2001 Saturn Saturn L Series Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2001 Saturn Saturn L Series, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Engine866.7%
- Fuel system216.7%
- Airbags18.3%
- Visibility18.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
I HAVE A 2001 SATURN L200 AND THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE AT ONLY 77,352 MILES. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SATURN L SERIES. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS, THE VEHICLE BACKFIRED WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN. THE ENGINE STALLED AND FAILED TO RESTART AND THE VEHICLE COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE WAS CALLED AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN FAILED. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 07V519000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING), ALTHOUGH THE FAILURES WERE IDENTICAL. THE VIN WAS NOT ACCEPTED BY THE SYSTEM. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 102,000.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
FUEL SYSTEM/FUEL TANK VENT VALVE IN 2001 SATURN L200. I KEPT SMELLING GAS FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. COULD NOT FIND THE SOURCE OF THE SMELL. WAS AFRAID OF FIRE/ASPHYXIATION. FINALLY TOOK TO MECHANIC AND HAD A FUEL DIAGNOSTICS PERFORMED. THE FUEL TANK VENTLINE AND THE FUEL PUMP HAD TO BE REPLACED. HAD I CONTINUED TO DRIVE IT THIS WAY IT COULD HAVE RESULTED IN FIRE. *TR
THERE IS NO ONE THING WRONG WITH MY 2001 SATURN L300 V6. JUST EVERYTHING. I TAKE IT IN FOR ONE REPAIR AND SOMETHING ELSE IS WRONG LESS THAN A WEEK LATER. LESS THAN 3 MONTHS AFTER I BOUGHT IT USED, I HAD TO REPLACE THE RADIATOR. THEN MY TIRES WERE BAD BECAUSE THE SUSPENSION SUCKS, AND YOU HAVE TO BUY AN AFTER-MARKET KIT JUST TO FIX THAT ISSUE. THEN MY WATER PUMP BLEW UP. THEN MY FUEL PUMP BLEW. THESE CARS ARE HORRIBLE & SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT IT! *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
THERE IS NO ONE THING WRONG WITH MY 2001 SATURN L300 V6. JUST EVERYTHING. I TAKE IT IN FOR ONE REPAIR AND SOMETHING ELSE IS WRONG LESS THAN A WEEK LATER. LESS THAN 3 MONTHS AFTER I BOUGHT IT USED, I HAD TO REPLACE THE RADIATOR. THEN MY TIRES WERE BAD BECAUSE THE SUSPENSION SUCKS, AND YOU HAVE TO BUY AN AFTER-MARKET KIT JUST TO FIX THAT ISSUE. THEN MY WATER PUMP BLEW UP. THEN MY FUEL PUMP BLEW. THESE CARS ARE HORRIBLE & SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT IT! *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
IN OCTOBER 2006, MY ENGINE COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON. I WAS TOLD IT WAS A BAD CAP THAT WAS NOT HOLDING THE PRESSURE. WITHIN TWO WEEKS, THE SAME LIGHT CAME ON. I WENT BACK AND THEY SAID CAP WAS FINE AND COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM. STATED THAT THEY HAD ADDED A DYE TO THE ENGINE COOLANT TO LOOK FOR THE PROBLEM AND COME BACK IN TWO WEEKS. ALMOST EXACTLY TWO WEEKS LATER, DEC. 1, I RETURNED BECAUSE I HAD FOUND THE PROBLEM. THE COOLANT - INCLUDING THE BRIGHT, FLUORESCENT GREENISH, YELLOWISH DYED - LEAKED ALL IN THE PASSENGER FLOORBOARD AND WAS BEING SOAKED INTO THE MAT AND UPHOLSTERY. MY HEATER CORE HAD FAILED. WHEN I QUESTIONED THE WISDOM OF USING THE DYE, SATURN SAID THERE WAS NO WAY FOR THEM TO KNOW THIS WOULD HAPPEN, IE LEAK INTO MY CAR - YET I HAVE FOUND ONLINE MANY COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME HEATER CORE PROBLEM. *JB
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .