2003 Saturn L200

PRECEEDING THE TWO ELECTRICAL FIRES IN MY VEHICLE, I HAD INTERMITTENT ISSUES WITH SHORTS IN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (THE LOCKS UNLOCKING/LOCKING AT RANDOM; LIGHTS GOING ON AND OFF AND THE ALARM SYSTEM TRIGGERING EVEN WHEN NOT SET). THERE WAS ALSO LEAKAGE FROM SOMEWHERE IN THE CAR (EITHER THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD OR ELSEWHERE IN THE FRONT) THAT WAS QUITE NOTICEABLE DURING A HEAVY STORM. EARLIER THIS YEAR, I WAS EXITING A PARKING GARAGE WHEN I FIRST SAW AND THEN SMELLED SMOKE COMING FROM OUT OF THE DASH. THE ELECTRICAL WIRES SHORTED OUT AND CAUSED A FIRE THAT MELTED A PORTION OF THE WIRING IN THE FRONT OF THE CAR. THE DEALERSHIP COULD NOT REPAIR THE CAR FOR SEVERAL DAYS AND DURING A STORM TWO DAYS LATER, THE ENTIRE SYSTEM SHORTED OUT AGAIN (LIGHTS AND OTHER COMPONENTS WOULD NOT TURN OFF) AND THE BATTERY COMPLETELY DISCHARGED. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THAT THE LEAK WAS DUE TO A FAULTY WINDSHIELD PLACEMENT AND REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD (AND WATER-TESTED IT) ALONG WITH THE AFFECTED WIRING SYSTEMS, THE BATTERY AND THE CARPETING. NOW, JUST TWO DAYS AGO, I HAVE HAD A RECURRENCE OF THE SAME ISSUE. AGAIN, AFTER A HEAVY STORM, I WOKE TO DISCOVER THAT THE WIRING IN THE SAME AREA OF THE CAR HAD SHORTED OUT. THIS TIME, THE RESULTING FIRE MELTED THE PLASTIC HOUSING SURROUNDING THE FUSEBOX, AND THE HOUSING IS NOW A PILE OF MELTED GOO ON THE CARPET IN THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE CAR. THE DEALERSHIP HAS YET TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE SHORT.

SEVERE LIGHT DIMMING; ALL LIGHTS DIM SEVERELY (ENOUGH TO CAUSE A TRACTOR TRAILER DRIVER TO THINK I GAVE HIM THE FLASH TO PASS SIGNAL, CAUSING HIM TO MOVE OVER INTO MY LANE) AT RANDOM, SOMETIMES 2 TO 3 TIMES PER MILE DRIVEN. SATURN HAS ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN, 04-08-42-001, STATING LIGHT DIMMING IS A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE L-SERIES, YET THEY HAVE NOT DRIVEN MY CAR ON THE HIGHWAY AT NIGHT TO SEE THE EXTREMITY OF THE DIMMING IN MY VEHICLE. SOMETIMES IT OCCURS RIGHT AWAY, OTHER TIMES IT TAKES A WHILE. SATURDAY NIGHT, 04/24/04 I TOOK THE CAR TO ATLANTA, GA. BETWEEN MOBILE, AND MONTGOMERY, THE LIGHTS DIMMED SEVERELY FOR DOZENS OF MILES. SATURDAY NIGHT, 06/19/04 I TOOK THE CAR ON A TRIP TO BIRMINGHAM, AL TO TRY TO RE-CREATE THE PROBLEM AND DOCUMENT IT. IT DIDN'T OCCUR UNTIL AFTER DRIVING IT 220 MILES. IT THEN DIMMED SEVERELY MANY TIMES FOR AROUND 10 TO 15 MILES (AS MANY AS 2 - 3 TIMES PER MILE). AFTER THAT POINT, IT STOPPED DOING IT. *AK

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.

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

*SATURN BUYERS BEWARE* I PURCHASED A BRAND NEW L200 IN MARCH 03. TO DATE I HAVE HAD THE FOLLOWING PROBLEMS: -CAR DOES NOT START ALL THE TIME -TEMPERATURE CONTROLS DOES NOT WORK -REMOTE ENTRY SYSTEM DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY I HAVE TAKEN MY CAR INTO SATURN 4 TIMES, BUT TO NO AVAIL. THEY CLAIMED THAT THEY CAN'T FIND ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR. SATURN CUSTOMER SERVICE IS TERRIBLE AS WELL. *LA

