Engine Belts And Pulleys problems of the 2002 Saturn LS - part 1

The contact owns a 2002 Saturn Ls. While driving 15 mph, the engine stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the timing belt fractured and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and did not assist. The failure mileage was approximately 161,000.

At 60 mph on freeway the timing belt broke. I lost power and control of the car. It cannot be started. Since the repair cost is too high (more than $2000), and my VIN is not included in the gm recall #06074, I had to junk the car. The car is dangerous to drivers. Gm is not willing to recall all 2001 l200. However, due to so many complains of the same problems from drivers of the 2001 Saturn l200 (whose cars are not included in the recall) NHTSA should force gm to recall all 2011 Saturn l200.

The contact owns a 2002 Saturn l200 (n/a). The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 mph, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the battery warning light illuminated and then there was a loud noise. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the timing belt chain fractured due to no oil in the engine. The manufacturer was not made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 144,872.

Vehicle stopped after turning onto the road, engine had stalled and would not crank or start up again; battery and oil lights came on. You could see the serpentine belt when trying to crank so it was not a battery issue. Fuel tank was full and oil was changed a month prior. Mechanics confirmed the timing chain had snapped/broken and destroyed many of the internal engine components. $2000 cost to replace/fix the individual parts, $2600 to just get another used engine.

We were driving the car when it cut off unexpectedly with no warning, while we were going 70 in a pack of traffic. Luckily, we managed to get to the shoulder without a wreck. It would not restart. We had it towed to the mechanic who said the timing belt broke which in turn cause the engine to be damaged. We had to replace the engine as a result.

The contact owns a 2002 Saturn l2 wagon. The contact stated that the timing chain failed inside the motor. As a result, the vehicle stalled and was towed to a repair shop. There were no warning lights illuminated prior to the failure. The dealer stated that they would not assist. The failure mileage was 84,000.

The contact owns a 2002 Saturn l200. While driving 45 mph, the contact attempted to make a turn and the vehicle shut off without warning. The vehicle had to pushed off of the road and towed to a repair shop. The mechanic stated that the timing chain failed. The manufacturer stated that there were no open recalls. The current and failure mileages were 67,000.

2002 Saturn l300 . Have followed all maint. Guidelines. Though it is on it's third battery, third set of tires, power steering pump replaced, timing belt replaced, ecm replaced, two catalytic converters replaced, the list goes on and on. Less than 90,000 miles. Drove the car. Got out, pushed the keyless alarm ( original factory) got dinner, pushed the keyless entry, got into the car , turned the key. . And the car was dead. Car does not start. Locked in park, had to have it towed. Tow truck driver had to use the dolly lifts to move the car, so he could position it to be able to tow it. Had it towed to a service garage, they followed gm's instructions . . No luck. The car had to be towed again , to a Saturn dealership ( the only ones who have the codes) to reset the vehicle. They told me they could not reset it. Told me it needs a new bcm. Stated ecm and bcm are unable to communicate. So that until the module is replaced the car is inoperable. Stated they knew the bcm's go bad, stated they have had alot of these go bad ( alot)???. The service tech stated " they are like a computer hard drive on steroids" . Stated they burn out with no way to check them or fix them. He said they should be able tofix the car. But they do not keep any bcm in stock. It will be a week before they can get the part. After replacing the bcm I was told the cars information will not be accurate. They told me the odometer goes back to zero. How can that be the dealer just turn back the odometer isn't that illegal? I was told that sometimes there maybe some other issues also after installing a new bcm?? if they know that the bcm is a problem, and that when it goes bad, the car is completely useless! why isn't something being done ! you are at the mercy of Saturn / gm because no one else is allowed to fix the car. I will now be waiting a week for my vehicle to be repaired. Only to hope it runs correctly after it's repaired.

The contact owns a 2002 Saturn l200. While driving 30 mph, the vehicle shut off without warning. The vehicle was towed to a local repair shop and the mechanic noticed that the timing chain failed and caused the engine to blow out. The contact called the manufacturer regarding the failure, but nothing has been resolved. She feels that the vehicle is unsafe because there is a recall for the 2001 l200 regarding the timing chain. The current and failure mileages were 80,000.

The contact owns a 2002 Saturn l100. While driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic, who stated that the timing belt failed. The mechanic also stated that it should not have failed at only six years old and with less then 75,000 miles. The dealer advised her to bring in the vehicle for a diagnosis. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling), although the failures were identical. Currently, the vehicle is still at the dealer being inspected. The failure and current mileages were 79,003.

I have a 2002 l200 Saturn which has 97,000 miles. Three days ago while I was driving the car on a city street the engine just shut off. Luckily I was able to coast into an empty parking meter space. If this had happened a mere five minutes before, when I was on a traffic-packed interstate, I would have been in very serious trouble. My Saturn was towed to the dealership and they explained that the timing chain had broke and damaged the engine cylinder heads. They stated it would cost me $2,800 to fix the damage. This makes me extremely upset as I bought this Saturn brand new from a Saturn dealership. I have taken very good care of this car and have performed all the Saturn required maintenance in a timely fashion from the same Saturn dealership. I feel that Saturn should be held accountable for fixing this problem. I have performed some online research and there are many other individuals reporting timing chain or timing belt problems with their Saturns. I know one recall (for the 2001 year I believe) is already in place. Please start a recall for the other years as well. Saturn needs to acknowledge that many individuals are being negatively impacted by these timing chain/belt problems.

