1993 Saturn Sl Engine Problems

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 1993 SATURN SL-2. WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO COAST THE VEHICLE OFF TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER, BUT LOST CONTROL AND CRASHED INTO THREE POLES. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY AND EJECTED THE CONTACT THROUGH THE FRONT WINDSHIELD. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED BROKEN RIBS AND A PERMANENT HEAD INJURY. THE CONTACT WAS IN A COMA ON LIFE SUPPORT FOR THREE WEEKS. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND THE INSURANCE COMPANY DECLARED THAT IT WAS DESTROYED. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. UPDATED 10/05/17*LJ *JS *TR

NHTSA ID

11006222

Incident

Jun 22, 1993

WHILE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE, THE MOTOR WOULD JUST STOP AND THEN WOULD NOT START UNTIL IT COOLED OFF. HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED 6 TIMES WITHIN 6 MONTHS. HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DRIVE IT SINCE.

NHTSA ID

10584831

Incident

Sep 1, 2008

PROBLEMS WITH THE HARMONIC BALANCER HAVING EXCESSIVE RUN OUT CAUSING IMPROPER SERPENTINE BELT ALIGNMENT WHICH CREATED EXCESSIVE BELT WEAR. IF PROBLEM IS LEFT UNATTENDED, SERPENTINE BELT/BALANCER CAN SEPARATE CAUSING ENGINE STALL AND LOSS OF POWER STEERING WHICH MAY CAUSE ACCIDENT. CONTACTED MANUFACTURER BUT DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE A PROBLEM EXISTED EVEN THOUGH THE BALANCER WAS REDESIGNED. BALANCER WAS REPLACED BY THE OWNER AS A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE TO PREVENT POTENTIAL HAZARDS. I ALSO NOTICED SEVERAL FAILURE NOTICES BY OTHER OWNERS OF THIS SAME BRAND/MODEL OF VEHICLE POSTED ON THE INTERNET. VEHICLE IN QUESTION IS A 1993 SATURN SL2 SDN W/DOHC 1.9L ENGINE COULD NOT FIND THE PROPER CATEGORY TO CLASSIFY THE VEHICLE I THE NEXT PAGES.*JB

NHTSA ID

10131997

Incident

Aug 4, 2005

Mileage

106,900 mi

THE ALTERNATOR BELT BROKE FOUR TIMES SINCE OWNERSHIP. ON ONE OCCASION, THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AT 50 MPH AND THE BELT BROKE, WHICH CAUSED THE POWER STEERING TO BECOME INOPERATIVE, AND ALMOST RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT. DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER HAVE BEEN INFORMED OF THE PROBLEM.*AK THE SERPENTINE BELT FELL OFF WHILE DRIVING, DEALER REPLACED. *TS *JB

NHTSA ID

10042105

Incident

Jan 26, 1996

Mileage

29,000 mi

THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE UNDER THE HOOD.*JB *TS

NHTSA ID

10009241

Incident

Feb 21, 2003

VALVE TRAIN SEEMS TO FAIL AT ABOUT 95-160 THOUSAND MILES WITH UNKNOWN CAUSE. CALLED BOTH DEALER AND REPAIR SHOPS. BOTH SEEM TO SAY THE SAME. EITHER VALVE SEATS OR PISTON RINGS FAIL AT THESE POINTS OF MILAGE. BETWEEN 95,000 TO 160,000 MILES WITH UNKNOWN CAUSE. SOME SAID MIGHT BE THE ALUMINUM HEAD DEFECT, OTHERS SAID THAT THERE ARE STRESS CRACKS FROM THE MOLDING OF THE HEAD. THEY ALL SAY CAN NOT REALLY TELL UNTIL TAKEN APART AND VISUALLY CHECKED. HIGH COST TO DO THIS. BUT NO KNOWN RECALLS ON THE HEAD DEFECT OR VALVE SEAT OR VALVE TRAIN SYSTEM. ALSO ON THE DOOR HINGE, THE DOOR SEALS LET WATER DOWN TO THE HINGE AND IT ROTS OUT THE HINGE ON THE DOOR, CAUSING THE DOOR TO FALL OR ROT OFF.

