2002 Saturn LS

THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION OPENED THIS INVESTIGATION BASED ON NINE VEHICLE OWNER QUESTIONNAIRE (VOQ) REPORTS ALLEGING GASOLINE LEAKAGE FROM THE IN-TANK FUEL PUMP ASSEMBLY.SOME COMPLAINANTS REPORTED LEAKS FROM THE FUEL PUMP NIPPLE (I.E., THE FITTING FOR THE FUEL SUPPLY AND/OR RETURN HOSES).OTHERS REPORTED LEAKAGE FROM FUEL PUMP CRACKS, FUEL PUMP LINES, AND FROM THE TOP OF THE FUEL TANK.ODI WAS UNABLE TO VERIFY THAT ALL OF THE LEAKS ORIGINATED FROM THE FUEL PUMP HOSE FITTINGS AND OR NIPPLES.ODI'S ANALYSIS OF THE AVAILABLE COMPLAINT DATA ATTRIBUTED TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES SHOW A LOW OVERALL RATE AND A DECLINING TREND, AS 75% OF THE REPORTS WERE RECEIVED PRIOR TO CALENDAR YEAR 2009.COMPLAINT DATA FOR MODEL YEAR 2001 AND 2003 VEHICLES ALSO DEMONSTRATES A LOW RATE AND SIMILAR DECLINING TREND.A DEFECT TREND HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME AND FURTHER USE OF AGENCY RESOURCES DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE WARRANTED.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST.THE AGENCY WILL TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

ON MAY 22, 2008, THEOFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) WAS PETITIONED BY THE NORTH CAROLINA CONSUMERS COUNCIL (NCCC) TO BROADEN THE SCOPE OF SAFETY RECALL 07V-519, WHICH WAS CONDUCTED BY GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION (GM) FOR MODEL YEAR (MY) 2001 SATURN L-SERIES VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE L61 2.2L ENGINE AND BUILT DURING A 4-MONTH PERIOD FROM NOVEMBER 2000 THROUGH FEBRUARY 2001 (DP08-002). ON OCTOBER 16, 2008, ODI GRANTED DP08-002 AND OPENED PE08-061 TO INVESTIGATE TIMING CHAIN FAILURES RESULTING IN ENGINE STALL WHILE DRIVING (SWD) IN THE SATURN L-SERIES VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH L61 ENGINES AND THAT USED THE SAME DESIGN TIMING CHAIN AND TIMING CHAIN LUBRICATION SYSTEM AS THE RECALLED VEHICLES.A REDESIGNED TIMING CHAIN AND LUBRICATION SYSTEM WERE IMPLEMENTED LATE IN MY 2002 PRODUCTION (MAY 1, 2002).HENCE, THE SUBJECT VEHICLES FOR THIS INVESTIGATION ARE ALL MY 2000 THROUGH 2002 SATURN L-SERIES VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 2.2L L61 ENGINES AND BUILT PRIOR TO MAY 2002 THAT WERE NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL 07V-519. IN THIS INVESTIGATION, ODI ANALYZED UPDATED COMPLAINT AND WARRANTY CLAIMS DATA FOR TIMING CHAIN FAILURES RESULTING IN INCIDENTS OF ENGINE STALL WHILE DRIVING, WHICH COMPRISE SLIGHTLY OVER HALF OF ALL TIMING CHAIN FAILURES OCCURRING IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLE POPULATION.ODI'S ANALYSIS OF COMPLAINT AND WARRANTY DATA SHOWS THAT VEHICLES PRODUCED WITH THE SUBJECT TIMING CHAIN AND LUBRICATION SYSTEM EXPERIENCED ELEVATED FAILURE RATES WHEN COMPARED WITH THE MY 2002 THROUGH 2003 VEHICLES USING THE REVISED COMPONENTS.HOWEVER, THE ANALYSIS ALSO SHOWED THAT THE MY 2001 SATURN L-SERIES VEHICLES RECALLED IN 07V-518 EXPERIENCED A SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER RATE OF TIMING CHAIN FAILURES THAN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.THE COMPLAINT RATE FOR TIMING CHAIN FAILURES RESULTING IN SWD WAS APPROXIMATELY 5 TIMES HIGHER FOR THE RECALLED VEHICLES,19.2 INCIDENTS PER THOUSAND VEHICLES (IPTV), THAN FOR THE SUBJECT VEHICLES, 3.7 IPTV.THE WARRANTY CLAIMS RATE FOR CHAIN FAILURES RESULTING IN SWD WAS OVER 3 TIMES HIGHER FOR THE RECALLED VEHICLES, 2.4 PERCENT, THAN FOR THE SUBJECT VEHICLES, 0.7 PERCENT.THE COMPLAINT AND WARRANTY RATES FOR THE SUBJECT VEHICLES WERE SIMILAR TO RATES RECORDED IN OTHER RECENTLY CLOSED INVESTIGATIONS FOR CONDITIONS THAT COULD RESULT IN SWD WITH NO ENGINE RE-START, EA07-015 AND EA07-018.ANALYSIS OF ALL COMPLAINTS, FIELD REPORTS AND WARRANTY CLAIMS FOUND NO ALLEGATIONS OF CRASHES OR INJURIES ASSOCIATED WITH THE ALLEGED DEFECT IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES AFTER APPROXIMATELY 7 TO 9 YEARS IN SERVICE. ODI'S ANALYSIS OF THE STALLING INCIDENTS THAT HAVE RESULTED FROM TIMING CHAIN FAILURES IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES FOUND THAT THEY CAN OCCUR AT ANY SPEED AND ALMOST ALWAYS RESULT IN A NO RESTART CONDITION.THESE ARE GENERALLY CONSIDERED TO BE FACTORS THAT INCREASE THE SEVERITY OF STALLING INCIDENTS.HOWEVER, ANALYSIS OF SWD FAILURE RATES IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES SHOW THAT THEY HAVE OCCURRED AT MUCH LOWER RATES THAN WERE OBSERVED IN THE RECALLED POPULATION.IN ADDITION, THE SWD COMPLAINT AND WARRANTY RATES FOR THE SUBJECT VEHICLES ARE SIMILAR TO RATES OBSERVED IN PRIOR INVESTIGATIONS INVOLVING SIMILAR CATEGORIES OF ENGINE STALL CONSEQUENCES THAT WERE CLOSED WITH NO ACTION.FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF THIS MATTER WOULD NOT BE AN EFFICIENT ALLOCATION OF AGENCY RESOURCES.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST.THE AGENCY WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR COMPLAINTS AND OTHER INFORMATION RELATING TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES AND TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED.

ON JUNE 6, 2006, ODI OPENED AN INVESTIGATION OF TIMING CHAIN FAILURE RESULTING IN ENGINE STALL WHILE DRIVING WITH NO RESTART IN APPROXIMATELY 20,514 MODEL YEAR (MY) 2001 SATURN L-SERIES VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 2.2L ENGINES (L61) BUILT FROM NOVEMBER 2000 THROUGH FEBRUARY 2001 (EA06-009).THE VEHICLES BUILT DURING THOSE MONTHS EXHIBITED HIGHER FAILURE RATES THAN SIMILARLY EQUIPPED VEHICLES BUILT BEFORE AND AFTER.GM INTRODUCED A NEW TIMING CHAIN DESIGN IN PRODUCTION IN MAY 2002.ODI CLOSED ITS INVESTIGATION AFTER GM INITIATED A SAFETY RECALL ON NOVEMBER 7, 2007 (RECALL 07V-519). ON MAY 22, 2008, THE NORTH CAROLINA CONSUMERS COUNCIL (NCCC) SUBMITTED A DEFECT PETITION TO ODI REQUESTING THE EXPANSION OF RECALL 07V-519 TO INCLUDE ALL MY 1999 THROUGH 2003 SATURN L-SERIES VEHICLES WITH 2.2L ENGINES USING THE SAME TIMING CHAIN DESIGN AS THE RECALLED POPULATION.THE PETITION STATES THAT THE NCCC CONTINUES TO RECEIVE COMPLAINTS FROM CONSUMERS THAT HAVE HAD A TIMING CHAIN FAIL IN VEHICLES BUILT OUTSIDE THE PRODUCTION RANGE COVERED BY THE RECALL.THE PETITION ALSO NOTES THAT ODI HAS CONTINUED TO RECEIVE COMPLAINTS.SINCE THE CLOSING OF EA06-009 ODI HAS RECEIVED 80 NEW COMPLAINTS FROM CONSUMERS WHO HAD A TIMING CHAIN FAIL IN A MY 2000 THROUGH 2002 SATURN L-SERIES WITH THE 2.2L ENGINE THAT WERE NOT COVERED BY RECALL 07V-519 AND WERE BUILT PRIOR TO THE TIMING BELT CHANGE IN MAY 2002.THE COMPLAINTS DESCRIBE THE SAME FAILURE MODE AS THE RECALLED POPULATION WHERE THE TIMING CHAIN CAN BREAK SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING, RESULTING IN ENGINE DAMAGE AND LOSS OF MOTIVE POWER.THE DEFECT PETITION HAS BEEN GRANTED. A PRELIMINARY EVALUATION (PE08-061) HAS BEEN OPENED.

ON DECEMBER 12, 2005, ODI RECEIVED A DEFECT PETITION (DP05-008) REQUESTING THE INVESTIGATION OF TIMING CHAIN FAILURES THAT COULD CAUSE STALLING IN SATURN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE 2.2L (L61) ENGINE. ODI OPENED PE06-006 ON JANUARY 24, 2006, WITH 24 VEHICLE OWNER COMPLAINTS THAT ALLEGED A BROKEN TIMING CHAIN CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO STOP OPERATING.ON APRIL 12, 2006, ODI RECEIVED INFORMATION FROM GENERAL MOTORS (GM) CONCERNING TIMING CHAIN FAILURES IN APPROXIMATELY 412,000 MODEL YEAR (MY) 2000 THROUGH 2003 SATURN L-SERIES AND ION VEHICLES WITH 2.2L ENGINES. GM'S RESPONSE INCLUDED 1,020 OWNER COMPLAINTS AND FIELD REPORTS CONCERNING TIMING CHAIN FAILURE, INCLUDING 228 THAT ALLEGED THE FAILURE CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO STALL WHILE DRIVING.GM ALSO PROVIDED WARRANTY CLAIM DATA THAT SHOWED 1,902 SUBJECT VEHICLES RECEIVING TIMING CHAIN REPAIRS, INCLUDING 261 WHICH INDICATED THAT A STALL WHILE DRIVING RESULTED FROM THE FAILURE.THE GM COMPLAINTS, FIELD REPORTS AND WARRANTY CLAIMS THAT DID NOT CONTAIN SUFFICIENT INFORMATION TO DETERMINE THAT A STALL WHILE DRIVING OCCURRED WERE PROVIDED IN THE CATEGORY OTHER.GM STATED THAT THE MAJORITY OF THESE INCIDENTS PROBABLY OCCURRED WHILE THE VEHICLES WERE PARKED SINCE THE TIMING CHAIN IS MORE LIKELY TO BREAK DURING HIGH CHAIN LOAD SITUATIONS, SUCH AS ENGINE STARTUP.GM'S DATA SHOWED ELEVATED FAILURE RATES IN APPROXIMATELY 20,500 MY 2001 L-SERIES VEHICLES PRODUCED DURING A FOUR MONTH PERIOD FROM NOVEMBER 2000 THROUGH FEBRUARY 2001.OVER ONE-THIRD OF GM'S TOTAL COMPLAINTS AND FIELD REPORTS (34.3%) AND WARRANTY CLAIMS (38.2%) INVOLVED L-SERIES VEHICLES BUILT DURING THE 4-MONTH PERIOD, WHICH ARE ONLY ABOUT 5% OF SUBJECT VEHICLE PRODUCTION.THE TIMING CHAIN FAILURE RATE IN THE VEHICLES BUILT DURING THIS RANGE IS OVER 10 TIMES GREATER THAN THE REMAINING SUBJECT VEHICLE POPULATION. FOR THE MY 2001 L-SERIES VEHICLES BUILT DURING THE 4-MONTH PERIOD, THE 36-MONTH FAILURE RATE FOR REPAIRS INVOLVING STALL WHILE DRIVING IS SLIGHTLY UNDER ONE PERCENT.HOWEVER, IF THE INCIDENTS CODED AS OTHER ARE ADDED, THE 36-MONTH FAILURE RATE RISES TO NEARLY FIVE PERCENT FOR THOSE VEHICLES.ODI AND GM ARE CONTINUING TO ASSESS THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS AND WARRANTY CLAIMS CODED BY GM AS OTHER THAT INVOLVE INCIDENTS OF STALL WHILE DRIVING.GM'S STATISTICAL MODELING OF THE FAILURE DATA INITIALLY CONCLUDED THAT THE FAILURE RATES WERE DECLINING WITH AGE AND MILEAGE FOR ANY SET OF WARRANTY DATA ANALYZED (E.G., STALL WHILE DRIVING, OTHER OR COMBINED).HOWEVER, SUBSEQUENT ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT THE FAILURE RATES ARE INCREASING. BASED ON THE HIGH COMPLAINT AND WARRANTY RATES FOR TIMING CHAIN FAILURE IN THE 4-MONTH PRODUCTION PERIOD FOR THE MY 2001 L-SERIES VEHICLES, THIS INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS TO FURTHER ASSESS THE FREQUENCY OF STALL INCIDENTS DUE TO TIMING CHAIN FAILURES IN THOSE VEHICLES (EA06-009).

