2003 Saturn L200 Interior & seats Problems

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SATURN L200. WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED OR EVEN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN PARK, THE HEADLIGHTS TURN ON AND OFF, THE GAUGES CONSTANTLY FLASH ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, THE DOOR LOCKS WILL LOCK AND UNLOCK THEMSELVES, AND THE WINDOWS WILL ROLL DOWN AND BACK UP AUTOMATICALLY. THE WINDOWS ARE CURRENTLY INOPERATIVE DUE TO THIS FAILURE. WHENEVER THE CONTACT DRIVES THE VEHICLE, HE SMELLS BURNING WIRES, BUT THERE IS NO SMOKE. HE FEELS THAT THE VEHICLE IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION AND THEY STATED THAT THE BODY CONTROL MODULE WAS THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT DID NOT GET THE VEHICLE REPAIRED BECAUSE HE BELIEVES IT SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER A RECALL DUE TO THE SAFETY RISK INVOLVED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE OWNER WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIRS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 105,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 115,000.

NHTSA ID

10256092

Incident

May 1, 2008

Mileage

105,000 mi

SOMETIMES WOULD HAVE A HARD TIME STARTING THE CAR OR THE CAR WOULD NOT START AT ALL. AFTER ABOUT A WEEK,THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG LIGHT WOULD COME ON. WHEN THESE LIGHTS WERE ON, THE SPEEDOMETER AND TACHOMETER DID NOT WORK. SHORTLY AFTER THAT THE ENGINE LOCK LIGHT CAME ON AND THEN NOTHING WORKED. THE DEFROST FRONT AND REAR, A/C, HEATING CONTROL, INTERIOR LIGHTS, AIRBAG FAILURE LIGHT LIT UP, SEAT BELT LIGHT LIT UP AND THE SELF LOCKING FOR THE DOORS DID NOT ENGAGE WHEN PUTTING THE CAR INTO GEAR. SOMETIMES I WOULD TURN THE CAR OFF AND ABOUT A HALF AN HOUR LATER, THE EXTERIOR LIGHTS WOULD COME ON ALL BY THEMSELVES, SOMETIMES DRAINING THE BATTERY IF I DID NOT NOTICE THIS. I FELT TOTALLY UNSAFE DRIVING THE CAR WHEN THIS WOULD HAPPEN - I HAD NO SAFETY FEATURES TO RELY ON AND I DID NOT EVEN KNOW IF I WOULD HAVE A CAR THAT WOULD RUN. I TOOK THE CAR TO A SATURN DEALER AND HAD THE BCM (BODY CONTROL MODULE) REPLACED. I ALSO FOUND OUT THAT SATURN IS HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THIS AND I HAVE ASKED OTHERS THAT OWN SIMILAR SATURNS ALSO EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM. THIS WAS QUITE COSTLY TO REPLACE APPROXIMATELY $600.00 (THE CHEAPEST AROUND). OTHERS PAID MORE FOR THIS REPAIR THAN I DID. *TR

NHTSA ID

10232659

Incident

May 21, 2008

Mileage

47,233 mi

ON 9/24/97 I DROVE MY CAR TO WORK AS USUAL AND SHUT IT OFF AND LOCKED THE DOORS WITH THE REMOTE CONTROL. UPON LEAVING WORKING AND OPENING THE CAR I HAD DIFFICULTY OPENING THE LOCKS AND USED THE KEY FOR ENTRY. I TRIED TURNING ON THE IGNITION AND IT WOULD START AND IMMEDIATELY SHUT OFF. I TRIED THIS TWICE AND NOTICED THAT THE ANTI-THEFT ICON (CAR WITH A LOCK THROUGH IT) WAS IGNITED. I LOOKED IN MY OWNER'S MANUAL AND DETERMINED THAT IT WAS SOMETHING THAT HAD TO BE RESET BY THE DEALER. I THEN NOTICED A BUZZING FROM MY PASSENGER FRONT DOOR LOCK. I DISCONNECTED THE FUSE AND THE BUZZING STOPPED. WHEN I FINALLY HAD A KNOWLEDGEABLE TOW PERSON GET THE CAR MANUALLY IN NEUTRAL SINCE THE GEARS WERE LOCKED, IT WAS TOWED TO SATURN OF CLARENCE WHO ADVISED THAT THE BODY CONTROL MODULE WAS BAD AND IT SHORTED OUT ALL OF MY DOOR LOCKS. THE CAR HAS 27,000 AND IS 4 YEARS OLD. IT COST $610 FOR THE BCM AND $1,000 FOR THE DOOR LOCKS WHICH I HAVE NOT YET REPLACED. SHAMEFUL THAT SUCH A BIG PROBLEM SHOULD HAPPEN TO A NEWER CAR! *JB

