NHTSA Complaint #10246332 — 2002 SATURN SL

ONE EVENING LAST WEEK I NOTICED THAT WHEN I WOULD SHIFT GEARS AFTER BEING PARKED, IT FELT LIKE SOMETHING DROPPED UNDER MY CAR. THE SAME NIGHT, I WOULD BE DRIVING ABOUT 35-40 MILES AND HOUR IN THE 1-2 RPM RANGE, ALL OF A SUDDEN THE GAUGE WOULD QUICKLY JUMP TO 3 RPMS AND THEN DROP BACK DOWN. IT DID THIS CONSISTENTLY EVERY 2-3 MINUTES. I TOOK MY CAR TO A LOCAL TRANSMISSION SHOP THE NEXT MORNING BECAUSE I FELT THAT IT WAS A SERIOUS PROBLEM. THE BODY VALVE WAS DAMAGED WHICH WAS THE MAIN PROBLEM. THAT WAS REPLACED ALONG WITH A FEW OTHER PARTS. WHEN I WAS PAYING ($2895) THE MAN THAT HAD BEEN HELPING ME INFORMED ME THAT HIS SHOP HAD ENCOUNTERED MANY TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS WITH MY MODEL CAR (2002 SATURN SL1) AND THAT THEY CHECKED IN TO ANY KIND OF RECALL OR BULLETINS. HE SAID THAT HE FELT THAT GM WOULD BE ISSUING A BULLETIN RELATIVELY SOON. I DID MY OWN RESEARCH AND FOUND MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS ABOUT SATURN TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS, IN PARTICULAR THE BODY VALVE. WHEN MY FATHER ORIGINALLY PURCHASED THE NEW VEHICLE, HE HAD COMPLAINED ABOUT THE SHIFTING OF THE CAR AND GONE TO THE SATURN DEALERSHIP TO COMPLAIN A FEW TIMES, AND HE WAS TOLD, "OH, THAT'S JUST THE WAY CAR IS." I FEEL THAT THIS CAR HAD A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM IN THE BEGINNING THAT WAS BRUSHED UNDER THE RUG, AND HAS CREATED A ALMOST $3000 PROBLEM. *TR