NHTSA Complaint #10554229 — 2007 SATURN ION

AS I WAS HEADING HOME FROM WORK, ABOUT 3/4 OF THE WAY HOME ON THE FREEWAY THERE WAS A LOUD "BANG" AND A JOLT IN THE CAR THAT WAS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY A HIGH PITCH "SQUEALING" SOUND. I GOT OFF AT THE NEAREST EXIT AND TOOK OTHER ROADS HOME AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH. THE SQUEALING CONTINUED THE ENTIRE WAY HOME, BUT WOULD STOP WHEN I HAD TO STOP AT LIGHTS. AS I WAS TURNING ONTO MY STREET, A BATTERY LIGHT ERROR CAME ON THE DASHBOARD AND MY CAR SIMPLY SHUT OFF AND WOULD NOT START. I WAS TOWED HOME AND DID NOT DO ANYTHING TO THE CAR FOR 3 DAYS. ON THE 3RD DAY I ATTEMPTED TO JUMP THE CAR WITH ANOTHER CAR AND WAS ABLE TO GET THE ENGINE TO START, BUT IMMEDIATELY A DIFFERENT CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND A DIFFERENT LOUD SOUND WAS COMING FROM THE ENGINE. THE NEW SOUND WAS NOT THE ORIGINAL SQUEALING. AFTER OPENING THE HOOD, I FOUND A LARGE METAL "CHUNK" WAS LYING ON TOP OF THE ENGINE COVER AND A HOLE HAD BEEN MADE FROM WHERE IT CAME OUT OF THE ENGINE BAY FROM. THE ONLY THING I CAN GATHER IS THAT IT MAY HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY A TIMING CHAIN FAILURE, BECAUSE THE ONLY THING PRECEDING THE INCIDENT WAS A VERY FAINT CLICKING SOUND COMING FROM SOMEWHERE BENEATH THE HOOD. *TR