Rear tail lights will not work. Have checked all fuses relays,and even changed the turn signal switch. My car is currently at the garage. Original appointment was only for inspection. Mechanic has not yet located the issue. Also has no dash lights. Parking lights. Had I known this in advance would have returned car immediately.

NHTSA ID

11519745

Incident

Dec 29, 2022

The contact owns a 2002 Saturn J-Type. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle's brake lights failed to illuminate. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 05V245000 (Exterior Lighting), however, the part to do the recall repair is no longer being manufactured. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.

NHTSA ID

11515269

Incident

Mar 28, 2023

Mileage

118,000 mi

The same thing is happening to my car that happened to many Saturn owners of the same year. The car is turning but only stays on for a few seconds before shutting off. This seems to be the same as the ignition module and spark plugs issue as it is the same symptoms as those people were experiencing.

NHTSA ID

11470765

Incident

Jun 23, 2022

ENGINE STALLED WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AROUND 65-70 MPH. ENGINE COULD NOT BE RESTARTED AND HAD TO BE TOWED BACK HOME. MECHANIC INSPECTION REVEALED COMPLETE LOSS OF COMPRESSION IN TWO CYLINDERS AND PARTIAL COMPRESSION LOSS IN OTHER TWO. ENGINE WAS PERMANENTLY DAMAGED AND WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED OR REBUILT AT HIGH COST IN THE THOUSANDS. ENGINE HAD 102,057 MILES AT TIME OF FAILURE.

NHTSA ID

11395636

Incident

Nov 25, 2020

Mileage

102,057 mi

MECHANIC FOUND SHORT CIRCUIT IN TAIL LAMP ASSEMBLIES CAUSING BRAKE LIGHTS TO COME ON, AND STAY ON, WHEN HEADLAMPS DO. *TR

