Table 1 shows three common engine and engine cooling related problems of the 2001 Saturn SC2.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Engine Exhaust System problems | |
| Engine Shut Off Without Warning problems | |
| Oil Pump problems |
2001 Saturn Sc2 bought 2/04 20,000 orginal miles . . . . . . . Suporting documents state the car was sitting and not driven prior to purchasing. As of oct 2004 and 30,000 miles there has been a leak in exhaust, checked with Saturn dealer and was told I needed a new resonator and pipe dealer wants to charge me approx. $400 to fix, 2nd problem is that my idler pulley is bad and in the process distroying the serpentine drive belt approx. $200 to repair. I feel gm (Saturn) need to own up to these common problems with there vehicles and repair them under recall. The NHTSA has a service bullentin on the exhaust problem that just came out oct. 2004 bullentin #040605010 (service procedure for replacement of resonator and intermediate pipe) I also feel a car that has 33,300 miles shouldnt need all of this kind of work done to it when these kind of issues usually happen around 60-70,000 miles on any other normal car. I will never buy another gm product, this is my first especially with this low of milage - this has been a big disappointment and let down. Thank you - please put in effect a recall for these issues. . . . . I think gm customers have spent enough on repairs. I very unhappy first Saturn (gm) owner.
While driving in the center lane on a 3-lane highway the vehicle shut off without warning. No lights were visible on the dashboard prior to the engine shutting off. The loss of power steering and power brakes resulted in a loss of control of the vehicle. The car swerved into the right lane striking another motorist and then spun out of control making at least two full revolutions before coming to a rest against the guard rails of the median. The other motorist involved in the crash was able to drive off the scene after the police responded, but my car needed to be towed to a local dealer for an autobody and engine repair estimate. The engine diagnostic test indicated that there were 8 separate error codes in the computer. Two were cam shaft error codes, three transmission error codes, a low coolant error code and a communications error code. All together the mechanic estimated well over $1000 of expense to repair the engine. That expense in addition to the autobody estimate of $4100 dollars resulted in a total expense nearly equal to the total value of my car.
I have a 2001 Saturn SC-2 coupe that was bought new in 2001. I have routinely changed the oil and done scheduled maintenance on the vehicle. The engine has ~75,000 miles on it and the timing chain recently went out while driving down a busy highway at 60 mph. I took it to the mechanic and learned the timing chain did not break but became loose. I have also learned Saturn engineers designed the timing chain to run the oil pump. Therefore, when the timing chain became loose on my Saturn,the oil pump failed to maintain oil pressure on that side of the engine and subsequently sheared off a bearing that transfers power from the cam shaft to the pistons. The mechanic said this occurred as a direct result from the timing chain failing to deliver power to the oil pump. I am left with replacing the engine. I am aware of the technical service bulletin that Saturn released in 2003 that directly involved problems with the timing chain and subsequent total engine failure. I don't understand why Saturn owners have not been made aware of the problems that Saturn has had with the timing chain. I spoke at length with Saturn customer service and my local Saturn dealership service manager on the phone. Both of which stated that since I did the oil changes and routine maintenance myself, there was no record of it being done and there was little they would do to help rectify the situation. They also stated that I could pay to tow my Saturn from the mechanic shop that it was at to the dealership garage where they would give me an estimate of what it would cost to fix and whether or not they would be willing to help out with cost. No one at Saturn would state that the timing chain could have been at fault in this incident, although everyone that I spoke with was aware of the technical bulletin being issued over the matter. I now am faced with replacing the entire motor with a replacement at an estimated cost of 2500 to 3000 dollars. The damaged engine can be made available.