. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign id number: 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling); however the contact's vin was not included in the recall campaign. the vehicle was repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 105,000. kmj | |||
| 12/20/2011 | 105000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. while the contact was driving approximately 20 mph, the engine reduced speed and immediately stalled. the engine failed to restart and the vehicle was towed an independent mechanic who recommended the vehicle be taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis. the vehicle was then towed to the dealer who informed the timing chain would need to be replaced. there was a recall related to the similar failure under nhtsa campaign id number 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling); however the vin was not included. the vehicle was repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 105,000. js | |||
| 09/03/2011 | 135000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. the contact stated that the vehicle stalled while accelerating from a stop. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle needed a new motor. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 07v519000(engine and engine cooling). the failure mileage was 135,000. | |||
| 09/03/2011 | 135000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. the contact stated that the vehicle stalled while accelerating from a stop. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle needed a new motor. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 07v519000(engine and engine cooling). the failure mileage was 135,000. rvk | |||
| 09/03/2011 | 135000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. the contact stated that the vehicle stalled while accelerating from a stop. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle needed a new motor. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 07v519000(engine and engine cooling). the failure mileage was 135,000. sm. | |||
| 05/11/2011 | |||
| My insurance company notified me that my vehicle type (2001 saturn l200) had a recall for the timing chain (nhtsa campaign id no. 07v519000 & gm recall no. 06074) . i called saturn and they said although the recall was for my vehicle make, model, and year, that the recall was vin # specific, and my vin # wasn't included. my 2001 saturn l200 timing chain broke shortly after that (diagnosed by certified auto techs at tire kingdom), while i was driving on the highway doing about 70 mph. after this dangerous event occurred (engine cutoff, lost power, control), i was fortunately able to coast to a stop on the side of the highway in the median. it' s possible the timing chain failure caused more internal damage to the engine, but that will have to be looked at. it's estimated to cost around $1400 to repair the timing chain, but that may or may not be the only damage now. if there's more damage, i may need a rebuild or new engine ranging up to $6500. gm/saturn said there was nothing they could do about the my vin not being included in the recall. i have researched numerous saturn l200 owners that have the same issue. no one knows how exactly gm/saturn came up with what vin #'s would or wouldn't be included in that recall, but it seems they only included a few vin #'s just to save face. someone could get hurt due to the unreliable design of their timing chain, not to mention the cost associated with this problem. the recall needs to include more vin #'s. it's not right what gm is doing, getting over on many consumers with a problem design. | |||
| 04/20/2011 | 178000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. while the vehicle was being serviced at a local repair shop, the contact was advised by the mechanic that the timing chain would need to be replaced. the mechanic referenced nhtsa campaign id number: 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling) but was advised by the manufacturer that the vehicle was not included in the recall. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and current mileage was 178,000. | |||
| 04/20/2011 | 178000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. while the vehicle was being serviced at a local repair shop he was advised by the mechanic that the timing chain needs to be replaced. the mechanic referenced recall 07v519000(engine and engine cooling) and the contact called the manufacturer and was advised that his vehicle was not part of the recall. the failure for the timing chain had not been repaired. the approximate failure and current mileage was 178,000. vwb | |||
| 07/27/2007 | 63000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. the contact stated while driving approximately 10 to 15 mph, she heard a noise in the engine area and the vehicle stalled without warning. the vehicle was towed to the dealer who performed a diagnostic and located the failure at the engine timing chain. the dealer replaced the engine timing chain and pistons yet, the failure recurred while the contact was starting the vehicle. the timing chain would need replacing again and the manufacturer was contacted who advised that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number: 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling). the manufacturer would not assist any repairs and the vehicle was not further repaired. the failure mileage was 63,000 and the current mileage was 88,000. | |||
| 07/27/2007 | 63000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. the contact stated while driving at approximately 10 to 15 mph she heard a noise in the engine area and the vehicle stalled without warning. the vehicle was towed to the dealer whom performed a diagnosed. the failure was located at the engine timing chain. the dealer replaced the engine timing chain and pistons at 63,000 miles. the repair did not correct the failure. the engine timing chain failed while the contact attempted to start the engine. the manufacturer advised the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 07v519000 engine and engine cooling. the manufacturer would not assist with the repair. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 63,000 and the current mileage was 88,000. li | |||
| 03/01/2011 | 103000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. while driving approximately 25 mph, the contact stated that the vehicle stalled without warning similar to nhtsa campaign id number: 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling). the vehicle was towed to a private mechanic where they performed a diagnostic test which concluded that the timing chain would need replacing. the vehicle was awaiting repairs. the dealer was notified who informed the contact that her vehicle had not been included in the previous recall. the current and failure mileages were 103,000. | |||
| 03/01/2011 | 103000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. while driving approximately 25 mph, the contact stated that the vehicle stalled without warning similar to nhtsa campaign id number: 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling). the vehicle was towed to a private mechanic where they performed a diagnostic test which concluded that the timing chain would need replacing. the vehicle was awaiting repairs. the dealer was notified who informed the contact that her vehicle had not been included in the previous recall. the current and failure mileages were 103,000. bw | |||
| 05/08/2007 | |||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. the contact was driving approximately 65 mph, there was a violent jerk and the engine stalled without warning. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where they informed that the timing chain broke within the engine compartment. the technician replaced the engine block head, head gasket, and valves. the total repair cost was approximately $2,800. after the repairs were performed on the vehicle a recall was issued for the similar defect under nhtsa campaign id number 07v519000 (engine engine, cooling). the contact was interested in reimbursement for the previous repairs; however, the vin was not included in the recall. the failure mileage was unavailable. js | |||
| 12/11/2010 | 80000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2001 saturn l 200. while driving up a hill approximately 70 mph the vehicle experienced a reduction of engine power while driving up a hill. also the service engine light flashed intermittently and the exhaust was very loud.the the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the contact was informed by the manufacturer of a recall ( component: electrical system:ignition:module nhtsa campaign id number: 03v231000) but the vin was not included. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximately failure mileage was 80,000. ds | |||
| 12/01/2010 | 78000 | 1 | |
| While driving her sons to school in my 2001 saturn l200, my daughter experienced swd with no restart. the timing chain broke as she was driving with no prior warning. as of 12/14/2010 it has not been repaired. *tr | |||
| 12/01/2010 | 78000 | ||
| While driving her sons to school in my 2001 saturn l200, my dayghter experianced swd with no restart. the timming chain broke as she was driving with no prior warning. as of 12/14/2010 it has not been repaired. | |||
| 12/01/2010 | 110000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. while driving approximately 25 mph, the contact stated that the timing chain broke. the dealer was notified, who advised the contact to bring the vehicle in for an inspection. the manufacture was aware of the issue. the current and failure mileages was approximately 110,000. bw | |||
| 11/03/2010 | 186000 | ||
| Tl. the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. the contact stated while driving 65 mph the vehicle suddenly shut off in the middle of the highway without warning. the contact had to have the vehicle towed to a local mechanic. the mechanic performed a diagnostic test and the test shown the timing chain has broken. the mechanic notice a recall for the engine and engine cooling (07v519000) but due to the vin number the vehicle did not fall into the recall. the contact stated the manufacturer should extend the recall to more vin numbers since this is a known safety issue. the failure mileage was 186,000. jo | |||
| 04/08/2010 | 50611 | ||
| 2001 saturn l200 timing chain failure. car stalled in busy traffic. car had 50k miles on it. repairs cost $3,200. | |||
| 01/15/2010 | 118000 | 1 | |
| Timing chain broke while on interstate without warning. *tr | |||
| 10/01/2009 | 125000 | 1 | |
| I own a 2001 saturn l200, about two years ago i replaced my engine due to my timing chain breaking and causing internal damage. i recently had the same problem happen and need to replace the engine again. after researching this problem i found that their are many people with this problem. if saturn knows this situation is such a big problem why cant they be made responsible? i just don't think its right that so many incidents are going unanswered.. thank you for the chance for our problem to be heard. *tr | |||
| 09/30/2009 | 52000 | 1 | |
| My 2001 saturn l-200 had the timing chain break (with only 52,000 miles on it). while driving home from work, car was acting erratic. made me nervous so i got out of heavy traffic and onto a side street. car quit in the center of an intersection while making a left-hand turn. fortunately, this happened in a residential neighborhood and the other cars were able to slow down and get around me with no problem. as so many others have stated, saturn says my car was not one of the ones included in their premature timing belt failure recall; they'd be happy to fix it, but at my expense. i know saturn is on its way out, but hopefully other saturn owners can be made aware of this so they can have their timing chains checked out before their car conks out and someone gets hurt. *tr | |||
| 11/21/2009 | 1 | ||
| I replaced the heater control switch, blower motor, and resistor due to the fact that the heater blower would not work. after doing all the above, the heater still did not work. it appears that the wiring harness behind the heater control was the problem. two of the prongs in the white plug were burnt and did not allow the dc electric current to go into the heater control unit. it is lucky that the fan went out before it had caught fire. there are two children who ride in the car, one 5 years old and one 9 years old. i was surprised that the 40 amp fuse did not blow even though the circuit kept coming on and off. we had already changed the engine 3-4 years ago because the timing chain broke and saturn would not fix. *tr | |||
| 11/20/2009 | 53000 | 1 | |
| My 2001 saturn sl200 had extreme vibration at a traffic light while on a long trip out of state. this car is driven by my college age student. car engine was jumping, idling very rough, and losing power. fortunately, she did made it back to college safely. the car was brought to saturn of manchester, new hampshire and plugs, wires and spark plug cassette were replaced due to a misfiring diagnosis. when the vehicle was picked up, it still ran rough. i returned to dealer and they said valve cover and engine were dirty. also, they said timing chain sounded like it was slipping. i was not the original owner of this automobile. when i asked about the saturn timing chain recall, they stated this car was not included in the recall. to me, driving the car, it sounds exactly like a timing chain problem. saturn charged me an exorbitant amount to do all the above work (over $900.00). i strongly believe that this car should be on the recall list, since saturn continued to make cars with the exact design after february 2001. i believe that gm is trying to get out of repairing an extreme safety issue for this car. this car is a potential death trap. the first in service date of this vehicle was june 2001, so i can almost conclude that this vehicle was manufactured during the recall time frame. if not, shortly thereafter. i am sure there were additional cars made with the same problem after gm's cutoff of problem vin numbers. my car needs to be included in the recall. *tr | |||