Please see #dp08002 this is the exact problem that my mechanic told me that I have. Essentially, the timing chain components are poorly designed and create the need to replace the entire engineer when the timing belt components fail.

I was backing out of a parking spot and my 2002 l200 stalled after a rattling sound from the engine. I had the car towed to the Saturn dealership in marietta, georgia. They diagnosed that the timing belt had slipped/broke and had damaged the engine. They also said that the engine would need to be replaced and the timing belt on these cars was a known issue. I had Saturn perform the engine replacement end of October, beginning of November 2008 for approximately $5000. I've since come to realize that there was a recall on Saturn l200s from the same time period for the exact same problem. They've claimed that my VIN doesn't fall under the recall. I feel that I should be reimbursed for the cost of the engine replacement based on the defective part being a known issue and my car exhibiting the exact same issue that a recall was submitted. Updated 09/10/14.

The car was idling really rough earlier in the day. I was going to the dealership to have it looked at but only got a few feet before the car died. It tries to turn over but no luck. A mechanic friend said it seems to be the timing belt. After review on this and other websites I tend to agree. It's been towed to the dealership and I'm awaiting my diagnosis. If it is in fact the timing belt and Saturn knew about this problem why didn't they fix it? a recall would be great but if not that at least notify us of the problem so we can decide whether or not to have it fixed. I'm really upset that this could have happened with my 4 year old and 5 month old in the car with me. Do something Saturn!!.

I was driving on the pennsylvania turnpike at 65 mph at night. When suddenly I heard a noise in the engine and the car immediately starting slowing down. I nearly was involved in accident with two tractor trailers trying to make to the side of the road. This is the first time I had a timing belt brake. I took the car to Saturn, they replaced the head asm,core-head, gasket as, chain pgk, seal asm, bolt asm, gasket-en, bolt-6, and bolt hv. The total repair cost was $2,780. 34.

The contact owns a 2002 Saturn l200. While driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle lost power and the battery warning light illuminated on the instrument control panel. The vehicle was inspected by a local service shop and they stated that the timing chain failed, which caused the valve in the engine to fail also. The dealer stated that the repair would cost $2,300. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 60,000.

The contact owns a 2002 Saturn l200. The contact was driving approximately 5mph and the vehicle completely stalled. The contact then got the vehicle towed to the dealer. Dealer stated that it was the timing chain. The dealer repaired the vehicle at the contacts expense. The failure occured again less then 15,000 miles after getting the vehicle repaired. The contact went out to start the vehicle and it did not start. The vehicle was towed to local mechanic who stated it was the timing belt again. The vehicle was then towed to an authorized dealer. The vehicle is now at the dealership awaiting repairs. The approximate failure mileage was 29000 and the current mileage was 44000. The VIN was unknown.

On Sunday, August 12 as I was driving on a highway in upstate NY, my 2002 Saturn l200 suddenly began decelerating and as much as I pushed on the accelerator, the car continued to stop. I managed to pull over to the shoulder, which was very scary because the traffic was heavy and most cars were speeding around me. The car died and would not restart. The car was towed to a Saturn dealer who, without even examining the car said it sounded like the timing chain had broken. This diagnosis proved to be true and I was told that I needed a new engine. After doing some research I learned that this is a common problem of the l200 series. I also became angered because I had brought my car to Saturn at least three times complaining of the warning signs--the car had done this same thing several times before, but always restarted after a wait of any where from one minute to three hours. Each time I brought it to Saturn they acted like they never heard of the problem before, and told me they could find nothing wrong with the car. They should have known about this problem because a TSB had been issued about it and all Saturn mechanics should have been taught about this problem. I paid $21,000 for this car, with the intention that it would last at least 10 years. I just finished paying for it a few months ago. I believe Saturn should pay to fix this. The timing chains should have been recalled. I would like to file a class action suit against Saturn.

While driving on the highway the engine quit. I was able to coast to a safe location and the car was towed to a local repair shop. They stated the timing chain broke. The total cost of the repair would be $2156. Saturn told me there was no recalls and the repair would cost up to $7500.

The contact owns a 2002 Saturn l series sedan. While driving 55 mph the engine shut off. The vehicle was towed. The mechanic stated that the timing chain broke and the engine needed to be replaced. The current and failure mileage were 70,000.

23 year old daughter, her cousin, and 3 year old niece were driving on I-70 near chicago when the vehicle suddenly lost power and died. Had to be pushed off interstate to side of road by 2 young women with 3 years in car. Timing chain had broken without warning on a car with 54,000 miles ,leaving the car non functional in the middle lane of the expressway, 300 miles from home, and leaving daughter, cousin and niece stranded in a strange city with no transportation. I can't believe that Saturn does not acknowledge that this problem exists, or that a car that suddenly loses all power while driving in heavy traffic is not a safety concern that would warrant a recall.

