NHTSA Complaint #700799 — 1997 SATURN SC1

WHILE DRIVING OUR SATURN SC2 AT APPROXIMATELY 30MPH WE HEARD A LOUD EXPLOSION AND THE VEHICLE STOPPED MOVING. MY HUSBAND AND I EXITED THE VEHICLE TO SEE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. THE ONLY SIGN AT THAT TIME THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE WAS THAT THERE WAS FLUID LEAKING FROM UNDERNEATH THE CAR. WE HAD THE VEHICLE BROUGHT BACK TO THE HOUSE TO SEE WHAT WAS WRONG. MY HUSBAND LOOKED UNDERNEATH THE CAR AND FOUND A LARGE HOLE IN THE REAR OF THE TRANSMISSION. WE THEN CALLED SATURN SERVICE AND ASKED THAT THE VEHICLE BE TOWED. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS LOOKED AT BY A MEMBER OF THE SATURN SERVICE TEAM OF SATURN OF GREENFIELD,WISCONSIN THEY SAID THEY HAD ONLY SEEN THIS PROBLEM ONE OTHER TIME AND THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO CALL IN A SPECIALIST. WHEN I CONTACTED THEM ON THE MORNING OF SATURDAY NOV. 21, 1998, THEY SAID THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR. THE REASON BIENG THAT WE HAD TO HAVE CAUSED IT. THEIR EXPLANATION IS THAT THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM ONLY OCCURS IF YOU GET STUCK IN SNOW OR MUD AND QUICKLY SHIFT YOUR CAR FROM DRIVE TO REVERSE SEVERAL TIMES CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION TO BLOW. HOWEVER ON THE DATE OF THIS TRANSMISSION FAILURE THERE WAS NO RAIN TO CAUSE MUD AND NO SNOW. ON THE DATE OF NOV.19, WE WERE TOLD THAT IF WE HAD BEEN GOING AT A HIGHER RATE OF SPEED WE COULD HAVE LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR THEREFORE POSSIBLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT AND THAT WE WERE LUCKY THAT DID NOT HAPPEN. THIS BRINGS ON A QUESTION IN MY MIND IF WE COULD HAVE BEEN GOING AT A HIGHER RATE OF SPEED HOW COULD THIS ONLY BE CAUSED BY BEING STUCK IN SNOW OR MUD AND SHIFTING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE QUICKLY SEVERAL TIMES? I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO NOTE THAT WE HAD PREVIOUSLY HAD OUR VEHICLE IN TO SATURN OF GREENFIELD ON NOV. 3, 1998 FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND A NOISE IN THE ENGINE. WHEN THE CAR WAS LOOKED AT THEY SAID THAT THE MOTOR MOUNTS HAD COLLAPSED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I FEEL THAT THIS WAS A MINOR REMEDY TO KEEP FROM REPAIRING A MAJOR PROBLEM. WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED BY A LAWYER TO TAKE PICTU