| 10/16/2009 | 125000 | 1 | |
| Upon driving home from work, my saturn 2001 l200 suddenly stalled - braking, accelerator, and steering became completely unresponsive. with difficulty, i managed to get to the side of the road and eventually get towed 40miles to my local repair center. they advised me that the timing chain had broken and may have also damaged the engine valves.i was advised by saturn, that there was a recall on the timing chain for this model but my vin was not included and all repair costs would be at my expense. my complaint is the dangerous nature of how this issue can manifest itself and also that i was not made aware of this potential danger earlier as part of the ongoing recall notice. *tr | |||
| 07/11/2009 | 87000 | 1 | |
| Timing chain broke and engine was destroyed as a result saturn states it is outside their current recall. *tr | |||
| 07/02/2009 | 60000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. the contact started her vehicle after placing gas in it and heard a rumbling sound. she turned off the vehicle, but it was unable to be restarted. the vehicle was towed to a repair shop. the contact was informed that her vehicle was excluded from nhtsa campaign id number 07v519000. the vehicle has not been repaired. the current and failure mileages were approximately 60,000. | |||
| 05/26/2009 | 96000 | 1 | |
| After 2 timing chain replacements in less than three years,the timing chain broke again on my saturn 2001 l200 damaging the top half of the engine. towed it to saturn of toms river n.j. they said that since i have already had 1 chain replaced on the recall that i was not eligible for the recall. i was told when the chain was replaced under the recall (at saturn of freehold which is out of business)that this was not the same chain but a new and improved design. i was told today that my repair was not really worth fixing but if i'd like they could install a used engine for $4300. this is just plain neglect from a dying company. why would they replace a chain that's just going to go again and worsen the damage to my vehicle even more. saturn/gm needs to make good for their poor history if they're ever going to right the ship. i really feel ripped off. *tr | |||
| 05/25/2009 | 109000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. while driving approximately 55 mph on normal road conditions, the engine stalled without warning. the vehicle coasted to the side of the road and roadside assistance was called to the scene. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing and they stated that the timing chain failed. the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling), although the failures were identical. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were 109,000. | |||
| 04/27/2009 | 115000 | 1 | |
| I was at a stoplight here in town. when i went to accelerate, without warning, my saturn died. i had it towed to the mechanic. the reason for loss of power -- broken timing chain which caused (ironically) a chain event. *tr | |||
| 02/23/2009 | 104321 | 1 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. while driving approximately 50 mph, the vehicle suddenly shut off without warning. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. when he inspected the valve cover, he noticed that the timing chain failed. the manufacturer stated that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling). the vehicle will be repaired. the current and failure mileages were 104,321. updated 03/18/09. *lj updated 03/19/19. *jb | |||
| 02/05/2009 | 1 | ||
| I have a 2001 l200 saturn. my car has approximately maybe 120,000 miles on it. i went to a mechanic and he told me the timing chain is messed up. i contacted another mechanic to find out about the price. he told the price ranges from 1000-1500 dollars. today i decided to see if i could find someone to repair this car at a much cheaper rate until i came across all these issues people are having with their saturn timing chain. *tr | |||
| 01/30/2009 | 117000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. while driving 25 mph, the timing belt detached from the vehicle. the vehicle has not been repaired and was not included in the recall. the nhtsa campaign id number was unknown. the vehicle has not yet been repaired. the current and failure mileages were 117,000. | |||
| 01/18/2009 | 140000 | 1 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn l series. the vehicle stalled while it was parked and in idle. the vehicle was towed to an auto shop and then towed to another auto shop with a better quote. it was diagnosed that the timing chain failed and needed to be repaired. the dealer stated that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling). the vehicle was repaired at the owner's expense. the failure mileage was 140,000 and current mileage was 140,500. updated 02/24/09. *lj updated 02/05/09. *jb | |||
| 01/18/2009 | 60343 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. when the contact attempted to start the vehicle, the engine stalled and would not restart. aaa arrived and stated that there was a timing change failure with the vehicle. the dealer and manufacturer stated that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling). the dealer informed them to bring the vehicle in for a diagnosis because they could not rely on aaa's information. the contact stated that they would not pay for the dealer's diagnostic if it will be the same information. the failure mileage was 60,343. | |||
| 01/04/2008 | 115000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. when the contact started the vehicle and placed the gear into reverse, the vehicle lost all power and the engine shut off completely. she attempted to restart the engine multiple times, but it would never completely start. she took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that there was timing chain failure. the manufacturer stated that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling ). the contact believes that her vehicle should be included in the recall and repaired for free since the failures are identical. the vehicle has not been repaired. the current and failure mileages were 115,000. | |||
| 07/16/2007 | 65714 | 1 | |
| In june of 2007, my husband and daughter were traveling to los angeles, when our 2001 saturn l200 (with only 65,714 miles) stopped running on the freeway outside of santa barbara, ca. that morning the car started, drove off fine and gave no warning of anything going wrong, until the car's engine immediately stopped and fortunately they were not involved nor the cause of an accident. the saturn was towed and the mechanic informed us that it needed a new engine as the timing chain broke. upon calling saturn we were informed that the car was no longer under warranty, and they would not pay for the new engine. we did file a complaint with the saturn customer care center. we incurred a $3,000+ repair bill before having the engine rebuilt. after further investigation, we had learned that the '00-'03 l series were being investigated by the nhtsa and consumer affairs. we filed a complaint with the consumer affairs , but not with nhtsa as our year, make and model was currently under investigation. yesterday, we looked at the nhtsa site to see the outcome of the saturn l200. again after contacting saturn they stated that the recall did not affect our vin. *tr | |||
| 03/14/2006 | 72542 | 1 | |
| While driving the engine failed and would not restart. fortunately, no one was hurt. the car (engine) stalled, locked up and it could not be restarted. this happened at two separate instances. i replaced the entire engine with the first instance (3/14/06) and the most of it the second time (2/4/08). i was told by saturn that our vin # does not fall within the recall. i find it hard to believe that this a fluke when it has happened to others and me twice. *tr | |||
| 10/03/2008 | 101000 | 1 | |
| I have been having trouble with my saturn 2001 l200 series engine; where it will stall the first time starting the engine in the morning. i researched the problem on the internet and found that the vehicle was part of a recall for the timing chain. i called the dealership to make an appointment to have the vehicle serviced under the recall. i was told that my vehicle was not part of the recall, because my vin# was outside of the recall range. i asked the dealership what is the range? i was told the excluded range is between 1y504884 and 1y559453. i then asked the dealership what is the life expectancy for the timing chain? i was told the chain should last the life of the vehicle; as long as i change the oil according to the vehicle's maintenance schedule. i did further research on the timing chain issue a found that vehicles in the excluded range have had timing chain failures as well. i called the dealership again and i was told that there was nothing they could do for me. i have not attempted to start the vehicle since the stalling problem; for fear that i may cause damage, if not already, to the vehicle. i been told, by several mechanics, that the repair could cost any where for $2500 to $4000; depending on the damage to engine. how can the manufacturer get away with picking and choosing whose vehicle is repaired under the recall, when they know that this is obviously a serious manufacturer defect. suppose my vehicle had stalled on a crowded high speed highway; in front of a car or a bus or a tractor trailer? would the manufacturer respond to my request, after my or someone else's demise. i would like to see the nhtsa force the manufacturer to live up to their ethical and legal responsibilities, when it comes to a reliable and safe vehicle. it appears that the manufacturer knew about this problem throughout the 2001 and 2002 model years and chose not to do anything about the problem. that is a total disregard for public safety. *tr | |||
| 09/11/2008 | 73680 | 1 | |
| On thursday september 11 2008 while driving my 2001 l series saturn stalled, cut off in traffic and would not restart. luckily no one was behind me. i have contacted customer service, and a couple of people at the main office. 2 people from the main office stated i should have been included in the warranty work of the service bulletin and 2 people from customer service stated i was not included. i have transcripts of every conversation, a copy of the service bulletin, my receipts and photos. *tr | |||
| 10/07/2008 | 69800 | 1 | |
| Our 2001 saturn has a broken timing chain and with little help from gm or the saturn corp. our local dealer is doing everything they can, but their hands are tied to an extent. our car has just under 70,000 miles and we are the original owners and have taken care of the car. this has happened and we feel there needs to be some accountability from the manufacturer. *tr | |||
| 11/28/2006 | 47623 | 1 | |
| I was traveling on the interstate @ a speed of 70 mph when my car just suddenly died. i had my two children in the back seat and was lucky that i was near an off ramp. my car was towed to a mechanic who said that the timing chain had snapped and that it had bent all of the pistons. the total cost of repair was over $1600.00. i later found out about the recall and was upset to find out that my vin was not included. saturn said it must have been a coincidence that my car was affected by the same thing that the recalled vins were affected by. saturn needs to recall all cars that the timing chain were used in. this was not a coincidence! *tr | |||
| 04/10/2007 | 93138 | 1 | |
| 2001 saturn l200. daughter was driving 45 miles per hour and the car cut off. there was no steering or brakes. she luckily was on a straight a way and coasted to a stop. the timing chain broke and took the top half of the engine with it. not the belt the chain broke. it came to a total of $2500.00 to repair. i went online and typed in 2001 saturn l200 timing chain and came up with a list of over 9 pages of complaints for this exact problem. the mileage on the cars ranged from 20,000 (new) to 100,000 miles. i believe this needs to be investigated and recalled. not to mention my daughter could have been killed. i am very disgusted in how we were treated as well by saturn. *tr | |||
| 08/13/2008 | 101000 | 1 | |
| Loud tapping @ highway speed, towed to mechanic who said engine needs to be replaced. online search revealed recall of 2001 l2 series saturn for timing chain failure. i never received notice which would have prevented this damage, which mechanic says will be aprox $2000.00. *tr | |||
| 08/07/2008 | 82000 | 1 | |
| My car engine wouldn't turn over. mechanic diagnosed it as timing chain broke. my mechanic advised me of a recall for this part for my car. i never received a recall notice. i called saturn dealer to inquire about this recall. they told me it didn't pertain to my particular car even though my car is 2001 saturn l-series model described in the recall notice recall number 06074. i was not satisfied with saturns response to me . i told them this was a safety issue & they should take responsibility for it. i ended up paying over $900.00 to get it fixed. i told saturn i would be reporting this problem to you. *tr | |||
| 08/10/2008 | 118000 | 1 | |
| Timing chain failing per my mechanic car occasionally chugs & sputters at stop light, typically when air cond in use nothing replaced or done yet due to cost & potential recall.*tr | |||
