2003 Saturn L200

PARKED CAR AND LOCKED WITH REMOTE. UPON RETURN TO VEHICLE SMELLED GAS AND WAS LOCKED OUT OF 2003 SATURN LS200 AFTER ONLY 17,500 MILES DRIVEN. PURCHASED NEW IN 2003. STRANDED UNTIL AAA TOW TO LAS VEGAS FINDLAY GM DEALERSHIP. OPENED MANUALLY WITH KEY INSTEAD OF REMOTE. ATTEMPTED TO START CAR ENGINE. TURNED OVER FOR A FEW SECONDS AND DIED. ALL DASHBOARD GAUGES NOT WORKING. PROBLEM PER GM DEALER WAS TWOFOLD: (1) FAULTY BODY CONTROL MODULE (BCM) THAT CONTROLS VEHICLE'S ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILED AND REQUIRED COSTLY REPLACEMENT PART AT $614 PLUS LABOR; ALSO (2) FUEL PUMP FAILED AND REQUIRED COSTLY PART REPLACEMENT AT $498 PLUS LABOR AND CLEANING OF FUEL SYSTEM. AFTER BRIEF INTERNET SEARCH I FOUND THESE TWO PARTS ARE NOTORIOUS FOR FAILURES IN SATURN VEHICLES. HAVE BEEN FAILING SINCE 2003 AND CONTINUE TO FAIL. COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN MADE BY SATURN OWNERS TO GM AND THE NTSB. GAUGES AND LIGHTS HAVE REPORTEDLY FAILED EVEN WHEN DRIVING BECAUSE OF FAULTY BCM. AN INITIAL BODY CONTROL MODULE (BCM) RECALL (SATURN RECALL #03C06) IS NOTED BY OTHER OWNERS, BUT I NEVER RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION. THE BCM AND FUEL PUMP SHOULD NOT FAIL AT 17,500 MILES!! THIS IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT. THE BCM AND FUEL PUMP ARE VERY EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR! *TR

2003 SATURN L200. CONSUMER STATES VEHICLE RUNS ROUGH AND HAS LOW POWER AND SOMETIMES ENGINE LIGHT WOULD COME ON *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED A FEW WEEKS AGO, THE VEHICLE MADE A HORRENDOUS NOISE AND STARTED TO RUN ROUGH. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A REPAIR SHOP, BUT A CODE DID NOT SHOW ON THE COMPUTER. HOWEVER, WHEN THEY LOOKED ON THE INTERNET, THEY FOUND A RECALL REGARDING THE IGNITION CONTROL MODULE, WHICH DESCRIBED WHAT THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED. THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP STATED ACCORDING TO THEIR RECORDS, THE RECALL HAD ALREADY BEEN PERFORMED. ALSO, THE IGNITION TOWER HAD SINCE FAILED. THE CONSUMER STATED HE WAS NEVER NOTIFIED OF A RECALL.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SATURN L-SERIES. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, IT WOULD NOT START AND SMOKE BEGAN TO RISE FROM UNDERNEATH THE HOOD. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC ARRIVED AND DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY. THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE AUTHORIZED DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 03V231000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE). THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 75,000.

WHEN DRIVING THE HEADLIGHTS AND ALL GAUGES TURN OFF AND COME BACK ON BUT NOW THE GAUGES DON'T WORK THE HEAD LIGHTS STAY ON WHEN THE CAR IS TURNED OFF AND GO OUT WHILE DRIVING THE DOORS WILL NOT UNLOCK THE SECURITY LIGHT COMES ON AND RESETS THE MILEAGE EVERYTIME THE LIGHTS TURN OFF, AND ALL POWER TURNS OFF. THE ALTERNATOR WAS TESTED AND THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED AS WELL AS THE ELECTRICAL PORTION OF THE IGNITION SWITCH. *TR

