NHTSA Complaint #10273631 — 2001 SATURN LS

MY 2001 SATURN L200, PURCHASED IN DECEMBER OF 2006, NO LONGER RUNS BECAUSE OF A SERIOUS DESIGN FLAW IN THE TIMING CHAIN MECHANISM. THE VEHICLE HAS ONLY ABOUT 90,000 MILES ON IT AND THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE WHILE I WAS DRIVING. THIS CAUSED THE VALVES IN THE ENGINE TO BEND. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS PROBLEM 'HARDLY EVER HAPPENED WITH THE L-SERIES' HOWEVER, UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION I DISCOVERED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN ASSEMBLY USED IN THE RECALLED VEHICLES WAS ALSO USED IN MODEL YEAR 1999 THROUGH 2003 SATURN L-SERIES VEHICLES WITH 2.2 LITER ENGINES, WHICH WOULD INCLUDE MY VEHICLE. I GOT THIS INFORMATION FROM CONSUMER AFFAIRS. I ALSO FOUND THAT SATURN HAS REPAIRED 2,932 VEHICLES UNDER WARRANTY BECAUSE OF TIMING CHAIN FAILURES AND THERE ARE ANOTHER 890 CONSUMER COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS PROBLEM. WHEN I CALLED WITH THIS NEW INFORMATION I WAS TOLD THAT I HAD TO TOW MY DISABLED VEHICLE TO SATURN FOR THEIR DIAGNOSIS AT ADDITIONAL COST TO MYSELF BEFORE THEY COULD TELL ME IF ANY OF THE COST OF REPAIR (ESTIMATED AT 2,272.00 BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC) WOULD BE COVERED BY SATURN. I WAS INFORMED FROM SATURN'S CUSTOMER SERVICE THAT SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE USED, IF SATURN DID DECIDE TO COVER SOMETHING IT WAS HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT THEY WOULD COVER 100%. *TR