| 08/08/2008 | 73500 | 1 | |
| I have a 2001 saturn l200 with the 2.2 liter 4 cylinder with 73,500 miles on the odometer. it would not start,i had it towed to a saturn shop where they called me back and sad it was a loose timing chain and the damages are anywhere from 2400 to 3000 dollars.*tr | |||
| 07/23/2008 | 88600 | 1 | |
| My 2001 saturn, l200 series, stopped suddenly while driving. i had the car towed to a nearby saturn dealer after i was unable to restart it. the dealers service department informed me that the my timing chain was broken and in the process, some valves were bent. i was led to believe by the dealer that it was probably due to a low quantity of oil. i was told that i needed another motor and the cost would about $2,900.00. i told them that i was not in a position to have them repair the car and that i would have it towed to another location. currently, the car is in the process of being repaired by an independent auto mechanic who informed me that my car's timing chain should not have broken, with only 88,000 miles. also, he said that the car had sufficient oil (my last oil change in april, 2008) and that it had nothing to do with the timing chain breaking. at this time, he believes that to fix the car, he will need to repair the engine head, as well as the timing chain and several valves and replace oil and oil filter. *tr | |||
| 06/04/2008 | 75000 | 1 | |
| I was driving on the highway when my timing chain in my 2001 saturn l200 went. i contacted saturn and they said there is a recall for 2001 timing chain but not for my vin #. it just doesn't make sense. *tr | |||
| 03/23/2008 | 123819 | 1 | 09/30/2002 |
| 2001 saturn l200. the timing chain broke in this car while my wife was driving it at 64mph. the result included 8 damaged valves and it will cost thousands of dollars to repair. i am trying to do the work myself because i cannot afford it. even with me doing the work it is still very expensive. *tr | |||
| 02/27/2008 | 106744 | 1 | 07/15/2004 |
| Nhtsa complaint april 6, 2008 ref: 2001 saturn l200 4-door sedan with 2.2l dohc engine purchase date: july 15, 2004 with 27,309 miles date of incident: feb. 27, 2008 what happened? my wife drove approx 13 miles, just pulled into the driveway at her workplace, and the vehicle died. she called and i drove to the location to attempt to diagnose the problem which i could not. i had it towed to a nation-wide auto repair center where i work as a technical service advisor. the vehicle was inspected by two of the master technicians as well as the service manager. they removed the valve cover and determined that the timing chain had separated and the 4 cylinders had no compression due to bent valves. the repair estimates are from $1,150.00 to $3,800.00. results: i discovered there is a recall for correcting this problem from saturn affecting approx 20,000 vehicles. i contacted a saturn dealer in colorado springs and discussed the problem with the service manager. he checked and said our vehicle was not included in the recall and would contact the ?regional manager? and see what could be done. two days later, he informed me that saturn would install a new engine assembly but we would have to pay half of the total expense which is $7,200. saturn has a problem with the timing chain and oiler nozzle in these engines. at eng idle, there is lack of lubrication to the timing chain resulting in failure. saturn now has an improved timing chain and oilier design which increases oil flow to the timing chain at idle. see saturn technical bulletin timing chain design change and revised service procedures #03-06-01-017 - (jun 9, 2003). i've changed the oil and filter every 3-4k miles, using only specified oil. there were no symptoms nor any noise coming from the engine immediately prior to the failure. hope you folks can help! best regards, william major *tr | |||
| 03/01/2008 | 142000 | 1 | 01/20/2007 |
| I have a 2001 l200 series saturn. i have had for 1 year. while driving over the weekend about 75 miles away from home, my car was on the interstate at a speed of about 65 miles per hour when it suddenly quit running. i was in the middle lane of the interstate and had to quickly change lanes and get the car off busy i-75. i had to tow the car home after learning that the car had a broke timing chain. my tow bill was 150.00. i have no idea what it will cost to repair my car. i bought this car to help with fuel mileage. *tr | |||
| 10/29/2007 | 1 | ||
| 2001 saturn l200 requesting reimbursement for recall repair. consumer states that the timing belt was replaced after the vehicle completely stopped while driving. she would like reimbursement for expenses. attachments are not there. *kb | |||
| 02/10/2008 | 101400 | 1 | 07/01/2002 |
| My 2001 saturn l200 failed to start due to a broken/damaged timing chain. the vehicle has 101,000 miles. i was disappointed to learn that this particular failure is well known on this vehicle, and in fact a recall was issued for certain vins in this same model year of vehicle. however, my vin was not included. this damage caused me to incur $1900 worth of repairs. i was lucky that the issue occurred in my driveway and not out on the highway as some consumers have reported. saturn and general motors are not doing their due diligence to help consumers repair their vehicles before problems occur and potential safety concerns arise. *tr | |||
| 01/15/2007 | 80000 | 1 | 01/01/2004 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. the timing chain slipped a link and caused the guides that kept the chain in place to fail. as a result, the chain expanded, damaged the valves, and caused the engine to stall. the dealer stated that nothing could be done because the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling) and gm recall number 06074, even though the defect is the same. the vehicle has not yet been repaired. the failure and current mileages were 80,000. updated 03-11-08 *bf updated 03/11/08 *tr | |||
| 10/27/2006 | 103500 | 1 | 05/05/2001 |
| Timing chain separation and failure at highway speed. caused much engine damage with repair cost at $1,800. *tr | |||
| 10/16/2006 | 92000 | 1 | 09/11/2001 |
| Timing chain failure on my 2001 saturn ls 200 at highway speed. i understand this is not an uncommon problem. *tr | |||
| 10/24/2007 | 60000 | 2 | 05/15/2004 |
| Timing chain failure, vehicle died while driving on highway. had repaired to the cost 3k. now car is not shifting and is sitting in driveway, waiting to be hauled to a transmission shop. *tr | |||
| 11/09/2007 | 53289 | 1 | |
| My timing chain broke while driving down zkinsie ave in racine wi. i was traveling at 35 mph when the car just died. i lost pwr steering and pwr braking and had to wrestle the steering wheel in order to get out of the intersection and coast to the curb. i'm just glad there was no semi-truck following close behind me. *tr | |||
| 03/10/2007 | 70000 | 1 | 06/15/2005 |
| 2001 saturn l200 with 2.2 4 cy. engine. timing belt broke , engine had 70,000 miles. $3000 worth of damage. saturn had know this was problem and hid facts to owners. *tr | |||
| 12/15/2005 | 84000 | 1 | 09/15/2003 |
| 2001 saturn l200 timing chain failure causing me to coast through a busy intersection narrowly missing oncoming traffic. *jb | |||
| 10/05/2007 | 60000 | 1 | 07/27/2004 |
| I drive a 2001 saturn l200. it has about 60,000 miles on it. my car was taken in to a tire shop to get new tires. the maintenance man went to turn on the car and the key would not turn. we ended up calling saturn and, at first, they said it was a worn key and that we could come in and they would make us a new one. so we did that, and the key still wouldn't turn. we had the car towed to the dealership and they said it needed a new ignition cylinder and housing. we went to pick up the car and the maintenance guy turned the car on and it started up fine. he turned it off to do some paperwork. he got back into the car, turned it on, and all it did was spin. they came out to tell us that the timing chain broke. now they are trying to make us pay for it, even though it wasn't in our possession at the time. i just got through reading about all the other cars of the same type that have had the same issue, only i was lucky that the car wasn't moving. more parts didn't get damage. also, i would have had to get on the highway to come home. i'm pretty sure my car stopping on the highway during rush hour traffic due to something that is breaking in many of the same cars is a safety hazard. no parts have been placed so far, though i was told that only the timing chain would need replaced. *jb | |||
| 09/13/2007 | 92000 | 1 | 02/21/2004 |
| Timing chain on my 2001 saturn l200 broke with no warning at about 90,000 miles. i was driving at about 15 miles an hour on a city street. i was able to pull over safely after losing all power. after reading many, many posts about problems with saturns of the same year/model with the 2.2l engine, i felt i needed to report that i also experienced the chain breaking while driving. the mechanic stated that the chain bunched up bending several valves and breaking a piston resulting in the need to replace the engine. the car had been serviced on a regular basis. i did not drive the car for 5 months due to another issue that was not affected by nor had an affect on the timing chain issue. *jb | |||
| 06/27/2007 | 80000 | 1 | 07/14/2004 |
| Not sure if i reported here already, but doing so again just in case. i own a 2001 saturn l200 (premium certified pre-owned). it falls squarely within the date of manufacturer of the timing chain defect (my car was manufactured 2/01). i recently experienced the timing chain failure, to the tune of $2900 worth of repair cost. as written on the repair order, this was directly related to the tensioner (sp?) problem with the chain design. my failure happened upon starting my vehicle in my driveway; however, in my research about this problem, there are many, many people who experienced this while driving and it is only a miracle there have not been any deaths or serious injuries resulting from this defect (at least, not that we know of). my vehicle had 80k miles at the time...however, most of those miles were highway (long trips down south). i wonder whether it took so long for this to happen because i started my car less often that other people. in any case, i wanted to encourage a recall, since this is obviously a widespread defect and a dangerous condition not only to the owners of the vehicles, but to other drivers, as well. search the web and see how many sites there are with stories of chain failure in this vehicle--i guarantee you will find hundreds--quite a large percentage for the short manufacturing period of this particular model, not to mention many other saturn models with the same design. my date of failure is within a day or two--i don't have the paperwork with me. *jb | |||
| 07/09/2007 | 99555 | 1 | 05/26/2001 |
| On monday, july 9, 2007 my car had problems cranking, and then had problems taking off. my husband took the car to our local mechanic and was advised that there were problems with the timing chain. i have now had a very expensive car repair bill to have to foot. at this point, because of the unreliably and safety issues, i have now purchased a new honda that i can depend on. from the hundreds of listings i have found online i do see that this is not unique to my car but there are many, many others with the same problem. i have always had my oil changed every 3,000 miles and believe this to be ridiculous. *tr | |||
| 07/18/2007 | 59100 | 1 | 03/14/2002 |
| 2001 saturn l200 timing belt failure. *jb | |||
| 07/03/2007 | 85500 | 1 | 05/01/2001 |
| I was driving home with the windows open and at a stop heard a subtle metallic clicking sound coming from the front of the car. when i pulled into my driveway a few minutes later i left the car running and lifted the hood to investigate. the sound was coming from the top of the engine where the timing chain drives the cams. having heard about a problem with these cars breaking timing chains and reading complaints on the nets web site about this very problem i was immediately alarmed. before i could even step away from the car to shut it off, i heart a louder metallic clank and the care stopped. the timing chain broke literally under my nose. had i been on the freeway, crossing an intersection or such this sudden loss of power could have caused a serious accident endangering myself and others. i have always been faithful about changing the oil in my 2001 saturn l200 at the recommended intervals and such a thing should never happen at only 85000 miles. the car is in the shop now being fixed. the service representative at saturn would not admit having ever heard of this problem and acted like it was very unusual that this happened. i know otherwise. i beg of you to please take action on this. myself and others should not have to bare the cost of this very expensive repair caused by bad engineering not to mention the terrible safety hazard this represents. thank you. *ak | |||
| 06/28/2007 | 103000 | 1 | 05/01/2001 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. while driving 45 mph, the vehicle suddenly stopped on its own. the vehicle was pulled over and towed to the dealer. the dealer stated that the cause of failure was a faulty timing chain. the contact notified saturn and discovered that this is a common failure among saturns. he feels as if this is a manufacturer defect that should be repaired. the current and failure mileages were 103,000. updated 02/01/08. *lj | |||
| 08/26/2001 | 2 | ||
