NHTSA Complaint #704047 — 1995 SATURN SL

THE CAR STARTED TO MAKE A RATTLING NOISE SUDDENLY, OVER A DISTANCE OF A FEW BLOCKS. THE NOISE STARTED TO GET LOUDER, TURNING INTO A GRINDING METAL NOISE. THE CAR THEN TOTALLY STALLED OUT, LOSING ALL POWER, AND LUCKILY WAS ABLE TO COAST OFF OF THE ROAD DUE TO A DOWNHILL SLOPE. WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO HOUSER'S AUTOMOTIVE, INC., OF BROOKHAVEN, PA (610) 874-9285. THE TRANSMISSION HAD A HOLE IN ITS CASING ABOUT SIX INCHES IN DIAMETER AND THE INTERNAL TRANSMISSION PARTS COULD LITERALLY BE SEEN. WHEN THE MECHANICS PUT THE SATURN ON THE HOIST, THEY EXAMINED THE TRANSMISSION AND SAW THAT A PIN, OR ROD, ABOUT 3/4 INCH THICK, HAD BROKEN AND MOST OF IT WAS MISSING. THE ONE END OF THE ROD WAS GONE, AND THE HOLE ON ONE END OF THIS INTERNAL COMPONENT WAS EMPTY, BUT THE OTHER END OF THE ROD WAS STILL IN PLACE ON THE OPPOSITE END OF THE ROD IN THIS MIDDLE INTERNAL COMPONENT. THE TRANSMISSION FLUID HAD TOTALLY LEAKED OUT. THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED. I SAVED THE TRANSMISSION AND I ALSO TOOK PICTURES THAT CLEARLY SHOW THE MISSING CASING OF THE TRANSMISSION. IF THE CASING HAD BROKEN ON ITS UPPER SIDE AGAINST THE UNDERBODY OF THE CAR, IT COULD HAVE PENETRATED THE INTERIOR OF THE CAR CAUSING SERIOUS OR FATAL INJURY TO MY FAMILY. LUCKILY IT BROKE THROUGH THE DOWNSIDE OF THE TRANSMISSION CASING, FACING THE ROAD AND DID NOT CAUSE ANY BODILY HARM TO ANYONE. THE MECHANICS SAID IT WAS DEFINITELY A DEFECT IN THE TRANSMISSION. IT WAS SOMETHING THEY HAD NEVER SEEN HAPPEN BEFORE. SATURN HAS TOTALLY DENIED ANY REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE REPAIR COSTS, EVEN DENYING ANY REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE NEW SATURN TRANSMISSION THAT WAS INSTALLED, SINCE NO REMANUFACTURED TRANSMISSIONS WERE AVAILABLE FOR THE SATURN.