Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 08/10/2010 | 50000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 saturn l200. the contact stated that the body control module shut off which caused the gauges to malfunctioned. the contact mentioned that the vehicle to stall and failed to restart. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnose that the body control module needed to be replaced. the failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 70,000.pmb | |||
| 08/10/2010 | 50000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 saturn l200. the contact stated that body control module shut off and caused the gauges to malfunction. the failure also caused the vehicle to stall and not restart. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and it was determined the body control module needed to be replaced. the failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 70,000.rl | |||
| 02/07/2010 | 150000 | ||
| Whe driviving the headlights and all guages turn off and come back on but now the guages dont work the head lights stay on when the car is turned off and go out while driving the doors will not unlock the security light comes on and resets the milage everytime the lights turn off, and all power turns off. the altenator was tested and the battery was replaced as well as the electrical portion of the ignition switch | |||
| 05/01/2008 | 105000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 saturn l200. while driving at any speed or even while the vehicle is in park, the headlights turn on and off, the gauges constantly flash on the instrument panel, the door locks will lock and unlock themselves, and the windows will roll down and back up automatically. the windows are currently inoperative due to this failure. whenever the contact drives the vehicle, he smells burning wires, but there is no smoke. he feels that the vehicle is extremely dangerous to drive. he took the vehicle to the dealer for inspection and they stated that the body control module was the cause of the failure. the contact did not get the vehicle repaired because he believes it should be covered under a recall due to the safety risk involved. the manufacturer stated that the owner was responsible for the repairs. the failure mileage was 105,000 and current mileage was 115,000. | |||
| 10/21/2008 | 82000 | 1 | |
| Odo ~82000. i was driving north on m-39 when i noticed several dash lights illuminate: abs, tc and theft (there may have been more, but i am certain that it was not all of the dash indicators). the vehicle was still running at this point. momentarily, though, the vehicle lost all power (not like a stall, but just like it went dead since all dash lights had gone out). it was extremely difficult for me to navigate the vehicle safely to the side of the road in rush hour traffic without the assistance of power brakes or power steering. after stopping the vehicle, i recycled the ignition and the vehicle operated normally the rest of the way home (~20 miles) and to work the next morning. earlier that morning while stopped at an intersection light, the abs, tc and theft light also activated, though the vehicle did not experience a shut down/power down, or even a stall. i contacted saturn of plymouth and the service department agreed to research the issue and contact me back to set up an appointment to bring the car in. prior vehicle history which may or may not be relevant to this issue: 1) ign module replaced under recall, 2) headlamps flicker occasionally and intermittently under changes in vehicle electrical load | |||
| 08/11/2008 | 63000 | 1 | |
| I was driving when the vehicle stopped running. while the fuel pump needed replacement, in fact it appears that there was wide spread electrical damage. the damage is identical to the damage described in saturn recall 03v231000. i contacted saturn, but they say that the recall does not cover my car. based on the symptoms, it's possible that it should cover my particular vehicle. my vin number is . saturn did assign a case number to this incident, case number 71-654487537, however, they claim no responsibility. *tr | |||
| 05/21/2008 | 47233 | 1 | |
| Sometimes would have a hard time starting the car or the car would not start at all. after about a week,the check engine light and passenger seat airbag light would come on. when these lights were on, the speedometer and tachometer did not work. shortly after that the engine lock light came on and then nothing worked. the defrost front and rear, a/c, heating control, interior lights, airbag failure light lit up, seat belt light lit up and the self locking for the doors did not engage when putting the car into gear. sometimes i would turn the car off and about a half an hour later, the exterior lights would come on all by themselves, sometimes draining the battery if i did not notice this. i felt totally unsafe driving the car when this would happen - i had no safety features to rely on and i did not even know if i would have a car that would run. i took the car to a saturn dealer and had the bcm (body control module) replaced. i also found out that saturn is having a problem with this and i have asked others that own similar saturns also experienced this problem. this was quite costly to replace approximately $600.00 (the cheapest around). others paid more for this repair than i did. *tr | |||
| 07/29/2007 | 55689 | 1 | 04/10/2003 |
| 03 l200 faulty body control module. which is what make the car run. car would turn over but would not continue to run. towed to and serviced at a saturn dealer. very pricey repair of $500. *tr | |||
| 09/24/2007 | 27008 | 1 | 03/01/2007 |