| 2001 saturn l 200 series customer states that the car would not start and then after getting a booster the car started smoking and sparks came out of the ignition area**cc the consumer has experienced several problems with the vehicle. the ignition switch had burned out due to the starter being stuck. the dealer had to replace the burned out starter, ignition switch, ignition housing and ignition cylinder. on another occasion, the battery would not hold a charge, and had to be replaced. the air bag light was on, the dealer found a code and the bcm had to be recalibrated. the serpentine belt was replaced. the air condition was inoperable, the dealer stated the ac control had shorted out. *jb | |||
| 05/23/2007 | 77468 | 1 | 10/25/2000 |
| Engine knocking badly. dealer listed cause as weak timing chain tensionertold it was not normal for the mileage (77468). chain pkg cost $733.86 (parts/labor) i've heard that there are many saturns with this type of problem. *tr | |||
| 04/18/2007 | 70000 | 1 | 07/15/2002 |
| Traveling on rte 27 south in avon park florida engine died with no warning. i was able to coast to the side of the road and get vehicle towed to alan jay saturn in sebring. after three days of waiting they told me the timing chain had broke and would cost $1000 to fix. i was told it was an unusual occurrence. i find this not to be the case. they replaced the chain then told me some valves were bent and would cost $1600.00 more. i was almost in an accident due to the sudden loss of power. it was fortunate i was able to make it to roadside. *tr | |||
| 04/23/2007 | 69950 | 1 | 03/07/2003 |
| I was driving my 2001 saturn l200 sedan monday april 23, 2007 when i was entering the highway(accelerating and merging) when i had no warning, my car just stalled on me. fortunately, i was able to quickly exit the highway to my right. my engine would turn over but not start. it is at a non-dealership repair center because 1. where i was when it happened and 2. who my insurance company would authorize the tow truck to go to. i have been reading a lot of surveys on the internet where people have had the same thing happen to their saturns around the same year and with similar components. the repair center has confirmed that my timing belt has gone out and i have 6 bent valves which they have sent in to be machined and fixed. i am aware of the nhtsa investigation into this timing belt failure(dp05-008). it doesn't look like this is an isolated incident. *jb | |||
| 04/25/2007 | 31000 | 1 | 02/01/2001 |
| The timing chain broke after only 31,000 miles on a 2001 model saturn l series. *jb | |||
| 02/16/2007 | 36200 | 1 | 04/09/2001 |
| The timing chain on my 2001 saturn l200 broke, which caused the pistons to stop working, which totally ruined my engine. i only have 36,000 miles on the car! there was no warning that anything was wrong, my car stopped running while i was driving it. luckily i had not entered the thruway yet. i had to have my car towed and repaired. it cost me $2,479.50 to have this repaired. if i had been driving on a more crowded street or the highway, i could have been seriously hurt, as well as anyone around me. i contacted saturn because several people that deal with cars, say this should not have happened with the low mileage. i did call the cops because i ended up in the middle of a school zone in a no parking area. i did cause terrible traffic congestion. the tow truck came and took the car away before the police showed up.*jb | |||
| 12/29/2006 | 78000 | 1 | |
| Tl* - the contact stated that on the evening of 12/29/06 vehicle would not start. the contact stated that the week before he was having problems accelerating the vehicle. the contact called the mechanic and he pushed the vehicle to the auto shop. the mechanic informed the contact that the timing chain broke. the contact stated that the mechanicwas replacing the timing chain, and then he will be able to tell if any valves were bent. 8ak | |||
| 11/12/2006 | 47800 | 1 | 04/07/2002 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 70 mph on normal road conditions, the engine stalled and could not be restarted. no warning lights alerted the contact prior to the incident. the dealership was contacted who indicated the battery could be the problem. the vehicle was taken to an independent certified mechanic because the nearest dealer was 100 miles away. the mechanic determined the timing chain fractured. the manufacturer was not contacted. the vehicle remained inoperable at the auto shop. the contact was aware of several complaints due to the time chain failure. updated 12/05/06. *jb | |||
| 09/25/2006 | 63000 | 1 | 08/06/2001 |
| Wife's car...she noticed a noise,took to mechanic...timing chain broke. damage to pistons....reported to (geico mechanical breakdown insurance) inspector came out said lack of oil changes. wanted records...i do all oil changes. many incidents reported on internet. tech service bulletin 03-06-01-017. saturn says only for dealerships to read ... saturn l200 with 63000 miles. *jb | |||
| 05/25/2006 | 81000 | 1 | 10/10/2000 |
| The car would start rocking when waiting for a light. it would loose power at low rpms and eventually the whole head had to be replaced because the saturn service center in clarence did not tell us to check the timing chain. typically i travel on expressways and a blown engine could have caused a multiple car crash. *nm | |||
| 06/30/2006 | 49821 | 1 | 06/18/2004 |
| My sixteen year-old daughter was driving our 2001 saturn l200 and came home to tell me that the car started making a knocking sound. i took it to the mechanic to investigate the problem. he called me to show me the results: a shattering timing chain. the links of the chain were breaking apart, but had not yet completely failed. since the pieces that had broken off could not be confidently recovered from the engine, we are currently in the process of replacing the engine. this failure could have caused an emergency that my daughter would not have been able to handle had this timing chain failed completely while she was driving on any of the busier streets in our area, where traffic can be moderate to heavy. the engine with the failing timing chain is still currently available if needed for ea06-009. *jb | |||
| 06/19/2005 | 38000 | 2 | 05/31/2001 |
| Dt*: the contact stated there was a groaning noise coming from the engine compartment, which may have eminating from the power steering system, on 6/19/05. the sound was more pronounced during a cold start. the vehicle was diagnosed at the dealership and the timing chain was replaced. the same problem occurred a few days later. the dealer refused to correct the problem a second time at no cost. | |||
| 06/27/2006 | 68000 | 1 | 05/20/2004 |
| Engine shut off in the middle of the street doing 50 miles an hour. *jb | |||
| 06/06/2005 | 45529 | 1 | 03/09/2004 |
| The timing chain on my 2001 saturn l200 snapped at 45,000 miles. i had to have my car towed, first to my mechanic and then to a saturn dealer. the timing chain damaged parts of my engine and it cost me $2200 to repair. there had been a tsb to upgrade the timing chain for this vehicle, but owners were not made aware of it. i was told that they will not use the old timing chain kit as replacements because of the upgrade. saturn has refused any monetary help with this issue. | |||
| 04/23/2004 | 42000 | 1 | |
| After starting the vehicle engine blew out. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 02/08/2010 | 128000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. the contact stated that the oil light would illuminate once a month and she changed the oil very often. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership and the oil warning light was reset. however, the failure continued. the ignition would also studder when the contact attempted to start the vehicle. while driving at 75 mph, the vehicle stalled. the contact tried to depress the accelerator pedal but the vehicle would not move forward. the vehicle was towed to an auto center where the contact was informed that the timing chain needed to be replaced; two timing chains were replaced at that time. the vehicle overheated after the repair. the contact was also informed that her vehicle was included in recall 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling). when the contact called the manufacturer, she was told that her vehicle had not been serviced at the 100,000 mile mark. the failure mileage was approximately 128,000. the current mileage was approximately 130,000. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - FAN | |||
| 11/30/2007 | 98022 | 1 | 01/11/2007 |
| The fan motor has stopped working. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 02/08/2010 | 128000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. the contact stated that the oil light would illuminate once a month and she changed the oil very often. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership and the oil warning light was reset. however, the failure continued. the ignition would also studder when the contact attempted to start the vehicle. while driving at 75 mph, the vehicle stalled. the contact tried to depress the accelerator pedal but the vehicle would not move forward. the vehicle was towed to an auto center where the contact was informed that the timing chain needed to be replaced; two timing chains were replaced at that time. the vehicle overheated after the repair. the contact was also informed that her vehicle was included in recall 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling). when the contact called the manufacturer, she was told that her vehicle had not been serviced at the 100,000 mile mark. the failure mileage was approximately 128,000. the current mileage was approximately 130,000. | |||
| 02/01/2010 | 117560 | 1 | |
| I was driving to work and suddenly the engine started running rough, then stalled. i coasted off to the side of the road to get out of traffic. it would not re-start, so i had my car towed home where i started troubleshooting. after investigating, i found it was the timing chain. the chain had enough slack in it to jump about 6 teeth. this caused a total loss of compression in all cylinders. *tw | |||
| 11/14/2009 | 102000 | 1 | |
| While driving on the interstate at 55 miles per hour, my car suddenly decreased speed to 20mph. my car continued to limit it's speed to 30mph for one hour. after an hour i was able to regain speed. i later took my car into a shop where they told me that my timing chain guide had rubbed up against a cylinder cause it to crack thus leaking coolant into the engine. my car has 102,000 and now requires a new engine. in 2007 i had all the cylinder head gaskets replaced and head bolt set replaced because my intake valves was leaking and the head the gaskets were all blown. *tr | |||
| 10/26/2009 | 148876 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. whenever the contact attempted to drive the vehicle, she noticed that the vehicle would not accelerate over 40 mph and that when idling the vehicle will began shaking. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. 2 days prior to the failure, the vehicle would not start. the current and failure mileages were 148876. | |||
| 05/08/2008 | 1 | ||
| Car purchased used and inspected (midas) in june 2007; driven home to ks from ia (8 hrs) in dec--no oil remaining when arrived. oil level a problem all winter, but not driven much--oil added as needed. again driven home from ia in may 08-- timing chain exploded and bent engine valves in fast lane on highway bridge! fortunately, our son was able to push it to side before hit by traffic. towed to nearest garage and then to saturn dealership in liberty mo. dealership informed us that valves were bent but didn't mention that there was a recall on timingchain...$2500 fix. also received a lecture about checking oil properly...basically blamed son for supposedly not checking oil (which he did do). note: i read an account of another owner who got the same talking points--vin not in recall, change oil regularly. in aug 08, your car lost all oil in 2 days and started making horrible sounds. midas mechanic said it could be valves again or deeper. towed it (50 miles) to liberty saturn dealership because it was their valve work under warranty. they guessed it was deeper in engine (wouldn't check w/o payment) and didn't know if the may timing chain break had caused the deeper damage--assessment: engine needed to be replaced for $5900. we asked about the recall and were told our vin didn't fall under the recall so they hadn't said anything in may when timingchain originally broke. now we are in the position of replacing the engine with another saturn engine that might have the very same problem! so the car sits in the garage while we hope saturn is pressured to acknowledge their negligence in not fixing all the engines with this problem before an accident. a timing chain break could be fatal on a highway and we would like the nhtsa to investigate and hold saturn responsible for this blatant act of irresponsibility. *tr | |||
| 05/26/2009 | 96000 | 1 | |
| After 2 timing chain replacements in less than three years,the timing chain broke again on my saturn 2001 l200 damaging the top half of the engine. towed it to saturn of toms river n.j. they said that since i have already had 1 chain replaced on the recall that i was not eligible for the recall. i was told when the chain was replaced under the recall (at saturn of freehold which is out of business)that this was not the same chain but a new and improved design. i was told today that my repair was not really worth fixing but if i'd like they could install a used engine for $4300. this is just plain neglect from a dying company. why would they replace a chain that's just going to go again and worsen the damage to my vehicle even more. saturn/gm needs to make good for their poor history if they're ever going to right the ship. i really feel ripped off. *tr | |||
| 06/01/2009 | 150000 | 1 | |
