General Motors Corp.: Electrical System › Ignition › Module
General Motors Corp. reported this defect to federal regulators on Jun 23, 2003 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 239,993. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 2.2L L4 (L61) ENGINES, A FAILURE OF THE IGNITION CONTROL MODULE MAY CAUSE DETERIORATION IN IDLE QUALITY, REDUCTION IN OVERALL ENGINE POWER, AND THE VEHICLE MAY BE HARD TO START. CONTINUED OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE AFTER SUCH AN IGNITION MODULE FAILURE WILL RESULT IN THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT FLASHING, AND MAY LEAD TO SECONDARY FAILURES OF THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER, OXYGEN SENSOR, AND EXHAUST RESONATOR.
The risk
FAILURE OF THE RESONATOR WILL CAUSE INCREASED EXHAUST NOISE. PROLONGED OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE FOLLOWING A RESONATOR FAILURE MAY LEAD TO A FIRE.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL (1) REPLACE THE IGNITION CONTROL MODULE, (2) REPLACE THE IGNITION CONTROL MODULE AND SPARK PLUGS, OR (3) REPLACE THE IGNITION CONTROL MODULE, SPARK PLUGS, AND UPDATE THE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE CALIBRATION. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON AUGUST 4, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT SATURN AT 1-800-553-6000, PROMPT 3.
4 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Saturn L200 | 138 | 4 | 7 | 7 |
| 2002 Saturn LS | 493 | 3 | 12 | 12 |
| 2001 Saturn LS | 582 | 7 | 14 | 14 |
| 2000 Saturn LS | 382 | 6 | 5 | 10 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 03V231000.
Full record for the 2003 Saturn L200 → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →