Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 09/06/2006 | 96000 | 1 | 01/29/2003 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle used up a large amount of radiator fluid. there were no visible leaks on the driveway, however the reservoir had to be refilled every 3 days. the vehicle was taken to a private repair shop, where, upon inspection, there was moisture around the top of the radiator tank, and it was determined that the radiator tank had leaked from the top. | |||
| 07/14/2002 | 48000 | 4 | 07/14/1999 |
| I purchased my saturn sl2 4-door brand new in 1999 with only 10 miles on it. it was a perfect car until it overheated one day. i called the dealership service department and they told me to use only dex-cool in my engine. so i walked and purchased some and went on my way. since that time my engine continuously gets overheated, i have had to replace the water pump, the radiator cap and now the dealership has told me that i have a cracked radiator head with warped gaskets which will cost too much for me due to my being on disability. my car only has 94,000 miles on it and i have it serviced regularly. i feel that dex-cool or the dealership should be held responsible in fixing my vehicle to no fault of my own. *jb | |||
| 03/03/2004 | 4700 | 05/20/2003 | |
| In 2003 my daughter bought a 1999 saturn with 47000 miles that had just been turned in from a lease from a dealer and it started smoking and using a quart of oil per 1,000at which time we contacted this agency and gm because the car was alaways dealer serviced and had not yet reached it's half life. saturn told us that this was normal howver, the condition has only worsed over time and it's now using 1.5 qt's per 1000 miles and smoking worse. i bet the epa would like to know that. additionally the rotor have failed twice becoming warped and the motor mount has failed along with a coolent temp sensor. many people have reported these same problems and gm knows it. once again we asked them for some goodwill and they turned us down saying that the car (now) has too many miles even tho they said that it would be documented but it appears that they have strung us along doing leak down test at our cost from 2003 and from our gov complaint until now while telling us that this was normal use............ that was wrong and they should face a recall because they have allowed a problematic engine which they knew about to be sold to the general public and then they refused to help the consumers in need. i'll never buy a saturn or a gm again. and, i plan to sell my sons new saturn too after this poor treatment. | |||
| 12/14/2004 | 84000 | 1 | |
| While driving at highway speeds the vehicle stalled. consumer managed to pull over and restarted the vehicle. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak | |||
| 5 | 12/01/2001 | ||
| Defective brakes due to brake cylinder leakage, and engine stalled. ph | |||
| 12/26/2002 | |||
| While driving at any speed vehicle make some vibration, consumer also complained has been history of problems in the last past three years with this vehicle. dealer has inspected and can't correct the problem. please provide further information. ts | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 07/04/2008 | 115000 | 1 | |
| Oil keeps collecting in the water reservoir seems to have developed the problem very suddenly took it to a garage and the head mechanic said this is a common problem with saturns so i am wondering if this is something of a design flaw that needs to be addressed,and the public needs to be informed about. wonder if there is a manufacturer fix for the problem? *tr | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 11/28/2005 | 107327 | 1 | 06/01/2003 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 15 to 20 mph, the engine suddenly lost power. there were no warning indicators prior to the failure. the vehicle was towed to a local repair shop who determined the crank position sensor needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was alerted of the problem. updated 06/15/06. | |||
| 23000 | 1 | 07/24/1998 | |
| Faulty crankshaft position sensor. *ph. last february the consumer had problems starting the vehicle and finally had it towed, where the dealer replaced the crankshaft position sensor. *jb | |||
| 08/13/2000 | 1 | ||
| Engine stalled along with battery and oil light coming on, dealer found the oil pressure switch to be defective. *slc | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| Consumer called complaining about having problems with the vehicle stopping on the middle of the road for no specific reason . manufacturer was contacted and stated that if it happens again then they will help him. mr | |||
| 09/06/2000 | 1 | 09/29/2000 | |
| Engine stalled on a rainy day. nlm | |||
| 06/05/2000 | 1 | 06/01/1999 | |
| While exiting the freeway, i came to a stop at the end of the ramp at a red light, the auto stalled, i tried to restart it without success, i then saw black smoke billowing from the engine compartment, by the thme the fire dept. arrived the front end of the car was completely destroyed. the headlights were melted, as was the fenders and front bumper. *ak | |||
| Intermittently vehicle stalls out and dies. dealer has not been able to duplicate the problem. manufacturer has been notified. *ak | |||
| 03/12/1999 | 1 | 01/01/1999 | |
| I wish the state had more stringent lemon laws. i will have had to bring my car in for repairs 5 times now, and i feel that is ridiculous for a car ive only had for 6 months. there are problems that exist now and have reoccurred or probably will. saturn should definitely produce but better cars if they want people to buy them... i certainly won't buy another one or any gm product. i have not contacted saturn directly because i know that they won't do anything about it as i had dealings with another saturn. furthermore, bringing the car to the dealer seems to be a hassle. i have to go out of my way to get my lemon car fixed repeatedly for minor problems which are really annoyances. no defect mentioned in summary. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | |||
| 1 | 12/18/2001 | ||
| The serpentine belts were cracked.*jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| 06/01/2004 | 2 | ||
| Vehicle was taken to the dealer for a routine inspection, and mechanic determined that the resonator cracked, and needed to be replaced. *ak this was the second time the resonator cracked. the consumer wanted the resonator welded but the dealer suggested a new resonator because they were redesigned and completely different from the old ones. the consumer believes that if the manufacturer realized there was a flaw with the resonators that they should have been recalled. *nm | |||
| 03/22/2001 | 32749 | 1 | 10/15/1998 |
| After both my children at different times told me that i had an exhaust leak because i am experiencing incresased exhaust noise (i had it checked), i ran across an article in highways magazine (good sam club) that stated there was a recall for the 2000-2003 saturn l-series. i own a 1999 saturn l-series and it is showing all the signs of the same problem described in the recall nhtsa campaign id number 03v231000. the car has been sluggish and very hard to start along with the increased exhaust noise. this model/year saturn should be included in the recall...there is a problem with it also! when i took the car to the service dealer in march, 2001, they said it was the battery and they installed a new one but it did not improve the performance of the car. it continues to be a problem and it is getting worse. *ak | |||
| 04/09/2003 | |||
| Resonator tube has a crack in it. *nlm | |||
| 12/19/2001 | 1 | ||
| The technician servicing the vehicle found a problem with the exhasut system. the exhaust system was leaking and the resignator was replaced. *jg | |||
| 06/05/1999 | 1 | 02/01/1999 | |
| No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak | |||