Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 03/03/2006 | 63000 | 1 | 03/22/1996 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 1996 saturn sl. the vehicle was leaking oil on the ground and all over the cooling system. the temperature gauge kept fluctuating into the red zone. the check engine soon light illuminated intermittently and the vehicle began to drive differently. the dealer stated that the cause of the failure was a cracked cylinder head. the cost to repair the vehicle was $2,257. the contact received a special policy letter from saturn in june of 1999 concerning a cracked cylinder head. the letter stated that there was no recall campaign and it was unnecessary to take the vehicle to a dealer. the current mileage was 73,000 and failure mileage was 63,000. updated 05/06/08. *lj updated 05/06/08. *jb | |||
| 09/02/2004 | 96910 | 1 | 09/08/2003 |
| Purchased the saturn sl1 in sept 24 of 2004 with 94,32 0miles. i had the oil changed that very same day. i 've kept up on all fluids and service religiousily. at 96910 miles the car would not go into 1st, 3rd or reverse without force. on 9/10/03 i had the clutch replaced and the slave cable. then is when it started having problems overheating, mechanic did two diffrent diagnostic test both came back with no conclusions. the car still heats up everyday ,but i have no other car to drive. there is no power in the car now and the oil is sludge filled. i've purchased temperature sending units, both o2 sensors, thermostat, coolant,clutch,relays,etc...to try to solve the problem of the over heating. pretty much it's a matter of time before i'm like the other 1996 saturn drivers who will have to pay the $ 1000.00-2000.00 to fix my head gasket that was a known factory defect. what can we do. *jb | |||
| 10/15/2002 | 0 | ||
| Cracked head cylinder - manufacuturer has "secret warranty" on this part for 1994-1996 saturns. saturn wouldn't cover whole replacement because the "secret warranty expired in june 2002" on my car. reason i believe they should pay for all of it: (1) known design defect with engine (2) my car was in the dealership garage for engine work during the secret warranty term and during my warranty coverage, for an oil consumption problem. engine was rebuilt but head cylinder was never checked for known problem and i wasn't notified of the known problem. now both warranties are expired so they wanted me to pay the whole bill. i refused but they only offered to cover half. i have put a complaint into the attorney general's office and the better business bureau. | |||
| 03/31/2004 | 69001 | 03/31/2004 | |
| The vehicle's head gasket cracked causing the oil from the engine to pours into the radiator coolant. this causes the engine to over heat. *mr | |||
| 1 | |||
| The engine oil and the antifreeze is mixing together in the vehicle. this causes the engine to overheat while driving. had taken vehicle to dealership and was informed by the mechanic the engine cyclinder bead was cracked and needed to be repaired or replaced.*ak | |||
| 1 | 05/16/2000 | ||
| Drive belt and serpentine belt failed, valve body cover and gasket were replaced. *yh | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 12/12/2003 | 65000 | 1 | 07/16/1996 |
| I have a 1996 saturn, sl1 with 65,000 miles on it. when i took it in for a regular oil change, i was told that there was a problem with the water cooling system. the cylinder head cracked and oil leaks into the radiator system. i called saturn and was told that i need to talk to a local dealer. i was not even able to explain the problem, and was dismissed humiliatingly. i contacted the dealer and they told me they would contact saturn, after which i was told that i was on my own as the purchase date was before the 6 year window they had designated (6 year/100,000 miles warranty). it has come to my attention that saturn knew about the design fault so they went with this secret warranty. it is costing me over $1000 for a problem i did not cause! i do not believe saturn should get away with such a practice, and i would like to be reimbursed for the repairs and my time (i cannot stress enough the hardship and inconvenience i have experienced because of this deceptive action by saturn.) i hope you will be my (and the other citizens in my situation) advocate and help us in this matter. sincerely,fassil ghebremichael. *jb | |||
| 01/14/1999 | 1 | 01/01/1996 | |
| Due to ice in a commercial parking lot, while parking my car, car slid into a iron guard rail and the radiator, a/c condenser, support of front bumper cover and front bumper cover were all damaged beyond repair and had to be replaced | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 09/28/2006 | 125000 | 1 | 10/15/1996 |
| 1. high revving on idle manual trans 2. front end noise manual trans p/s similar to other recall worn out ? *nm | |||
| 07/11/2005 | 77000 | 1 | 03/08/1996 |
