NHTSA Complaint #10852079 — 2008 SATURN AURA

WHILE PASSING ANOTHER CAR TO MERGE ONTO AN OFF RAMP, I ACCELERATED AND THEN LET UP ON THE GAS PEDAL AS I EXITED. IMMEDIATELY THE ENGINE STARTED MAKING A LOUD TICKING NOISE WHICH CONTINUED AS I DROVE HOME ON SURFACES STREETS. UPON STARTING THE CAR THE NEXT DAY I HEARD A LIGHT KNOCKING NOISE. I DROVE TO THE CHEVY DEALER AND THE KNOCK GOT LOUDER. THEY ADVISED TEARING THE ENGINE DOWN FOR $1,000 TO DETERMINE THE ISSUE. THEY SAID THERE WAS METAL IN THE OIL. I BELIEVE MY ISSUES ARE THE SAME AS MANY 3.6LTR VVT ENGINE OWNERS, THE TIMING CHAINS AND SUPPORTS FOR THEM. THE NOISE IS PERSISTENT AND VARIES IN TONE. I HAD BARELY 50,000 MILES ON IT AND HAVE KEPT THE OIL CHANGES REGULAR, I EVEN HAD MOBILE 1 SYNTHETIC PUT IN ITS LAST OIL CHANGE. I AM EXTREMELY FRUSTRATED AS THIS WAS MY FIRST AMERICAN MADE NEW CAR PURCHASE AND THERE WERE ONLY EIGHT MONTHS AFTER IT WAS PAID OFF WHEN THIS FAILURE OCCURED. I AM A USAF VET AND RETIRED FROM A CITY JOB OF 30 YEARS. AFTER SPENDING $32,000 ON THIS CAR, I EXPECTED SO MUCH MORE.