2000 Saturn LW200

Routine

Owners filed 4 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the electrical system. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Electrical System2
000
Steering1
000
Engine1
000

What owners reported

Newest filings
Electrical System
Filed Aug 26, 201642,000 milesNJ

2 WEEKS AGO THE ODOMETER READ 42,000 MILES AFTER A BATTERY CHANGE IT NOW READS 692,208 MILES! EVEN THOUGH THIS APPEARS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH THE BCM COMPUTER GM SAYS I AM NOT COVERED FOR REPAIR . NO ONE IN BARA'S OFFICE AT GM OR SATURN CUSTOMER SERVICE (GM) OFFICE CAN TELL US IF THE VEHICLE IS SAFE TO DRIVE. THEY ONLY WANT TO SELL A NEW CAR TO US! THIS IS A LOW MILEAGE CAR IN EXCELLENT CONDITION WE DONT WANT TO SELL IT AND WE FEAR SELLING IT TO SOMEONE ELSE AS IT MAY NOT BE SAFE

Steering
Filed Aug 31, 2015168,000 milesCA

WHILE DRIVING ABOUR 30 MILES,CAR STARTED TO GO CROOKED. AS I PICKED UP SPEED 2 ABOUT 50, IT KEPT GOING TO RIGHT AND AS IF I WAS NOT CONTROLLING IT. HAPPENED VARIOUS TIMES WITH SPEED COMING TO 45-50. WOULD HAVE TO GET OFF FREEWAY, FELT IN DANGER, GO DOWN STREETS OR TURN AROUND . ALIGNMENT. BALANCE, TIRES NOT LAST LONG.CONTROLING STEERING WAS OFF BASE.WAS TOLD BY A MECHANIC TO LOOK AT RECALLS FOR THAT TYPE OF CAR. HE HEARD OF SOMETHING WHILE BACK. CAR FINALLY CUT OF WHILE IN DRIVING AND PARKED. FINALLY AFTER 3-4 MONTHS WITH THIS, IT WOULD NOT START ANYMORE, STRANDED AND TOWED HOME.

Engine
Filed Jul 16, 201496,695 milesNV

THE ENGINE STARTED MAKING A TAPPING SOUND @ THE VALVE COVER PASSENGER SIDE WHEN ENGINE WAS RUNNING. OVER A PERIOD OF TIME THE TAPPING GOT LOUDER. TOOK IT TO A REPAIR SHOP THEY SAID IT DEFINITELY WAS THE TIMING CHAIN AND CAUTIONED ME NOT TO DRIVE THE CAR ANY MORE TILL I GOT THE CHAIN REPLACED. THE CHAIN COULD BRAKE AND CAUSE THE VALVES TO HIT THE PISTONS MAKING MAJOR ENGINE PROBLEMS $$$$.THE SHOP I TOOK IT TO WOULD NOT WORK ON SATURN TIMING CHAINS ANY MORE THEY HAD TO MANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS ISSUE. { 2000 L-SERIES 2.2L 4 CYL TWIN CAM 16 VALVE }. *TR

Electrical System
Filed Jun 24, 2014150,000 milesVA

CAR WON'T START, SECURITY LIGHT FLASHES DUE TO ISSUES WITH THE PASSLOCK SYSTEM. THIS IS A WELL DOCUMENTED PROBLEM THROUGHOUT GM'S CARS, YET THEY REFUSE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ARE BEING LED IN CIRCLES BY ANY VEHICLE WITH A PASSLOCK II SYSTEM AND IT IS AN UNSAFE PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS THAT NEEDS TO BE FIXED. IT PREVENTS VEHICLES FROM RESTARTING IN POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS AREAS WHILE THE VEHICLE RESETS AND CAN PERMANENTLY DISABLE THE CAR IF NOT ADDRESSED. THE PROBLEM LIES IN A DESIGN OVERSIGHT AND CUTTING A MATERIAL COST BY PUTTING IN A CHEAP COMPONENT THAT ANY BASIC CHEMIST COULD TELL YOU WOULD GO BAD WITHIN A YEAR OR TWO. CHANGE YOUR IGNITION SWITCH CONTACT FROM NICKEL TO GOLD PLATED CONNECTORS AND OXIDATION WILL NOT CAUSE FAULTY READINGS TO TRICK YOUR VEHICLES INTO THINKING THAT THEY ARE BEING STOLEN AND SHUTTING OFF THE FUEL PUMPS. REMUNERATION FOR INDIVIDUALS IMPACTED BY THIS FINANCIAL BURDEN FOR THE PURCHASE OF YOUR VEHICLES IS ALSO A REQUEST AS THIS PROBLEM IS A GOLD MINE FOR CAR MECHANICS, BOTH GM CERTIFIED AND FREELANCE, TO TROUBLESHOOT NUMEROUS SYSTEMS BEFORE IDENTIFYING THE PROBLEM PROPER. *TR

4 of 4 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2002
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20031000Routine
20028000Routine
20018000Routine
2000 — this page4000Routine

Compare every LW200 year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.