Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 10/01/2002 | 1 | 10/02/2000 | |
| While driving transmission failed with no warning. *ak while driving, the vehicle all of a sudden overheated and stalled. the consumers mechanic told her the intake manifold was severely damaged. *jb | |||
| 01/03/2004 | 29220 | 1 | |
| While driving at any speed vehicle stalled. dealer could not fix the vehicle because they were unable to duplicate the problem. *ak | |||
| 05/20/2003 | 1 | ||
| The vehicle caught on fire. the cause was unknown. *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 1 | 04/01/2002 | ||
| Coolant leaked, requires replacement of water pump and oil cooler cover. problem started prior to manf. warrenty ending. have low coolent checked immediately. mr | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 11/21/2007 | 94000 | 1 | 08/15/2007 |
| I purchased the vehicle from a private dealer with an as-is no warranty back in august 2007. the vehicle had a little over 88,000 miles on it. had the vehicle inspected by a mechanic and all major items appeared to be in good working order. approximately 1 month later, the car came due for an oil change. i had the oil changed at approximately 90,000 miles. at approximately 94,000 miles, while driving on the interstate on november 21, 2007, the engine went bang. the car jerked violently and the oil light and check engine lights came on. i was going at approximately 75-80 mph and there was no knocking heard prior to engine failure. i pulled the vehicle to the side of the interstate and noticed smoke billowing out of the engine compartment. immediately called 9-1-1 to report my vehicle was on fire. the fire department arrived and said the engine had not been on fire, but that the engine threw a rod through the block. the fire department asked about knocking prior and i told them there was none. in fact, a mechanic had just looked at it the day before. i recall that the change oil soon light had been coming on intermittently but never steady. the oil light also kept flickering but was never steady. the rpm's increased from 2500 to 3000 and returned to 2500. no previous history of problems reported by dealer. the vehicle was towed to northland community and technical college in east grand forks. the automotive mechanics looked at the engine and said it is totaled. currently in the process of locating a new or used engine to replace. *tr | |||
| 11/15/2005 | 90000 | 1 | 01/05/2005 |
| I purchased a 2000 saturn sl2 which was used, therefore, i had a shop thoroughly check that all major components were in working order...i was told that all were in great shape..ie., the engine, starter, and any vital parts. the car ran great...well, for 5-6 mos. i was in the middle of driving,when the car just shut off...the car would not start again...no warning, no lights, nothing! the car is now in the shop to find the problem. the lights and radio worked but i just heard clicking when turning the ignition. with only 80,000 miles on the car, the mechanic says that the engine is shot, there's nothing he can do other than put a brand new engine in it...with a small fee of 4000.00. both of us do not understand why the car was in great shape and within 6 months and barely 3,000 miles the engine went from great to gone! i have read several documents from this site and there are many persons with 2000 saturns that are saying that they too have a car that stopped suddenly and the stories sound very similar to mine...i've seen many of have similar vin #s...i identified with the docs regarding the 2000-2003 saturn l-series issues, although, mine is of the s-series (i guess, because it is an sl-2). the letter discussing this issue referred to (ea06-009), the defect petition (dp05-008) or the odi investigation pe06-006 that was opened on 1/24/06. i am not sure that those document include my vehicle being that i thought my engine was of the size 1.9l, i-4, mp, dohc. if you have the time to view the docs mentioned, they are basically describing the same prob. that i have. will you please find out if i am incorrect with the info. that i've viewed and if there has been an investigation into the problems that i've had for over 1 yr. of course, if you have any questions, advice, or know what i should do or with whom i should speak...please let me know. i would greatly appreciate any help that you could provide me with.*jb | |||
| 12/24/2005 | 80000 | 1 | 01/30/2002 |
| When checking the color of my oil, the dip stick was found 3 times bone dry. no oil light indicator would come on and finally one time it was too late. on christmas eve my engine blew due to heat and lack of oil. i would lose 5 quarts before my 3000 mile oil change. i had to buy a used engine and have it installed by a family friend due to lack of money to fix this unexpected problem on my 5 year old car that i am still making payemnts on. *nm | |||
| 12/06/2001 | 1 | 06/01/2000 | |
| Consumer stated that service engine soon light came on while driving. also,vehicle was leaking coolant due to gasket failure. *yh | |||
| 04/12/2000 | 4 | 09/30/1999 | |
| Ongoing problem with engine stalling. vehicle been into dealer shop on three occasions, and problem still reoccurring. *ak dealer replaced oil pan due to oil pan leak. glove box fell out due to the lock being broke. ses light on due to terminal dislodged on 5 volt reference splice pack. consumer has replaced the ecm due to stalling and found battery cable loose and fixed problem, however vehicle is still stalling. *slc | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 12/03/2007 | 1 | ||
| Driving my 2000 saturn sl2 70 mph check engine light suddenly comes on, engine stops running pull over, luckily clear conditions, safely. towed car to dealer. dealer says timing chain or belt may have broken. dealer calls back, says i need a $7000.00 replacement engine. this car has cost me over 5000.00 in repairs. saturn has not offered any sort of explanation. just a broken timing chain. there are many many complaints i have read online. i am furious. *tr | |||
| 10/15/2002 | |||
| Consumer states that vehicles computer is registering false information, this is causing the engine to shut down. please provide any further-* ts | |||
| 04/12/2000 | 4 | 09/30/1999 | |
| Ongoing problem with engine stalling. vehicle been into dealer shop on three occasions, and problem still reoccurring. *ak dealer replaced oil pan due to oil pan leak. glove box fell out due to the lock being broke. ses light on due to terminal dislodged on 5 volt reference splice pack. consumer has replaced the ecm due to stalling and found battery cable loose and fixed problem, however vehicle is still stalling. *slc | |||
| 1 | 08/01/1999 | ||
| The vehicle looses power while driving and the service engine light illuminates, the reduced power light also comes on and the consumer cannot accelerate and the power steering fails, dealer has been unable to diagnose the problem. nlm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | |||
| 07/18/2002 | 1 | ||
| Consumer states serpetine belt was cracking and needed to be replaced. *tt | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| 04/15/2003 | 53000 | 1 | 05/22/2000 |
| Leaking exhaust failure of the resonator increased exhaust noise. replaced the spark plugs found codes: p0133 and p0301 slow response from 02 sensor and misfire in cylinder 1 and bad check valve. *jb | |||
| While driving windshield becomes distored. however, windshield has been replaced twice, and is still having the same problem, visibility. please provide any further information. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL | |||
| 03/30/2005 | 21476 | 1 | 01/31/2001 |
| 2000 saturn sl-2 with 021500 miles; anti-freeze leak from intake manifold gasket. this will cause a problem with the emissions system.this seems to be a manufacturers defect,causing a burden onto the consumer.*ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||
| 04/01/2005 | 26920 | 1 | 05/12/2000 |
| 2000 saturn sl2 intake manifold leaking coolant. *mr *sc | |||