1998 Saturn SL complaints

THE TREAD SEPARATED FROM THE BELTS. I HAVE SEEN THIS ON RETREADS BUT NEVER NEW TIRES. IT IS AS IF YOU TOOK A KNIFE AND CLEANLY SEPARATED THE TREAD ABOVE THE BELT.( DOT NUMBER: W2EP TIRE SIZE: P175/70R14 )

WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 35 MPH LEFT REAR TIRE SUDDENLY BLEWOUT. FIRESTONE INFINITY P185/65R15. *AK

I WAS INVOLVED IN A TWO CAR ACCIDENT ON 5/10/00. ANOTHER CAR PULLED OUT INFRONT OF MY SATURN, WHICH CAUSED A COLLISION. I WAS DOING 30-35 MILES PER HOUR AT IMPACT. BOTH AIR BAGS DEPLOYED, AND THE SEATBELTS RESTRAINED, BUT NOT COMPLETELY. THE PASSANGER SIDE COMPLETELY PULLED AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE CASING. THE PART THE BELT LOOPS AROUND CRACKED, AND THE PASSANGER DID NOT RECEIVE ANY MARK FROM THE SEATBELT, WHICH MAKES ME THINK THE BELT DID NOT FUNCTION CORRECTLY. I WAS THE DRIVER AND RECEIVED A LARGE BRUISE FROM MY SHOULDER TO MY BREAST BONE, FROM THE SHOULDER RESTRAINT, BUT MY SEATBELT SYSTEM ONLY SEPERATED WHERE THE TWO CASINGS CONECT. I AM CONSERED THAT IF IN ANOTHER ACCIDENT AT A HIGHER RATE OF SPEED, THE SEATBELTS WILL NOT HOLD PASSENGERS, OR MYSELF IN PLACE. THAT THEY WILL SEPERATE FROM THE CAR AGAIN. I WAS WONDERING IF ANY OTHER SATURN OWNERS HAVE REPORTED PROBLEMS WITH THEIR SEATBELTS. IN SPEEKING WITH THE REPAIRSHOP, IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY WILL JUST POP THE CASINGS BACK INTO PLACE. IS THIS THE CORRECT WAY TO HANDLE THIS? SHOULD I CONTACT SATURN? ANY INFORMATION YOU CAN PROVIDE WOULD BE GREATLY APRECIATED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. MELISSA. *AK

PLASTIC BUTTON BROKE , PARKING BRAKE WOULD NOT REMAIN ENGAGED. *AK

TRUNK WILL NOT STAY OPEN ON AN INCLINE OR WITH SOME HEAD WINDS. DEALER NOTIFIED AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT VEHICLE MEETS STANDARDS, AND NOTHING CAN BE DONE.*AK

SPRING THAT HOLDS TRUNK OPEN IS TOO WEAK, MOST NOTICEABLE WITH FACTORY INSTALLED SPOILER. HAS HIT ME IN THE HEAD SEVERAL TIMES. DEALER SUGESTED PROP-ROD TO HOLD TRUNK OPEN. TRUNK WILL NOT STAY OPEN IF PARKED ON SMALL INCLINE OR SLIGHT HEADWIND. IF A CHILD WAS REACHING INTO THE TRUCK, IT COULD SEVERLY INJURE THERE BACK.*AK

I HAVE HAD IT IN SEVERAL TIMES FOR THEM TO FIX IT. THEY PUT IN A DELAY BLOWER TO FIX THE PROBLEM. IT HAS BEEN BAD FROM THE START. ONE OF THEIR SALESMAN HAS SAID THERE IS A PROBLEM BUT THE SERVICE DEPT SAYS THERE IS NOT. THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED ONCE BECAUSE OF IT

CONSUMER HAD BRAKES RESURFACED THREE TIMES. DEALER WAS SAYING THAT CONSUMER WAS APPLYING BRAKES TOO HARD. BRAKES WEREN'T WARRANTY. DEALER REPLACED IT AS A COURTESY TO THE CONSUMER, AND NOT UNDER WARRANTY. *AK

VEHICLE'S TRACTION CONTROL FAILED, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO HYDROPLANE AND SPIN OUT OF CONTROL AND OFF HIGHWAY. WHILE SPINNING, ABS BRAKES FAILED AND CAUSED WHEELS TO LOCK UP.

