Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||||
| 3135 | 01/01/2004 | 10010045 | Pop noise from engine area during heavy throttle input. *tc | 11/03/2004 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | ||||||
| PE06006 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 01/24/2006 | 06/06/2006 | TIMING CHAIN FAILURE | ||
| On december 12, 2005, odi received a defect petition (dp05-008) requesting the investigation of timing chain failures that could cause stalling in saturn vehicles equipped with the 2.2l (l61) engine. odi opened pe06-006 on january 24, 2006, with 24 vehicle owner complaints that alleged a broken timing chain caused the vehicle to stop operating.on april 12, 2006, odi received information from general motors (gm) concerning timing chain failures in approximately 412,000 model year (my) 2000 through 2003 saturn l-series and ion vehicles with 2.2l engines. gm's response included 1,020 owner complaints and field reports concerning timing chain failure, including 228 that alleged the failure caused the vehicle to stall while driving.gm also provided warranty claim data that showed 1,902 subject vehicles receiving timing chain repairs, including 261 which indicated that a stall while driving resulted from the failure.the gm complaints, field reports and warranty claims that did not contain sufficient information to determine that a stall while driving occurred were provided in the category other.gm stated that the majority of these incidents probably occurred while the vehicles were parked since the timing chain is more likely to break during high chain load situations, such as engine startup.gm's data showed elevated failure rates in approximately 20,500 my 2001 l-series vehicles produced during a four month period from november 2000 through february 2001.over one-third of gm's total complaints and field reports (34.3%) and warranty claims (38.2%) involved l-series vehicles built during the 4-month period, which are only about 5% of subject vehicle production.the timing chain failure rate in the vehicles built during this range is over 10 times greater than the remaining subject vehicle population. for the my 2001 l-series vehicles built during the 4-month period, the 36-month failure rate for repairs involving stall while driving is slightly under one percent.however, if the incidents coded as other are added, the 36-month failure rate rises to nearly five percent for those vehicles.odi and gm are continuing to assess the number of complaints and warranty claims coded by gm as other that involve incidents of stall while driving.gm's statistical modeling of the failure data initially concluded that the failure rates were declining with age and mileage for any set of warranty data analyzed (e.g., stall while driving, other or combined).however, subsequent analysis showed that the failure rates are increasing. based on the high complaint and warranty rates for timing chain failure in the 4-month production period for the my 2001 l-series vehicles, this investigation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis to further assess the frequency of stall incidents due to timing chain failures in those vehicles (ea06-009). | ||||||
| DP05008 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 12/20/2005 | 02/06/2006 | TIMING CHAIN FAILURE | ||
| Analysis undertaken in response to the petition identified 26 complaints alleging timing chain failures in my 2000-2003 saturn l-series vehicle equipped with the 2.2l l4 engine.most complaints of timing chain failure reportedly resulted in a sudden loss of engine power and stalling.odi also noted that certain my 2002-2003 saturn vue and my 2003 saturn ion model vehicles with the 2.2l engine vehiclescovered by a technical service bulletin (03-06-01-017) that addressed timing chain design and service procedure changes, exhibited no complaints of timing chain failure.odi will grant the petition and open a preliminary evaluation to assess the frequency, trend, scope and safety consequences associated with the alleged defect in the subject vehicles.refer to pe06-006. | ||||||
| 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 | |||
| 11/28/2011 | 44000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2000 saturn ls series. the contact stated that when turning the key to turn on the vehicle, the steering wheel would seize. the dealer was notified of the failure and the contact made an appointment for the vehicle to be diagnosed. the manufacturer was not contacted and the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 44,000 and the current mileage was 44,200. kmj | |||
| 11/28/2011 | 44000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2000 saturn ls series. the contact stated that when turning the key to turn on the vehicle, the steering wheel would lock up. the dealer was notified and the contact made an appointment for the vehicle to be diagnosed. the manufacturer was not contacted. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 44,000 and the current mileage was 44,200. nw | |||
| 06/12/2007 | 72550 | 1 | |
| 2000 saturn ls timing chain failure. engine noise from right front, dealer removed valve cover found piece of top chain guide missing. dealer removed front cover and found chain to have excessive play. replaced timing chain, guides and tensioner assembly cost of $846.68 and later discovered no recall has been made other then with thousands of complaints of saturn ls and l-series sedans and wagons with bad timing chains and noise the only way to notice it failing is if you really pay attention to the car and the noise and can remain unnoticed to average owner and premature engine failure to result. timing chain replaced at 72550 miles. *tr | |||
| 05/15/2009 | 143000 | 1 | |
