Suspension Problems of Saturn LS

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.

See all problems of the 2000 Saturn LS 🔎.

Replaced water pump, timing chain and pulleys at approximately 90k miles. App. 10k miles later, timing chain broke and had to be replaced again. Multiple issues with suspension, fuel sensors, oil filter casing.

See all problems of the 2001 Saturn LS 🔎.

Took car to have struts replaced and was told the sub frame had rusted away to make the car unsafe to drive,always checked the body and frame yearly for rust on chassis and uni body so there would not be any potential problem s. I live in the northeast part of the USA. . The problem with the sub frame is it rusts from the inside out so it makes inspection extremely hard to see.

Driving down the road the vehicle started making noise and steering was uncontrollable. I trailered the vehicle back home. Closer inspection revealed the front subframe/engine cradle was completely rusted through in multiple spots, very dangerous!!! I contacted the dealer to get a new subframe and I was advised the subframe is no longer available and to try finding one in a salvage yard. I contacted a salvage yard and they said they had a few and it would be no problem to pull one. I got the call today saying they were sorry but all of the front subframes on the Saturn l series they have are rusted through and are not usable. I contacted other yards with the same response. I ended up having to find a salvage yard down south that had a usable subframe. I went online to find numerous forum posts discussing this topic and I'm finding it is very common on this vehicle. Why was there never a recall for this with such a widespread safety hazard? from what I can tell it happens on all model years of the l series. The irony is the rest of the car is very clean, no rust on the rest of the undercarriage. There is no clear explanation why the subframe would have corrosion perforation at such low mileage with no other rust/corrosion on the rest of the vehicle. At a higher rate of speed this could have had a bad outcome. Thank you.

Subframe on Saturn totally rusted away only thing holding passenger wheel on was strut bracket.

Low bang noise in passenger side front end. Worse turning right or left. Sounded like major break, but nothing could be seen visually. Had car towed to mechanic. Had to replace upper strut mounts on both front and right struts. Passenger side upper strut mount was broken completely, and driver side upper strut mount was cracked. Upper strut mounts both made of a plastic based material. Service manager stated the shock could have broken through, and hit hood of car if we had not serviced it immediately. Replacement part made of same material. Had to have an alignment done. Very expensive to fix, and I am now concerned the car could be dangerous to drive.

This happened very suddenly. I applied the brake to enter the ramp to the highway and the car pulled to the left and made a noise. I thought it may be a bearing or brake problem but I had not had any issues before that so I went on since it seamed to be driving ok. While I was on the interstate I went to go into the left lane and realized there was a serious problem with the steering. I slowed down and got off the highway to the shop. I was told there the k frame had less than 1/2" before breaking completely and could have been a serious accident since it has to do with steering. I have regular maint on the car and there was no indication that this might happen. The underside is in very good shape. I had the frame replaced. I feel it was a defect in the frame. I'm sure im not the only one this has happened too.

The front subframe rusted through. Mechanic stated was not normal wear.

2002 Saturn l300 v6 excessive tire wear and engine problems the oil drained into the radiator and the whole engine had to be reworked all hoses sensors and radiator had to be replaced the valves and lots of other head work had to be done. We have had to have it aligned 3 times in 18,000miles and 60,000 mile tires last about 12-18,000 miles before being told they are hazardous and have to be replaced. The new oil sensor replaced with the engine rebuild now is leaking again and we have to replace it again. Rear brake lamps blow out constantly and even burned the wiring and plastic frame.

See all problems of the 2002 Saturn LS 🔎.

I purchased my 2002 Saturn l300 back on 9/30/2002. Car, at time of purchase, was brand new. Since its purchase my vehicle has been in the shop more times than I can remember. Recently I had a problem where vehicle wouldn't start so Saturn had the vehicle towed to their columbus, GA location to evaluate the problem. Was advised battery had died and I needed to replace it. The new battery represents the 3rd battery this vehicle has had since I purchased it (vehicle currently has just over 55,000 miles on it). I asked, while they had it in the shop, to look at the tires as they were wearing unevenly. My wife went to pick the car up yesterday 8/29/06 and was advised all 4 tires needed to be replaced. This will be the 4th set of tires this car has had since it was purchased back in late 2002. At time of purchase I added a 5 year 60,000 mile b-t-b warranty with no deductible. Saturn, following complaints both to the service department and their corp headquarters has decided that the car in fact does not have a problem and that my pregnant wife (with 1 year old in back seat) must be driving it poorly. To date, the vehicle's tires have not been replaced and the problem causing the tires to wear down so quickly has not been identified.

