Engine Shut Off Without Warning Problems of Saturn LS

Saturn 2001 l-200 2. 2l I was driving down the road in rush hour morning traffic. As I slowed down for stopped traffic ahead of me, my engine shut off, and I lost power steering, and power brakes. I did not know what to do so I recklessly veered off onto a side street where I came to a complete stop. The car would not restart but would only turn over. I had it towed to the Saturn dealership and they said that just by turning it over, and seeing that the power steering pump was not turning, since it was directly connected to the cam shaft, that the timing chain had broke. He also said he sees it all the time on this year model. Along with the broke timing chain, they said that the head would have to be replace as well because the inwards of the engine have collided and caused even more damage. This car was maintained to the t. Every oil change was done at Saturn on time and all service was done there. They quote me 3500 dollars to put in a 90k mile used engine. Mine had 150k and ran like a champ before this happened. We then got another quote from a local garage to put in a 60k mile car for 1600 dollars. We will probably do that. They said to replace the head and chain will cost about the same and you never know if the internals will be intact after the timing chain goes.

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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.

I had no pre-indication of this. 2002 Saturn l200. Purchased 6-2002. ~78,500 miles. Date of incident: 3-9-09 @ 10:00am. My timing chain fell apart. It happened while I was driving. I was turning a corner and the stearing wheel locked. (the engine is quiet enough I couldn't hear it shut off). I managed to get to the side. Saw the oil pressure light on & shut the car off. It then wouldn't start up & was towed home. My boyfriend is a mechanic & has been working on it. It was hard to find the problem, since the car was on at the time the valves stayed open, he thought it was the starter (-$200). The chain's pin fell out and has literally fallen apart. We have kept the chain thus far and will investigate if I am allowed any refund for the time, money and/or hassel of this. We are worried about pieces getting up into the engine and creating more problems with that, and looking into a new vehicle possibly. (having feedback on what to do now would be greatly appreciated. Do we stop work and take it to a shop or continue to fix it? I need a car soon. Are there other problems with this car? do you know of how I can get reimbursed? do you know what the chances are of pieces reaching the engine).

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My husband was driving down the highway when the car shut down without warning. The vehicle would not start back up. He was able to get the car to the side of the road. He called a roadside service to give him a jump with no luck. The service tech informed him it was probably the timing chain. It was after hours so we had it towed to a garage. We were unable to find someone to look at the vehicle and could not afford to have it towed to the shop. I spoke with the dealership and they said if the vehicle stalled while driving most likely the cylinder head was damaged. We were finally able to get it towed to the dealership. They said the timing chain was out and the cylinder head needed replace along with some other repairs. The dealer informed us that our vehicle does not fall under the recall on previous models. The total cost would be $2527. 84. We have not repaired this as of yet. I have researched all of the other complaints and all are similar and I believe this should be recalled.

The contact owns a 2001 Saturn l200. While driving approximately 50 mph, the vehicle suddenly shut off without warning. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. When he inspected the valve cover, he noticed that the timing chain failed. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling). The vehicle will be repaired. The current and failure mileages were 104,321. Updated 03/18/09. Updated 03/19/19.

Timing chain failure in the 2001 Saturn l200 series 2. 2l "f" engine resulting in severe engine damage. This engine damage virtually leaves this car with a negative net worth value. I believe Saturn knows well of a poor timing chain component in these engines and should broaden the scope of the recall campaign. My vehicle apparently falls 1 month short of the original recall parameters. I have much experience with engines and have a very hard time believing that there is any difference in the quality of timing chains before and after the recall time line seeing that these chains fail in the same manner. Timing chains do not just break or separate at 100,000 miles, wear is a component I completely understand. The end result is most likely engine replacement, which is due to valve interference in an out of timed engine. My failure occurred while my daughter was driving on interstate 94 at 65 mph when the engine just shut down without warning. I commended my daughter on some fine driving, darting through heavy traffic and avoiding a collision while finding her way to the shoulder of the road. I might add that this vehicle is in fine shape and has had regular service work completed.

The contact owns a 2001 Saturn l200. While driving approximately 30 mph, the engine shut off and would not restart. There were no warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and then taken to an independent mechanic. The contact was informed that the timing chain failed. The failure caused other damages to the engine. Currently, the vehicle is inoperable and has not been repaired. The contact experienced failures identical to the ones mentioned in the recall; however, the VIN was excluded. The NHTSA campaign id number was unknown. The failure and current mileages were 80,000.

Tl - the contact owns a 2001 Saturn Ls. While driving 50 mph the engine shut off. The vehicle had to be towed. The diagnosis was that the timing chain had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact referenced a safety recall 07v519000 - engine and engine cooling. When the dealer was contacted he said that the recall did not apply to the vehicle identification number. The current and failure mileage was 129,000. Kg *updated 10/20/08 updated 10/21/08.

