NHTSA Complaint #10469151 — 2002 SATURN LS

OUR 2002 SATURN L200 SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING AND WOULD NOT RESTART. THE REPAIR FACILITY IT WAS TOWED TO SAID THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE AND WHEN A WET COMPRESSION TEST WAS DONE ON THE ENGINE, WE WERE TOLD THE ENGINE WAS DAMAGED. THE COST TO REPAIR WAS TOO MUCH COMPARED TO THE VALUE OF CAR. THE COST TO REPLACE THE TIMING CHAIN AND ENGINE WAS $4500. ONLY OWNED CAR FOR 5 MONTHS. CAR ONLY HAD 70000 MILES. GM INDICATED THIS MODEL YEAR WITH THE 2.2L ENGINE HAD A DEFECTIVE TIMING CHAIN DESIGN. GM'S SAFETY RECALL 07V-519 ONLY INCLUDED THE CARS MANUFACTURED 11/2000 - 2/2001, NEGLECTING THE REMAINING OF THE 2002 SATURN L SERIES CARS WITH THE 2.2 L ENGINE THAT HAD THE DEFECTIVE TIMING CHAIN BUT WERE NOT MANUFACTURED DURING THESE SELECTED 4 MONTHS. GM DID NOT INTRODUCE A NEW TIMING CHAIN DESIGN UNTIL MAY 2002, SO OWNERS WITH THIS MY CAR MANUFACTURED FROM 3/2001 UNTIL THE REDESIGN IN 5/2002 WERE LEFT TO PAY FOR THEIR OWN REPAIRS IF THEIR TIMING CHAINS BROKE. THE 2002 SATURN L200 WE PURCHASED WAS MANUFACTURED IN 9/2001 SO DOES NOT FALL INTO THE CARS COVERED BY THE RECALL SO AT THIS POINT, MY REPAIRS ARE NOT COVERED BY GM. I HAVE CALLED SATURN TWICE ONLY TO TALK WITH UNPLEASANT CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS WHO WERE NO HELP. ALL THEY TOLD ME IS THAT THE VIN OF MY CAR WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE 4 MONTH RECALL AND THEY CAN'T HELP ME. WHEN I ASKED TO SPEAK TO A SUPERVISOR, I WAS TOLD THEY WOULD GIVE ME THE SAME ANSWER. *TR