Engine complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The same thing is happening to my car that happened to many Saturn owners of the same year. The car is turning but only stays on for a few seconds before shutting off. This seems to be the same as the ignition module and spark plugs issue as it is the same symptoms as those people were experiencing.
Tl* the contact owned a 2002 Saturn l. The contact stated that the vehicle began to slow down without warning. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and exited the vehicle. The vehicle began to emit smoke from the hood and suddenly caught fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was totaled. There were no injuries and a report was not filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.
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. …
Ref: 07V519 I am filling this complaint concerning my 2000 Saturn ls1 2.2l engine. While driving on a southern california freeway in July 2008 my timing chain broke. This caused us to try and get to the side of the freeway from the left side of the freeway, a very nerve-racking situation. After talking to the dealership and several independent repair shops I elected to replace the engine instead of fixing the timing chain and the other damage that was caused in the broken timing chain. The repair was completed by claremont auto center in pomona ca on 14/July/2008. If necessary I should be able to get a copy of the repair bill.
The whole subframe on my 2000 Saturn LS is rotted so bad that I can't even drive the vehicle. It started with my car not starting and putting it up on a lift to see what the problem was. That not starting problem is a bad resonator, but in the process the subframe was found to be seriously rotted away.
Related recalls (1)
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
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…
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.
Frequently asked questions
Which Saturn LS years have engine problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2001 (339), 2002 (242) and 2000 (150) model years. Engine complaints make up 58% of all complaints for the 2001.
Is there a recall for Saturn LS engine problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 07V-519 (engine and engine cooling, Nov 7, 2007). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Saturn LS engine problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 85,000 miles; 9% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the engine (200 mentions), followed by the engine › gasoline › belts and associated pulleys (87).
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.