Saturn L-Series Engine problems by year

While driving engine stalled causing steering to lock preventing turns, and not allowing acceleration

driving at 35 mph when engine stopped running and failed to restart. inspection determined timing chain had failed due to failure to keep tension. the timing chain tensioner on Ecotech 2.2 engines from 2000-2004 had tensioners which failed to keep the chain taught which lead to GM redesigning the tensioner. this problem was never recalled and consequentially this occurred in almost all of these engines and caused severe engine damage to pistons and valves, requiring a complete engine overhaul somewhere's around...

The contact owns a 2003 Saturn L200. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 45 MPH, an abnormal whirling sound was coming from the vehicle and the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact's wife was unable to restart the vehicle and with the assistance of a police officer, she coasted the vehicle off to the shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with a defective timing chain which resulted in engine failure. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

The same thing is happening to my car that happened to many Saturn owners of the same year. The car is turning but only stays on for a few seconds before shutting off. This seems to be the same as the ignition module and spark plugs issue as it is the same symptoms as those people were experiencing.

Engine stalled while driving at highway speeds around 65-70 mph. Engine could not be restarted and had to be towed back home. Mechanic inspection revealed complete loss of compression in two cylinders and partial compression loss in other two. Engine was permanently damaged and would have to be replaced or rebuilt at high cost in the thousands. Engine had 102,057 miles at time of failure.

Vehicle was in motion at 30 mph on city street, engine completely stopped working with loss of power steering and power brakes. Coasted vehicle to a side street & stopped. Had car towed to a mechanic. We were quoted $1700 bill to repair due to broken timing chain. Researched recalls and found that nhtsa had a recall #07v519000 for 2001 saturn l100. This seems grossly shortsighted on the part of nhtsa, as there have been dozens of duplicate complaints. This prompted the state of north carolina consumers council to...

Recall 03033/03-c-06 ignition control module was never serviced. Owned by a 88 year old lady. Must some kind of a repair scam in la.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 saturn ls. While driving 15 mph, the engine stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the timing belt fractured and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and did not assist. The failure mileage was approximately 161,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 saturn l300. While driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was determined that the serpentine belt had fractured and entered into the engine compartment. In addition, the mechanic noticed a large hole in the engine cover, which allowed the drive belt to enter into the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and referred the contact to the dealer. The vehicle was...

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn l200. While starting the vehicle, the check engine indicator illuminated and an abnormal noise was heard. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 148,000.

I lost power at highway speeds and at full throttle there was no acceleration. It made a loud boom like a backfire and a large piece of material that looked fiberglass matting and rocks blew out of the exhaust. The car accelerated fine for about 15 miles then started to bog down again. Shut off vehicle and tried to restart unsuccessful, waited a few hours then car restarted with no issues ran vehicle off and on over a three day period, that is when it started malfunctioning again with very rough idle, almost dies,...

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 saturn lw200. The contact stated that the service engine warning indicator illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the catalytic converter failed and needed to be replaced. The contact also stated that the same failure occurred two other times. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired again. The approximate failure mileage was 105,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 (na) saturn l300. The contact stated that the anti-freeze warning indicator illuminated, the rear passenger side tail light failed, and the wiper motor did not operate normally. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the technician diagnosed that the anti-freeze hose and connector were defective and needed to be replaced. In addition, the contact was made aware of the resonator being damaged by another independent mechanic. The contact stated that the vehicle also jerked...

Tl* the contact owned a 2002 saturn l. The contact stated that the vehicle began to slow down without warning. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and exited the vehicle. The vehicle began to emit smoke from the hood and suddenly caught fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was totaled. There were no injuries and a report was not filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.

I was stopping to turn right at a red light and my cars breaks stopped working. My car ran through the intersection, started violently shaking and then stopped. The car was still on but it would not drive. I turned the car off and tried to start it up 6 times and it wouldn't work. Then finally it started and I drove home. I went to start my car later that day and now it refuses to start. The battery light comes on, the car shakes, there's a very loud tapping/rattling sound, the abs light flashes, the 'service...