Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | |||
| 11/24/2009 | 106000 | 1 | |
| Brake lights in the vehicle fail to work, checked both the bulbs and the fuses and both are fine. i believe it caused by the distorted sockets. *tr | |||
| 05/01/2009 | 1 | ||
| Headlights flicker at random times. i am the second owner purchased the 2002 model in 2003. this has happened for as long as i have had the car. i reported the problem to the dealership and was told this is a known problem, but it is normal / not major and nothing can be done to fix it. it is annoying and startling to me, especially when i am driving on a dark road. when it happens, i get an adrenaline rush and automatically fear there is a serious electrical problem and that the car might shut down at any moment. i have to remind myself that it is a known problem. i also worry that other drivers may interpret it as some sort of signal. *tr | |||
| 02/10/2009 | 105000 | 1 | |
| My upper brake lights keep burning out. i replaced 5 of these lights to get my inspection sticker. right now only 2 are working. you can only get these bulbs at a saturn dealer at a cost of $7.00 each. i called the saturn dealer and they say that there is no recall on this. this is part of the brake light system and i can't afford to keep spending $7.00 each to replace them. i have also checked on the saturnfans.com web site and i'm not the only one who has this problem. i bought the car at saturn of norwood,ma. i think that it maybe a short somewhere. *tr | |||
| 07/15/2005 | 46787 | 10 | |
| Security system is failing. while driving, security light will flash on and off. when this happens, lose headlights, dash lights. also causes fuel gauge and temperature gauge to fail. had auto part store access on board computer. no errors found. problem happened again. was unable to car into gear. had to let car sit for awhile. tried to disable alarm system per handbook. no success. another result of this is my odometer reset to 000000 miles and now loses miles when it does work. | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - BRAKE LIGHTS | |||
| 08/28/2007 | 44000 | 1 | 06/22/2002 |
| 1)rear brake lights inoperative. 2)no consequences 3)saturn replaced lights sockets for rear tail lights according to nhtsa recall #05v245000 but refused to replace light bulbs which were shorted out by the defective sockets. *tr | |||
| 05/08/2006 | 31057 | 3 | 01/01/2005 |
| Dt*: the contact stated recall letter #05v245000 concerning the brake lights was received in december 2005. however, the vehicle was not experiencing any problems and was not taken to the dealer for immediate repair. recently, the contact was alerted by another driver that the brake lights were not working. the vehicle was driven to the dealer for inspection, and the dealer installed two tail lights, reinforced socket adapters and sockets under the recall. also, the dealer determined the brake light switch needed to be replaced, but this work has not been completed. when the vehicle was taken from the dealer, the cruise control no longer worked, the gear shift became difficult to shift into drive, and the parking lights and brake lights no longer worked. the dealer informed the contact these items failed as a result of the need to replace the brake light switch. updated 05/30/06. *ak | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS | |||
| 10/01/2007 | 10 | 11/18/2003 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 saturn l200. while driving 20 mph, the instrument panel lights and headlights flash and flicker randomly. the instrument panel lights flicker in the daytime and the contact noticed the headlights flickering at night. she has taken the vehicle to the dealer and was given a handout stating that it was normal. the dealer was unable to remedy the failure. she filed a complaint with chrysler. the current mileage was 49,700 and the failure mileage was unknown. the dealer stated that consumer hears a whistling noise upon acceleration, windows make chirping noise when rolling them up, and heater works intermittently. updated 11/27/07 *tr | |||
| 02/01/2002 | 0 | 1 | 01/02/2002 |
| Headlights flicker when break and clutch are applied. they also flicker when just normal driving. this is an intermittent problem. *nm | |||
| 01/07/2006 | 20 | 01/15/2002 | |
| Without warning, headlights flash in a strobe-like fashion. in addition to the momentary lack of light, one obvious highway danger is that vehicles could believe that they are being signaled that is ok to pull into your lane. i guarantee that someone is going to get hurt or killed by this defect. *jb | |||
| 03/02/2005 | 20000 | 1 | 06/05/2002 |
| Headlight would constantly flicker while driving at night. it obstructed consumer's vision and that of other motorists when passing by on the opposite road. they would blink their headlight because they thought the consumer was doing the same thing. dealer was notified, and informed consumer that nothing could be done because that was the normal characteristic of that vehicle.*ak | |||
| 01/01/2004 | 21000 | 2 | 04/10/2002 |
| While driving headlight and dashboard lights became dim. just before the lights dimmed they blinked erratically. this caused visual problems. *ak *tc | |||
| 08/02/2004 | 20000 | 1 | |
| Like several other registrants to this site, my 2002 saturn l200 sedan is experiencing intermittent headlight flickering (off). this problem started after some front work was necessary last year following a collision with a deer and restorative front end work including a new headlight, body and air conditioning/cooling components replacement. the headlights momentarily flicker off while driving. this was initially accompanied with the turn signal stalk becoming hot. we had the car into the dealership twice for the problem and they changed the stalk, but the problem with the headlights continues. they were unable to duplicate the problem and suggested that electrical consumption requirements in the vehicle cause momentary fluctuations. of course, we never experienced these fluctuations prior to the repair work. the headlight flickers off at regular 27 second intervals intervals. it only does this when the air conditioning or defroster is on. i suspect that the defroster is connected to the a/c system to reduce moisture and inhibit window fogging.*ak | |||