2001 Saturn 200l key would not turn in engine, steering shook vigorously while driving. While driving 65 mph, on the day the vehicle was purchased, the vehicle's steering wheel began to vibrate and pull to the right. There was also a noise coming from the rear of the vehicle on the passenger side. The consumer assumer the problem would resolve itself but it didn't. Two weeks later the consumer called the dealer. The vehicle wa taken tot he dealer who determined that the problem was wheel balancing. The adjustment were made and the vehicle was returned tot he consumer. About a month later the vehicle would not start intermittently. The consumer called the dealer who explained that this was a safety feature. Several months went by and the problem continued to occur. Someone suggested tot he consumer that she needed a new starter. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but they were unable to duplicate the problem. The vehicle was returned to the consumer . Once again the vehicle began to not start. The dealer finally replaced the starter. The vehicle tie rod eventually had to be replaced. That was the noise the consumer heard when she first purchased the vehicle. On day while driving the vehicle sudden lost all power. The vehicle was towed to a service dealer who determined that the vehicle's timing chain had broken. None of these failures were covered by the vehicle extended warranty. The consumer contacted yhe manufacturer but they provided no assistance.

The tires on my 2002 l300 have been replaced numerous times due to cupping caused by an alignment problem. The dealer has indicated that the alignment problem occurred in the manufacturing process and they cannot fix it unless a recall is issued. The cupping of the tires creates an uneven ride and the tires are very noisy. When the tires are replaced, the problem is solved for a few months until the tires begin cupping and the process starts over. Now that I have passed the 36,000 mile warranty, the tires will no longer be replaced free of charge. I have been told by the dealer that my tires will need replacing once again before the end of 2005 so that my car will pass a required safety inspection.

Vehicle's alignment was off, making it hard to maneuver. Vehicle was taken to Saturn for repairs, and it was found that the back tires were worn out, as a result of an alignment problem. The vehicle is now on it's fourth set of tires.

While driving at low speeds and turning driver heard a loud popping noise coming from the steering wheel which vibrated. Driver will contact the dealer in the near future.

2002 Saturn l200 when driving at night the lights flicker as well as the vehicle engine stalled out on expressway and the air conditioner became inoperative. Saturn suggested that the flickering was normal. In very hot/humid weather, the engine would run hot ad the air conditioner would stop running. On two occasions the vehicle refused to start. The service dealer suggested that the catalytic converter was plugged and the oxygen sensor was replaced due to the stalling. All four tires were replaced because of an alignment, toe and camber problem.

Consumer took vehicle into dealer for a regular maintenance check up. The dealer indicated the need to replace all four tires and install a rear alignment kit. The consumer was told by the service manager that the uneven tire wear was caused by the factory alignment.

The rear end was wearing out which made it impossible for the consumer to drive over 20 mph. Also, the consumer heard a loud thumping noise coming from the rear. The dealership was notified, but the problem had not been resolved. Four tires were replaced. The tech found that the tires had uneven wear. The steering wheel would vibrate, the rear cargo cover was cracked at the clip, there was a thumping sound that had come from the tires at any speed, there was also cupping on the tires that caused the excessive road noise.

2001 Saturn l200 - heavy steering wheel vibration/noise and severe premature tire wear. I was told by the dealer on at least 6 occasions that this was normal on this year and model and many times nothing was even done, there have been 3 brand new sets of tires put on by the dealer over the past year or so as well as new front end components and 2 sets of alignment specifications. The new tires only lasted approx. 5-6mos before new ones were needed with the tire brand being firestone. This has become a serious saftey issue. A fourth set of tires were put on with 1/2 paid by dealer and 1/2 paid by me (pro-rated use) along with another new set of alignment specs. So far it appears to be good. However, it appeared as such every other time and all the while the warranty clock is ticking.

