2001 SATURN SL2 SEDAN TIMING CHAIN FAILURE. IT IS CURRENTLY AT AN AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR SHOP, SO I DO NOT HAVE THE VIN HANDY (BUT IF YOU NEED IT, CONTACT ME). THEY DO NOT WANT TO REPLACE THE TIMING CHAIN BECAUSE THEY SAY THEY HAVE HAD EXPERIENCES WHERE THEY DO THIS AND IT FAILS AGAIN IN A FEW MONTHS. THEY SAY THEY DO NOT WANT TO LOOK FOR ANOTHER ENGINE BECAUSE IT WOULD HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. I SPECIFICALLY BOUGHT THE SATURN BECAUSE IT HAD A TIMING CHAIN INSTEAD OF A TIMING BELT (BECAUSE I OWNED A FIAT ON WHICH THE TIMING BELT BROKE AND I NEVER WANTED TO GO THROUGH THAT AGAIN). YET, HERE I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH A TIMING CHAIN. I HAVE HEARD THAT THERE IS A LUBRICATION ISSUE WITH THE TIMING CHAIN THAT CAUSES IT TO FAIL. I HOPE THIS CAN BE INVESTIGATED. SATURN MADE A BIG DEAL OF THEIR "300,000 MILES CLUB" AND HOW ROBUST AND LONG-LASTING THEIR CARS WERE, AND NOW THIS. TO MAKE THINGS WORSE, OUR FAMILY HAS TWO 2001 SATURN SL2 SEDANS! *TR
2001 Saturn S-Series Sedan
Owners filed 4 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the engine and engine cooling › exhaust system › manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train › Manual Transmission | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Engine and Engine Cooling › Exhaust System › Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Child Seat › Harness/Crotch Buckle | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsBRUSHING ON MY 2001 SATURN BROKE WHILE I WAS DRIVING, LEAVING ME STUCK IN 3RD GEAR. I HAVE SEARCHED ONLINE, AND FOUND THAT IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM, AND SATURN REFUSES TO SELL THE DEFECTIVE PART, OPTING TO CHARGE THEIR CUSTOMERS OVER $200 FOR A $0.30 PART. *TR
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO REMOVE THE HARNESS BUCKLE ASSEMBLY THAT LATCHES BETWEEN THE CHILD'S LEGS, THE HARNESS BUCKLE WOULD NOT UNLOCK. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS, THE BUCKLE ASSEMBLY STRAP WAS CUT IN ORDER TO FREE THE CHILD. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT ALERTED. THE SEAT IS AN EVENFLO MODEL # 3252245P1, DATE OF MANUFACTURE IS MARCH 15, 2005.
CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON DIAGNOSED CODES FOUND 34 1,300 AND 507 VVB PRESENT. DIAGNOSED FURTHER FOUND INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAK. REPLACED TAKE MANIFOLD GASKET. DID A GOODWILL SPLIT ON COST. ON MARCH 14 2005 THE SAME PROBLEM CAME UP HAD TO REPLACE MANIFOLD GASKET. THE REPAIR THIS TIME HAD TO PAY $100 FOR REPAIR. SATURN PAID FOR THE REST OF THE REPAIRS. I FEEL I SHOULD BE REIMBURSED IN FULL FOR BOTH REPAIRS, AND THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THE 2001 SATURN SLI *AK
4 of 4 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.