| 04/09/2004 | 24000 | 1 | 05/31/2002 |
| The headlights and interior lights repeatedly dim during normal operation of the vehicle. this is unsafe as it can be interpreted by other motorists as a go-ahead signal or as a deliberate aggrevation. upon bringing it to the dealer i was informed that this is a known issue and that it is acceptable and normal. nothing was worked on or fixed. the car is still under warranty and has had this problem for as long as i can remember owning it. this information was not made apparant to us before purchasing this vehicle. if it were available, we would not have purchased this defective vehicle.*ak | |||
| 01/12/2004 | 15 | ||
| When driving at night headlights shut off without warning. this forced the driver to pull off the road because of lack of visibility. *ak | |||
| 03/11/2004 | 53200 | 2 | |
| While driving at night headlights shut off. the dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak | |||
| 02/24/2004 | 1 | 05/18/2002 | |
| My 2002 l200 has a sporadic problem that causes the headlights and the dashboard lights to dim. this has happened when i've been driving on the freeway, which could cause a distraction and possible road rage. people in front of me wonder why i am flashing my headlights at them. i have had my vehicle in to the sevice department 10 times in the last year for this problem alone. they have replaced the alternator, the battery and the pcm computer. in february, 2004 a bulletin came out from saturn stating that this is considered a normal operating characteristic. no serivce is required for this condition. i consider this an unacceptable response to a problem that could cause major injury or fatality.*ak | |||
| 10/16/2003 | 05/05/2003 | ||
| Headlights blink for no apparent reason on 2002 l200 saturn. *la | |||
| 10/14/2003 | 31125 | 0 | 03/25/2003 |
| When air conditioner a/c compressor engages, usually when using defroster as compressor turns on and off during operation headlights dim for a short period of time. it makes the car look like i am flashing the headlights (can enrage other motorists, make trucks think they have a clear shot to change lanes). *ak | |||
| 12/18/2002 | 06/18/2002 | ||
| Since the car was new i have had times when the head lights & dash lights flicker or flash. it happens when you take your foot off the gas pedal (my car is a 4 cyl 5 speed). the flickering is enough that other vehicles that i am following slow down or pull over. my car lights will dim when electric motors are used such as power windows or the engine fan come on, also when the rear window deicer is turned on. dealer response has basically been that saturn acknowledges the condition as a normal condition of the car. incident not only time | |||
| 12/13/2002 | 11000 | 30 | 04/06/2002 |
| Cars headlights intermittantly shut off for a brief second and then come back on. this can easily be seen when driving on darker roads. it's happened countless times. the dealer has seen the issue and is aware of the problem with my car and with others in the area. saturn corporate claims this to be normal and has no intentions of seeking a fix. i will check with law enforcement, i believe it's illegal to drive a car in this condition. this is not a mere dimming of the lights, they go off completely for a second and then come back on. this is not normal for any car and happens when i'm just driving down the road. i'm not doing anything with any other electronics in the car when it happens. i'm hopeful that a fix will be found or they take the car back. | |||
| Headlights flicker or may go out completely with no warning. dealership has had vehicle in for repairs, twice with condition still existing. please describe details. *ak | |||
| 5 | 09/01/2001 | ||
| Headlights and dashboard lights flicker when break and clutch are applied. they also flicker when just normal driving. this is an intermittent problem. it does not appear to effect any other electrical components (radio, heat, windows etc.). it is quite annoying. i have had the car back to the dealer 2 times for this problem and it won't repeat for them. at the last visit they had the car several days and it wouldn't repeat. i have also noticed this on an oncoming saturn. *ak | |||
| 12/05/2001 | 9 | 10/17/2001 | |
| Headlights were flickering, they dimed and went back to normal several times. no dash indicator inlluminates. it appears as if the charging sytem ouits and restarts. *jg *ak | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS - HIGH/LOW BEAM DIMMER SWITCH | |||
| 06/12/2007 | 92116 | 1 | 04/15/2003 |
| Electronic controle computer shorted out. stopped working at 92000mi. alarm did not work, key fob did not work, transmission inter lock would not disengage, fuel gauge did not work, temp gauge did not work, no instrument lights, high beam lamp on pass. side inop., flickering headlights and dash lights reported multiple times to saturn of abilene, tx. told it's a known problem, but saturn doesn't know the fix. saturn of temple reported there was a short under the fuse box on the driver's side which shorted out the bcm, horn, high beam and turn signal switch. cost: $600 for issues brought to their attention multiple times while under warranty. | |||
| 11/01/2002 | 20 | ||
| The headlights flickered intermittently which caused the headlights to dim. consumer contacted the dealer. and was told this was standard, also, this could not be fixed. however, saturn knew it was an electrical problem. *ak | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS - SWITCH | |||
| 08/01/2007 | 27877 | 1 | 09/28/2001 |
| 2002 saturn l-200 with head light switch problem customer states that the switch shorts out which causes head lights to come on and drain the battery**cc the consumer stated that his vehicle had a faulty headlight switch that shorts and causes the battery to go dead. at times the headlights would come on when the vehicle was parked. *tr | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - TAIL LIGHTS | |||
| 12/22/2006 | 1 | ||
| Rear tail light issues. *tr | |||