I was driving my 2000 Saturn Ls at 45 mph when it just shut off, lost all power, and thankfully had a place to drift off to the side of the road. However, I was without a phone, and had to walk 5 miles in the sun to call for help. I had the car towed ($100) and was told that the timing chain had broken and I needed a new engine. I called for a second opinion and could not incur the cost to tow it again, but was told that the mechanic was more than reputable. After almost 3 weeks without a vehicle, as a single mother with a new job, this wreaked havoc in our lives and a $2500 expense for a new engine. I'm now driving a Saturn with a chevy cavalier engine that is warranted for only 90 days. I kept the timing chain and took photos of the engine. I'm joining the millions of other people in a class action suit, because Saturn knew about this problem, continues to know about it, has done nothing to recall, even has its service people claim ignorance or try to blame the consumer. I am the only owner of this vehicle, and it has had all of the required servicing every 3,000 miles as directed by the manual, which I also have. There is nothing in the manual to service the engine/timing chain, and every 3,000 mile service I got was done at a Saturn dealership until the last four.

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The contact owns a 2001 Saturn l200. When the contact started the vehicle and placed the gear into reverse, the vehicle lost all power and the engine shut off completely. She attempted to restart the engine multiple times, but it would never completely start. She took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that there was timing chain failure. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 07v519000 (engine and engine cooling ). The contact believes that her vehicle should be included in the recall and repaired for free since the failures are identical. The vehicle has not been repaired. The current and failure mileages were 115,000.

The contact owns a 2002 Saturn l200. While driving 10 mph, the vehicle shut off and there was a total loss of power. The contact crashed into a curb. The dealer stated that the timing chain failed. As of September 4, 2007, the dealer had not repaired the vehicle. The VIN was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 100,000.

The contact owns a 2002 Saturn l200. While proceeding through a green light at 5 mph, the vehicle shut off in the middle of the intersection. The failure occurred without warning. While the vehicle coasted, the contact was able to turn the steering wheel to the right and pull over. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed the cause of failure as the timing chain. The dealer found other related failures as well. The contact paid $3,000 for the repair. The powertrain was unknown. The current mileage is 38,850 and failure mileage was 38,800.

The contact owns a 2002 Saturn l200. While driving 20 mph, the vehicle shut off without warning. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who stated that the timing chain had failed. The dealer replaced the timing chain and the valves. The current and failure mileages were 75,000. The valves were bent. Updated 08/07/07.

Timing chain failure on 2000 Saturn Ls1 @ 80,000 miles. Noticed NHTSA investigation is still active on this problem. I was able to get the car to service station without an accident, but am concerned this is a safety issue as car shuts down without warning. Surprised to learn now that gm has a TSB out for this issue, knowing the timing chain does not get enough oil. This car is in being serviced now.

I purchased a 2002 Saturn l200 about 1 1/2 year ago with a 1 year warranty it now has 80,000k miles. My warranty ran out a few months ago. I was backing out of a parking lot at about 2mph and my car just shut off. After taking into the shop they said my timming chain broke which caused a lot of damage to the engine. I am very upset and done a lot of research and found many people having this same issue. I get my oil changes done on time and I dont think this should have happened. My car bill was $2725. 00. I went to the Saturn dealership and they pretty much did not want to talk to me and said they did not know of this problem.

I was driving along a city street doing no more than 25 miles per hour when my car just shut down. Upon taking it to the repair shop I was told that my timing chain had broken and that this was very unusual. I now am facing 3,000-3,500 in repair cost if I don't use Saturn parts double that if I do since the recommendation is to have the engine replaced. . . Updated 02/12/bf.

The contact owns a 2002 Saturn l200. While driving 20 mph the contact felt a loss of power and the vehicle shut off. The vehicle became immobile ,and the contact was unable to drive it. The mechanic informed the contact that the timing chain broke. The timing chain assembly was replaced. However; the vehicle still would not operate properly. The mechanic also stated that the intake valves needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to a Saturn dealer, and the intake valves were replaced. There have not been any occurrences since the replacement of the intake valves. The contact felt that Saturn should have replaced components listed on service bulletin # 03-06-01-017. Also, the contact filed case number sr1-23172743 with Saturn. The current and failure mileage were 64000. Update *4/23/07.

The contact owns a 2001 Saturn Ls1. While driving at a low speed and attempting to make a right turn the vehicle shut off. The vehicle was towed to local service center, who recommend that the vehicle be taken to the dealer. The dealer stated that the timing chain detached and damaged the head. Also, the head, front gasket, and all related parts needed to be replaced. The repair was completed and cost $1,669. 94. The contact stated that the vehicle did not have enough miles on it to have such a failure. On the NHTSA website he discovered a few complaints for the same failure. The current and failure mileages were 53,898.

Engine shut off in the middle of the street doing 50 miles an hour.

While driving batery and engine check light appeared on dashboard. Vehicle shut off and pulled out on road. Dealer has been notified. Consumer was informed that the tires were worn prematurely, the left side brake bulb was replaced, the brakes needed to be replaced.

The contact owns a 2000 Saturn Ls1. While driving 5 mph, the vehicle shut off without warning. The dealer stated that the cause of failure was due to the timing chain and performed the repair. Approximately five years later, the contact experienced the same failure while driving 70 mph. The dealer stated that the timing chain failed again. The current mileage is 82,000 and failure mileage was 30,000.