NHTSA ID

11325941

Incident

May 26, 2020

Mileage

130,000 mi

VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION AT 30 MPH ON CITY STREET, ENGINE COMPLETELY STOPPED WORKING WITH LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES. COASTED VEHICLE TO A SIDE STREET & STOPPED. HAD CAR TOWED TO A MECHANIC. WE WERE QUOTED $1700 BILL TO REPAIR DUE TO BROKEN TIMING CHAIN. RESEARCHED RECALLS AND FOUND THAT NHTSA HAD A RECALL #07V519000 FOR 2001 SATURN L100. THIS SEEMS GROSSLY SHORTSIGHTED ON THE PART OF NHTSA, AS THERE HAVE BEEN DOZENS OF DUPLICATE COMPLAINTS. THIS PROMPTED THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA CONSUMERS COUNCIL TO ISSUE A DEFECT PETITION FOR 2000-2003 SATURN L SERIES WITH THE 2.2L ENGINE WITH THE NHTSA. IT IS SURPRISING HOW LITTLE EFFORT THE NHTSA HAS MADE IN LIGHT OF THE SCOPE OF THIS PROBLEM.

NHTSA ID

11257582

Incident

Sep 19, 2019

Mileage

175 mi

TAKATA RECALL VEHICLE IN PARK WHEN STARTED. LIGHTS DIM AN GO BRIGHT ON DASH. FAN GOES ON WHEN MOTOR NOT HOT. WHEN FAN GOES ON AND CAR IS BEING DRIVEN CAR WILL JUMP WHEN CAR SHIFTS GEARS. I ONLY CAN DRIVE ON SIDE ROADS. TO NERVOUS TO GO ON HIGHWAY NOW. ONLY HAPPENS WHEN COOLING FAN IS ON. I HAVE SEEN LOTS OF REPORTS THAT PEOPLE POST OF OTHER CARS LIKE MINE HAVING SAME ISSUES. WAS TOLD THEY REPORTED IT. NOTHING WAS DONE. SERIOUSLY THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. SHOULDN'T MATTER WERE THE CAR WAS MADE. PARTS ARE THE SAME. I HAVEN'T BROUGHT IT IN SINCE 2017. I DON'T HAVE MONEY FOR REPAIRS OR FIX IT IF IT'S THE MANUFACTURS FAULTY PARTS. I'VE ALREADY PUT 1400 DOLLARS FOR REPLACEMENT OF FUEL PUMP AN OTHER PARTS. AN THIS PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF AN WHEN YOU CAN LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE.

NHTSA ID

11114655

Incident

Mar 1, 2016

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 SATURN LS. WHILE PUMPING FUEL INTO THE FUEL TANK, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT FUEL WAS LEAKING OUT OF THE TANK. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE LEAKAGE SEEMED TO COME FROM THE TUBE, BUT WAS NOT COMPLETELY SURE. THE CONTACT ALSO NOTICED THAT THE BRAKE LINES WERE RUSTED. THE CONTACT RESEARCHED THE FAILURE ONLINE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE SERVICE ENGINE INDICATOR WAS ILLUMINATED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 117,000.

NHTSA ID

11073072

Incident

Feb 8, 2018

Mileage

117,000 mi

This PI communicates the requirement to provide a pico file to receive diagnostic assistance from TAC.

Vehicle Wide Programming (VWP) is a new process to update software on GM Vehicles. It provides the ability via a single selection within Techline Connect to first identify which modules need updating and then proceed to updating affected modules (with some exceptions). The updating of modules is completed in parallel instead of the technician needing to update one module at a time. This allows a more streamlined approach for dealers and customers.

This bulletin provides information for use on a Product Assistance Claim (PAC), which is formerly known as a Product Allegation Resolution (PAR) claim.

This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Service Programming System (SPS) Error Codes E4398, E4399, E4401, E4403, M4404, M4413, M6954, M6955, E4414, E4423, E4491, E4492, or E6961 and resolution information.

This bulletin provides information for electrical ground repairs using new General Motors replacement fasteners with conductive finish.

This technical bulletin advises of a new fuel injection cleaner kit used for decarbonizing the intake valves to correct conditions of rough idle, Crank no start, extended crank or misfire, MIL with DTCs, and explains how Top Tier fuels should be used to reduce carbon build-up.