NHTSA Complaint #10208148 — 2000 SATURN LS

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