general problems of the 2002 Saturn LS - part 1

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.

Vehicle was in motion at 30 mph on city street, engine completely stopped working with loss of power steering and power brakes. Coasted vehicle to a side street & stopped. Had car towed to a mechanic. We were quoted $1700 bill to repair due to broken timing chain. Researched recalls and found that NHTSA had a recall #07v519000 for 2001 Saturn l100. This seems grossly shortsighted on the part of NHTSA, as there have been dozens of duplicate complaints. This prompted the state of north carolina consumers council to issue a defect petition for 2000-2003 Saturn l series with the 2. 2l engine with the NHTSA. It is surprising how little effort the NHTSA has made in light of the scope of this problem.

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.

I was going to work & all out of the blue with no warning my timing chain broke & my car stopped in the middle of the highway & would not start back. Also, my tail light won't work because the plastic housing is broken.

Timing chain broke while driving. Engine died and had to coast to the shoulder.

On June 25, 2014, I purchased a 2002 Saturn l-200 from andrews automotive in mason, michigan with just over 62,000 miles on it. One month later, while driving at 70 mph on us-127 just south of harrison, michigan, I felt a shudder in the steering wheel and the engine died. I was able to coast to the shoulder and safely come to a stop. After several unsuccessful attempts to restart the vehicle, I had it towed to a shop in harrison where they concluded that the timing chain failed and pistons hit the valves which will necessitate a completely new engine.

The car was running fine. I pulled away from a traffic light and tried to get up to the speed limit of 45 miles per hour. At approximately 40 miles an hour the engine just stopped in the middle of the road. I managed to get it to the side and called the wrecker. Mechanic said timing chain broke and I need a new engine.

Timing chain broke while engine running. Valve damage in heads. Engine needs upper overhaul. Filed complaint with gm since so many timing chain failures have occurred with this engine. Gm stated that this VIN was outside the recall window even though the redesigned timing chain assembly did not take place til the following model year. Would not help in repairs.

The vehicle has been well maintained with regular oil changes. While turning onto a main street the engine just quit, leaving me stranded in the middle of the road. I was fortunate I was not on the highway at a high rate of speed as I would have had no means to remove the vehicle from the highway causing extreme danger to the occupants of the car. Authorized Saturn dealership diagnosed the timing chain had broken, causing further damage to the valves and possibly the pistons in the engine. $3000 repair bill. There had been a prior recall #07v519000 on the Saturn l200 2001 version for the same issue and it appears it was not resolved in the 2002 model. Vehicle was built in 09/01.

Car over the time I have had it for the past 7 or 8 months has had a rough idle and now the car is hard to start. I suspect it is the timing chain going bad but my 2002 does not fall under the recall.

The contact owns a Saturn l100. The contact stated that while he drove at approximately 25mph the engine timing chain failed. The vehicle was towed the mechanic an inspection was performed, and the contact was advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileage was 57,000.

Timing chain failed. Looks to be in acceptable condition, but has broken link. Clearly either poor design or build quality with the timing chain. This issue plagued many Saturn's but was only addressed in few of them. Buyer beware.

The contact owns a 2002 Saturn l200. The contact stated that while driving 5 mph and attempting to shift gears, the vehicle would not respond to acceleration attempts. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic who inspected the failure and advised that the engine needed to be replace. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified who offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 110,000.

Daughter was driving the car and turned a corner onto a city street in morton,IL. She said as she started to speed up to the normal driving speed ( 30 mph. ) that the car died and would not restart. She told me it was like someone had turned off the key. I had it towed to a local garage in morton,IL. And they informed me that it had broken a timing chain with probable engine damage. On further investigation ,mainly on the internet , I have found that this engine (2. 2 liter 4 cylinder twin cam) is prone to this type of failure.

Our 2002 Saturn l200 shut off while driving and would not restart. The repair facility it was towed to said the timing chain broke and when a wet compression test was done on the engine, we were told the engine was damaged. The cost to repair was too much compared to the value of car. The cost to replace the timing chain and engine was $4500. Only owned car for 5 months. Car only had 70000 miles. Gm indicated this model year with the 2. 2l engine had a defective timing chain design. Gm's safety recall 07v-519 only included the cars manufactured 11/2000 - 2/2001, neglecting the remaining of the 2002 Saturn l series cars with the 2. 2 l engine that had the defective timing chain but were not manufactured during these selected 4 months. Gm did not introduce a new timing chain design until may 2002, so owners with this my car manufactured from 3/2001 until the redesign in 5/2002 were left to pay for their own repairs if their timing chains broke. The 2002 Saturn l200 we purchased was manufactured in 9/2001 so does not fall into the cars covered by the recall so at this point, my repairs are not covered by gm. I have called Saturn twice only to talk with unpleasant customer service reps who were no help. All they told me is that the VIN of my car was not included in the 4 month recall and they can't help me. When I asked to speak to a supervisor, I was told they would give me the same answer.

This is the same engine for which there has been three separate investigations by NHTSA caused by lack of oiling to the timing chain. The broken timing chain caused damage to 4 valves and several rollers and other parts in the engine. The car immediately stopped running and would not restart. The repair shop showed me the small oiling orifice for the timing chain, and showed me the upgrade kit that gm issued with a much larger opening for oiling the chain - also, the chain and other part are stronger than the original parts. Gm issued a recall for some of these engines, but not for my vehicle despite the fact the engine in my car had the same defect. My brother's Saturn also had the same timing chain problems, but since he was traveling at highways speeds, his engine was beyond repair. Gm uses variations of the same engine in many of their vehicles, so it is probable that there are many more defects that have gone unreported in other gm vehicles. These repairs are expensive - more than $3,000. Gm needs to answer why some defective engines were recalled, and others were not, and gm should reimburse owners whose cars have been damaged by this defect. Gm said only some engines were affected, but the engine in my Saturn was clearly, and unmistakably defective - I saw it, and the repair shop clearly saw the defect.