BODY-CONTROL MODULE FAILURE: WITHIN 3 MONTHS OF EACH OTHER, THE BODY-CONTROL MODULE (BCM) AND ENGINE COOLANT THERMOSTAT HAD TO BE REPLACED. SATURN DEALER, ON 3/28/2009 TOLD ME THAT THE BCM, IF NOT REPLACED, COULD LEAD TO SERIOUS FAILURES, SUCH AS FAILURE TO START, OVERHEATING AND OTHER PROBLEMS. OVER PRIOR SEVERAL WEEKS, THERE WERE INTERMITTENT READINGS ON DASHBOARD, INCLUDING CHECK ENGINE, SERVICE ENGINE, AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT AND ABS WARNING LIGHT. APPARENTLY NOTHING WRONG WITH THE ENGINE, AIRBAG OR BRAKES THEMSELVES, BUT THE BCM WAS GOING BAD, CAUSING THE READINGS ON DASHBOARD. BCM REPLACEMENT APPROX. $450 AND ENGINE COOLANT THERMOSTAT REPLACEMENT COST APPROX $300. *TR

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.

ODO ~82000. I WAS DRIVING NORTH ON M-39 WHEN I NOTICED SEVERAL DASH LIGHTS ILLUMINATE: ABS, TC AND THEFT (THERE MAY HAVE BEEN MORE, BUT I AM CERTAIN THAT IT WAS NOT ALL OF THE DASH INDICATORS). THE VEHICLE WAS STILL RUNNING AT THIS POINT. MOMENTARILY, THOUGH, THE VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER (NOT LIKE A STALL, BUT JUST LIKE IT WENT DEAD SINCE ALL DASH LIGHTS HAD GONE OUT). IT WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT FOR ME TO NAVIGATE THE VEHICLE SAFELY TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC WITHOUT THE ASSISTANCE OF POWER BRAKES OR POWER STEERING. AFTER STOPPING THE VEHICLE, I RECYCLED THE IGNITION AND THE VEHICLE OPERATED NORMALLY THE REST OF THE WAY HOME (~20 MILES) AND TO WORK THE NEXT MORNING. EARLIER THAT MORNING WHILE STOPPED AT AN INTERSECTION LIGHT, THE ABS, TC AND THEFT LIGHT ALSO ACTIVATED, THOUGH THE VEHICLE DID NOT EXPERIENCE A SHUT DOWN/POWER DOWN, OR EVEN A STALL. I CONTACTED SATURN OF PLYMOUTH AND THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AGREED TO RESEARCH THE ISSUE AND CONTACT ME BACK TO SET UP AN APPOINTMENT TO BRING THE CAR IN. PRIOR VEHICLE HISTORY WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT BE RELEVANT TO THIS ISSUE: 1) IGN MODULE REPLACED UNDER RECALL, 2) HEADLAMPS FLICKER OCCASIONALLY AND INTERMITTENTLY UNDER CHANGES IN VEHICLE ELECTRICAL LOAD ' THIS HAS OCCURRED EVER SINCE I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE NEW, BUT GM SAYS THIS IS "NORMAL OPERATION", 3) BATTERY & STARTER REPLACED FALL 2007. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR HELPING TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. IT IS A VERY SCARY FEELING TO EXPERIENCE SUDDEN VEHICLE SHUTDOWN AND DRASTIC CHANGE IN STEERING AND BRAKE PERFORMANCE. *TR

I WAS DRIVING WHEN THE VEHICLE STOPPED RUNNING. WHILE THE FUEL PUMP NEEDED REPLACEMENT, IN FACT IT APPEARS THAT THERE WAS WIDE SPREAD ELECTRICAL DAMAGE. THE DAMAGE IS IDENTICAL TO THE DAMAGE DESCRIBED IN SATURN RECALL 03V231000. I CONTACTED SATURN, BUT THEY SAY THAT THE RECALL DOES NOT COVER MY CAR. BASED ON THE SYMPTOMS, IT'S POSSIBLE THAT IT SHOULD COVER MY PARTICULAR VEHICLE. MY VIN NUMBER IS . SATURN DID ASSIGN A CASE NUMBER TO THIS INCIDENT, CASE NUMBER 71-654487537, HOWEVER, THEY CLAIM NO RESPONSIBILITY. *TR