NHTSA Complaint #10184758 — 2002 SATURN LS

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