| Saturn 2001 l-200 2.2l i was driving down the road in rush hour morning traffic. as i slowed down for stopped traffic ahead of me, my engine shut off, and i lost power steering, and power brakes. i did not know what to do so i recklessly veered off onto a side street where i came to a complete stop. the car would not restart but would only turn over. i had it towed to the saturn dealership and they said that just by turning it over, and seeing that the power steering pump was not turning, since it was directly connected to the cam shaft, that the timing chain had broke. he also said he sees it all the time on this year model. along with the broke timing chain, they said that the head would have to be replace as well because the inwards of the engine have collided and caused even more damage. this car was maintained to the t. every oil change was done at saturn on time and all service was done there. they quote me 3500 dollars to put in a 90k mile used engine. mine had 150k and ran like a champ before this happened. we then got another quote from a local garage to put in a 60k mile car for 1600 dollars. we will probably do that. they said to replace the head and chain will cost about the same and you never know if the internals will be intact after the timing chain goes. *tr | |||
| 03/16/2009 | 88500 | 1 | |
| Timing chain failed while driving at highway speeds. failure also destroyed engine valves and head. *tr | |||
| 02/11/2009 | 53000 | 1 | |
| Car stopped running would not restart. saturn dealer said timing chains failed causing catastrophic engine damage. replaced engine at my cost approx 1 year ago. on 2-11-09 the same damn thing happened. *tr | |||
| 08/06/2008 | 100000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. while driving at an unknown speed, the timing chain failed and the vehicle stopped working. the contact took her vehicle to a mechanic and they notified her of nhtsa campaign id number 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling). she was informed to call the saturn manufacturer and they stated that they would not cover the failure. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was 100,000. | |||
| 12/26/2008 | 114000 | 1 | |
| Timing chain failure in the 2001 saturn l200 series 2.2l f engine resulting in severe engine damage. this engine damage virtually leaves this car with a negative net worth value. i believe saturn knows well of a poor timing chain component in these engines and should broaden the scope of the recall campaign. my vehicle apparently falls 1 month short of the original recall parameters. i have much experience with engines and have a very hard time believing that there is any difference in the quality of timing chains before and after the recall time line seeing that these chains fail in the same manner. timing chains do not just break or separate at 100,000 miles, wear is a component i completely understand. the end result is most likely engine replacement, which is due to valve interference in an out of timed engine. my failure occurred while my daughter was driving on interstate 94 at 65 mph when the engine just shut down without warning. i commended my daughter on some fine driving, darting through heavy traffic and avoiding a collision while finding her way to the shoulder of the road. i might add that this vehicle is in fine shape and has had regular service work completed. *tr | |||
| 10/13/2008 | 102564 | 1 | |
| We were driving on rt. #98 running about 40 mph and the motor just stopped. we didn't hear anything so coasted to edge of highway. got out and raised the hood and could see nothing out of the ordinary. tried to start the engine and it just cranked over and would not restart. this is the first problem we have had with this vehicle. called aaa road service and they towed car back to my home since it was late in the afternoon. the next morning i checked it all over and decided that i could not discern what was wrong. i then had it towed to msc repair here in marysville and their mechanic found out the timing chain had broken so i had him go ahead and repair this at an estimated cost of $1500.00. after he had it back together and before he tried to start it he ran a compression test and found out that the valves were bent so the head had to be taken off to assess the damage and depending on how bad it is it could run another $2000.00 to fix it if it can be fixed. so far all gears and timing chain,balance kit and gaskets have been replaced and will not know for sure about other parts until the head has been evaluated. *tr | |||
| 09/23/2008 | 80000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. while driving approximately 30 mph, the engine shut off and would not restart. there were no warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and then taken to an independent mechanic. the contact was informed that the timing chain failed. the failure caused other damages to the engine. currently, the vehicle is inoperable and has not been repaired. the contact experienced failures identical to the ones mentioned in the recall; however, the vin was excluded. the nhtsa campaign id number was unknown. the failure and current mileages were 80,000. | |||
| 08/23/2008 | 98000 | 1 | |
| I received a recall notice on my 2001 saturn l-series vehicle concerning the timing chain in jan. 2008, when i called to schedule the service, i was told that my car was not in the recall population. i questioned why i had gotten the recall notice, but was not given a reason. however, the technician assured me that the timing chain in my car was good and would not be a problem. however, eight months later - the timing chain is out in car. after investigating, i realized that my car was built in march 2001 and the recall population ended with cars built in feb. 2001. i have contacted saturn and they were extremely unhelpful. my car is being fixed at my cost. the car just refused to start one day without warning. there was nothing to indicate that anything was going bad. i have since found out that saturn was aware that the timing chain parts were faulty, but did nothing about it. *tr | |||
| 03/06/2007 | 85000 | 1 | |
| I was driving my car and it quit. upon investigation i determined the cause to be a timing chain failure. i purchased the parts and made the repair. recently i discovered this model of car was involved in a recall for timing chain failure and want to be reimbursed for my expense. i have contacted the dealer and customer service hotlines but they tell me my particular car was not involved in the recall even though my vin number is in the range indicated in the recall notice. *tr | |||
| 08/24/2008 | 73615 | 1 | |
| I had just exited from interstates 440 when my timing chain snapped and rendered the vehicle without any engine power or power steering in the middle of a busy road. *tr | |||
| 07/06/2008 | 202515 | 1 | |
| Engine failure, turns out that at least 1 valve is bent due to a slipping timing chain. *tr | |||
| 05/21/2008 | 69493 | 1 | |
| Timing chain failure in l61 (ecotec) engine. service tech found that the timing chain is starting to separate during visit for brake maintenance, at 69,000 miles. vehicle manufactured 2 months before window for recall 07v-519 (november 2000 - february 2001). parts replaced as per recall procedure. *tr | |||
| 05/24/2008 | 80300 | 1 | |
| I was driving at a steady speed (cruise control) of 72 mph, having just raised the speed setting from 70 mph. engine speed increased to 4200 rpm while increasing vehicle speed. 1 to 2 minutes later, the engine stopped producing power and i quickly lost speed. i pulled over the shoulder and stopped. this could have proven to be disastrous had i been in a left lane with no shoulder or had the engine seized and lock the wheels. *tr | |||
| 06/05/2006 | 64844 | 1 | |
| I also have a 2001 l200. my problems started june 5, 2006. while driving along at 70 mph, and after just cresting a hill in northwestern iowa, my engine just stopped. i didn't think much of it but found out that the timing chain failed at 64,800 miles. i thought that it was unacceptable but didn't want to tow the car 230 miles only to have saturn of lincoln tell me that it was my fault that the chain broke. (either from having incomplete maintenance records or some other reason.) i had the motor replaced with a used one. the repair shop told me that the motor had 39,000 miles. i had to take their word for it. (might have had 60,000 hard miles) it worked fine, i kept good track of the oil changes with this motor. this problem could have had disastrous effects had the engine seized or traffic not allowed me to get to the shoulder of the road. *tr | |||
| 04/29/2008 | 92000 | ||
| My daughter was driving along at 50 mph when the vehicle engine stopped and she lost all power. she nearly avoided an accident while trying to get to the shoulder and eventually rolled to a stop. after having a mechanic look at the engine at the site, it was determined there was no engine compression. the vehicle was towed to our local mechanic and determined the timing chain had snapped. i contacted the saturn dealer and was told there was a recall but we did not qualify. even though the recall was for our exact make, model and year vehicle the vin did not match. saturn dealer stated that they would not repair as it wasn't covered and it would cost about $3500-$4000. i spoke to local mechanic and he is repairing for $1355. i called saturn corporate and filed a report and have that id#. i was told that is was not covered but they would open a case and report it to the area manager. the area manager contacted me and said that they might be able to help me out. however, i would have to stop all work, tow it to saturn, pay for a rental car while they researched the problem, and they didn't know if they could help or not even if it was defective. if the couldn't help i would have to pay the $3500-$4000 at the dealer. i informed him that i can't take all that time and spend the extra money. i have need for use of the car. i told him i would have to seek other assistance with saturn being held liable for their defective part and he agreed. he apologized for the part breaking so early in the life of the car and also apologized for the inconvenience. at this point, the vehicle is being repaired at our local mechanic and i have all of the defective parts. the defective chain snapped and injured valves on the engine as well. those are also being repaired. *tr | |||
| 02/25/2007 | 64000 | 1 | 10/15/2006 |
| While driving on the interstate at 55mph my timing chain broke on my 2001 saturn ls200. when this happened it also blew the motor in my car. i am still shopping around for parts and to get it replaced. *tr | |||
| 02/25/2008 | 62340 | 1 | 10/11/2006 |
| Took car in to replace recalled timing chain, about 500 miles less than 3 weeks later the crank seal went out, (a part that was removed to do the recalled repair) when the crank seal went out all the oil left the engine resulting in damage to the engine, lucky for us we were the only car on the road at the time and only going about 30 mph, called the dealership and asked them about this and was told it had nothing to do with the recall, they said this is a know problem with the car in cold weather, they said the seal in cold weather can retain moisture freeze and when started can tear, this seems much worse than the timing chain recall that we took the car in for, at least with the timing chain going out the motor will not lock up. i looked on the internet and it seems they have a new seal that will not freeze, not sure if they know about this problem that they do not mention it to their customers. *tr | |||
| 12/17/2007 | 107399 | 1 | 08/01/2004 |
| My wife was on the on ramp to a very bust state highway when the car stalled, and she could not restart the vehicle. turns out the timing chain broke, causing valves to bend and piston damage, which wound up costing 3746.29 to replace the engine with a used engine to repair (replacement of parts was going to cost the same amount if not more.) *tr | |||
| 12/17/2007 | 107399 | 1 | 08/01/2004 |
| I was driving my vehicle to the gym. as i was on a highway on ramp, my car suddenly stalled, and would not restart. i took the vehicle to a mechanic who stated that the timing chain went out, and when it did, it bent the valves and did damage to a piston, as evidenced by compression test failure and visual inspection. he also noted that even once the timing chain was grabbed, it could not be pulled free of the engine without complete disassembly. he stated that the parts could be replaced and engine repaired for approximately $3,400.00 plus tax, or i could replace the engine for $3,500.00 plus tax, and have a one year warranty on parts and labor. i opted to replace the engine instead of repair the defective parts. saturn just notified me of the safety recall for this issue on my vehicle, but will only pay for replacement of the timing chain, not the damage caused when the timing chain broke. *tr | |||
| 02/15/2005 | 47000 | 1 | |
| Motor failure less than 47,000 miles. *tr | |||
| 08/01/2007 | 77535 | 50 | 11/01/2004 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. while driving 65 mph, the vehicle shut off without warning. the contact heard a persistent knocking sound coming from the front of the vehicle. the failure occurred intermittently and she was unable to restart the vehicle. the contact stated that the instrument panel lights flickered when she depressed the brake pedal. the dealer inspected the vehicle, but was unable to diagnose the cause of the failures. the current and failure mileages were 77,535. | |||
| 09/05/2007 | 106000 | 07/14/2004 | |
