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 100k miles on up. GM's new tensioner design solved this and the part cost a mere $50 yet no recall ever happened. I had to put a new engine in my Saturn and spent over 8000 dollars...
2002 Saturn LW200
Owners filed 8 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the engine. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Exterior Lighting › Brake Lights | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Engine and Engine Cooling › Exhaust System › Emission Control › Catalytic Convertor | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Electrical System | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsVEHICLE EXHIBITS A CONSTANT, STRONG GASOLINE SMELL ORIGINATING FROM REAR OUTSIDE AREA WITH NO ENGINE CODE AND NO LACK OF DRIVABILITY. *TR
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 LW200. `THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT A FUEL ODOR WAS ENTERING THE VEHICLE FROM THE REAR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000. .....UPDATED 03/08/17 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE FUEL PUMP WAS LEAKING ON TOP OF THE GAS TANK AND RUNNING DOWN THE TANK. THE PUMP WAS REPLACED DUE TO A CRACK IN THE PUMP. UPDATED 03/13/17.*JB
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.
2002 SATURN L200. AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON FOR NO REASON, AND WHEN THE CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT, THE AIRBAG LIGHT DIDN'T COME ON AND THE AIRBAGS NEVER DEPLOYED. *TA THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. *JB
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 SATURN LW200. WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE REAR DRIVER SIDE BRAKE LIGHTS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 05V245000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 141,000.
TIMING CHAIN BREAK, CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. VEHICLE MANUFACTURED 09/01. NOT NOTIFIED ABOUT ANY POSSIBLE RECALL. *TR
8 of 8 complaints, reproduced as filed.
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.