Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | |||
| 05/01/2008 | 79000 | 1 | |
| My daytime lights began flickering. this eventually led to flickering of my night lights, then my bright lights. it took my local repair shop 6 hours to diagnose the cause. they contacted the local dealership for the part, which the repair shop did not expect them to have. surprisingly they did. the comment from the dealership was they found it to be a common problem on this vehicle. apparently there is a short in the relay; the replacement fixed the flickering of the night lights. in order to fix the daytime & bright lights, more work needs to be done and a re-setting of the computer, costing over $700. this can only be done by the dealership due to the specialized computer they have for the saturns. my lights will continue to flicker as i refuse to pay $700 for a common problem that saturn has not recalled. *tr | |||
| 05/31/2008 | 83363 | 1 | |
| Rear brake light (left) going out yearly. housing warped/melted--extreme difficulty removing bulbs. service dealer r. confirmed changing bulbs and harness but not the plastic housing while under warranty (03-11-2006: paperwork avail.) {googled problem:found a site that states nhtsa complaint (#05v245000) already filed (but not found at nhtsa) with mfg campaign #05052 for 2001 l200 sedans, but no vin #'s ranges avail.} *tr | |||
| 05/27/2005 | 3 | ||
| 1.) left bake light has gone out 3 times in last 6 months. brought it in to a saturn dealer and they said there was a circuit problem on the tail lamp curcuit board. 2.) nothing yet, until i would get pulled over for a tail light out 3.) i have replaced the bulbs 3 times, that is not the problem. saturn dealer said the only way to fix it is to have the curcuit board replaced, wich would roughly be $140 | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - BRAKE LIGHTS | |||
| 10/14/2005 | 52365 | 2 | 03/18/2001 |
| Brake lights not working right. right brake light housing is melting and my brake lights don't consistently work well. *nm | |||
| 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 | |||
| 01/28/2005 | 19300 | 3 | 10/14/2003 |
| 1) rear left taillight assembly has failed for the second time in less than a year. right one has also failed within the year. 2) circuit board shorts out, resulting in no brake light in failed assembly when headlights are on.*ak 3)entire assembly must be replaced, roughly a $450 repair. old part is with carmax on south blvd in charlotte, as they are making the repair today. | |||
| 02/06/2004 | 100000 | 1 | |
| Brake lights go out without warning. bulbs ok. determined left rear light assembly had circuit short causing problems in the brake lighting, parking lights and dash board lights.*ak | |||
| 03/15/2002 | 3 | 04/01/2001 | |
| Right brake light fails repeatedly. replaced with oem bulbs. brake light continues to fail and/or flicker after replacement.*ak | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HAZARD FLASHING WARNING LIGHTS - UNIT | |||
| 12/01/2004 | 2 | ||
| Smoke was coming from the steering column. consumer pulled over, and the smoke extinguished on its own. consumer took vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the hazard switch unit needed to be replaced. *ak | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS | |||
| 02/10/2004 | 2 | 06/13/2001 | |
| The headlights and dash lights on my 2001 saturn l200 dim or flicker. this is a distraction during night time driving and while driving in inclement weather. n one partucular occasion i had to stop the vehicle when i normally wouldn't have expected to due to the further reduction in visibility as the headlights. dimmed. there is the possibility that other drivers may think that i am flashing the headlights at them. the headlights and dash lights dimmed since the vehicle was new. saturn states that this is a characteristic of the vehicle and there is no repair. *ak | |||
| 40000 | 4 | ||
| While driving at 45/50 mph three functions failed to operate simultaneously; accelerator/brakes and steering wheel. also while driving at night headlights quit working without warning. *ak | |||
| 04/09/2002 | 03/01/2001 | ||
| Headlights and dashlights constantly dim briefly while driving at a constant speed. other drivers think that i am flashing my lights at them. i have had the saturn dealer look at the car 2 times. they claim everything is functioning as designed. in my 15 minute drive to work, lights dim out approximately 20 times.*ak | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS - SWITCH | |||
| 11/12/2002 | |||
| Consumer states the head lights switch is melted obstructing brake lights. and signals. dealer has been notified. please provide further information... ts | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - TAIL LIGHTS | |||
| 04/04/2005 | 57000 | 4 | 02/28/2004 |
| Left tail light has failed 3 times in less than 12 months. now both tail lights and the dash (control panel) lights have failed simultaneously. fuses checked & replaced but did not fix the problem. also noticed that all gear indicator lights (except park) are lit up simultaneously. i can't afford any more traffic tickets for inoperable tail lights!*ak | |||
| 01/01/2002 | 37000 | 25 | 11/01/2001 |
| Tail lights have been failing intermittently since jan 2002. *jb | |||
| 12/20/2004 | 3 | ||
| Repeat tail lamp assembly failure. circuitry at point where socket attaches has failed again, resulting in repeat replacement of tail lamp assembly. when the assembly fails, vehicle has no brake lights. *ak | |||
| 10/07/2004 | |||
| Right rear tail light went dim, then inoperative. electrical connectors holding bulb socket to the circuit board has corroded or weakened. necessary to replace tail lamp assembly. left side already replaced for a similar concern. *nm | |||
| 05/01/2004 | 14500 | 1 | 10/12/2003 |
| Brought car in for saturn safety campaign and for scheduled oil change and was told that one of my tail light assemblies was burnt out and needed to be replaced. *ak costly repair resulted from substandard parts, as seems many other people with this model of vehicle, who post on an internet message board are suffering from the same issue. part replaced, old part not available. | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - TAIL LIGHTS - SWITCH | |||
| 10/04/2004 | 1 | ||
| The tail lights would not come on when applied. consumer noticed that both driver's side and passenger side tail lights will not work. consumer drove vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the tail light switch needed to be replaced. *ak | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - TURN SIGNAL - SWITCH | |||
| 07/08/2004 | 1 | ||
| Turn signal lever broken/ cracked at the base -- lever loose. *ak | |||