Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||||
| 030856002 | 09/01/2003 | 10003597 | Intermittent security telltale illumination and/or diagnostic trouble code b2960. *tt | 10/24/2003 | |
| 04E01 | 08/01/2003 | 10003507 | Spark plug inspect/replace - product emission recall. *tt | 10/22/2003 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||||
| 3419 | 10014805 | Ignition key will not rotate back to off position or shift lever will not move out of park. *tt | 05/10/2005 | ||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - FRONT UNDERHOOD | |||||
| 3648 | 10018915 | Hesitation on acceleration after internal engine repairs - check injector harness orientation. *tt | 01/24/2006 | ||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 12/16/2009 | 1 | ||
| My wife and i own a 2004 saturn l300. my wife is the primary driver and she reported seeing a wisp of smoke coming from the steering column. we took it to the saturn dealership and they said it was an electrical short. a couple of weeks later my wife reported the same wisp of smoke. we took it back to the dealership to have them repair it again. the second time they repaired it, the turn signal would not turn off when the wheel was turned. also, the wisp of smoke is back again. this will be the third time into the dealership for the same problem. i am concerned because i don't want it to start a fire while it is being driven. this does not include the other issues including the power steering rack failing, the water pump failing, and the plenum failing. the car only has 46,000 miles on it and my wife has put about 13,000 in 27 months. *tr | |||
| 01/03/2009 | 97000 | 1 | |
| I have a saturn l300 and was driving on the highway in the left lane one day and the car just shut down and stopped running. when my mechanic read the electrical code on the car it was the bcm that had failed. i had read that this is a known common issue with these vehicles and wanted to know why this is not a recall on the vehicle since it could be a safety issue as in my case. i did avoid and accident and got to the side of the road without getting hit or hitting someone else but it was definitely could have been worse and i had my 4 year old in the vehicle with me at the time. since that happened i have notices other things going wrong on the vehicle that are attached the bcm, radio stopped working, keyless remote stopped working, defrost on side mirrors don't work...which are not safety issues but what cause it to shut my car down on the highway when i was driving was scary and unsafe!!! *tr | |||
| 05/22/2008 | 40000 | 1 | |
| The battery warning and emergency service lights (i.e., the car with the wrench signal) flashed on my 2004 saturn l300 in mid-may 2008. i was on the highway at the time. as i slowed down to exit the speedometer stopped. i made it home and parked it in the car port. i had it towed to saturn of birmingham (sob) the next morning. sob has had it for 4 days now. the service tech's (at least three have looked at it) have had a difficult time determining what the problem is. for now, the power train (pcm) has been replaced. but the service rep informed me that the alternator is overcharging so they will have to replace it as well. the battery has been drained, which will make this the second time i have had to replace the battery on this car (the first time was after only 2.5 years). the service rep indicated that the tech will have to do a thorough check on the vehicle to make sure there are no other problems that could have been triggered by the pcm/alternator/battery failure. *tr | |||
| 12/20/2004 | 4 | ||
| While driving on the freeway 70 mph acceleration will drop down to 5 mph. dealership stated that there was something wrong with computer that threw the vehicle into idle mode. this problem also occurred in the owner's previous saturn model l200 2002. the cause was still undetermined. *ak | |||
| 09/29/2004 | 500 | 1 | 09/18/2004 |
| Purchased on 9/17/04. after 1 1/2 weeks, noticed that headlights and dashboard lights intermittently dim on & off every 1/2 to 1 mile. took to saturn, was told that this was a normal characteristic, they changed sun sensor thought to be the problem. this did not fix my problem and it appears that the problem has worsened. the saturn corporation has maintained that this is a normal characteristic in this car and refused to do any further repairs. i was also told that the problem with the headlights would not be noticeable to any traffic on the road. however due to my experiences and others i have read on the internet, that this is not true and could potentially become an extremely dangerous and lethal situation. i feel this is a serious safety defect, any saturn with this problem should be immediately taken off the highways until this situation is repaired. it has come to my attention now that saturn of hartford had in its possession notification since january 2004 from saturn corporation that the l300 series vehicle could have this flaw and that saturn refuses to repair it. i am extremely upset that i was not notified of this situation prior to buying the car because it would have changed my mind as to which vehicle i would have purchased. i am now scared to drive this vehicle at night. *jb | |||
| 11/01/2004 | 3000 | 1 | 09/30/2003 |
| The headlights and dash lights dim almost all the way out unpredictably. the dash light dimming draws the driver's attention away from the road, while the headlights dimming draws the attention of other drivers and the police. many drivers think that you are signaling them and this can lead to road rage incidents. also, in many states signaling other drivers of a police presence is against the law. this is a safety issue as on many occasions i have lost sight of the road while driving. it is only blind luck that prevented me from being involved in a major accident. *jb | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||
| 08/25/2004 | 14089 | 10 | |
| When parked on a slight incline vehicle will not start. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - ANTI-THEFT CONTROLLER | |||
| 12/01/2007 | 68000 | 15 | 07/05/2007 |
| 2004 saturn ion - will not start if outside temp is below freezing. service vehicle light comes on. if you wait 5-10 minutes then the car will start. this has happened 15+ times to me in the last month. *tr | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - SWITCH | |||
| 11/26/2007 | 50 | 09/16/2005 | |
| My 2004 saturn ion will not start when the weather is cold. after several visits to the mechanic it was discovered that this is because of a fault in the ignition switch which keeps it from starting when it gets below a certain temperature. i was told this is a common problem in saturn ions and that the cost to fix it would be over $200. *tr | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | |||
| 03/30/2004 | 3700 | 12 | 02/20/2004 |
| We have recently purchased an 04 l300 and have stated having problems with the headlights and dash lights. while driving at night, the headlights and dash lights have gone off and come back on. on one such occassion, a tractor trailer pulled over on us thinking we had notified him to do so. it was just by the grace of god we were not crushed. later that same night, a police officer pulled us over wanting to know why we were blinking our head lights at him. we explained the problem and were told that he could right us a ticket but would not this time and to get the problems corrected. after taking this issue to our saturn dealership, we were told that according to a memo dated february 2004 that this is normal characteristic for this vehicle. the dealership and corp. have refused to do anything to assist with correcting this problem. the car is only 3 months old and still under warranty but they suggested that we pay $450 for a new alternator and purchase another extended bumper to bumper warranty. all stating that this may not correct the problem. this is a serious safety issue that is going to result in someones death if not corrected. what does it take to get this handled? please advise with assistance in pursuing a recall or having my car declared a lemon.*ak | |||
| 06/01/2004 | 8700 | 4 | 02/20/2004 |
| Intermittently while driving at night the headlights and dashboard lightsblink on and off. the lights would stay off for a few seconds then come back on again. the dealer claimed that this was perfectly normal. this problem occurred four times in the last two weeks. *ak the consumer indicated tha the vehiclke also lost power while drivng. the vehicle was taken to the dealer but they were unable to determined the cause of the problem. *nm | |||