Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2001 Saturn LS owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Recall bulletin #06074a ,timing chain engine stall. I called gm,and gm arbitration and they said I have no recallcs. This car only has 28,700 miles on it!! My Vin fits the criteria of the recall,and I went to the dealership and they confirmed it,but GM does not acknowledge it! page 4, dealer recall responsibility-all. 2nd paragraph Dealers are to service All vehicals subject to this recall, regardless of milage,age of vehical,vehicle, ownership as of Jan ,2008. I'm the 2nd owner,and there is no documentation that this recall was preformed, 2 others were repaired. I have the car fax for this vehicle. My repair shop said it will cost @ $ 1000.00 to repair it. I'd be happy with a repair or a restoration check from Gm. I started a "Gm service request claim" # 9-7361453168. They never called me back,they canceled/ closed the request and did not approve the recall!! …
Car is 2001 Saturn l200 with less than 100,000 miles and the timing chain broke as the car was pulling into the driveway. My VIN is not covered by the timing chain recall issued by GM, so I now have a completely unusable car which is rated in good condition other than the timing chain unless I want to spend the 1000 plus to fix it. GM/NHTSA issued recall number 07V519000 for other similar saturns in year and model for the timing chain, why not all of them in the same years? After speaking with GM and researching the part number, my chain was built in the same wilmington delaware plant with the manufacture default diagnosis as the other recalled timing chains belonging to other 2001, 2002, 2003 Saturn l series cars. …
Well first my engine control monitor is sending a bunch of random off codes from ma's air sensor vol low to crankshaft sensor volume low to o2 sensors to transmission codes, my side airbag on driver side blue up out of no were my key fob stopped reading and now my car won't start I know all of a sudden it's sending off codes for camshaft sensor and o2 sensors I believe there should be a recall on the ECM it's a very expensive replacement that seems to be a common failure it's dangers and defective.my car locked up in middle of I busy intersection do to these codes and low voltage readings my name is [redacted] I live at [redacted] my #[redacted] accident date 10/17/2017
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Saturn LS. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 20 MPH, the air bag and the engine warning indicators illuminated continuously. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the air bag was removed and not replaced with another. The contact was uncertain of the location of the air bag that was removed. The failure persisted after the repair. In addition, the engine oil leaked onto the ground. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 86,726. Updated 09/08/16
While driving my cars idle dropped and stalked my car in the middle of a turn. I got it restsrted and made it home. The next day driving out of town with infant in the back it stalled again. This time leaving us stranded in a intersection. Kind people pushed us off the busy roadway I had to have it towed my husband discovered it was my iac valve. To replace this its over 150 dollars it continues to leave me stranded when I turn and when im in a intersection! My interior on my drivers seat has sunk to below the metal seat frame I have to sit on pillows to see properly!
We drove the car to eat. When we came back out the car would not start. We had it towed to the mechanic and he told us the timing chain jumped a couple of teeth. It also bent some or all the values. The same makes and models have had recalls for this issue. Our car was not under recall for some reason. What if I was driving 70 MPH and this happened we could of been in a huge wreck.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Saturn LS. When the vehicle was started, it immediately stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the timing chain needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 07V519000 (engine) the manufacturer was notified of failure. The failure mileage was 62,000.
Driving down in congested morning traffic on highway when engine shut off. With engine off, brakes hard to push and steering very difficult. Vehicle coasted to stop. Engine would not restart. It just turned over. Shop said timing chain snapped and engine had to be replaced.
Replaced water pump, timing chain and pulleys at approximately 90K miles. App. 10K miles later, timing chain broke and had to be replaced again. Multiple issues with suspension, fuel sensors, oil filter casing.
My wife and I own a 2001 Saturn l200 sedan that we have been very happy with. Over the years there have been nothing more than the normal little problems with the car. About two weeks ago my wife started noticing a 'ticking' noise coming from the engine. The sound came and went but mostly when she started the car. We had it in to a garage and they were unable to determine the cause, but assured my wife everything would be fine. Two days later everything was not fine. My wife, who is a nurse, went to start her car after work. The car started, with the noise, and then stalled. She tried to restart the car but was unable to. All of this happened Sunday July 9th at 4:00 am in the morning. We had the car towed the following Monday, at an increased expense because she was in a low clearance parking garage. We had the engine checked and it was discovered to be a timing belt failure. …
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling
On certain passenger vehicles equipped with a 2.2l 4-cylinder engine, links in the engine's timing chain can separate.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the timing chain free of charge. The recall began on January 15, 2008. Owners May contact Saturn at 1-800-972-8876.
NHTSA investigations
Timing chain breaks, engine stall
On May 22, 2008, theoffice of defects investigation (odi) was petitioned by the north carolina consumers council (nccc) to broaden the scope of safety recall 07v-519, which was conducted by general motors corporation (GM) for model year (my) 2001 Saturn l-series vehicles equipped with the l61 2.2l engine and built during a 4-month period from November 2000 through February 2001 (dp08-002).
Timing chain failure
On December 12, 2005, odi received a defect petition (dp05-008) requesting the investigation of timing chain failures that could cause stalling in Saturn vehicles equipped with the 2.2l (l61) engine. Odi opened pe06-006 on January 24, 2006, with 24 vehicle owner complaints that alleged a broken timing chain caused the vehicle to stop operating.on April 12, 2006, odi received information from general motors (GM)…
Timing chain failure - stall
In a November 7, 2007 letter, general motors (GM) notified odi that it had determined that a safety defect existed in certain model year (my) 2001 Saturn l-series vehicles equipped with the 2.2l 4-cylinder (l61) engine built from November 2000 through February 2001.the defect could result in engine stall while driving with no restart.
Timing chain failure-stall
On June 6, 2006, odi opened an investigation of timing chain failure resulting in engine stall while driving with no restart in approximately 20,514 model year (my) 2001 Saturn l-series vehicles equipped with 2.2l engines (l61) built from November 2000 through February 2001 (ea06-009).the vehicles built during those months exhibited higher failure rates than similarly equipped vehicles built before and after.GM…
Timing chain failure
Analysis undertaken in response to the petition identified 26 complaints alleging timing chain failures in my 2000-2003 Saturn l-series vehicle equipped with the 2.2l l4 engine.most complaints of timing chain failure reportedly resulted in a sudden loss of engine power and stalling.odi also noted that certain my 2002-2003 Saturn vue and my 2003 Saturn ion model vehicles with the 2.2l engine vehiclescovered by a…
Engine complaints in other LS years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2001 Saturn LS?
NHTSA has 339 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2001 Saturn LS, 58% of the model year's 582 complaints. The component named most often is engine (91 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Saturn LS engine problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 07V-519 (engine and engine cooling, Nov 7, 2007). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2001 Saturn LS engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 88,000 miles, and 1% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 1 injury to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.