ROTORS WARPED, CAUSING ROCKING OF CAR DURING BRAKING AT 16,000 MILES AND AGAIN AT 32000 MILES.

CONSUMER FEELS THE HORN BUTTON IS VERY SMALL AND HARD TO LOCATE, SOMEONE BACKED INTO HIM AND HAD TROUBLE FINDING THE HORN. *SLC

SATURN TELLS ME, "IT HAS TO GET WORSE BEFORE WE CAN TELL WHAT'S WRONG." NO SAFETY DEFECT (S) LISTED IN THE SUMMARY. *AK

ROTORS WARPED VERY FREQUENTLY AFTER SERVICE, CAUSING THE BRAKE AND THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE TO VIBRATE AND CREATING SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD. YH

NO SUMMARY

THE COMPONENT IN QUESTION HAS NOT FAILED AND PROBABLY WON'T. I FEEL THE DESIGN OF THE KNOB WHICH ALLOWS THE SHOULDER BELT ANCHOR POINT TO BE ADJUSTED UP / DOWN COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER. I AM TALL, SO I SIT WITH THE SEAT ALL THE WAY BACK. THIS "KNOB" IS LOCATED EXACTLY BESIDE MY TEMPLE WHILE I'M DRIVING. IF I WERE TO BE HIT FROM THE DRIVER'S SIDE, I HAVE VISIONS OF THIS KNOB DOING SERIOUS INJURY TO MY SKULL AND WHAT LITTLE BRAIN I HAVE IN THERE. I THINK THE KNOB NEEDS TO BE REDESIGNED (AN ADJUSTABLE SHOULDER ANCHOR POINT IN THE NEW NISSAN ALTIMA IS MUCH LESS INTRUSIVE.)

ALL THE COMPLAINTS THAT I HAVE MADE ARE ALREADY LISTED ON YOUR LIST EXCEPT THE WINSHIELD FLUID PUMP. WHEN I TOOK THE CAR IN REGARDING THE RATTLING NOISE THEY COULDN'T HEAR SO THEY TOLD ME TOO BRING IT IN IF IT BECOMES MORE NOTICABLE.

POWER WINDOW MOTOR.

NOTHING

BATTERY.

THE CONSUMER STATE WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH AND APPLYING THE BRAKE'S, THE BRAKE'S WENT STRAIGHT TO THE FLOORBOARD AND THE CONSUMER HAD TO PUMP THE BRAKE'S AND THE VEHICLE SLOW DOWN AND CAME TO A STOP AND THE CONSUMER STATE THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THE BRAKE'S HAS FAIL.

PLEASE TAKE NOTE THAT THE STATE AND ZIP CODE INCORECT , I HAD TO IMPROVISE AS I COULD NOT FILLED OUT THIS QUESTIONAIRE AND I WRITING FROM CANADA. MY POSTAL CODE IN CANADA IS L0L 2P0. ON 21 NOV 1998 , DURING THE 35000 KM(22000 MILES) SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE I REPORTED TO THE DEALERSHIP THAT THE FRONT BRAKES OF MY SATURN WERE PULSATING WHEN BRAKING (MY ODOMETER READING WAS 22303 MILES(35686 KM) . DURING THE SERVICING THE DEALERSHIP DISCOVERED THAT BOTH FRONT ROTORS (DISCS) WERE WARP AND AS CORRECTIVE ACTIONS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, THE FRONTS BRAKE PADS WERE SANDED, BOTH FRONT ROTORS WERE MACHINED AND BOTH FRONT CALIPERS WERE SERVICED. BASE ON OUR DRIVING HABITS (85 % HWY DRIVING) AND CONSIDERING THE LAST 5 VEHICLES I DROVE I FIND THIS SITUATION RATHER ABNORMAL ON A BRAND NEW CAR. ON 17 AUG 1999, AT 60662 KM (37913 MILES) SAME PROBLEME REOCCURED I REPORTED TO THE DEALERSHIP THAT MY FRONT BRAKES WERE PULSATING. THE SERVICE MANAGER SUGGESTED THAT THE ROTTORS BE MACHINED AGAIN TO WHICH I REFUSED AS IT IS NOT COVER UNDER WARANTY ANYMORE. I INDICATED TO HIM THAT IT IS ABNORMAL THAT THE ROTORS WARP LIKE THIS. IS ANSWER WAS THAT IN ACCORDANCE WITH SATURN THERE IS NO PROBLEM OR ANY DEFECT WITH BRAKES COMPONENT. I HAVE RAISE MY CONCERNS HIGHER WITHIN THE SATURN COMPANIE IN CANADA BUT IT SEEM THEY WASH THEIR HAND AND SHIFT THE BLAME ON ATMOSPHERIC CONDITION AND OUR DRIVING HABITS. I HAVE RESEARCHED IN YOUR DATABASE AND I HAVE FOUD THAT THERE WERE SVC BULLETINS # 96-T-40 A, (NHTSA ITEM # SB

