NHTSA Complaint #10161539 — 2002 SATURN LS

ON 7/1/6 WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY AT 65 MPH MY SATURN SUDDENLY QUIT RUNNING. MY CAR HAD BEEN RUNNING NORMALLY AND WITHOUT ANY WARNING MY CAR LOST ALL POWER. IT WAS 104`& 20 MILES FROM CIVILIZATION. I WALKED 1 MILE AND THERE WAS A CAMPER ALSO DISABLED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE PEOPLE CONTACTED A TOW COMPANY IN THE NEAREST CITY. MY CAR WAS TOWED 120 MILES. ON 7/3, THE DEALERSHIP NOTIFIED ME THAT MY TIMING CHAIN HAD BROKEN WITH SEVERE ENGINE DAMAGE($4000.00). THE SM STATED THAT HE DID NOT RECOMMEND USING ANY USED PARTS TO FIX THE ENGINE. HE ACTED CONCERNED AS TO WHY THE TIMING CHAIN WOULD HAVE BROKEN IN MY CAR. HE MENTIONED THAT THE L SERIES CARS HAVE HAD SOME PROBLEMS. MY CAR IS CURRENTLY IN THE DEALERSHIP BEING WORKED ON. ON 7/5, I SPOKE TO THE AREA MANAGER FOR THE SATURN CORPORATION. SHE SAID SHE KNEW NOTHING ABOUT NHTSA AND DENIED ANY KNOWLEDGE OF FAILURES WITH OTHER SATURNS. SHE STATED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO "A POOR MAINTENANCE RECORD". I INFORMED HER THAT SHE WAS SADLY MISTAKEN AS THE SATURN DEALERSHIP MY CAR IS AT WAS NOT THE ONLY DEALERSHIP OR AUTOMOTIVE BUSINESS THAT I HAVE HAD WORK DONE ON MY CAR. I INFORMED HER THAT ON 12/ 25/05, MY CAR LOST POWER GOING UP A HILL AND I HAD WORK DONE ON THE CAR AT A DIFFERENT DEALERSHIP. AT THAT TIME, I HAD TO HAVE THE EMISSION CONVERTER REPLACED BECAUSE IT HAD FAILED. ALSO, I HAVE ROUTINE OIL CHANGES DONE EVERY 3000 OR SO MILES. HER RESPONSE WAS "I AM SORRY IF THE INFORMATION FROM THE DEALERSHIP WAS INCORRECT BUT WE STILL CAN DO NOTHING ELSE." I TOLD HER THAT I WAS APPALLED TO LEARN THAT SATURN HAD BEEN AWARE OF THIS ISSUE FOR SOME TIME; THAT SATURN HAD NEGLECTED TO INFORM THEIR CUSTOMER BASE REGARDING THE POTENTIAL DANGERS OF THIS ENGINE PROBLEM. I EXPLAINED TO HER THE SERIOUSNESS OF PLACING CUSTOMERS IN SUCH DANGER. I TOLD HER THIS COULD HAVE ALL BEEN AVOIDED HAD SATURN NOTIFIED ITS CUSTOMERS OF THE UPGRADE AVAILABLE TO CORRECT THE DEFECT. OF COURSE, SHE DENIED ANY PROBLEMS WITH SATURN CARS. *JB