Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 05/04/1999 | 1 | 05/01/1997 | |
| I am concerned that there is latent damage to my transmission that has not been detected. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 11/08/2003 | 44409 | 17 | |
| While driving 65 mph in first gear transmission shifted to fourth gear without warning, and consumer temporarily lost control of the vehicle. consumer shifted vehicle to neutral, then back to first gear to regain control of the vehicle. dealership mechanic tried to repair the vehicle, but was unable to resolve the problem. *ak the occupants sustained muscles pulls, bumps, and bruises. *nm | |||
| 11/27/2002 | 91328 | 0 | 12/26/1996 |
| We brought our saturn into the oakland, ca dealer for a transmission diagnosis. automatic transmission has developed some leaks and clutch / gear assembly problems. initial quote from the dealer service manager for repair is $2600.00+. extended warranty expired 12/31/02, and the car is currently at the 94,904 mile mark. at the 91,328 mileage mark, the dealer performed an 87,000 mile service, not a 90,000 mile service. why didn't the service advisor inform my daughter that the 90,000 mile service was due, which included a transmission service? from my perspective this appears to be a case of this dealership not training their service advisors properly to advise a customer regarding routine maintenance. the car is currently at the 94,904 mile mark, and it seems reasonable that if the dealer had performed the 90,000 mile service when the car was at the 91,328 mileage mark and inspected the transmission these problems would have been identified and repaired while the car still under warranty. saturn has issued at least one dozen service bulletins regarding maintenance of this transmission several targeted to the specific issue of transmission leaks and repairs. does this saturn dealer have a pattern of not informing female customers about recommended maintenance? is this an issue at other saturn dealers? is this a case of gender bias since the male service advisor did not communicate the factory recommendations to a female customer? maintenance work by the saturn oakland (ca)dealer:fuel pump replaced, water pump replaced, window mechanisms replaced, drive belt replaced, idler pulley replaced, motor mounts replaced, alternator replaced, the power steering pump replaced. we don't understand how they could have inspected/diagnosed/repaired all these items and not have included the transmission maintenance at key mileage milestones. *nlm | |||
| 02/01/2002 | |||
| Valve body in automatic transmission needs to be replaced. vehicle cannot be put into reverse. contacted dealer, and the dealer was not willing to do anything. *ak | |||
| 08/01/2001 | 0 | ||
| Defective transmission, when putting vehicle into gear there was a clunking noise. an additional problem was the forward gears which failed and were not working. dealship was aware of problem. *ak | |||
| 10/20/2001 | 1 | 08/01/1997 | |
| Was driving approximately 50mph and was merging into traffic when transmission locked in gear and failed to change.*ak consumer stated prior to purchasing vehicle she complained of a clunk noise when changed gears into reverse, also the driver side brake light is inoperable, also the right side mirror needed to be replaced, engine mounts were replaced,brakes were replaced, serpentine belt was cracked, engine overheats.*slc | |||
| 10/15/1997 | |||
| Ongoing probem with transmission not changing gears properly on any speed, and slow responding from a stop position/take off, hesitation. also, brake pedal would intermittently go to the floor before vehicle stopped. dealer notified on three occasions, and was informed that nothing could be found consumer is concerned that this vehicle is unsafe to operate, and will be trading it in within a few mont asking nhtsa to look into this matter before passing it on . *ak | |||
| 11/06/1997 | 1 | 08/01/1996 | |
| Transmission temperature sender failed. *yc | |||
| 07/09/1998 | 1 | 09/01/1996 | |
| Transmission--bushing went out. spark misfire--computer module was replaced by dealer. | |||
| 07/28/1997 | 3 | 10/26/1996 | |
| Transmission required repair on three occasions, valve body, connector and gasket, failures causing slipping. mjs | |||
| 07/01/1997 | |||
| Transmission has no power, the gas level is very poor on a hill, sometimes will not go up hill at all, losing rpms. dealer contacted, and cannot remedy the problem. problem still exists. provide further information. *ak | |||
| 09/06/1996 | 1 | 08/14/1996 | |
| Transmission failure. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - COOLING UNIT AND LINES | |||
| 12/27/1999 | 2 | 08/01/1997 | |
| Leak discovered when getting oil changed. took it to dealer, advised not safe to drive, replaced shift gear.. 5 months later leaks again. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | |||
| 09/13/1997 | 133000 | 1 | |
| On 13sep2008, at approximately 1400hrs i was operating my 1997 saturn sl2 (manual) at low speed in my driveway; when the vehicle failed to engage in gear. upon further investigation, i discovered that my shifting cable linkage had become disengaged (specifically the shifting rod and the plastic ball-joint cover). after attempting to locate the part via local auto part merchants i contacted a local saturn dealership. i spoke to a member of the service department who informed me that the disengagement of the shifting rod assembly, and concurrent damage to the plastic ball-joint cover was a common problem. when asked how much it was to buy the plastic ball-joint cover the service employee informed me it would cost $195.00; because one has to buy the entire assembly and not just the plastic ball-joint cover. at this time the vehicle has yet to be repaired. *tr | |||