| 1996 saturn sl-1 cylinder head cracked. a known defect to the saturn corporation.$2400 to fix! my check engine soon light comes on often. saturn finds nothing! http://www.carsurvey.org/viewmorecomments_review_5215_1.html simply google saturn + cylinder + head http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/saturn_engine.html | |||
| 10/06/2004 | 143766 | 4 | 05/10/1996 |
| For the 4th time, the head gasket is blown and the head is warped. this is the result of a factory design defect in the engine and was repaired the first time without charge by saturn. however, the repairs do not last and the head blows approximately every 30,000 miles. there is no engine built that should only last 30,000 miles! saturn refuses to help with these repairs even though the car has been dutifully maintained and serviced at the saturn dealer. the estimate for repairs is $2,140 with a recommendation of new rods and bearings at this time also. we had new rings, rods and bearings in early 2002. if saturn admitted to the design defect the first time, and it continues to occur, shouldn't saturn be held responsible for the repairs? | |||
| 05/05/2004 | 93000 | 08/06/1996 | |
| In summer of 2002, i paid over $1500 to have a head gasket repaired on my saturn. last thursday, the car was having the same issues and it was determined that it has a cracked engine cylinder. this is an item on a tsb issued from saturn, i realized today. now i am facing over $2000 to have the cylinder replaced, putting my total cost for repairs over $3700 on an issue that saturn has been aware of for some time, yet never notified its customers. | |||
| 03/31/2004 | 69001 | 1 | 06/26/1996 |
| My wife and i own a 1996 saturn sl1 with 69001 miles on it. i notice that oil was in the coolant reservoir. contacted saturn of corpus christi and asked if they had an idea of the problem. maybe a bad head gasket and gave me an estimate of $840 plus $2.30/mile to tow it in. living outside of beeville 65 miles away a total of 13o miles. contacted my mechanic told him the problem and he gave me an estimate of $900 saving on towing fee, i went to him. he looked at it and told me that my cylinder head was also cracked. he then showed me a technical service bulletin #96-t-65b that saturn sent out in may 1999 documenting this problem with the cylinder heads cracking. he then showed me that my cylinder head was cracked just like the diagrams on page 2 of the bulletin showed. i contacted saturn in tennessee talked to chad of customer service, his supervisor ms. ramirez, her supervisor brenda salsberry, her supervisor joey fitzgerald and all gave me the same answer that our car was over 6 years old. they said that they'll sent out to all saturn owners special policy#99-p-01 in june 1999 extending our warranty for this specific problem for 6 years or 100,000 miles we never received any extension policy from saturn for us to be aware of this problem. after them knowing and documenting problems with cylinder heads does this not make it a defective or flawed part, and there is no warranty time on defective parts. i'm asking you to investigate this for us individuals who are getting no where with saturn. i don't think that it is just a coincidence that my cylinder head crack just as they drew up on page 2 of bulletin 96-t-65b. help! *la | |||
| 03/01/2004 | 88457 | 1 | 02/27/2004 |
| Engine oil leaking into coolant resulting in a cracked head gasket. *jb | |||
| 06/03/2003 | 73185 | 1 | 08/06/2001 |
| About three weeks ago the engine overheated. the engine oil and coolant mixed together because the head gasket was cracked. *ak *ts *jb | |||
| 11/22/2002 | 128433 | 1 | 09/01/1997 |
| 1996 saturn - engine oil leaks into coolant. dealer said there was a manufacturing design flaw. 1997's under 100,000 miles saturn would pay to have it fixed, but not 1996's. *nlm | |||
| 05/01/1999 | 2 | ||
| Engine had a cracked head which was causing loss of oil. dealer contacted. *ak the head gasket was replaced and was leaking. consumer is requesting a refund for the cost of repair. *yh | |||
| 08/05/2002 | 1 | 12/01/2097 | |
| Cracked head cylinder caused by oil mixing with coolent. saturn refused to honor supplimental warranty provided in tsb 99p01. *ak | |||
| 11/29/2000 | 1 | ||
| Vehicle experienced overheating, dealer replaced cylinder head. *slc | |||
| 11/01/1995 | |||
| Engine oil leaked into coolant system cause overheating after engine ran out of oil. cracked cylinder head was the cause after talked to dealer. also found there were quite a few complaints about exactly the same problem. | |||
| 10/01/1999 | 1 | 02/01/1996 | |
| The cylinder head cracked while i was commuting home from work. it cost me 2000.00 plus to repair. saturn told me they would cover the repair up to 100,000 miles. of course i was about 7,000 over that. i never received any info on any problems to look out for from the dealer. prior to this i did notice my coolant was discolored so i had the fluid replaced. i did not suspect any interenal engine problems. i want to know who i can get in contact whith to get a refund of my money. i. *ak | |||
| 01/09/1999 | 1 | 02/01/1996 | |
