Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, AIR - DISC - ROTOR | |||
| 03/01/1997 | 2 | ||
| Front rotors warped. manufacturer replaced with a redesigned model and they warped also. | |||
| 12/01/1996 | 4 | ||
| Rotors wear excessively and need to be replaced every 3-4 months. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK | |||
| 01/01/1999 | 10/25/1995 | ||
| Warped front brake rotors. | |||
| Sometimes when applying the brakes there is a grinding noise, on one occasion went to apply the brakes and there were no brakes, has abs anti-lock brakes . please describe . *ak | |||
| 06/01/1996 | |||
| Abs brake failure , when applying abs brakes they make a grinding noise, and there is complete loss of effectiveness. *ak | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | |||
| 1 | |||
| Brake parts corroded causing damage to rotors and calipers.*et | |||
| 08/20/2000 | |||
| While driving braking system malfunctioned,causing no braking ability. had to use emergency braking system in order to stop vehicle. saturn said if the emergency brake was applied it would affect the braking system, and that was the reason why vehicle wouldn't stop. please provide further information.*ak | |||
| 01/01/1996 | |||
| When driving at any speed and applying the brakes, the brakes failed and weren't stopping the vehicle properly. also, there is virbration within the steering and a short within the electrical system. *ak | |||
| 06/17/1999 | 1 | 06/01/1996 | |
| On 6/17/99 at 6;30pm i was making a right hand turn from rte 73s to atco jughandle. once i made the turn the steering wheel locked in place and the brakes would not work. the car shuttered and crashed into the curb. my speed was 20mph and the weather conditions were drizzling. *ak | |||
| 01/01/1997 | |||
| Brake failure, when applying the brakes the pedal goes to the floor and continues to fade, intermittently failes, in for repairs, found no problem. *ak | |||
| 11/27/1996 | 0 | ||
| While attempting to park vehicle in garage, brakes failed/would not stop vehicle, vehicle went through garage door and hit door dividing garage and house. *ak | |||
| 10/17/1996 | |||
| Consumer states that vehicle vibrated before the brakes failed, causing an accident to occur. *ak | |||
| 03/11/1996 | 1 | ||
| Brakes grind. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC | |||
| 06/23/2000 | 2 | ||
| 1,2,3. brakes have been a constant problem on this vehicle. first known problem was about 08/99 when dealer found pitted & blistered rear brake rotors. replaced them as a favor since car was still under warranty (less than 36,000 miles). i had complained about lower gas mileage and feeling like car was dragging and had been told earlier that there were no problems - use a lower gear. in june, 2000, i noticed that my right rear brake disk was glowing red after a 36 mile freeway drive. later, when i was able to get under the car, i found that the parking brake actuator on the driver's side rear caliper was frozen in the on position. wd40 and muscle freed it, but it had to be left off at all times. the dealer found the disks to be warped, caliper ruined and front disks also warped. pads were not terribly worn on the front. i have routinely gone 50,000 on pads in previous calls; the rear pads on this car had less than 15,000!! again, dealer implied it was my fault and not a defect by saturn. #4. speed control - device began erratic function - sped up and slowed down without warning; at times wouldn't turn on. dealer fixed under warranty, but no notice of this problem. #5. ignition switch - started having difficulty in turning on or fully off (locked position). first told by dealer it must be jammed with key shavings-if key shows brass color, must be replaced. dealer found that there was a groove in the switch housing-due to use of a heavy key chain by previous owner. i paid 50% - looks like cheap, soft metal housing-design flaw. #6. horn failed without warning at around 26,000 miles - 3 1/2 year old car. replaced under warranty. i wonder what will fail next - all of these could have led to an accident. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - CALIPER | |||
| 12/05/2001 | 52000 | 2 | 03/12/1996 |
| Tl* - the contact would like to make a complaint concerning the brakes on 1996 saturn sl2. the contact stated that she was driving 35 mph when she was cut off by another car. she then applied the brake pedal which gave no resistance. the contact stated that before being cut off the brakes did work. the contact stated that the car finally stopped after she pumped the brakes. the contact continued to drive at approximately 5 mph until she reached her destination and had the car towed to a saturn dealership. the contact stated that this brake failure occurred approximately december 5, 2006. the contact stated that it was a nice day, and that the weather was not a factor. the contact pulled muscles in her body, and was currently on muscle relaxants. the contact asked the saturn dealer for the damaged parts and was told that the parts were thrown away. the contact also stated that she has had problems with the brakes pulsating and going all the way down to the floor since she purchased the car. the contact stated had brake work done in 2001 at 36,000 miles, the brake calipers had failed. the contact was referred to nhtsa by the rhode island state attorney's office. *ak | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - PADS | |||
| 2 | |||
| Brake pads and rotors failed due to rust and corrosion. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - ROTOR | |||
| 07/26/2000 | 2 | 02/01/1996 | |
| Consumer took vehicle in for electrical problems & found that rotors were corroded on the inside. dealer checked vehicle for inspection in june & said nothing to the consumer about rotor corrosion. consumer will have to pay out of pocket. *ak the mechanic stated that the rotors should not have been machined because it does not meet the required minimum thickness. *yh | |||
| 01/01/1999 | 10/25/1995 | ||
| Warped front brake rotors. | |||
| 2 | |||
| Brake pads and rotors failed due to rust and corrosion. | |||
| 09/16/1997 | 2 | 09/15/1995 | |
| Front brake rotors warped/replaced. | |||
| 12/31/1996 | 1 | 08/15/1995 | |
| Brake rotors warped. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - MASTER CYLINDER | |||
| 11/30/1996 | |||
| Failure of the abs brakes, consumer was driving 60 mph and the cruisie control was on, the consumer applied force to the brake pedal and the vehicle continued to move, causing the consumer to have a collision. *ak | |||