| On 9/24/97 i drove my car to work as usual and shut it off and locked the doors with the remote control. upon leaving working and opening the car i had difficulty opening the locks and used the key for entry. i tried turning on the ignition and it would start and immediately shut off. i tried this twice and noticed that the anti-theft icon (car with a lock through it) was ignited. i looked in my owner's manual and determined that it was something that had to be reset by the dealer. i then noticed a buzzing from my passenger front door lock. i disconnected the fuse and the buzzing stopped. when i finally had a knowledgeable tow person get the car manually in neutral since the gears were locked, it was towed to saturn of clarence who advised that the body control module was bad and it shorted out all of my door locks. the car has 27,000 and is 4 years old. it cost $610 for the bcm and $1,000 for the door locks which i have not yet replaced. shameful that such a big problem should happen to a newer car! *jb | |||
| 12/01/2006 | 70000 | 1 | 12/04/2005 |
| Faulty body control module - all gauges stopped working, and the air conditioning quit working completely. additionally, the vehicle would not go into gear, when you pushed in the button on the shifter to put vehicle in gear, it would not budge. *tr | |||
| 03/14/2007 | 63285 | 1 | 02/01/2006 |
| Faulty body control module. *jb | |||
| 11/05/2006 | 48400 | 3 | 02/03/2003 |
| 2003 saturn l200 with 48,000 miles died while driving. we had to quickly swerve to opposite side of road where there was a shoulder in order to get out of the traffic lane(no shoulder on the lane we were in). car was towed, and was diagnosed with a broken timing chain, probable engine damage, and possible fuel pump failure. since i just put a new alternator and battery in the vehicle three weeks prior, i contacted manufacturer and talked with dealer about working with me to fix this car. they would not even discuss next step until i authorized (paid for) a $750 tear down of the motor to fully diagnose the problem. i refused to to authorize, because all of the burden at that point would be on me, whatever happened. situation was never resolved; i traded the car (at a drastic reduction of value due to its non-working condition). *nm | |||
| 07/10/2005 | 43400 | 2 | 01/21/2004 |
| Preceeding the two electrical fires in my vehicle, i had intermittent issues with shorts in the electrical system (the locks unlocking/locking at random; lights going on and off and the alarm system triggering even when not set). there was also leakage from somewhere in the car (either through the windshield or elsewhere in the front) that was quite noticeable during a heavy storm. earlier this year, i was exiting a parking garage when i first saw and then smelled smoke coming from out of the dash. the electrical wires shorted out and caused a fire that melted a portion of the wiring in the front of the car. the dealership could not repair the car for several days and during a storm two days later, the entire system shorted out again (lights and other components would not turn off) and the battery completely discharged. the dealership determined that the leak was due to a faulty windshield placement and replaced the windshield (and water-tested it) along with the affected wiring systems, the battery and the carpeting. now, just two days ago, i have had a recurrence of the same issue. again, after a heavy storm, i woke to discover that the wiring in the same area of the car had shorted out. this time, the resulting fire melted the plastic housing surrounding the fusebox, and the housing is now a pile of melted goo on the carpet in the driver's side of the car. the dealership has yet to determine the cause of the short. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - MODULE | |||
| 10/01/2012 | 1 | ||
| 2003 saturn l200. consumer states vehicle runs rough and has low power and sometimes engine light would come on *tgw the consumer stated a few weeks ago, the vehicle made a horrendous noise and started to run rough. he took the vehicle to a repair shop, but a code did not show on the computer. however, when they looked on the internet, they found a recall regarding the ignition control module, which described what the consumer experienced. the local dealership stated according to their records, the recall had already been performed. also, the ignition tower had since failed. the consumer stated he was never notified of a recall. | |||
| 08/11/2008 | 63000 | 1 | |
| I was driving when the vehicle stopped running. while the fuel pump needed replacement, in fact it appears that there was wide spread electrical damage. the damage is identical to the damage described in saturn recall 03v231000. i contacted saturn, but they say that the recall does not cover my car. based on the symptoms, it's possible that it should cover my particular vehicle. my vin number is . saturn did assign a case number to this incident, case number 71-654487537, however, they claim no responsibility. *tr | |||
| 03/06/2007 | 42300 | 2 | 01/06/2007 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 saturn l200. the contact stated that her son's vehicle failed and completely shut down twice. the contact also stated that the vehicle would make a loose, rattling noise while making a turn. she stated that there was a recall on the vehicle involving the steering module. the steering wheel would lock and her son could not return it to the proper position. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and they proceeded to sell her son a warranty, although the vehicle was already under warranty. the dealer was unable to locate any failures. the speed was unknown. the current mileage was 55,253 and failure mileage was 42,300. updated 04/29/08. *lj the vehicle would not shift out of park , the engine, air bag and abs lights illuminated. updated | |||