| I own a 2001 saturn l200, 2.2l, 4 cyl, double overhead cam sedan, vin # 1g8ju52f21y592098. 106k miles. i maintain it regularly. i was driving to work yesterday 9/5/07 and the engine stalled abruptly making a noticable clunk noise. i was almost up to 55mph when the incident happened. i coasted to a stop and tried to restart but it wouldnt fire, it would turn over however. that gave me the awful feeling that the timing belt or chain probably broke. i towed the car home and tore it down and confirmed that the timing chain had broken. also the left adjustable chain guide was also broken. now i am worried that the valves or pistons may be damaged. after searching the internet for this problem, it appears i am definitely not alone. gm must be held accountable for their crap designs. i'm sick of thier quality issues. after i fix this thing i will buy a honda! | |||
| 06/29/2007 | 80500 | 1 | 07/11/2004 |
| I purchased a 2001 saturn l200 with approximately 37- or 29k miles from a saturn dealer in july of 2004. there are about 80,500 miles on the car now. two days ago i went out to start the car and the timing chain failed and beat up the engine (per the saturn dealer, where i had the car towed that morning). although i never used saturn for oil changes, i did change the oil every 3,000 to 5,000 miles. recently, however (several months ago) after having the car in to replace the ignition and housing, saturn gave me a complete inspection. there were several minor items listed needing attention, but the timing chain issue was never mentioned, nor did i ever receive notice of this inherent and dangerous defect (funny how they can find me to send notices of their upcoming sales events, however). since it was late friday when i contacted the zone rep, i was told i should receive a return call from saturn by monday noon. i will be more than happy to update this if you like. *tr | |||
| 06/13/2007 | 126000 | 1 | 02/21/2004 |
| Hi, i am the owner of a 2001 saturn l200, 4 door sedan. on monday june 4, 2007, i was driving to work in a rainstorm when my vehicle at highway speed approximately 60 mph lost power locked. coasted to the side of the highway and luckily avoided an accident on the busy highway. stuck in the rain for a few hours until the towing company i called picked me up and towed me to a local garage. at the garage they checked my vehicle and advised me to have my car towed to the nearest saturn which was saturn of white plains, ny. they said that my vehicle needed dealer service and they said that my vehicle did not have any compression. it had fuel, spark.it did not have compression. i had the car towed to saturn at white plains again in carrying another towing expense. the car sat at the saturn dealership since they were busy with other vehicles. on wednesday,the service lady called me to tell me that they were able to run some diagnostics and it turns out that my timing chain broke which caused extensive damage to my vehicle and it would cost about $3600.00 to fix the vehicle. i told service that i needed to think about this and during the conversation asked to get transferred to sales to weigh out my options since i still had a loan on my vehicle estimated remainder $ 4000.00. the salesman said i would get $ 500 for my car, which was a huge loss. i called him back a little bit later and told him i would repair my vehicle on my own, which than led to another $ 200.00 tow. on june 8th, i rented a car - $ 250/wk. june 10, 2007 - vehicle getting serviced with a new/used engine. it was a horrible last few weeks with my car. this was not the first problem i have had with my saturn an this is one in a string of frustrations that have occurred. vehicle was well maintained, oil changed and preventively care. he vehicle had 126,000 miles and it was driven primarily on the highway. *ak | |||
| 06/11/2007 | 70000 | 1 | 06/01/2001 |
| Timing chain broke off and damged the head, rods and valves. car has only 7)k miles. i have received an estimate from saturn to repair for 3k | |||
| 05/24/2007 | 89000 | 1 | 12/15/2001 |
| I was driving my 2001 l200 saturn in moderate traffic when i heard a sound and the engine quit. i coasted to the side of the road and called for a tow truck. the dealers maintenance department later informed me that the timing chain had broken and that it would cost between $2,900 and $3,300 to repair or replace the engine. *tr | |||
| 05/10/2007 | 60000 | 1 | 03/31/2004 |
| I own a 2001 saturn l200 with the 2.2l 4 cylinder engine. without warning, and with no prior symptoms, the vehicle would not start. took it to local mechanic and found the timing chain failed. the engine needed total replacement to the tune of $5000. we've owned the vehicle for three years, total of 60000 miles on the car. regular oil changes from the same service facility. *ak | |||
| 03/10/2007 | 114000 | 1 | 06/01/2002 |
| I was driving along a city street doing no more than 25 miles per hour when my car just shut down. upon taking it to the repair shop i was told that my timing chain had broken and that this was very unusual. i now am facing 3,000-3,500 in repair cost if i don't use saturn parts double that if i do since the recommendation is to have the engine replaced. *jb | |||
| 01/17/2007 | 89000 | 1 | 05/06/2002 |
| I have a 2001 saturn l series. a few months ago i started hearing little noises in the engine when it was cold, and as the engine warmed up the noise would stop. i have the car serviced pretty regularly, and have not had any bad experiences with the car. 2 days ago, i drove one mile from my work,and with no warning at all i heard a loud pop in the engine and everything stopped. i was surprised to know that the timing chain had broke and the rear cam was completely frozen. i had the car towed to my house and there it will sit for awhile. i cannot afford to fix it as the estimated cost to just get into it is $400, and then most likely will need a new engine. i am on a modest income, and i am still making payments on this vehicle and have to continue to make payments on a car i can't drive. this is my primary transportation to and from work, so it will most likely affect my livelihood. i contacted saturn and they told me they had not serviced the car since 2001 and pretty much i was on my own. i had serviced the car regularly, but not at the dealership. this happened at 89000 miles. i think that saturn should stand behind this problem as it is a safety issue. apparently by the research i have done, this is a common problem with saturns and i want them to replace my engine, parts and labor and stand behind their work as well. i feel like with all the complaints that there should be a recall, as well as a class-action suit against saturn. *nm | |||
| 12/31/2006 | 75000 | 1 | 02/10/2004 |
| 2001 saturn l200 had a cam chain failure which has caused cylinder head and possible piston damage that will cost well over 1500 dollars to fix on a car that has 75000 miles on it! i understand this problem is in investigation by your agency now. *nm | |||
| 11/23/2006 | 86000 | 1 | 11/11/2004 |
| My timing chain broke on the way to my families thanksgiving with no warning. i was stranded on the side of the road for over 5 hours trying to find out what happened. my oil has been changed on time the whole life of the car, this i have records of. and i still have not heard back from saturn corporate regarding this issue. with the number of other claims i have seen this should definitely be recalled. i am now without a car because the bill to fix the problem is way to high for me to pay, over 3 thousand dollars. *jb | |||
| 11/12/2006 | 1 | ||
| While driving, my husband's 2001 l200 saturn 4-cyl lost all power. he safely coasted to a parking lot. the car would not restart. repair shop states timing chain malfunction. the extent of damage/costs is not known at this time. *jb | |||
| 10/24/2006 | 1 | ||
| The timing chain on my 2001 saturn l200 (81,00 miles) broke while driving. all power stopped and had to coast to safety, wait alone on the turnpike for help. research shows an open investigation of this problem. i just want you to know this is still happening! | |||
| 10/10/2006 | 44000 | 2 | 03/27/2004 |
| I bought my car with 36,000 miles on it and spent $8000. less than four months later, i had to spend almost $2000 to fix a timing chain. then when it had 61,000 miles on it, i had to have a fuel pump fixed. i have found out this is such a common problem, there is a fix it kit for it. they refuse to assist me in getting it fixed because i will not pay for a second tow to take it to their retailer to have it diagnosed because my certified mechanic lets me make payments. they also refuse to recall the defective part. *nm | |||
| 08/25/2006 | 82000 | 1 | 11/01/2003 |
| Timing chain failure at low speed resulting in stall. car restarted after a few tries and was able to be driven about 2 blocks home with very poor performance. after turning off engine vehicle would not restart. independent mechanic diagnosed timing chain failure. *nm | |||
| 09/05/2006 | 83000 | 1 | 05/01/2005 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 30 mph on a city street, the timing belt fractured without warning and there was a loss of all vehicle power. the vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop who determined the engine was damaged when the timing belt fractured. the mechanic suggested replacing the engine as well as the timing belt. the manufacturer was alerted. | |||
| 08/20/2006 | 62000 | 1 | 04/30/2004 |
| At 62000 miles, timing chain broke in engine - no warning, car just stopped the timing chain broke causing damage to the valves and pistons. 2001 saturn l-200 2.2 l engine, 5-speed transmission | |||
| 01/16/2006 | 114000 | 1 | 09/20/2004 |
| Driving on highway i 293,and my engine blew it got towed to saturn of nashua (offered me $200 on a trade in for it or other wise 3600 to fix).my ignition module s#%t the bed (a recalled part) saturn of nashua once again could not help me because they replaced it for the previous owner and they would have replaced it for me if it went 1600 mi ago (didn't help at all).the tentioner spring went threw the side of the housing,02 censor broke,lights dim when rolling up & down the windows,loose power when the ac is on,use lighter in car once then fuse needs replacing,cv joints went,my brake lights go out like crazy and i replace them like crazy and get pulled over for it too, what else oh yagh! i drive 61 miles to then from work 5 to 6 days a week .and do all my required maintenance and then some and still owe 4 more years on this car sucks huge i am only suckered once saturn and saturn of nashua has lost my business for good! but they did cover the cost of putting my car on the diagnostic machine $96.00 when my engine blew because i was going to leave it there thanks saturn for all the people you ripped off. *nm | |||
| 06/06/2006 | 114000 | 1 | 09/15/2005 |
| Timing chain failure, vehicle died while driving on highway. *jb | |||
| 05/06/2006 | 56000 | 1 | 08/01/2004 |
| 2001 saturn l-200 car has 50k miles and the timing chain has broken. have seen on different internet forums at least 50 of the same exact complaints. the saturn corp is aware of the problem and has changed the design but is not willing to help in any of the repairs. *jb | |||
| 05/27/2006 | 73140 | 1 | 01/25/2005 |
| I was driving on the highway when, without warning my engine turned off and i was forced to the side of the road. i did not know what had happened and i called a tow truck to take me the 30 miles to my home. turn my car into the manufacturer and they said that the timing chain broke and it might have damaged the heads as well, resulting in a $2668 repair. i had no choice but to pay and have them repair it. *jb | |||
| 03/22/2006 | 117500 | 1 | 01/31/2001 |
| The timing chain failed on my 2001 saturn l-200 at highway speed. the engine abruptly died. fortunately i was able to coast safely to the side of the road. a valve bent and the head cracked. *nm | |||
| 03/23/2006 | 69000 | 1 | 06/08/2001 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the engine would not crank. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection. the dealer determined the timing chain inside the engine broke and recommended replacing the engine. | |||
| 03/14/2006 | 1 | ||
| Our 2001 saturn l200 stopped working as a result of a broken timing chain. oil changes have been done on a regular basis, but the chain still failed. the engine was destroyed due to the internal design of the chain leading to a need for engine replacement (cost of $2800). the new motor is on order and will be replaced this week, all costs are on us. saturn has no idea how to prevent problem from happening, there are no warnings to tell us there are issues, and their customer service was of no help. *jb | |||
| 03/05/2006 | 31000 | 1 | 04/24/2001 |
| My car simply would not start. it is a 2001 saturn l200 with 31,000 miles. vin 1g8ju52f31y570434. i had it towed to a gm garage in town. the problem turned out to be the timing chain. it had come loose and moved 2 links, so the engine had no compression and could not start. the timing chain and gear were replaced, oil and coolant replaced. the total bill was $1,104. with only 31,000 miles, this failure of the timing chain is very premature and unexpected. *nm | |||
| 02/27/2006 | 54790 | 1 | 03/01/2004 |
| I have a saturn l200, 2001 with 54,790 and the timing chain broke and bent the valves. saturn said there was nothing they can do. *jb | |||
| 06/29/2005 | 54000 | 1 | 07/09/2004 |
| Dt: the consumer was driving the vehicle when he turned a corner and he heard a pop. the vehicle lost all power and would not start again. the vehicle was towed to aaa to westridge saturn 4692 ridge road west, spencerport, new york. 585-352-5995. the consumer then learned that the timing chain was broke. the consumer has been told by the dealer that it would be next week before they could get to it to fix it. the consumer says that the timing chain should last longer than 54000 miles. *ak *sc | |||