I was at the stop sign pulled out started to accelerate at about 10 miles per hour the car just died could not restart it. Had it checked by mechanic they said the timing chain had broke.

Driving on us hwy 290 at approx 70 mph, vehicle totally lost power. Was able to pull over to shoulder, but we were nearly 50 miles outside of houston. Vehicle would not restart. After $350 of towing and diagnosis fees, informed that the timing chain has failed, causing catastrophic failure to the engine. Now I find out that there were recalls issued on this same engine for 2001 Saturns, and only a TSB on the 2002 models indicating a need for a new oiler for the timing chain.

My wife had driven to work this day and all was well. She went about her work day and left for her lunch break at 12:30 in the afternoon. She drove the car and got her food and came back from lunch. Later on that evening she punched out at 5:00 pm to leave. When she went to start the car the motor turned over at a much faster than usual rate but the car would not start. I knew when I got there the car had no compression when I turned it over. I had aaa tow it to the garage (worth the peace of mind to have) and they told me sure as anything the timing chain had broken. Fortunately she was not moving when it happened, must have let go as she parked the car. This is the second motor we put in this car. Still waiting on the repair estimate. Chain needs to be replaced along with the crankshaft gears because a couple of teeth got ripped off in the process. Nice. . . . Thanks Saturn and merry christmas.

My car showed no warning of any problem. Started to work lost power. Coasted to a safe place at a business. Was told timing chain had broken and I needed a new engine. It will cost $2600. 00 to repair. Also there has been a problem with headliners sagging.

Timing chain seperated on my 2002 Saturn l200 at 15 mph 2 months ago. It cost me $2700 to replace engine and then I found the links about a possible recall on this very issue but was told by Saturn that it didn't cover my car. I am highly upset about this as my engine did exactly what all the other Saturns in the recall did so why is mine excluded?? I want my year covered in the recall.

1. Timing chain break/failure at 30 mph on a Saturn 2002 l-200. 2. Vehicle's engine stops running immediately. Possible serious/lethal in heavy traffic. 3. Major damage to the engine. Bent valves etc. Engine head damaged. 4. Engine repair estimates $2500-$2800. Engine repaired by owner for $1700. 5. Gm design defect. Contacted gm customer service representative and he stated timing chain failure is normal wear and tear. Even though the Saturn 2001 l200 was under a recall for timing chain failures. Gm did not correct the problem in the 2002 l200's and no recall was made. In my opinion gm did not stand behind this product.

Tl-the driver owns a 2002 Saturn l200. The vehicle would not start. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop where the driver was told the timing chain broke and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 56,000. Sm.

When turning onto morganton road in fayetteville nc (high traffic area due to proximity of the mall) and attempting to accelerate, with traffic speed at approximately 25 mph, there was a pop followed by the car losing power. With no power it was extremely difficult to get the car off of the main road and into the bank parking lot. Once the car was towed home a mechanic checked out the car and advised that the timing chain was the problem. The car is still sitting in the yard waiting to be repaired due to the cost. After researching I believe this to be the same problem as other Saturn owners. The may 2002 l-series are equipped with the same faulty timing chain equipment as those vehicles included in the recall.

2002 Saturn died while driving and almost crashed. There is a recall for the 2001 gm 06074 that uses the same parts.

While driving vehicle stopped in traffic, had to be pushed home. Had vehicle towed to former Saturn of naperville dealership. Was told timing chain was broke, cost to repair would be $4700. 00 to $4900. 00. Had vehicle towed back to home garage.

While driving home from work 3. 5 miles the vehicle stopped. Inspection confirmed a broken timing chain.

Driving to school. Timing chain broke on 2002 Saturn l100. Mechanic cost $1,900 to fix.

Driving on the highway going about 70 mph. The car's engine suddenly died, and the car decelerated. There was no noise or warning leading up to the engine dying. After pulling over to the side, I tried restarting the car. The engine tried to turn over, but it wouldn't start. The vehicle was towed to an auto shop. It was found that the timing chain had broken and destroyed the engine (cylinder head specifically). No reason for the breakage could be found. It was recommended that a new engine would be needed.

My 2002 Saturn l100 timing chain broke. Looking into the repair I found many complaints on the internet about this happening to other Saturn owners. I have not repaired the car as of yet due to the cost. I think this being a common failure Saturn should have done something about it.

Timing chain failure resulting in loss of power. The car would not restart. Fortunately the problem occurred at the end of a freeway entrance ramp where a wide shoulder was available to pull over and stop.

Timing chain broke on my 2002 l200 Saturn at highway speed. Lost power and steering. Was near an exit, but was unable to clear the highway.

Timing chain slipped and engine could not be restarted.

While traveling on the road at approximately 50 mph my 2002 Saturn l200 suddenly lost power and the steering wheel locked. Fortunately traffic was light and the vehicle coasted into a parking lot. I have been advised by 2 different mechanics this is the result of a broken timing chain. The car was taken to a aaa repair shop and I am supposed to get a 3rd opinion diagnosis this week.

I was driving along about 25 mph and my car just died steering and all would not work took it to garage timing chain broke which in turn bent all of the valves in this motor now car is shot it is a 2006 Saturn l200 143000 miles on it I noticed that their was a recall on the 2001 but not the 2002 so I went online and searched the forums a found out that alot of 2002 Saturns were prone to this problem.