| 12/23/2007 | 102000 | 2 | 10/14/2003 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 saturn l200. the engine light was flashing and the vehicle would not start. when the vehicle started, it was idling very rough. the mechanic stated that the electrical system ignition control module failed and that there was a recall. the dealer stated that the recall was performed in april of 2004; however, they do not have a record of the repair being performed. the current and failure mileages were 102,000. updated 03/04/08. *lj updated | |||
| 09/01/2007 | 36525 | 1 | 11/27/2006 |
| On 9/01/2007 my saturn l200 sedan suddenly started making a loud noise emanating from the exhaust and within two minutes the vehicle failed to run any further. the check engine light flashed repeatedly and a smell from the exhaust was noted and subsequent tries to restart the vehicle drained the battery completely. prior to this the fan had cycled on indicating a heat problem. all issues pertaining to the problem match exactly what nhtsa campaign id number: 03v231000 had listed. saturn roadside assistance provided a tow at my expense and the driver refused delivery to the saturn of west liberty avenue dealer but instead towed the vehicle to my home and he was rather disinterested in dropping the vehicle off at the dealer as i had instructed him. a call to saturn corporation yielded a customer service representative telling me that no such campaign id or recall existed for my vehicle although my vin is in the range of affected vehicles. a call to the saturn dealerships service representative justin yielded the same comment. a return call to saturn corporation yielded yet another person stating the same. the first rep from saturn conferencing called justin at the dealership and the story then changed from no recall to a recall being found and performed by a pleasant hills saturn dealer. the recall in question was never performed since no visible sticker with the recall information was affixed by any saturn mechanic in the engine compartment which confirms the vehicle never had such service performed. i am now stuck with a vehicle in my driveway which never had the recall performed and to which could have had a fire caused but i was fortunate enough to not have had that issue. the service manager at the dealer stated i needed to pay for another tow and that i would be billed for the work. *tr the consumer provided documentation the vehicle failed the emissions test. the dealer stated found no fuel pressure and replaced fuel pump. updated 09/19/07 *tr | |||
| 06/27/2007 | 60000 | 3 | 08/07/2004 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 saturn l200. when the vehicle is idling, the engine stalls and shuts off. the vehicle is able to be restarted after several attempts. the contact took the vehicle to the repair shop where the cause of failure was diagnosed as the ignition control module. the manufacturer stated that the repair was previously performed under nhtsa recall # 03v231000 (electrical system:ignition:module). the fuel system was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 60,000. | |||
| 06/07/2007 | 82010 | 2 | 08/13/2003 |
| 2003 saturn l200 would not start & the engine light was flashing.. aaa towed the vehicle to the nearest repair facility. on 7/14/07 that facility advised us that the ignition control module was faulty & that it had been the subject of a recall. the shop contacted saturn of beaverton service department, and were told that since our vehicle had already had the recall work done they would not replace this faulty part again under the recall. we contacted saturn customer service on 7/14/07 #800-553-6000 , who advised us that saturn of beaverton was incorrect and that if the same part was again failing, it would be replaced under the recall. we asked them if we should have the vehicle towed to saturn of beaverton and was told that we did not need to as it was an hour away from the shop. we could have the aaa shop do the repair and we could submit for reimbursement as saturn of beaverton would not do the repair for us. but, advised our shop of this and they did the repairs using the correct parts supplied directly from the local chevrolet dealership. we paid $431.79 for the repair and picked up the vehicle 7/15/07. a representative from saturn (case #1-24000059) called us after we picked up the car and asked us what we paid and what was done. reference recall bulletin 6/23/2003.we have the faulty ignition module in a box from the shop. they called me back a few hours later and advised me that they would not reimburse us the repair cost because it was not done at a saturn shop. saturn denied that it told us to have the repairs completed at the aaa shop and submit bill for reimbursement told her that we still have the faulty part, so we could take it to the saturn shop & they could test it if necessary. also, we offered to have the shop put the faulty part back on &and have the vehicle towed to a saturn shop so they could do the repair. saturn told us that none of this made a difference and that we will not be reimbursed. *ak | |||
| 09/23/2005 | 45500 | 100 | 10/04/2003 |
| Faulty body control module. *jb | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||
| 11/01/2006 | 50000 | 1 | 10/14/2002 |
| Tl*- while driving a 2003 saturn l 200 at a speed of 25 mph the wiring harness from the steering column caught on fire. the contact had to pull vehicle over and turn the power completely off. when contact turned the vehicle off the wiring harness stopped burning. before incident there was no prior warning. the contact took vehicle into dealer and they replaced the wiring harness. *ak | |||
| 09/23/2005 | 44000 | 1 | 06/28/2004 |
| Dt: while driving on september 23, 2005 there was smoking coming from the steering wheel. there was no fire. the consumer has not taken it in to be repaired. the person on the phone told the consumer that she thought it was a short in the turn signal switch or wiring. there was nothing leading up to the occurrence. *ak | |||