NHTSA Complaint #10210213 — 2000 SATURN LS

I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK WITH THE CRUISE ON. I THOUGHT THE CAR DID SOMETHING FUNNY, MAYBE IT SLOWED DOWN SO I LOOKED DOWN AT MY SPEEDOMETER. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS FLASHING, I TAPPED MY BRAKES. THEN MORE LIGHTS STARTED FLASHING AND THE CAR WAS JUST SLOWING DOWN. I THOUGHT I SHOULD START PULLING OVER TO STOP SO I TAPPED MY BRAKES AND IT SOUNDED LIKE SOMETHING FLEW OFF MY CAR. I SLOWLY COASTED TO A STOP. I PUT THE CAR INTO PARK AND IT WASN'T RUNNING. I TURNED OFF THE CAR AND LIGHTS AND CALLED MY HUSBAND. IT WAS REALLY SCARY TO HAVE THE CAR JUST STOP ON YOU WHILE YOU WERE DRIVING AND IT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN GOOD IF PEOPLE WERE AROUND. MY HUSBAND CAME TO SEE IF HE COULD GET THE CAR RUNNING AND WHEN HE TURNED THE KEY IT JUST SOUNDED LIKE METAL SCRAPING ON METAL. IT WAS A HORRIBLE NOISE I HAVE NEVER HEARD BEFORE. WE TOWED THE CAR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT TO THE CLOSEST TOWN AND IN THE MORNING FOUND OUT THEY DID NOT FIX SATURNS. ANOTHER PLACE IN TOWN, WHEN OUR CAR BROKE DOWN 2 MONTHS AGO, COULD NOT EVEN FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH IT AND RECOMMENDED WE BRING IT TO A SATURN DEALER (NO ONE CLOSER THAN 250 MILES). WE HAULED OUR CAR TO A DIFFERENT MECHANIC WHO HAD WORKED ON IT IN 2005 WHEN THE WATER PUMP BROKE WHILE WE WERE DRIVING IT. HE HAS STATED THAT THE TIMING BELT BROKE. IT WILL BE AT LEAST $1500 AND THAT'S IF IT DIDN'T WRECK THE ENGINE. WE AREN'T SURE IF WE ARE GOING TO FIX IT BECAUSE WE ARE STILL PAYING ON THE CAR ITSELF. AND WE JUST PUT ABOUT $1200 INTO IT IN SEPTEMBER. WE GET THE OIL CHANGED EVERY MONTH BECAUSE OF THE MILES WE DRIVE AND WE TAKE VERY GOOD CARE OF THE CAR. THIS IS VERY FRUSTRATING AND I HAVE READ ONLINE THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED TO MANY OTHER PEOPLE OWNING A 2000 SATURN L SERIES CAR. I HOPE THAT SOMEONE WILL DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS AND FIX IT! IF IT IS A MANUFACTURING PROBLEM THEN WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY FOR IT. *TR