| Without warning, the timing belt broke on our 2000 saturn ls, and destroyed the engine. it happened on the highway, and the car stalled. we had to have it towed approx. 50 miles home, and estimated repairs are $1000 for parts alone. *tr | |||
| 02/28/2009 | 80000 | 1 | |
| There was no warning., no noise, no warning lights. the car did not start in the morning saturn said the chain belt broke and damaged engine. i have read many complaints concerning the timing belt and it's poor design. gm has denied any complaints and stated that odi publishes bogus reports. *tr | |||
| 03/25/2008 | 141000 | 1 | 08/29/1999 |
| Broken timing chain on 2000 saturn ls. recall does not cover my vehicle but covers the same exact 2001 model with the same exact engine. *tr | |||
| 03/20/2008 | 84026 | 1 | |
| I was driving on the higway at 65mph and the engine quit i coasted to the shoulder ands had the car towed to saturn dealer they said the timing chain broke and caused engine damage saturn said i will need a new engine. *tr | |||
| 02/11/2008 | 61345 | 1 | 06/24/2000 |
| Car started to make loud rattling noise from the engine...i saw a small crack on the top of the cam cover about 4 in. long. i went to a repair shop that i have used before and they said it was the timing chain hitting the cover!! this should never happened to a car with 61,000 miles on it ! i called and wrote to the mfg. in tn. and talked to the area mgr.and she advised bring the car to the dealer. i brought the car in and the service mgr. said the chain tensioner failed and that caused the chain to hit the cover. the timing chain and all parts must be replaced $985.00 + tax. the area mgr. said there was nothing she could do for the repair cost that is a mechanical part and it just failed! i told her there was a recall for the 2001 yr. but mine was not included in the recall. *tr | |||
| 12/16/2007 | 100000 | 1 | 12/20/2006 |
| I have a 2000 saturn ls 2.2 the timing chain broke and destroyed the engine. *tr | |||
| 11/05/2007 | 83000 | 3 | 05/05/2003 |
| My car was paid off in may 2007 and the timing chain broke in november 2007. i brought it into the dealer about a year ago with poor fuel economy, rough idle in the morning, oxygen sensor failure and random cylinder misfire. the dealer could not isolate the problem. they pressurized the fuel system to check for leaks. cleaned the injectors and charged me 150$... did not help. they said it was probably a bad injector... had the injectors checked and they were fine. had the oxygen sensor replaced 3 times. nothing helped. turns out the tensioner on the timing chain was failing. the dealership never thought of this even though it is a very common problem on this motor. well the problem persisted until the chain jumped and the car would not start. 1250$ is the estimate to install the updated timing chain kit not to mention the cost of a rental car, the time and aggravation caused by a saturn design flaw. ps. my car has 83,000 miles on it. *tr | |||
| 05/27/2006 | 97000 | 2 | |
| On the 27th of may i had my saturn ls serviced due to a timing chain failure. after spending 3k in repairs i notice a oil leak approx. 3 months later. 3 months to the day of having the repair work done my engine lost power again. the service tech quoted another 2k repair cost to get the car back up and running. the fault was due to low oil pressure over a period of time. my response to that is when i had the car repaired and serviced i should have left with an engine in good repair and a car full of oil. i have purchased 3 saturns and after this incident i can guarantee i won't even consider another saturn or gm car. *nm | |||
| 06/14/2006 | 40000 | 1 | 11/01/2004 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the engine made a ticking sound while running and hesitated to start on two occasions. on one occasion while the vehicle was being pulled from the garage at 3mph, the engine stalled, but restarted after a short period. the vehicle was taken to a service dealer who determined the timing chain needed to be replaced. there is currently an investigation #ea06009, concerning the engine which indicates that others are having similar problems. | |||
| 09/02/2004 | 80000 | 1 | |
| When starting the vehicle engine warning light illuminated then lost power and shut off. dealership will be notified. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| Coolant light came on, and dealer did pressure test, but could not find any defect. about 3 months later, consumer was told by dealer that engine sealed up, and could not determine cause. there was no indictation light that came on to indicate a problem. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 05/13/2010 | 92000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2000 saturn ls. while driving at 55 mph, the contact noticed that the vehicle was shifting abnormally. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealership where the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced because of the timing chain. the current and failure mileages were approximately 92,000. | |||
| 07/29/2008 | 93000 | 1 | |