Alignment in the suspension causes excessive wear(cupping) on the inside of the tires.

Since the vehicle was purchased the dealer has replaced 5 sets of tires. The tires were replaced because they constantly cupped. The dealer replaced the tires, installed a shim kit and adjusted the front toe, but none of those repairs stopped the tires from cupping. The consumer contacted the manufacturer and requested that they re-purchase the vehicle. The manufacturer denied the request but offered to extend the warranty to 75,000 miles. The consumer is convinced that the problem will re-occur.

Abnormally quick wearing out of tires. The service manager said something about the vehicle being set up for european roads and for $800 they could install a kit to make it align correctly for american roads. I said because of a manufacturing defect I should have to pay for a kit to resolve the problem. He said that was basically it. The outside the service garage he flagged me down and told me to complain to Saturn and if there were enough complaints it may be recalled.

Consumer has a concern that the vehicle has three and a half sets of tires replaced after the front end had been replaced by the dealer. The problem with tires wearing out excessively are still recurring. Please provide any further information.

Eight months after I bought a 2001 Saturn l300 I started having tire problems. It started out with the front right tire rubbing when I turned the wheel while backing up. I only had 6400 miles on the tires. Loud noises were coming from the tires at 12964 mileage. My Saturn service dept. Reset the fea to new specs and installed a camber caster kit and 4 new tires. This was the 2nd set of tires for my 2001 Saturn l300. At 17224 mileage the rubbing on the right front tire was back. This time the service dept. Re-secured the right front wheel house. Then on Nov 24, 2003 (25277 mileage) the loud noise was back. At this time the tech found the tires starting to slightly cup. He re-inspected and found all 4 tires out of specs and it was necessary to realign all. I took the car (27115 mileage) back in on Jan 16, 2004 and the tires were making loud noises. This time the tech confirmed that the tires were cupping and out of round. They replaced all 4 tires and reset to new factory specs. Also, did a wheel alignment. This was the 3nd set of tires. On Dec 20, 2004 I had a rattle on the right front. At this time they replaced the right front link bar(38871 mileage). March 29, 2005 the car was back in the service dept. With loud tire noise(42667 mileage). The tires had high and low spots. I was told I needed to replace the tires again. I took the car back in for new tires on June 22, 2005. At this time after calling Saturn customer service and the dealer manager, I agreed to buy 2 tires and Saturn buy 2 tires. Saturn paid to realign the tires. At this time I was told by a tech that Saturn had a manufacturing problem with the 2001 l300 series. It had to do with the tires cupping and making loud noises. He said that as long as the car drove and turned with no problems that Saturn did not consider the cupping, loud noises and replacing tires early a problem. He said if I could take the car to a nascar garage, it could be fixed and Saturn could find out how to fix the l300 series.

Consumer states steering wheel shakes and vibrates continuously while driving at highway speeds. The problem was first looked at with no success at fixing it. After the second attempt to have the vehicle repaired, consumer was informed that the shaking and vibrating was common and that manufacturer was aware of the problem. The dealer claim the fuel injector sensor had failed. Consumer states that vehicle now runs badly then before.

When driving at highway speed the rear end of vehicle shakes and there is noise coming from the rear. The tires are wearing unevenly. The dealer has replaced tires twice, alignments have been done. Did not remedy the problem. Nlm.

Vibration at highway speeds 60-70 mph mostly transmitted through steering wheel.

2002 Saturn l100 made clanking noise when turning the wheel. ** answer required*** the consumer was told there was a leak in the power steering shaft and there was wear in the cradle bushings and eventually they would have to be replaced.

Vehicle has experienced massive vibration with cause still unknown . After several tire changes and parts, such as bushings and steering rod. This vibration reoccurs always after each additional 500 miles. Firestone tires, size 5519515. Please describe details.