NHTSA Complaint #10276380 — 2001 SATURN LS

CAR PURCHASED USED AND INSPECTED (MIDAS) IN JUNE 2007; DRIVEN HOME TO KS FROM IA (8 HRS) IN DEC--NO OIL REMAINING WHEN ARRIVED. OIL LEVEL A PROBLEM ALL WINTER, BUT NOT DRIVEN MUCH--OIL ADDED AS NEEDED. AGAIN DRIVEN HOME FROM IA IN MAY 08-- TIMING CHAIN EXPLODED AND BENT ENGINE VALVES IN FAST LANE ON HIGHWAY BRIDGE! FORTUNATELY, OUR SON WAS ABLE TO PUSH IT TO SIDE BEFORE HIT BY TRAFFIC. TOWED TO NEAREST GARAGE AND THEN TO SATURN DEALERSHIP IN LIBERTY MO. DEALERSHIP INFORMED US THAT VALVES WERE BENT BUT DIDN'T MENTION THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON TIMINGCHAIN...$2500 FIX. ALSO RECEIVED A LECTURE ABOUT CHECKING OIL PROPERLY...BASICALLY BLAMED SON FOR SUPPOSEDLY NOT CHECKING OIL (WHICH HE DID DO). NOTE: I READ AN ACCOUNT OF ANOTHER OWNER WHO GOT THE SAME "TALKING POINTS"--VIN NOT IN RECALL, CHANGE OIL REGULARLY. IN AUG 08, YOUR CAR LOST ALL OIL IN 2 DAYS AND STARTED MAKING HORRIBLE SOUNDS. MIDAS MECHANIC SAID IT COULD BE VALVES AGAIN OR DEEPER. TOWED IT (50 MILES) TO LIBERTY SATURN DEALERSHIP BECAUSE IT WAS THEIR VALVE WORK UNDER WARRANTY. THEY GUESSED IT WAS DEEPER IN ENGINE (WOULDN'T CHECK W/O PAYMENT) AND DIDN'T KNOW IF THE MAY TIMING CHAIN BREAK HAD CAUSED THE DEEPER DAMAGE--ASSESSMENT: ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED FOR $5900. WE ASKED ABOUT THE RECALL AND WERE TOLD OUR VIN DIDN'T FALL UNDER THE RECALL SO THEY HADN'T SAID ANYTHING IN MAY WHEN TIMINGCHAIN ORIGINALLY BROKE. NOW WE ARE IN THE POSITION OF REPLACING THE ENGINE WITH ANOTHER SATURN ENGINE THAT MIGHT HAVE THE VERY SAME PROBLEM! SO THE CAR SITS IN THE GARAGE WHILE WE HOPE SATURN IS PRESSURED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR NEGLIGENCE IN NOT FIXING ALL THE ENGINES WITH THIS PROBLEM BEFORE AN ACCIDENT. A TIMING CHAIN BREAK COULD BE FATAL ON A HIGHWAY AND WE WOULD LIKE THE NHTSA TO INVESTIGATE AND HOLD SATURN RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS BLATANT ACT OF IRRESPONSIBILITY. *TR