NHTSA ID

10205346

Incident

Sep 24, 2007

Mileage

27,008 mi

HEADLAMP/TURN-SIGNAL STALK ON STEERING COLUMN OVERHEATED AND STARTED SMOKING. STOPPED CAR AND TURNED OFF POWER ... POSSIBLY AVOIDING A FIRE. REPLACED PART. DID NOT KEEP OLD PART (LEFT IT AT THE DEALER IN OLATHE, KS, THIS MORNING). WITH NEW PART THERE IS NO MORE SMOKE. *JB

NHTSA ID

10197559

Incident

Jul 26, 2007

Mileage

60,000 mi

DT: 2003 SATURN L200. ALL OF THE LIGHTS ON THE VEHICLE CUT ON AND OFF. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN TO THE DEALERSHIP TO BE INSPECTED. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR 2 DAYS. THE VEHICLE WAS BEING TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE CONSUMER CHECKED ALL OF THE FUSES HIMSELF AND NOT FOUND ANY PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER FOUND THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM FROM OTHER COMPLAINTS. ALL OF THE LIGHTS; FRONT, BACK, AND INTERIOR LIGHTS FLASHED ON AND OFF.*AK

NHTSA ID

10137427

Incident

Sep 21, 2005

THIS IS THE THIRD INCIDENT, SECOND IN SAME DAY, WHERE THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILED. AUDIBLE CLICKING SOUND UNDER DASH AND LIGHTS REPEATEDLY TURNING ON & OFF, LOCKS ON AND OFF AND HORN SOUNDING. ON 1 PRIOR OCCASIONS, AUDIBLE CLICKING HEARD AND LOCKS REPEATEDLY TURNING ON AND OFF. CLEARLY NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT, AS I CAN SEE FROM OTHER COMPLAINTS THAT OTHER OWNERS OF THIS MODEL ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. CONSEQUENCES OF THE PROBLEM --- NEIGHBORS CALLED POLICE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT NOISE. UNABLE TO KEEP ALARM ON DUE TO CONTINUING PROBLEM, LEADING TO INSECURE CAR. ALSO, SAFETY ISSUE WITH LIGHTS AND LOCKS REPEATEDLY TURNING ON AND OFF WITH THE ELECTRICAL FAILURE. DEALER WILL SERVICE IN TWO DAYS (FIRST AVAILABLE APPT!!) AND WILL UPDATE THEN.