| 06/15/2005 | 52424 | 1 | |
| Started vehicle and left gas station when the engine quit. the car would not start and did not give any diagnostic information on the dash display. everything looked normal. after seeing a mechanic found out that the timing chain is broke and will cost me $3600 to replace according to the saturn dealer. after looking around on the internet this is a very big problem and is occuring very often. there is a technical service bulletin to the saturn dealers, according to a article i read, that states that there is a known problem with the oil sending unit that lubricates the timing chain. the oil sending unit does not supply enough oil to the timing chain causing the failure. saturn needs to recall this engine so people like me with a daughter in college does not have to occur this kind of expense with a car that only has 52,000 miles on it. | |||
| 08/01/2004 | 70068 | 1 | 07/10/2002 |
| Tie rod end- drivers side. lso have problem with left brake light- replaced bulb and keeps going out ignition switch locked up now engine and coil pack blown-- engine oil pressure light never came on to alert of impending problem. *ak | |||
| 11/12/2001 | 1 | 11/01/2000 | |
| Driving down the highway between 60 and 65 miles per hour the engine just quit running. there where no warning lights, no unusual sounds, etc. upon stoping the car i tried to restart it to no avail. car towed into saturn dealer. it seems the cams froze which broke the timing chain which caused the valves to hit the pistorns... thus new motor is needed. dealer checked oil it was clean and found no problems. car has been serviced on a regular basis. cost to repair $5,000.00. car is less than one year old. i have been on the phone with the dealer who has been talking to saturn. saturn states the car is out of warranty and they are not responsible for anything. they did say they would offer to conribute 50% or 2,500 toward replacing the engine. i stated that they need to do better than that. i followed basic maintenance and drove the car in a prudent fashion - highway miles to and from the office from home. car is at the dealer at this point. i am undecided on what i will do next. thank you, bob trautman | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 07/09/2006 | 78000 | 1 | 02/01/2002 |
| My wife and i own a 2001 saturn l200 sedan that we have been very happy with. over the years there have been nothing more than the normal little problems with the car. about two weeks ago my wife started noticing a 'ticking' noise coming from the engine. the sound came and went but mostly when she started the car. we had it in to a garage and they were unable to determine the cause, but assured my wife everything would be fine. two days later everything was not fine. my wife, who is a nurse, went to start her car after work. the car started, with the noise, and then stalled. she tried to restart the car but was unable to. all of this happened sunday july 9th at 4:00 am in the morning. we had the car towed the following monday, at an increased expense because she was in a low clearance parking garage. we had the engine checked and it was discovered to be a timing belt failure. lucky, for us it happened when she started the car not when she was driving, so there was no other damage done to the motor. as i stated earlier our car is a 2001 saturn l200 that has only 78,000 miles. never before have i heard of a timing chain failing, let alone at 78,000 miles. the last car we owned, a 1993 nissan maxima had a timing belt and the manufacturer did not recommend replacement until 90,000 mile at that. i have had many cars and have driven them well beyond 100,000 mile mark and never have i had to fix a timing chain before. *jb | |||
| 04/08/2006 | 69760 | 1 | 06/30/2001 |
| With no advanced warning signs, my 2001 saturn l-200 had the timing chain spontanteously break. all oil changes and maintenance was done at the regular intervals. because saturn designed this as an interferance engine, the broken timing chain caused permanent damage to the valves in the motor. no one was hurt as a result of this engine malfunction. the failure was corrected by replacing the blown engine with a low mileage salvage engine at the cost of $2606 to me. i am the original owner and my vehicle only has 69,000 miles. *nm | |||
| 03/25/2006 | 70000 | 1 | |
| No events leading up to this failure. i own a 2001 saturn l200 sedan. up until now this has been a good vehicle. the car just turned over 70k miles and the timing chain just broke. this leaves me with a car that i am making a payment on, yet unable to drive. it is not in my family budget to have this repaired by a professional, that means i will have to do the work myself unless saturn decides to help me. i have been doing a lot of research into this issue and see that there has been a service bulletin issued for this problem, but no recall yet. *jb | |||
| 09/02/2002 | 4 | 05/08/2001 | |
| While driving batery and engine check light appeared on dashboard. vehicle shut off and pulled out on road. dealer has been notified. *ak consumer was informed that the tires were worn prematurely, the left side brake bulb was replaced, the brakes needed to be replaced.*jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | |||
| 08/01/2009 | 120000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. while driving in reverse at an unknown speed, the vehicle stalled and would not restart. there were no warning lights illuminated prior to the failure. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the engine did not have any compression. the engine would have to be replaced at the cost of $7,200. the vehicle was towed to a local repair shop and the mechanic stated that the timing chain failed, which caused the engine to fail. he was informed that the vehicle was not included in the recall for the timing chain and was advised to return the vehicle to the dealer for further assistance. the manufacturer stated that no compensation would be provided because the vin was not included in the recall. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was 120,000. | |||
| 06/08/2007 | 57081 | 1 | 09/16/2005 |
| I was driving home from work in my 2001 saturn l200. i had stopped at a red light and when the light turned green i began to gradually accelerate. when the car reached about 20 mph, the engine shut down and the car rolled to a stop. after having it towed to a service station, the mechanic concluded that my timing chain had broken. he could not understand how this had happened because the car only had 57,000 miles and the chain looked in good condition. the chain breaking also caused damage to the cylinder heads. the total was nearly $2,800.00 of damage. in january of 2008, saturn launched a recall of 21,000 of there 2001 l200's. the reason for the recall was links in the engine timing chain can separate. i notified them of my occurrence 6 months prior and submitted my information. within 2 weeks they notified me that my vehicle did not match the vin range of there recall. i still have the original timing chain. *tr | |||
| 04/12/2008 | 105000 | 1 | 03/07/2002 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. the contact stated that the vehicle would not start. a local mechanic inspected the vehicle and stated that the timing belt was loose. the dealer has not diagnosed the failure. the current and failure mileages were 105,000. | |||
| 12/15/2007 | 0 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn l200. the contact received a safety recall notice for the engine timing chain. since that time, she has attempted to have the recall repair performed. she scheduled an appointment with the dealer and drove 65 miles both ways, but the dealer did not have the part. she was informed that someone would call her back, but no one has responded yet. she called in february of 2008 and the part was still unavailable. there had been no failure to date. the purchase date and recall number were unknown. the current mileage was 95,653. | |||
| 12/12/2007 | 66500 | 2 | |
| Engine stalled while driving 70mph on interstate. due to timing chain now dealer said that it will cost me for there problem, but not my family's life. my wife is with child. *tr | |||
| 08/05/2007 | 98322 | 1 | 06/27/2007 |
| I was driving down a major interstate at 70 mph when all of a sudden my car cut off. i had my two year old son with me. it left us stranded 5 hours away from home. we were stuck on the side of the road, and a gas station for a total of 7 hours while i waited for my dad to come get us. my son has severe asthma and the temperature that day was near 100 degrees. after being on the side of the road for an hour his whole body turned red. i had to walk 2 miles on the side of this major interstate to get us to the closest gas station where we sat and waited for help to arrive. the timing chain broke and tore up the heads on the motor. i had to have a complete top end overhaul on the motor. this cost me 1500 which was at a discounted rate because my dad knew the mechanic. several of the past were on back order so it has now been two weeks since it has been at the mechanic and we are still waiting on bolts so he can put it back together. *jb my two year old son and i finally arrived back home at 6:00 am the next morning, my car broke down at 1. *jb | |||
| 06/29/2007 | 88000 | 1 | |
| While traveling at approximately 60 mph on an 8 lane highway (interstate 75 and without any warning signs the 2001 saturn l200 lost power. it coasted across 2 lanes of moving traffic and 2 lanes across the fontage road in order to park the car and called for help. the car was towed to a mechanic that inspected the car and said the timing chain needed to be replaced. saturn informed me that the timing chain did not have an expected life, and would not fail if the car was properly maintained , if the oil was changed properly, which has always been done) i have since learned that the timing chain was defective in saturn l series cars for model years 2000-2003. saturn has done nothing to help me, and disclaims any responsibility for the defective timing chain.*ak | |||
| 04/17/2007 | 84700 | 1 | 06/23/2001 |
| We had the timing chain break on the 2001 saturn l200 while the vehicle was in operation in richmond on april 17, 2007. breaking in this fashion it fatally damaged the engine. i learned after the fact that saturn had changed the design of the lubricating nozzle for the timing chain during the 2001 model year, but they never fixed the existing models, including ours, even though we purchased it after the design change had been implemented. saturn themselves has warranted that the timing chain was scheduled to be replaced at the 90,000 mile service - ours broke at 84,700. saturn has refused to take responsibility for the problem. *ak | |||
| 02/18/2007 | 62000 | 1 | 01/01/2006 |
| Tl*- the contact stated that when driving the 2001 saturn l200 at approximately 45 mph she heard a loud popping sound, and experienced a complete engine failure, and a complete loss of power. the contact attempted to restart the vehicle, but the vehicle would not start. the vehicle had to be towed to a mechanic, who informed the contact the timing chain sheared off. the contact stated the mechanic replaced the timing chain. there have not been any other occurrences with the vehicle since the replacement of the timing chain. the vehicle currently had 62,000 miles. *ak | |||
| 03/01/2007 | 77000 | 1 | 05/01/2001 |
| Tl*- the contact stated that while driving the 2001 saturn l200 at 25 mph the vehicle stalled and lost power. there were no warning lights before or after the vehicle lost power. the contact was unable to restart the vehicle. after attempting to restart a few times the contact had the vehicle towed. the mechanic informed the contact that the timing chain sheared, there was no compression in two cylinders, and there was high compression on the other two cylinders. the vehicle currently had 77,000 miles.*ak | |||
| 02/19/2007 | 1 | ||
| I noticed about all the complaints throughout the internet and i decided to add my complaint to the nhtsa. i was driving on the highway out of town on cruise control at 70 mph when my vehicle lost all engine power. i was able to glide it off the road. i had it taken to my mechanic and he said that the timing chain has broke on it. i was under the impression that timing chains should never break. my car has less than 110k on it. now i have a broken vehicle with payments still and a large cost to fix or replace the engine. *nm | |||
| 01/05/2007 | 83000 | 1 | 12/15/2003 |
| My daughter was driving to work and a pop was heard from the engine, then the car quit and she was able to maneuver the car to the shoulder of the road. event occurred at night on a unlit roadway. when the ar was towed to a mechanic, i was told the timing belt had broken and the engine would need to be replaced. saturn said it was due to oil change maintenance but all oil changes were done on a regular basis. saturn also claimed that the problem was not a major one, but after researching i found numerous complaints for the same problem. saturn issued a tsb in june 2003 which stated that the oiler to the timing chain housing was not large enough to properly oil the chain, but refuses to take any responsibility for repeated failures. a class action suit on behalf of all owners with this failure may need to be started if saturn continues to refuse to own up to the problem. *nm | |||
| 12/14/2006 | 80324 | 1 | |
