NHTSA Complaint #10161665 — 2001 SATURN LS

MY SIXTEEN YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING OUR 2001 SATURN L200 AND CAME HOME TO TELL ME THAT THE CAR STARTED MAKING A KNOCKING SOUND. I TOOK IT TO THE MECHANIC TO INVESTIGATE THE PROBLEM. HE CALLED ME TO SHOW ME THE RESULTS: A SHATTERING TIMING CHAIN. THE LINKS OF THE CHAIN WERE BREAKING APART, BUT HAD NOT YET COMPLETELY FAILED. SINCE THE PIECES THAT HAD BROKEN OFF COULD NOT BE CONFIDENTLY RECOVERED FROM THE ENGINE, WE ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF REPLACING THE ENGINE. THIS FAILURE COULD HAVE CAUSED AN EMERGENCY THAT MY DAUGHTER WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HANDLE HAD THIS TIMING CHAIN FAILED COMPLETELY WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING ON ANY OF THE BUSIER STREETS IN OUR AREA, WHERE TRAFFIC CAN BE MODERATE TO HEAVY. THE ENGINE WITH THE FAILING TIMING CHAIN IS STILL CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IF NEEDED FOR EA06-009. *JB