NHTSA ID

768642

Incident

Sep 15, 2002

THE CONSUMER ADDED COOLANT SEVERAL TIMES BUT THE LOW COOLANT LIGHT KEPT COMING. THE DEALER DETERMINED THE CAUSE TO BE A CRACKED CYLINDER HEAD WHICH WAS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT THAT CAUSED THE ENGINE OIL TO BE CONTAMINATED WITH THE ANTIFREEZE. *YH

NHTSA ID

8009963

Incident

Apr 5, 2002

MY BIGGEST PROBLEMS IS WITH THE STALLING OF THE CAR IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC. I HAVE ALMOST BEEN IN ONE ACCIDENT AND THERE HAS BEEN ALOT OF TIMES AT WHICH THIS CAR HAS STALLED. THIS VEHICLE IS VERY DANGEROUS TO ME AND MY 4 YEAR OLD BOY AND THE PLACE AT WHICH I AM STILL PAYING FOR THIS CAR AS NOT BEEN COOPERATIVE IN FIXING THIS PROBLEM WHICH WAS BROUGHT TO THERE ATTENTION FROM DAY ONE. ANNA COLE. *AK

NHTSA ID

756121

Incident

Nov 1, 2001

TIMING CHAIN AND GUIDES FAILED. *SLC

NHTSA ID

785264

Incident

Jan 1, 2000

ENGINE ACCESS MOUNT COLLAPSED DUE TO AGE AND BECAUSE IT HAS WORN OUT, CAUSING VEHICLE TO SHAKE AND RATTLE BAD. *AK *ML

NHTSA ID

864893

I WAS TOLD THE PROBLEM COULD POSSIBLY BE WITH THE VALVE GUILDES AND TO SEE IF THERE WAS A RECALL BECAUSE IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH OLDER SATURNS. I CAN NOT FIND ANYTHING ON THIS AND HOPE YOU CAN HELP. *AK

NHTSA ID

721786

Incident

Sep 15, 1999

SINCE I HAVE PURCHASED MY VEHICLE IN 1996, I HAVE HAD TO HAVE A NUMBER OF REPAIRS DONE TO AVERGING $200. OR MORE . I AM HAVING REPAIRS DONE ABOUT EVERY TWO MONTHS. I GOT THE HISTORY OF MY CAR AND FOUND THAT IT HAS BEEN THIS WAY SINCE THE DAY IT WAS READY TO BE SOLD. NO SAFETY DEFECT LISTED IN THE SUMMARY. *AK

NHTSA ID

720707

Incident

Feb 29, 2000

ENGINE BLOCK HAS SPLIT NEAR THE LOCATION OF ALTERNATOR ,CAUSING IT TO BE LOSE AND CUT INTO THE BELT. THE BLOCK BUSTED UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE. TRANSMISSION HAS A PROBLEM WHEN SHIFTING, AND SATURN HAS TOLD ME THEY CAN'T FIND ANYTHING ODD ABOUT IT. NOR IS THERE ANYTHING ODD ABOUT THE ENGINE OVERHEATING DURING BARELY WARM DAYS IN THE SUMMER. POSSIBLY CONNECTED. *AK

NHTSA ID

716817

Incident

Dec 28, 1999

ALUMINUM ENGINE CRACKED AT MOUNTS ON RIGHT SIDE -- ENGINE IS HANGING

NHTSA ID

715602

Incident

Dec 2, 1999

ENGINE RUNS ROUGH, STALLING CONTINUALLY.

NHTSA ID

525320

ENGINE VALVES FAILED.

NHTSA ID

537416

ENGINE CYLINDER HEAD CRACKED, RESULTING IN OIL LEAK DUE TO IMPROPER MANUFACTURING.

NHTSA ID

533747

Incident

Feb 1, 1998

VEHICLE WILL RUN AT HIGH IDLE AND SOMETIMES WILL STALL.

NHTSA ID

526928

Incident

Dec 8, 1997

BRAKES HAVE NEVER WORKED PROPERLY. HAVE TO BRAKE AHEAD OF TIME TO AVOID ACCIDENT. DEALER REPLACED AND RESURFACED ROTORS 2 TIMES. TRANSMISSION LEAKING. REPLACED VALVE BODY COVER GASKET. ANOTHER MECHANIC CLAIMS CRACK IN TRANMISSION. FIRST HALF WAS DONE UNDER WARRANTY. SECOND TIME ROTORS/PADS WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED. DEFECT IS STILL REOCCURRING. *AK

NHTSA ID

819763

Incident

Jun 11, 1994

VALVE BODY FAILURE CAUSING VEHICLE TO TAKE 10-20 SECONDS TO MOVE IN REVERSE GEAR. YH

NHTSA ID

605442

Incident

Jun 1, 1997

CRACKED ENGINE HEAD. *AK

NHTSA ID

518154

Incident

Apr 1, 1997

THE ENGINE FLOODED WITH RAIN WATER AND STALLED.

NHTSA ID

517403

Incident

Oct 1, 1996

TIMING CHAIN REPLACED.

NHTSA ID

602879

Incident

Feb 8, 1995

UPPER MOTOR MOUNTS FAILED 2 TIMES.

NHTSA ID

511213

Incident

Nov 14, 1994

VEHICLE WAS PARKED ON PARKING LOT, LEFT VEHICLE FOR A HALF HOUR, RETURNED TO VEHICLE, FIRE & POLICE DEPT. SURROUNDED VEHICLE WHICH HAD CAUGHT FIRE/BURNED. *AK

NHTSA ID

986091

Incident

Jun 8, 1996