| I was driving my 2000 saturn ls at 45 mph when it just shut off, lost all power, and thankfully had a place to drift off to the side of the road. however, i was without a phone, and had to walk 5 miles in the sun to call for help. i had the car towed ($100) and was told that the timing chain had broken and i needed a new engine. i called for a second opinion and could not incur the cost to tow it again, but was told that the mechanic was more than reputable. after almost 3 weeks without a vehicle, as a single mother with a new job, this wreaked havoc in our lives and a $2500 expense for a new engine. i'm now driving a saturn with a chevy cavalier engine that is warranted for only 90 days. i kept the timing chain and took photos of the engine. i'm joining the millions of other people in a class action suit, because saturn knew about this problem, continues to know about it, has done nothing to recall, even has its service people claim ignorance or try to blame the consumer. i am the only owner of this vehicle, and it has had all of the required servicing every 3,000 miles as directed by the manual, which i also have. there is nothing in the manual to service the engine/timing chain, and every 3,000 mile service i got was done at a saturn dealership until the last four. *tr | |||
| 05/14/2008 | 89000 | 1 | |
| Was driving car loss power.. once parked car would not start.. brought to service center they told me it was the timing chain and there is engine damage. *tr | |||
| 07/29/2005 | 25994 | 1 | 08/01/2000 |
| Dt: the consumer stated that her vehicle experienced rough idle. the consumer then took the vehicle to a mechanic. the mechanic discovered a problem with timing chain. the timing chain was replaced by the mechanic. the consumer paid for the repair out of pocket. *nm (12/01/05) *sc | |||
| 12/13/2004 | 53000 | 1 | |
| The vehicle would not start. the vehicle was towed. the dealership informed the consumer that the timing chain snapped. the problem was not resolved. please provide more information. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 08/26/2006 | 1 | 07/16/2003 | |
| 1) my car was operating normally until 8/26/06, when i noticed an oil leak. i discovered a 3 fissure in the valve cover, over the timing chain. 2) i removed the valve cover and discovered that the timing chain had ground away the upper guide and was working on chewing through the valve cover. the timing chain had not yet broken, but had it done so, i would be looking at over $2000 of engine damage. i was unable to drive the car until i repaired the timing chain issue. 3) according to a saturn tsb 03-06-01-017, the original design of the oilier for the timing chain was ineffective. i have bought a new design timing chain kit from the dealer and installed it myself. i will keep all the old parts (guides, valve cover, chain, tensioner, etc. for a couple of months if the nhtsa wants them. *jb | |||
| 12/09/2000 | 3 | ||
| Engine check light would come on. vehicle may or may not be able to start. computer will not recalibrate itself. this causes motor to misfire. mechanic would reset computer, but did not have a fixed remedy. computer was defective. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | |||
| 08/11/2007 | 80000 | 1 | 08/20/1999 |
| The timing chain on my 2000 saturn ls (80,000 miles) has slipped, and it's being recommended by my saturn dealer that i replace not only the timing chain, but also the head assembly, as when the timing chain goes, it usually ends up impacting the valves, as well. *tr | |||
| 02/19/2007 | 1 | 08/01/2000 | |
| The timing chain on my 2000 saturn ls broke and ruined the engine. we had immediate loss of power in the middle of a busy hwy and barely got out of the road in time. after reading numerous complaints about that problem i decided to write this. they need to issue a recall on this, since they will not pay the $3400 to get my engine replaced. this is the 3rd defect on the car that has cost me money to fix before a recall. *nm | |||
| 11/05/2005 | 100000 | 1 | 09/01/2001 |
| My daughter was traveling on i-95 near richmond, va 120 miles from home when she had a sudden loss of power in the saturn, the timing belt slipped and resulted in damage and her sitting on the interstate in the middle of the night. *nm | |||
| 04/08/2005 | 94000 | 1 | 05/20/2000 |
| Timing chain on 2000ls saturn broke at 94,000 miles; regular maintenance maintained - synthetic oil used, original owner. *nm | |||
| 01/28/2005 | 53700 | 1 | |
| Correction on the date of failure not jan of 03 but jan of 05 this year. *ak | |||
| 01/28/2003 | 53772 | 1 | 08/27/1999 |
| Timing chain went on my 2000 saturn ls just at five years with 53,700 miles saturn is trying to say its my fault from 11 months ago i did not have the oil flushed out. but in searching to see if i was the only one i'm not and there has been other problems that were covered on and off warranty. i have brought this to the attention of bbb and to my local dmv i hope that you can do some thing about this because were getting ripe off. *nm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| 12/10/2010 | 185000 | ||
| My timing chain separated and caused major damage to my engine. i have a saturn 2000 ls 2.2l engine. i never had a problem, never knew the chain was a problem.i went to start my car, it would not start. it was towed to goodyear, they said i have no compression, the timing chain broke. my only solution is to put a new engine into my car.i have always changed the oil at 3000 miles and mechanically took care of my car. i am looking to replace the motor with money i do not have. a timing chain should not fail in these conditions. | |||
| 08/01/2005 | 1 | 06/13/2000 | |
| Dt: there was a problem with fumes inside the contact's vehicle. she first noticed the problem in august 2005. the contact stated that the fumes caused lethargic behavior and fast heart beat. the vehicle has not been inspected yet. when the contact had been riding in a friend's vehicle she did not have these problems. but when she rode in her own vehicle they occurred. *ak | |||
| 3 | 10/01/1999 | ||
| Faulty evap purge solenoid(s) replaced by dealer at 333, 1516 (notified at 1170 - on order for a month) miles. including original, car has had 3 evap solenoids thus far. my friend has an 2000 ls1 too. he has also had his evap solenoid replaced at least once. thank you. | |||