Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| PIP-4495C | 03/01/2011 | 10038510 | Ready | 06/16/2011 | |
| PIP-4495C | 03/01/2011 | 10038510 | Gm: there may be noise coming from the cylinder head, because of low oil pressure which is caused by debris. *rm | 06/16/2011 | |
| 3859 | 3859A | 10020923 | Low oil pressure - inspect oil filter for damage. *kb updated 10/18/07. *nj | 01/30/2007 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | ||||||
| PE08061 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 10/16/2008 | 04/08/2009 | TIMING CHAIN BREAKS, ENGINE STALL | ||
| On may 22, 2008, theoffice of defects investigation (odi) was petitioned by the north carolina consumers council (nccc) to broaden the scope of safety recall 07v-519, which was conducted by general motors corporation (gm) for model year (my) 2001 saturn l-series vehicles equipped with the l61 2.2l engine and built during a 4-month period from november 2000 through february 2001 (dp08-002). on october 16, 2008, odi granted dp08-002 and opened pe08-061 to investigate timing chain failures resulting in engine stall while driving (swd) in the saturn l-series vehicles equipped with l61 engines and that used the same design timing chain and timing chain lubrication system as the recalled vehicles.a redesigned timing chain and lubrication system were implemented late in my 2002 production (may 1, 2002).hence, the subject vehicles for this investigation are all my 2000 through 2002 saturn l-series vehicles equipped with 2.2l l61 engines and built prior to may 2002 that were not included in recall 07v-519. in this investigation, odi analyzed updated complaint and warranty claims data for timing chain failures resulting in incidents of engine stall while driving, which comprise slightly over half of all timing chain failures occurring in the subject vehicle population.odi's analysis of complaint and warranty data shows that vehicles produced with the subject timing chain and lubrication system experienced elevated failure rates when compared with the my 2002 through 2003 vehicles using the revised components.however, the analysis also showed that the my 2001 saturn l-series vehicles recalled in 07v-518 experienced a significantly higher rate of timing chain failures than the subject vehicles.the complaint rate for timing chain failures resulting in swd was approximately 5 times higher for the recalled vehicles,19.2 incidents per thousand vehicles (iptv), than for the subject vehicles, 3.7 iptv.the warranty claims rate for chain failures resulting in swd was over 3 times higher for the recalled vehicles, 2.4 percent, than for the subject vehicles, 0.7 percent.the complaint and warranty rates for the subject vehicles were similar to rates recorded in other recently closed investigations for conditions that could result in swd with no engine re-start, ea07-015 and ea07-018.analysis of all complaints, field reports and warranty claims found no allegations of crashes or injuries associated with the alleged defect in the subject vehicles after approximately 7 to 9 years in service. odi's analysis of the stalling incidents that have resulted from timing chain failures in the subject vehicles found that they can occur at any speed and almost always result in a no restart condition.these are generally considered to be factors that increase the severity of stalling incidents.however, analysis of swd failure rates in the subject vehicles show that they have occurred at much lower rates than were observed in the recalled population.in addition, the swd complaint and warranty rates for the subject vehicles are similar to rates observed in prior investigations involving similar categories of engine stall consequences that were closed with no action.further investigation of this matter would not be an efficient allocation of agency resources.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will continue to monitor complaints and other information relating to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles and take further action if warranted. | ||||||
| DP08002 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 06/18/2008 | 10/16/2008 | TIMING CHAIN FAILURE-STALL | ||
| On june 6, 2006, odi opened an investigation of timing chain failure resulting in engine stall while driving with no restart in approximately 20,514 model year (my) 2001 saturn l-series vehicles equipped with 2.2l engines (l61) built from november 2000 through february 2001 (ea06-009).the vehicles built during those months exhibited higher failure rates than similarly equipped vehicles built before and after.gm introduced a new timing chain design in production in may 2002.odi closed its investigation after gm initiated a safety recall on november 7, 2007 (recall 07v-519). on may 22, 2008, the north carolina consumers council (nccc) submitted a defect petition to odi requesting the expansion of recall 07v-519 to include all my 1999 through 2003 saturn l-series vehicles with 2.2l engines using the same timing chain design as the recalled population.the petition states that the nccc continues to receive complaints from consumers that have had a timing chain fail in vehicles built outside the production range covered by the recall.the petition also notes that odi has continued to receive complaints.since the closing of ea06-009 odi has received 80 new complaints from consumers who had a timing chain fail in a my 2000 through 2002 saturn l-series with the 2.2l engine that were not covered by recall 07v-519 and were built prior to the timing belt change in may 2002.the complaints describe the same failure mode as the recalled population where the timing chain can break suddenly and without warning, resulting in engine damage and loss of motive power.the defect petition has been granted. a preliminary evaluation (pe08-061) has been opened. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 11/03/2011 | 80000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2002 saturn l200. the contact was driving 35 mph when the vehicle stalled without warning. the vehicle was towed to a local mechanic who performed a diagnostic that located the failure at the timing chain. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 80,000. kmj | |||
| 11/03/2011 | 80000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2002 saturn l200. the contact stated while driving at 35mph the vehicle stalled without warning. the vehicle was towed to the local garage who performed a diagnosed that located the failure at the engine timing chain. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 80,000. li | |||
| 06/24/2011 | 140000 | ||
| Timing chain seperated on my 2002 saturn l200 at 15 mph 2 months ago. it cost me $2700 to replace engine and then i found the links about a possible recall on this very issue but was told by saturn that it didn't cover my car. i am highly upset about this as my engine did exactly what all the other saturns in the recall did so why is mine excluded?? i want my year covered in the recall. | |||
