Seven problems related to tank assembly have been reported for the 2002 Saturn LS. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Strong gasoline odor in passenger compartment. Repair shop found leak at top of gas tank which sprayed gas up through the back seat. Problem was only discovered long after it started putting my family at serious risk!.
Fuel leaking from the top of gas tank.
The contact owns a 2002 Saturn l200. The contact stated that there was a fuel odor whenever the vehicle was idle. There was also a leak coming from the fuel tank. The dealer was informed about the leak and stated that her VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 89000 and the current mileage was 91000.
The contact owns a 2002 Saturn l-series sedan. When the contact drives the vehicle and parks, he smells gasoline. He checked under the hood, but could not locate any leaks. He walked to the rear of the vehicle and the smell of gasoline intensified. He looked underneath the vehicle, but could not locate any leaks. The manufacturer advised him to take the vehicle to a local dealer; however, the contact did not feel safe driving 20 miles if the fuel tank was leaking. The manufacturer also stated that he could take the vehicle to bounds autoplex. When the contact arrived, the mechanic could smell the gasoline; however, he could not locate any leaks under the hood. The manager was notified and was able to locate a leak on top of the gas tank. The contact decided to take the vehicle to american auto, where they removed the fuel tank and identified the location of the failure. The contact was informed that it would cost $800 to replace the tank. He called the manufacturer regarding the failure and they instructed him to have the tank reassembled and then bring the vehicle to a dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle has not yet been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 88,000.
I was very surprised to see several other complaints on this site about the smell of gasoline in Saturns. I took my car to Saturn of joliet where it was purchased used in 2005. It is a 2002 l200 series. They put it on the rack and said there was a leak at the top of the fuel tank. They said it would cost anywhere between $500 and over $900 to repair depending on where the leak is and what has to be done. I am a senior citizen living on disability social security and can not afford such a high repair bill. With all the other complaints about this problem, I would certainly think it is a problem that calls for a recall. This must be a dangerous problem.
Intermittently while driving the vehicle and applying the brakes to stop the vehicle vehicle surged up the 2000 rpms. Also, has problem with the fuel tank. Dealer had been notified.
When parking on an upward angle and the tank is a quarter full engine becomes inoperative. Dealer states if the owner keeps a fuel tank that will fix the problem.