| Problem diagnosed by saturn of thousand oaks as a cracked cylinder head; as a result, coolant and coolant system was contaminated with oil; all had to be replaced. despite comment by saturn of thousand oaks service representative that there was a problem with the process with 1996 saturns, saturn corp. denies cause is manufacturer's defect. i know of at least one other 1996 sl1 purchased at the same dealership which experienced the same problem in june/98. both cars were purchased new and were less than 3 years old at the time of the problem. *ak | |||
| 03/13/1999 | |||
| Consumer backed out driveway. on right side of driveway where the front of vehicle was sitting, there was brown oil/water mixture. when she opened the hood and looked into the reservoir there was a colored liquid. mechanic discovered a cracked engine cylinder. checked computer and found a bulletin--id. #96-t-65a--issued feb. 1997,that deals with this problem. *ak | |||
| 01/04/1999 | 10/01/1995 | ||
| The engine head has an internal crack in it which allows the engine oil to leak into the coolant. i realized this because there was oil in the coolant reservoir. i went to saturn of ft. lauderdale, where i bought the car and was told that it is no longer under warranty(i have53,000miles). i was also told if i wanted them to fix it they would charge me $300 to diagnose the problem, and if it was a cracked head, it would cost me at least $1200. if i didn't like their diagnoses i would have 24 hours to have the car towed off their property , disassembled. this was told to me by denny mcgee (954)760-6340, service manager for saturn. i was also told that if i had not followed every service requirement that saturn describes in their hand book i would not be eligible for any compensation. at the most they might pay for parts and i would have to pay for labor. i am very angry! i am a teacher, and i could not afford to gamble that saturn might pick up part of the price mr. mcgee said they may only pick up 10%. i took the car to my private mechanic who has told me that this is clearly a defect in the part. the car has never overheated and my mechanic said that the crack is between two chambers where the oil and coolant circulate through the engine. he obtained used replacement part and believe it or not this part also had a similar crack in the same place. is there a recall for this engine part? i am very disillusioned with the saturn company. they were very unhelpful and rude in addressing the problem with my car and i want them to help pay for a defective part on the car that they sold me! please get in touch with me if there is anything you can do. thank you, sincerely, heather ryan. *ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Head gasket cracked. | |||
| 03/28/1997 | 1 | 02/12/1996 | |
| Valves replaced. | |||
| 03/13/1998 | 1 | 02/12/1996 | |
| Oil pan failed causing leaking. | |||
| 02/01/1998 | 09/22/1996 | ||
| Cracked engine cylinder head. *ak | |||
| 08/29/1997 | 1 | 07/31/1995 | |
| Engine stalls due to valves sticking. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 07/28/2003 | 1 | ||
| Consumer stated that she had her automobile insspected ,and was told that head gaskets were leaking. she did some research and found that other saturn owner were having the same kind of problem. what could she do about it?*ak | |||
| 05/06/2000 | 1 | 04/01/1996 | |
| Air conditioner started - smelled tar-like smell - turned a/c off, no smell & car ran beautifully, no indicator lights on. took on road trip, ran fine but noticed engine was hot when stopped - added oil, other fluids fine - immediately aborted trip & drove to dealer- no problems (smells, indicator lights, etc.) on ride, - noticed that serpentine drive belt that had been replaced 1.5 mos. ago was frayed & loose. oil spewed from front to back of car (although car drove fine & no indicator lights, noises or indication of trouble) - dealer says engine may be shot & car may need to be junked. *ak | |||
| 03/11/1999 | |||
| Engine has a design flaw. aniti-freeze gets into the oil. dealer contacted and was aware of the problem. problem still exists. *ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Engine smells when put in garage. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | |||
| 05/06/2000 | 1 | 04/01/1996 | |
| Air conditioner started - smelled tar-like smell - turned a/c off, no smell & car ran beautifully, no indicator lights on. took on road trip, ran fine but noticed engine was hot when stopped - added oil, other fluids fine - immediately aborted trip & drove to dealer- no problems (smells, indicator lights, etc.) on ride, - noticed that serpentine drive belt that had been replaced 1.5 mos. ago was frayed & loose. oil spewed from front to back of car (although car drove fine & no indicator lights, noises or indication of trouble) - dealer says engine may be shot & car may need to be junked. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - GAS RECIRCULATION VALVE (EGR VALVE) | |||
| 02/03/2003 | 92237 | 1 | 06/13/1996 |
| Nar 02/28/2003 mr malfunctioning engine. *cb | |||