CRACKED HEAD CYLINDER AT 16K MILES WITHOUT ANY UNUSUAL OR HARSH DRIVING. CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALER. NO OIL WAS LEFT IN THE CAR -- IT WAS IN AN "UNDRIVEABLE" CONDITION. THE SERVICE DEPT WAS SHOCKED THIS HAPPENED ON A TWIN OVERHEAD CAM ENGINE & THUS DIDN'T EVEN STOCK THE PART TO FIX THE CAR. DEALER ALSO SAID THERE WAS NO ENGINE DAMAGE, ALTHOUGH I FIND THAT HARD TO BELIEVE SINCE THE CAR WAS DRIVEN FOR SOME TIME WITHOUT REALIZING THE PROBLEM. *AK

DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS VEHICLE LOSES ALL POWER AND EVENTUALLY STOPS, CAUSING A SAFETY HAZARD. DEALER REPLACED FUEL PUMP, BUT DEFECT HAS REOCCURRED. *AK

VEHICLE WANDERS FROM SIDE TO SIDE WHEN DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 30-60MPH. LOUD BANGING NOISE OCCURS WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS. HIGH FREQUENCY WHINING FROM THE ENGINE THAT ADDS TO THE NOISE. ALSO, TRANSMISSION SHIFTING HAS TOO LITTLE OR TOO MUCH POWER. DEALER/WESTERN REGION MFR. CONTACTED AND CANNOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

DESIGN LOCATION OF THE HORN MADE IT HARD FOR THE CONSUMER TO FIND DURING AN EMERGENCY RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT.

WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT WITHOUT ANY WARNING. DRIVER WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD SAFELY. THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED. *AK *ML

VEHICLE WAS IN A REAR END COLLISION AND THE DRIVER'S/PASSENGER'S SEATS FELL BACK INTO CHILDREN'S FACES ,AND THE CHILDREN WERE INJURED. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK

TRANSMISSION FAILED.

FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM FAILED.

TURN SIGNAL FAILED. *YC

WINDSHIELD WIPER BLADE FAILED.

POWER WINDOWS FAILED. NM

DOME LIGHT (BULB) FAILED. *YC

COOLANT LIGHT FAILED. MJS

BATTERY / ALTERNATOR / GENERATOR ASSEMBLY FAILED. *YC

WASHER FLUID NOZZLE WAS REPLACED, DUE TO FAILURE. PROBLEM STILL EXIST. *YC

POWER WINDOW REGULATOR FAILED. MJS

WINDOWS FAILED. YH

LUMBER SUPPORT FOR THE SEAT FAILED. YH

DEFECT WITH OWNER'S MANUAL. *YC

THE COOLANT OVERFLOW TANK CAP NOT TIGHT. YH

DOME LIGHT ASSEMBLY SWITCH FAILED. *YC

POWER STEERING BOX FAILED. YH

DOOR SEAL MALFUNCTIONING. *YC

VALVE REPLACED DUE TO FAILURE. *YC

WINDOW WASHER SPRAY NOZZLE FAILED. YH

TWO FIRESTONE TIRES WRRE FLAT. YH

SPARK PLUG WIRE FAILED RESULTING IN DECREASED POWER. YH

GENERATOR FAILED. YH

PARKING BRAKE SWITCH FAILED.