NHTSA Complaint #10163610 — 2001 SATURN LS

JULY 4, 2006, SEVERAL MONTHS AFTER JUST HAVING NEW COMPUTER INSTALLED ON MY 2001 SATURN L-SERIES 200, I WAS DRIVING WITH MY MOTHER AND TWO SISTERS WHEN SUDDENLY THE VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER INCLUDING STEERING AND BRAKING CAPABILITY. THE ENGINE DIED AND THE VEHICLE WAS DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. FORTUNATELY, I WAS TRAVELING AT A LOW RATE OF SPEED ROUNDING A RATHER INNOCUOUS BEND. BUT HAD THIS TAKEN PLACE UNDER DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES THE CASUALTY LOSS, BOTH PROPERTY AND PERSONAL, COULD HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS. THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP, WHERE THE NEXT DAY A MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT IT WAS THE TIMING CHAIN THAT BROKE. PROCEEDED TO CALL SATURN, THEY SAID IT WOULD BE ROUGHLY THREE-THOUSAND DOLLARS TO FIX. THE CAR IS OUTSIDE OF WARRANTY, BUT I WAS STILL MAKING PAYMENTS. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO REASON WHY A CAR IN TODAY'S DAY AND AGE, SHOULD NOT BE WARRANTED AGAINST AN UNREASONABLE DANGEROUS DEFECT SUCH AS WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH THE SATURN L-SERIES 200. PLEASE HELP WITH CONTACTING SATURN AND SEEING ABOUT A REPLACEMENT TO COVER MY LOSS. THANK YOU. *NM