2002 SATURN S SERIES — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
N/A
Safety Rating
3
Owner Complaints
0
Recalls
10
Service Bulletins
0
Investigations
Overview of the 2002 SATURN S SERIES
The 2002 SATURN S SERIES has received a total of 3 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). 10 technical service bulletins have been issued by General Motors, LLC for this model year. The most commonly reported problem area is the Power Trainautomatic Transmission (2 complaints).
Recalls for the 2002 SATURN S SERIES
There are no recalls on file with NHTSA for the 2002 SATURN S SERIES. No Active Recalls
Owner Complaints for the 2002 SATURN S SERIES
3 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2002 SATURN S SERIES. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
| Component | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Trainautomatic Transmission | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Power Trainclutch Assembly | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Most Recent Complaints
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN QUESTIONED SINCE NEW DELAY SHIFTING INTO REVERSE ,DOWNSHIFTING ERRATIC AND SHIFTS HARD SOMETIMES FLUID HAS BEEN CHANGED BUT TO NO AVAIL. *TR
THE 2002 SATURN SL2 DOES NOT SHIFT INTO REVERSE AND WHINES WHEN STARTED AND UNTIL RUN FOR AT LEAST 15 MIN. CALLED SATURN CORP. AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NEVER ANY MENTION FROM OTHER CONSUMERS. THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS WITH THIS CERTAIN VEHICLE. *TR
I OWN A 2002 SATURN SL PURCHASED IN JUNE OF 2002 WITH ABOUT 51K MILES AT THE TIME OF THE PROBLEM IN LATE MARCH. THE CAR IS A STANDARD TRANSMISSION. I WAS DRIVING MY SON TO SCHOOL IN THE MORNING WHEN I SUDDENLY LOST ALL POWER TO THE WHEELS ALTHOUGH THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO OPERATE. I WAS ON A STRAIGHT ROAD, AND WAS CRUISING AT 45MPH WITH NO SHIFTING AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. UPON HAVING THE CAR TOWED TO THE LOCAL SATURN DEALER IN DANBURY, I WAS TOLD THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY HAD "COME APART" AND SINCE THE CAR WAS OVER 36K ,WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. THE CLUTCH WAS REBUILT BY THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THE PARTS WERE NOT RETURNED TO ME. I HAVE COMPLAINED TO SATURN CORP TO NO SATISFACTION. IN MY OPINION, THERE IS NO WAY A CLUTCH SHOULD SIMPLY COME APART AFTER ONLY 50K MILES AND LESS THAN 2 YEARS SERVICE. I HAVE DRIVEN STANDARD TRANSMISSIONS FOR MUCH OF MY LIFE, AND HAVE NEVER REPLACED THE CLUTCH OR TRANSMISSION. THE CAR JUST PRIOR TO THIS PURCHASE HAD NEARLY 200K MILES ON THE ORIGINAL CLUTCH, AND MY OTHER CARS WERE STILL RUNNING AT OVER 125K WITH THE ORGINAL CLUTCH WHEN I TRADED THEM IN. DRIVER WEAR & TEAR SHOULD NOT BE AN ISSUE. THE CAR HAS BEEN REGULARLY SERVICED BY THE SATURN DEALER. NO FLUIDS WERE PRESENT OR NOISE PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT WERE NOTICED. I CONSIDER THIS A SAFETY ISSUE SINCE MOST OF MY DRIVING IS HIGHWAY (APPROX 125 MILES/DAY) AND THE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER COULD HAVE BEEN HIGHLY DANGEROUS IN SOME SITUATIONS. THANK YOU ALLOWING ME TO VENT MY FRUSTRATION.
Safety Rating for the 2002 SATURN S SERIES
NHTSA has not yet tested the 2002 SATURN S SERIES in its New Car Assessment Program.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2002 SATURN S SERIES
General Motors, LLC has issued 10 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2002 SATURN S SERIES. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
040844015 — EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC.
RETURN FORM FOR COMPACT DISCS (CDS) OR DIGITAL VERSATILE DISCS (DVDS) THAT ARE STUCK IN CD PLAYER WHEN RETURNED AS A CORE RETURN. *TT
030730008 — POWER TRAIN
SERVICE ENGINE SOON (SES) LIGHT ON WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (DTC) P0731, NO MOVEMENT IN DRIVE DURING COLD AMBIENT TEMPERATURES. *TT
040138001 — EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER
WHISTLE NOISE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WITH HVAC IN RECIRC MODE. *TT
030844016A — EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC.
COMPACT DISCS (CDS) SKIP IN SINGLE CD PLAYER. *TT
030730033 — POWER TRAIN
AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE 2-3 SHIFT FLARE DURING FIRST MINUTES OF DRIVING AFTER COLD SOAK. *TT
02T76 — POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
DIFFICULTY WITH MANUAL TRANSAXLE SHIFTING INTO GEAR WHILE ENGINE IS RUNNING. *TT
02T11 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
SUBJECT REGARDING ENGINE CRANKING BUT NOT STARTING, ENGINE STALLS AND WILL NOT RESTART AND/OR ENGINE RUNS ROUGH WITH MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP SERVICE ENGINE SOON TELLTALE LAMP ON WITH POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P0300, AND/OR P0202,P0203,P0204,AND/OR P1599 PRESENT (REPAIR CHAFED WIRE(S) AT FUEL INJECTOR HARNESS. *JG
02T07 — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT ABOUT AN AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE FLUID LEAK. *JG
3082 — POWER TRAIN
NO TRANSAXLE FLUID PRESSURE AFTER TRANSAXLE IS REASSEMBLED (CONVERTER HOUSING AND MAIN CASE WERE SEPARATED). *TT
3175 — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
DELAY AND OR HARSH INTO REV OR 2ND 3RD 4TH AFTER TRANS REPAIR. *EH
NHTSA Investigations for the 2002 SATURN S SERIES
There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.
Other Model Years of the SATURN S SERIES
- 1997 SATURN S SERIES — 1 complaint
- 1998 SATURN S SERIES — 2 complaints
- 1999 SATURN S SERIES — 2 complaints
- 2000 SATURN S SERIES — 3 complaints
- 2001 SATURN S SERIES — 7 complaints
- 2002 SATURN S SERIES (current)
Other SATURN Models
- SATURN ION — 5,467 total complaints
- SATURN VUE — 3,269 total complaints
- SATURN SL — 2,891 total complaints
- SATURN AURA — 2,222 total complaints
- SATURN OUTLOOK — 1,939 total complaints
- SATURN LS — 1,885 total complaints
- SATURN SKY — 623 total complaints
- SATURN SC1 — 554 total complaints