NHTSA ID

10073181

Incident

May 25, 2004

Mileage

17,000 mi

2003 L-200 PURCHASED FEB 03. SOON FOUND NUMEROUS ISSUES WITH CAR, TO THIS DAY HAVE NOT BEEN FIXED. TRIED SATURN 800 # TO NO AVAIL. REP WAS RUDE. FLAT OUT TOLD ME NOTHING TO BE DONE BY SATURN IF LOCAL DEALER CAN'T FIX. TOLD BY LOCAL SVC MGR SUPV I WAS MAKING PROBS UP & NO ONE ELSE HAD THESE PROBLEMS. HE TOLD SVC REPS HALT CORRECTING OR REVIEWING WARRANTY WORK ON OUR CAR. ESCALATED & WRKD W/ DIR OF OPRTNS. HE WASN'T ABLE TO FIX PROBS DUE TO RESISTANCE FRM SATURN. WAS TOLD NO MORE WORK ON PROBS BECZ SATURN INTERVENED IN DOING MORE WARRANTY WORK. IN "ALL" INSTANCES WERE GIVEN FINAL RESOLUTION PER SATURN ALL PROBLEMS ARE "WORKING AS DESIGNED", HAVE NO INTENTION TO FIX THEM. SAID NOT GOING TO INVEST MONEY TO FIX IN '03 BUT USE COMPLAINTS LOOK AT POSSIBLE CHANGES FUTURE CARS. WE HAVE HAD AND CONTINUE TO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH 1) "SAFETY ISSUE": EXTERIOR LIGHTS FLASHING ON/OFF 2) "SAFETY ISSUE": EXTERIOR AUTO ON/OFF FOR DAY RUNNING AND HEADLIGHTS DOESN'T REGISTER PROPERLY WHICH ONE TO USE & WHEN 3) INTERIOR LIGHTS DIM HIGHER & LOWER INTERMITTENTLY 4) AUTOMATIC CLIMATE CONTROL DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY. DOES NOT PROPERLY REGULATE THE HEAT & A/C. TEMP MUST BE SET A MIN. 84 DEGREES FOR HEAT THEN WILL ONLY STAY FOR AWHILE WHEN SUDDENLY IT GOES AWAY &THE A/C COMES ON. ONLY 1/2 WAY FIX FOR ISSUE IS TO USE THIS UNIT IN A MANUAL MODE SET TO A MIN. 84 DEGREES & BURN UP THE INSIDE THEN TURN OFF, TURN BACK ON TO WARM, KEEP REPEATING. IN MANUAL MODE YOU ALSO EXPERIENCE COLD AIR WHEN IT RUNS OUT OF HOT AIR. 5) SIX DISC CD/CASSETTE PHILIPS SYSTEM: VOLUME GOES FROM VERY SOFT TO VERY LOUD IN 1 CLICK WITH NO INBETWEEN. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED SYSTEM WITH LIKE ONE TO FIND IT DOES SAME THING. TOLD AN OUTSIDE VENDOR PIECE OF EQUIPMENT & CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. FIGURE OUT WAY TO BALANCE IT, PUSH ALL SOUND TO BACK OF CAR, LISTEN TO IT LOW OR NOT AT ALL. AS YOU MIGHT WELL IMAGINE I WOULD "NOT" RECOMMEND TO ANYONE TO PURCHASE A SATURN VEHICLE. *AK

NHTSA ID

10062229

Incident

Mar 1, 2003

Mileage

75 mi

PROBLEMS WITH VEHICLE'S POWER STEERING SYSTEM.*MR CONSUMER NOTICED THE FAILURE WHEN DRIVING OFF THE LOT BUT THOUGHT I WAS DUE TO COLD WEATHER. LATER SHE LEARNED THE RACK AND PINION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO FLUID LEAKING. AFTER THE REPAIR, CONSUMER STARTED HEARING GRINDING NOISE WHEN TURNING. ON 10/08/03, THE CONSUMER LEARNED THE STEERING PUMP HAD TO BE REPLACED. AFTER PICKING UP THE VEHICLE ON THIS DATE, CONSUMER HEARD MORE NOISES. THIS TIME IT WAS A AIR POCKET IN THE STEERING FLUID. IN ADDITION, THE AUTOMATIC CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM FAILS TO WORK AS DESIGNED. IT'S PROGRAMMED AT 87 DEGREES WHEN ITS COLD OUTSIDE. INSTEAD OF HEAT, IT WOULD BLOW WARM THEN COLD AIR. THE COMPUTER WAS REPROGRAMMED AND THE PROBLEM BECAME WORST THAN AT FIRST. THERE WERE COUNTLESS OTHER PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE. *PH

NHTSA ID

10050082

Incident

Aug 15, 2003

Mileage

15,758 mi