2000 SATURN LS Engine And Engine Cooling Problems

MY 2000 SATURN LS1 WAS WORKING JUST FINE UNTIL ALL OF THE SUDDEN I LOST ALL POWER TO THE CAR. THE CAR DIED WHILE I WAS DRIVING AT 45 MPH IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY ROAD. I HAD BOTH OF MY CHILDREN IN THE CAR, ONE OF WHO IS 10 MONTHS OLD, AND LUCKILY I WAS NOT HIT BY ANOTHER CAR. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE SHOP AND THEY SAID MY TIMING CHAIN WAS BROKEN AND IT CAUSED TWO VALVES TO BECOME BENT AND THE MOTOR HEAD NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. *JB

I OWN A 2000 SATURN LS2. I BOUGHT IT IN 2005 AT 26,00 MILES. IT CURRENTLY HAS 74,000 MILES ON IT. THERE WAS NO RATTLE OR WARNING, BUT MY TIMING BELT BROKE 6/7/07 AND NOW MY CAR ENGINE IS DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 SATURN LS1. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND FAILED TO RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN WAS BAD AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER IS CURRENTLY REPAIRING THE VEHICLE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 51,300.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 SATURN LS1. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE CAUSE OF FAILURE WAS DUE TO THE TIMING CHAIN AND PERFORMED THE REPAIR. APPROXIMATELY FIVE YEARS LATER, THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED THE SAME FAILURE WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN FAILED AGAIN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 82,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000.

I WISH TO REPORT THE SAME DEFECT ALREADY IDENTIFIED BY ACTION NUMBER PE06006 (AND SUBSEQUENTLY EA06-009). THE TIMING CHAIN DEFECT WAS DISCOVERED BEFORE COMPLETE FAILURE DUE TO VERY ROUGH IDLING, AND AFTER GETTING A FIRST OPINION FROM MY SATURN DEALERSHIP AND A SECOND OPINION FROM A LOCAL GARAGE, I PAID $820 FOR A TIMING CHANGE. SATURN REFUSED TO COVER THIS OBVIOUS DEFECT UNDER WARRANTY. *JB

ENGINE FAILURE, HAD TO REPLACE THE ENGINE AT SATURN. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE TIMING CHAIN FAILED DUE TO POOR MAINTENANCE. THEY PUT A NEW ENGINE IN IT WHICH FAILED 60K MILES LATER WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. *JB

ON THE 27TH OF MAY I HAD MY SATURN LS SERVICED DUE TO A TIMING CHAIN FAILURE. AFTER SPENDING 3K IN REPAIRS I NOTICE A OIL LEAK APPROX. 3 MONTHS LATER. 3 MONTHS TO THE DAY OF HAVING THE REPAIR WORK DONE MY ENGINE LOST POWER AGAIN. THE SERVICE TECH QUOTED ANOTHER 2K REPAIR COST TO GET THE CAR BACK UP AND RUNNING. THE FAULT WAS DUE TO LOW OIL PRESSURE OVER A PERIOD OF TIME. MY RESPONSE TO THAT IS WHEN I HAD THE CAR REPAIRED AND SERVICED I SHOULD HAVE LEFT WITH AN ENGINE IN GOOD REPAIR AND A CAR FULL OF OIL. I HAVE PURCHASED 3 SATURNS AND AFTER THIS INCIDENT I CAN GUARANTEE I WON'T EVEN CONSIDER ANOTHER SATURN OR GM CAR. *NM

THE TIMING BELT ON MY 2000 SATURN LS1 BROKE ON JULY 20, 2006 WITH NO WARNING. THE CAR HAS APPROXIMATELY 65000 MILES ON IT, SO I BELIEVE THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO REASON FOR THE TIMING CHAIN TO BREAK EXCEPT THAT THERE IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT IN THE CAR. THE SATURN DEALER TOLD ME THAT THE ENTIRE ENGINE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $6000-$7000. I UNDERSTAND THAT TIMING CHAIN FAILURE IS NOT UNCOMMON IN THESE CARS AND THAT THE NHTSA IS INVESTIGATING - THANK YOU.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE ENGINE MADE A TICKING SOUND WHILE RUNNING AND HESITATED TO START ON TWO OCCASIONS. ON ONE OCCASION WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING PULLED FROM THE GARAGE AT 3MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED, BUT RESTARTED AFTER A SHORT PERIOD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A SERVICE DEALER WHO DETERMINED THE TIMING CHAIN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THERE IS CURRENTLY AN INVESTIGATION #EA06009, CONCERNING THE ENGINE WHICH INDICATES THAT OTHERS ARE HAVING SIMILAR PROBLEMS.

TRANSMISSION SLIPPING AND OCCASIONAL STALLING OF CAR, PARTICULARLY WHEN STOPPING. CAR FINALLY WOULD NOT START AGAIN. DEALERSHIP DID NOT FIND FAULT WITH CAR. PERSONAL MECHANIC INVESTIGATED AND DETERMINED THE CRANK SENSOR HAD GONE BAD, SO THE CAR COULD NOT MONITOR THE MPH AND FIND THE GEARS APPROPRIATELY.*JB

I OWN A 2000SATURN LS1 WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY MY CAR JUST DIED. AFTER MY MECHANIC LOOKED AT IT I WAS TOLD ONE OF THE LINKS IN THE TIMING CHAIN CRACKED AND BROKE THE TIMING CHAIN ,WHICH WRAPPED AROUND THE VALVES AND DESTROYED THE ENGINE. AFTER LOOKING ON DIFFERENT WEB SITES IT SEEMS TO HAVE HAPPENED TO QUITE A FEW PEOPLE WHO HAVE SAID THEY REPORTED IT TO YOU FOR INVESTIGATION. MY CAR WAS MAKING NO NOISES AND GAVE NO INDICATION THERE WAS A PROBLEM. I CONTACTED SATURN AND BECAUSE I TOOK THE CAR TO MY OWN MECHANIC AND DON'T HAVE ALL MY RECORDS THEY SAY THEY CAN'T HELP ME ALSO NOW THEY SAY IT IS BECAUSE I AM NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNER. MY CAR HAS ABOUT 42,000 MILES AND WAS BOUGHT PRE-OWNED FROM A DEALERSHIP. LUCKILY THERE WAS NO INJURY OR DAMAGE.

I WAS DRIVING TO WORK AT APPROX. 35 MPH. I OWN A SATURN 2000 LS WITH A 3.0 V6 WITH 56,413 MI. MY SES LIGHT & BATTERY LGHT CAME ON WHILE I WAS DRIVING - ALMOST AT THE SAME TIME MY CAR DIED.MY CAR WOULD NOT START.ALL MY GAGES WERE NORMAL PRIOR TO THE CAR DYING. I HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED.IT WAS TOWED TO PEP BOYS THEY TOLD ME THAT THE TIMING SLIPPED AND THAT THE SERPENTINE BELT WAS MELTED. THEY TOLD ME TAKE IT TO A SATURN DEALERSHIP IN ORDER TO FIX IT.THEY ALSO INFORMED ME THAT THIS WAS THE 3RD SATURN LS2 IN THE SHOP THIS WEEK WITH THE SAME PROBLEM.THE CAR WAS TOWED TO SATURN OF ORCHARD PARK.SATURN HAD THE CAR FROM 06/28/05 UNTIL I PICKED IT UP ON 7/06/05.THE TECH TOLD ME THAT HE FOUND THAT THE WATER PUMP HAD LEAKED ONTO THE TIMING...

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE LOST POWER. THIS PROBLEM HAS CONTINUED TO HAPPEN DESPITE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS BY THE DEALER TO REPAIR IT. *NM *SC *JB

WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED THEN LOST POWER AND SHUT OFF. DEALERSHIP WILL BE NOTIFIED. *AK

WHEN ATTEMPTING TO START VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. THE CONSUMER WOULD HAVE TO WAIT 10 MINUTES BEFORE THE VEHICLE WOULD START. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION, HOWEVER, THE MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK THE MODULES IN THE ENGINE AND THE REMOTES WERE CHANGED BUT THE PROBLEMS CONTINUED TO GET WORSE. THERE WAS AN EXTENDED CRANK AT TIMES WHICH WAS INTERMITTENT, THE SECURITY AND WRENCH LIGHT WOULD COME ON, THE BODY CONTROL MODULE CAUSED THE INTERMITTENT START, THE PASS LOCK WAS REPLACED DUE TO THE SENSOR(S), THE BCM WAS REPLACED, THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR WOULD LOCK DUE TO BROKEN LATCH, AND THE IGNITION COIL BURNED OUT. *SC

AT 54,000 MILES MY WATER PUMP, TIMING BELT, ENGINE OIL COOLER, AND POWER STEERING PUMP ALL FAILED AT THE SAME TIME. *AK

ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CONTINUALLY ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD. INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP AND DEALERSHIP INSPECTED THE VEHICLE ABOUT 13 TIMES. THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM HAD NOT BEEN DETERMINED.*AK