| 09/06/2011 | |||
| My car showed no warning of any problem. started to work lost power. coasted to a safe place at a business. was told timing chain had broken and i needed a new engine. it will cost $2600.00 to repair. also there has been a problem with headliners sagging. | |||
| 09/13/2010 | 105000 | ||
| While driving my 2002 saturn l100 2.2l 4-cylinder vehicle on 9/13/2010 the engine's timing chain separated while the engine was running , the engine stalled , the vehicle lost all motive power and would not restart and caused significant damage to two of the engine's valves. | |||
| 11/16/2008 | 74000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 saturn l200. while driving less than 50 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. the vehicle was unable to be restarted. an independent mechanic investigated the failure and discovered that the timing chain failed and some of its components fell into the engine. the failure and current mileages were less than 74,000. | |||
| 08/24/2008 | 52000 | 1 | |
| Timing chain broke on our car 2002 l-series saturn that has 50,000 miles on it. this is a common problem and only the 2001 year make of my car is covered on a recall, even though my car was purchased in 2001. the dealer just worked on this part 5 months ago and they deny that the two problems are related. *tr | |||
| 01/01/2007 | 0 | 09/01/2001 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 saturn l series. the contact found a recall for the timing belt, which stated that there was a possibility the chain could fail while driving and result in a crash. the dealer and manufacturer stated that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling). there had been no failure to date. the current mileage was 78,000. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 06/26/2011 | 65000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2002 saturn l series. the contact stated while driving 60 mph the timing chain snapped causing the vehicle to stall. the vehicle will be towed to the dealer who stated there was no recall for the timing chain. the manufacturer was contacted who stated there was no recall and to tow the vehicle to the dealer for an inspection. the failure mileage was 65,000...mw | |||
| 10/29/2009 | 92000 | 1 | |
| Have ticking coming from timing chain area on engine. luckily i have caught it before the chain breaks causing the engine to seize and need replacing. called gm and they said my vehicle is not part of the recall list. my timing chain design is exactly the same as the recalled vehicles. a petition was opened from north carolina but closed due to further investigation of this matter would not be an efficient allocation of agency resources. here's the link to the recall on your website: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/defect/results.cfm?action_number=dp08002&searchtype=quicksearch&summary=true please let me know if i have any recourse? *tr thank you for your time, jeff harris | |||
| 10/05/2009 | 90000 | 1 | |
| Saturn l200 timing chain broke while driving on highway - no indication that there was any type of problem with engine. *tr | |||
| 11/10/2008 | 145000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 saturn l100. while driving less than 50 mph and accelerating, the vehicle stalled. the vehicle would not restart and was towed to an independent mechanic. the mechanic stated that the timing chain was defective. the manufacturer stated that there was a recall for the same year, make, and model vehicle; however, his vin was not included. the failure and current mileages were 145,000. | |||
| 09/16/2006 | 74000 | 1 | 02/06/2002 |
| Timing chain broke at 74,000 miles on my 2002 l series saturn, seems to be a problem that saturn does not want to fix. *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | |||
| 05/26/2009 | 79003 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 saturn l100. while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. the vehicle was towed to a mechanic, who stated that the timing belt failed. the mechanic also stated that it should not have failed at only six years old and with less then 75,000 miles. the dealer advised her to bring in the vehicle for a diagnosis. the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling), although the failures were identical. currently, the vehicle is still at the dealer being inspected. the failure and current mileages were 79,003. | |||
| 11/16/2006 | 1 | 05/15/2003 | |
| My timing chain is going out on my 2002 saturn l100. i don't know the cost to fix yet as i have only taken it to a gas station and not a repair facility. *nm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - CATALYTIC CONVERTOR | |||
| 05/15/2006 | 5 | ||
| My wife's 2002 l100 saturn sedan, began to idle rough, so i changed the spark plugs figuring it was a bad plug (i always kept up with maintenance on the vehicle, i am a qualified aircraft mechanic for the military, so i am mechanically inclined). the vehicle ran fine for a couple of days, then became extremely worse. the vehicle had a rough idle, low power and would stall. we had the vehicle towed to the lexington, ky. dealership. later the service rep. called and said i have some bad news, the catalytic converter was bad and the ignition module, you have gone 3,000 miles over the warranty. i asked how does a catalytic converter go bad in less than 5 yrs. and under 100,000 mi.? the rep. said i don't know but it is going to cost $3,000 to replace everything. i told him wait a minute, you all already changed the ignition modulator on the recall before. i contacted an out in town mechanic, who provided me with recall info about the bad ignition modulator, that when it fails it could/would damage the catalytic converter. i called the dealer back with this information and documentation provided to me from the mechanic i saw. rep. said we have changed three modulators before you came in with this problem, they seem to keep failing and you should call saturn's customer service line. i did and informed them what the mechanic told me and what the dealer informed me of. saturn said they would contact me back after contacting their engineers. saturn called back and said they would fix the repairs if i paid the deductible as if the vehicle was still under warranty. i paid $100 and asked what about this constant problem with the ignition module, they said when it acts up again call us back. so, saturn is avoiding the problem at hand which i was shocked because i was told they always back their products and appreciate their customers. i plan not to purchase a saturn in the future and have been advising others not to either. *jb | |||