The contact owns a 2002 Saturn l series. The contact found a recall for the timing belt, which stated that there was a possibility the chain could fail while driving and result in a crash. The dealer and manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling). There had been no failure to date. The current mileage was 78,000.

While driving on the highway northbound from calgary, alberta, canada we pulled our 2002 Saturn l200 into the passing lane to overtake a slower moving vehicle. While we were making the pass the vehicle suddenly lost complete power and the engine shut down. Fortunately there was no oncoming traffic and we were able to drift to the shoulder of the highway. There was the potential for a serious problem had there been heavy traffic involved. We had the vehicle towed to the nearest service center. They found that the timing chain had broken which immbolized the vehicle. There was no previous warning of any timing chain issues. No sounds, nothing. We have serviced our vehicle at the Saturn dealership for every service interval since buying this vehicle new. We have researched this issue and found it to be quite common in the vehicle we own. Our vehicle is still inoperable as of this writing.

My timing chain is going out on my 2002 Saturn l100. I don't know the cost to fix yet as I have only taken it to a gas station and not a repair facility.

: the contact stated while driving 75 mph on the highway, the vehicle stalled without warning. It was maneuvered off the road and towed to the dealer who determined the timing chain fractured causing damage to the engine, and requiring replacement. Updated 2/9/2007 - the consumer contacted the manufacturer and was informed that the engine was defective. The manufacturer offer to replace the engine but the consumer had to pay the labor to have it installed.

: the contact stated while driving 40 mph, the engine power surged a couple of times, then all power failed and the vehicle drifted to a stop. When towed to an independent mechanic. The contact was told to take the vehicle to an authorized service dealer. On inspection it was found that the timing chain had fractured. Updated 11/3/2006 -.

Driving at 30 miles per hour my 2002 Saturn l200 lost all power. I was in traffic and fortunately had enough strength to turn the steering wheel,which had no power, to where I could safely pull off the road. I had 3 children in the car at the time. Had the car towed to a Saturn dealership and found it was the timing chain that broke causing valve damage. The cost to repair is $3019. I would like to add my complaint to the many on file and hope Saturn will recall as this could have been a dangerous situation. Saturn has offered me 2 years of free oil changes if I repair it,hardley seems to warrant what could cause death.

I was responding to an emergency call with my local fire dept when my 2002 Saturn l series motor quit running on the main highway. It turned out that I am one of many that had the timing belt break without any warning signs. No rough idle or hesitations, piff it was dead. The motor has only 75000 miles. I can not afford to have Saturn fix it nor want to give them the funds so I am having another mechanic fix it with still some high expenditures. Luckily I was not like some who had to replace valves and such. The chain fell to the lower area. The whole assembly needed to be replaced. Looks as if engineering or quality materials are an issue, not oil changes as it appears Saturn is using as an excuse to avoid the issue.

I see that the NHTSA already has an open complaint regarding the timing chain on various Saturns 2. 2. There is a technical service bulletin on the timing chain oiler. I have a 2002 Saturn l200, 42,000 miles, which the timing chain just went out on. I was turning at a light and almost got hit since the car lost power. Please let me know what you can do to help with this problem. Saturn is unwilling to help me. Thanks in advance.

I had just left my house for work and the car just died - luckily I wasn't on the highway. I had the car towed to my mechanic and he said the timing chain had broken. He said I should contact Saturn because the timing chain should not have broken. My car has only 49,000 miles on it. I called Saturn and they told me to have it evaluated by the service manager at the Saturn dealership. He said it would cost $950. 00 to repair and didn't know if there was any other damage. Saturn customer relations said they would arrange to pay for half of the cost and supply me with a rental car. I had not had the car serviced by Saturn since June 2004 and had not purchased an extended warranty. On further examination the valves were bend on the engine due to the timing chain failure. Saturn said they would cover half of that cost also. The total repair is $900. I still don't have my car back.

Timing chain on my Saturn l200 broke with no warning. The car has only 38,000 miles on it and has been regularly serviced. I was very lucky it broke while starting up the car, instead of driving, because the repairs would have been extensive. My local Saturn dealership only charged me labor, they covered parts.

: the contact stated without warning the vehicle stalled and was towed to the dealer where it was determined to have a broken timing belt. The dealer replaced the timing belt and the problem was corrected.

The contact owns a 2002 Saturn l200. While driving 60 mph the engine stalled and would not restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the timing belt broke and damaged the engine. The engine was replaced however approximately 10,000 miles later the timing belt broke and damaged the engine again. The failure mileage was 65,000 the current mileage was 74,000.

The contact stated when stopping at a red light, the vehicle e died. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop. The repair shop indicated the timing chain broke and damaged the pistons and valves on the engine. The repair shop recommended replacing the timing chain and the engine.

2002 l200 Saturn: timing chain failure, Saturn bulletin n o. 03-06-01-017, recognizes problem but attributes failure to improper maintenance by owner. My maintenance was as per mfr. Reccomendations and performed by the dealer. Failure occurred at 58,000 mi. Vehicle lost brakes, power steering and stranded in hwy traffic. Investigating timing chain failures on web, discovered there's many such failures and complaints.