| With my saturn l-200 there was an occasional grinding noise when started, when i took it in to the dealer it would not make the noise because it had been running. i was on my way to a company meeting in kc, and the car all of a sudden would not accelerate when i stepped on the gas, it just stayed at a constant idle. i of course pulled off to the side of the road, and tried to restart it, and had no success. i had it towed to a shop. that is when i found out that the timing belt broke, and that it had done damage to the motor. the mechanic told me that it would cost between 2,000 - 7,000 dollar range to replace the motor. not happy! *nm | |||
| 07/10/2006 | 1 | 05/01/2004 | |
| 2001 saturn 200l key would not turn in engine, steering shook vigorously while driving. *ts while driving 65 mph, on the day the vehicle was purchased, the vehicle's steering wheel began to vibrate and pull to the right. there was also a noise coming from the rear of the vehicle on the passenger side. the consumer assumer the problem would resolve itself but it didn't. two weeks later the consumer called the dealer. the vehicle wa taken tot he dealer who determined that the problem was wheel balancing. the adjustment were made and the vehicle was returned tot he consumer. about a month later the vehicle would not start intermittently. the consumer called the dealer who explained that this was a safety feature. several months went by and the problem continued to occur. someone suggested tot he consumer that she needed a new starter. the vehicle was taken to the dealer but they were unable to duplicate the problem. the vehicle was returned to the consumer . once again the vehicle began to not start. the dealer finally replaced the starter. the vehicle tie rod eventually had to be replaced. that was the noise the consumer heard when she first purchased the vehicle. on day while driving the vehicle sudden lost all power. the vehicle was towed to a service dealer who determined that the vehicle's timing chain had broken. none of these failures were covered by the vehicle extended warranty. the consumer contacted yhe manufacturer but they provided no assistance. *nm | |||
| 10/07/2006 | 56000 | 1 | 05/25/2003 |
| I own a 2001 saturn l200 which i bought in 2003 used. i was driving on a very busy 6 lane major road when my car suddenly died and could not be restarted. i was able to pull into the right lane before rolling to a stop, but caused a major hazard sitting in the road with cars having to go around me. we had the car towed and found it was the timing chain that had broken, also damaging several valves in the process. the repair was completed after 12 days at a cost to me of $2700. i also had to rent a car for the time my car was being fixed at a cost of several hundred dollars. i had to take a loan to pay for the repair and rental. in doing a little research, i found that many, many saturn l200's have had the same problem at various mileage marks. i have only 56,000 miles on my car and up until now, have had no other problems with the car, but this was major. i, like the other owners with the same problem, have kept my oil changed and kept up the maintenance on this car. i understand there was an investigation launched by the nhtsa which was closed. i have seen at least 45 pages of complains on the internet and wonder if anything is being done. please do not wait until the death toll is significant to address this problem. thank you. *nm | |||
| 10/17/2006 | 1 | ||
| I was driving yesterday, and my 2001 saturn l200, just gave out on me. i could not turn my steering wheel, i had no control over my car. it wouldn't stop or anything. i was scared that i would crash into anything. i came about 2 inches away from hitting a light pole. must of been god that stopped the car. i had my car towed, and they said it was the timing belt or chain. i been reading that there were so many complaints on this same issue. i could of been really hurt or got into a bad accident or anything. right now i'm waiting on the cost of how much it will be for repairs. *nm | |||
| 10/14/2006 | 70000 | 1 | 03/09/2002 |
| 2001 saturn l-200 timing chain failure with only 70k miles seems to be a real problem that saturn will not admit. *nm | |||
| 09/05/2006 | 83000 | 1 | 05/01/2005 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 30 mph on a city street, the timing belt fractured without warning and there was a loss of all vehicle power. the vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop who determined the engine was damaged when the timing belt fractured. the mechanic suggested replacing the engine as well as the timing belt. the manufacturer was alerted. | |||
| 05/15/2006 | 57000 | 1 | 05/01/2002 |
| We purchased a 2001 saturn l200 from a saturn dealer in 2002 with 14,000 miles on the vehicle. we had the vehicle properly maintained by a chevrolet dealership mechanic. the oil was changed every 3,000 miles. the vehicle had timing chain failure at 57,000 miles resulting in sudden and complete loss of power while on an interstate highway. the cylinder head had to be replaced at a cost of $2,348.00. *nm | |||
| 08/23/2006 | 44000 | 1 | 04/01/2003 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 20mph, the timing chain fractured without warning. afterwards, the vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop who determined that upon the initial fracture of the timing chain, the engine was damaged, and both components would need to be replaced. the manufacturer was alerted. | |||
| 08/20/2006 | 62000 | 1 | 04/30/2004 |
| At 62000 miles, timing chain broke in engine - no warning, car just stopped the timing chain broke causing damage to the valves and pistons. 2001 saturn l-200 2.2 l engine, 5-speed transmission | |||
| 08/03/2006 | 87630 | 1 | 03/29/2003 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 30 mph and turning a corner the vehicle stalled without warning. the vehicle was towed to the dealer who determined the timing chain fractured and caused damage to two cylinder heads. the dealer replaced the timing chain and cylinder heads. the battery was replaced. updated 09/13/06.*jb | |||
| 07/14/2006 | 54000 | 1 | 10/30/2004 |
| I have a 2001 saturn ls that i bought used in october 2004. it has about 54, 000 miles on it and the timing chain just broke. this caused damaged to the valves which is costing me over $2,000 to fix. this should not have happened. *nm | |||
| 10/08/2005 | 67000 | 1 | 03/31/2004 |
| While traveling at highway speed, the timing chain failed in my 2001 saturn l200. this caused sudden loss of power on a major highway. the vehicle had to be towed. the timing chain had snapped, causing significant damage. the damage was repaired by a saturn dealer, costing approximately $2000. *jb | |||
| 04/23/2006 | 57000 | 1 | 11/01/2003 |
| The timing chain on my saturn l200 failed when i was traveling south on highway 169 in golden valley minnesota. at the time of the failure i was traveling at 65 mph and the vehicle became was difficult to control. thankfully it was 3 am in the morning and there were no other vehicles on the road so i was able to successfully negotiate off the highway without incident. upon investigating the failure i found out that this has already been logged in defect investigation pe06006. in addition i found that 29 other people posted timing chain failures on this message board http://www.carsurvey.org/viewcomments_review_56674.html. *nm | |||
| 03/17/2006 | 68000 | 1 | |
| My 2001 saturn l200 with 69k miles on it had the timing chain break - it ripped through the engine, shearing off the gears and busting the valves. i now have no way to get to work, no money to fix the car, and have discovered online that this is a common problem with this make of saturn and saturn refuses to issue a recall or pay to fix the problem. please help! *nm | |||
| 10/10/2005 | 71000 | 1 | 10/10/2004 |
| I purchased a 2001 saturn l200 in october 2004. it had roughly 64000 miles on it. this past october my daughter was driving the vehicle. the car slowed to a complete stop. the car would not start. we had it towed to a service station and the next day i was told that the timing chain was broke. i contacted the local saturn dealership : saturn of saginaw. after i explained what happened ,they made it sound like it was my fault . they claimed that i was negligent with my oil changes. i told them that i had every oil change receipt and that they were always around the 3000 mile limit. they informed me that there was no service bulletin about this problem. they informed me that it would cost $2500 for a new chain and repairs(bent valves) or $ 4000 for a new engine. they claimed that i should expect no help from saturn. so i had the engine repaired for $1700 from the station that initially diagnosed the problem. since the repairs, the car is running fine, i read on the web about other people that has had the same problem as myself. my car had 71000 miles on it when it failed. *jb | |||
| 12/24/2005 | 51950 | 1 | 04/18/2002 |
| 1) the car was driven two blocks from home to bring a family member to work. the car started normally, drove fine and gave no warning of anything going wrong. there were no strange noises or anything. no warning lights came on either! 2) with a load banging noise, the timing chain inside the engine broke causing the engine to immediately stop. all power assisted steering and braking went out and the car coasted to a stop. it was navigated through traffic to pull into a store parking lot narrowly avoiding being hit by other cars on the road. it was a very frightening experience. 3) the engine was fully disassembled to replace the timing chain, related tensioner(s) and 6 bent valves. several gaskets and other miscellaneous parts and kits were used to reassemble the engine. *nm | |||
| 10/02/2005 | 52250 | 1 | 06/28/2004 |
| On october 1, 2005 will driving home, my car stopped with no warning. after having three machincs inspect the vechile, the diagnosis was the timining chain had broken and caused serious damage to my engine. i brought the car used with 38,000 miles and it now has 50,000 miles. the repairs saturn quoted me was 4,700 to repair the engine. *nm | |||
| 07/26/2005 | 75534 | 1 | 12/31/2003 |
| The timing chain on my wife's 2001 saturn l-200 unexpectedly broke, causing permanent engine damage, requiring (according to the dealer service dep't) a rebuilt engine. driving conditions were normal (flat surface, in-town driving, broke about 3 blocks from home), and no previous warning signs were available (sputtering, loss of power, etc.). this part is labeled as not needing servicing/replacing until 100,000 miles. my wife's chain broke at approximately 75,000 miles. the dealer refuses to accept responsibility, even though the vehicle has had its regularly scheduled maintenance visits. $3000 for a rebuilt engine to repair damaged caused by an advertised maintenance-free part is ridiculous.*jb | |||
| 06/15/2005 | 52424 | 1 | |
| Started vehicle and left gas station when the engine quit. the car would not start and did not give any diagnostic information on the dash display. everything looked normal. after seeing a mechanic found out that the timing chain is broke and will cost me $3600 to replace according to the saturn dealer. after looking around on the internet this is a very big problem and is occuring very often. there is a technical service bulletin to the saturn dealers, according to a article i read, that states that there is a known problem with the oil sending unit that lubricates the timing chain. the oil sending unit does not supply enough oil to the timing chain causing the failure. saturn needs to recall this engine so people like me with a daughter in college does not have to occur this kind of expense with a car that only has 52,000 miles on it. | |||
| 03/08/2005 | 30000 | 1 | |
| After making a left turn vehicle felt as if it was out of gas. vehicle was towed to dealer for inspection, and it was later discovered that timing chain was defective.*ak | |||
| 10/31/2003 | 2 | ||
| Timing chain tensior failed, resulting in loud engine knocking sounds and difficulty turning steering wheel. interior lights will dim when pressing brake pedal or turning on headlights. charging system tests normal.*ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - CRANKCASE (PCV) | |||
| 03/30/2006 | 75185 | 1 | 04/12/2003 |
| I own a 2001 saturn l200 4 cylinder sedan. it has just over 70k miles on it. all maintenance has been done on or before schedule. almost 2 years ago the computer had to be replaced. after that incident, the lights started doing weird things. so i took it to the dealer and that issue was resolved (a recall). i have also had to replace the brakes 3 times. on 3/30/06 i was in rush hour on a busy highway passing a car in the left lane. my car just died (no lights came on indicating the engine stopped, just no power). thank god i got to the right land. i sat there for an hour and finally got the car towed. the timing chain broke. i have spend $200 just to find that out. i am not sure what other damage has resulted. saturn is acting ignorant about this problem. they say they cannot tell me anything unless i have it at a saturn dealership. (another tow charge and diagnostics charge). i saw that there is an investigation into this matter and wanted to file a formal complaint. i strongly believe, after the research i have done, that saturn should take responsibility and fix this problem. *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||
| 03/21/2007 | 64715 | 1 | 05/01/2001 |
| Traveling at approximately 60 mph on interstate 271 in ohio during rush hour, the timing chain on my 2001 saturn l200 failed causing engine shut down. i was able to coast to the side of the road and park the car. after having the vehicle towed and then moved to the saturn dealership, the timing chain with the new oiling mechanism was installed and the engine head needed replaced due to bent valves. *tr | |||