A TRACTOR TRAILER WAS PASSING ME ON THE INTERSTATE. JUST AS HIS TRAILER WAS APPROXIMATELY 2/3 PAST ME, MY LIGHTS DIMMED OUT ON MY CAR BY THEMSELVES. THE DRIVER OF THE TRACTOR TRAILER THOUGHT I HAD FLASHED MY HEADLIGHTS AT HIM, TO LET HIM KNOW HE HAD CLEARED MY CAR AND WAS SAFE TO COME INTO MY LANE, WHICH WAS NOT THE CASE. THIS MADE THE DRIVERS BEHIND ME AND THE TRACTOR TRAILER IN ALL 3 LANES, TO SLAM ON THEIR BRAKES. THE TRUCK DRIVER ALMOST LOST CONTROL OF HIS RIG TRYING TO KEEP FROM HITTING ME WHEN HE REALIZED THAT HE DID NOT HAVE CLEARANCE AS MY LIGHTS "SUGGESTED" TO HIM THAT HE HAD. ALL OF US WERE FORTUNATE AT THIS TIME NOT TO HAVE WRECKED. (YET I RECEIVED A LOT OF JERKING OF MY NECK AND HEAD WHEN BRAKING AND STEERING TO GET OUT OF THE WAY). NEXT TIME MY LIGHTS DO THIS IT COULD MAKE ANOTHER TRUCKER OR PERSON PULLING AN RV OR A SCHOOL BUS FULL OF KIDS OR TOUR BUS FULL OF TOURISTS THINK I HAVE GIVEN THE "CLEARANCE" TO MOVE INTO MY LANE; WHEN I HAVE NOT. SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET KILLED IF THIS ISSUE WON?T FORCE TO BE REPAIRED BY GM/SATURN. I REPORTED TO SATURN, WHAT CAUSED THIS SEVERE POWER DRAIN ON MY CAR. WHEN THE AUXILIARY COOLING FAN NEAR THE COMPRESSOR KICKS IN, IT PUTS A SEVERE POWER DRAIN ON THE CARS LIGHTS, WHICH WAS USING THE HEAT OR A/C THAT COULD BE DOZENS OF TIMES IN A MATTER OF MINUTES IF IT APPEARS THAT I AM FLASHING MY HEADLIGHTS TO THOSE IN FRONT OF ME AND TAPPING MY BRAKES TO THOSE BEHIND ME. LAST WEEK, MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP WAS TRYING TO FIX MY CAR. ON THE 2ND DAY OF WORKING ON MY CAR THE SERVICE DEPT. CALLED SATURN INCORPORATED FOR HELP. MY DEALERSHIP WAS FORCED BY SATURN CORPORATION TO STOP WORKING ON MY CAR. THEY WERE TOLD NOT TO FIX MY CAR CLAIMING ALL SATURNS ARE DESIGNED THIS WAY. THEY SAID IT IS NOT A SAFETY OR WARRANTY ISSUE BECAUSE MY LIGHTS DON'T GO ALL THE WAY OFF. MY LIGHTS MIGHT NOT GO ALL THE WAY OUT BUT THEY GO OUT TOO MUCH TO BE CONSIDERED SAFE. NOTE:(THE 2004 L-300 LOANER THEY HAD SUPPLIED ME DOES IT TOO) *LA

A TRACTOR TRAILER WAS PASSING ME ON THE INTERSTATE. JUST AS HIS TRAILER WAS APPROXIMATELY 2/3 PAST ME, MY LIGHTS DIMMED OUT ON MY CAR BY THEMSELVES. THE DRIVER OF THE TRACTOR TRAILER THOUGHT I HAD FLASHED MY HEADLIGHTS AT HIM, TO LET HIM KNOW HE HAD CLEARED MY CAR AND WAS SAFE TO COME INTO MY LANE, WHICH WAS NOT THE CASE. THIS MADE THE DRIVERS BEHIND ME AND THE TRACTOR TRAILER IN ALL 3 LANES, TO SLAM ON THEIR BRAKES. THE TRUCK DRIVER ALMOST LOST CONTROL OF HIS RIG TRYING TO KEEP FROM HITTING ME WHEN HE REALIZED THAT HE DID NOT HAVE CLEARANCE AS MY LIGHTS "SUGGESTED" TO HIM THAT HE HAD. ALL OF US WERE FORTUNATE AT THIS TIME NOT TO HAVE WRECKED. (YET I RECEIVED A LOT OF JERKING OF MY NECK AND HEAD WHEN BRAKING AND STEERING TO GET OUT OF THE WAY). NEXT TIME MY LIGHTS DO THIS IT COULD MAKE ANOTHER TRUCKER OR PERSON PULLING AN RV OR A SCHOOL BUS FULL OF KIDS OR TOUR BUS FULL OF TOURISTS THINK I HAVE GIVEN THE "CLEARANCE" TO MOVE INTO MY LANE; WHEN I HAVE NOT. SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET KILLED IF THIS ISSUE WON?T FORCE TO BE REPAIRED BY GM/SATURN. I REPORTED TO SATURN, WHAT CAUSED THIS SEVERE POWER DRAIN ON MY CAR. WHEN THE AUXILIARY COOLING FAN NEAR THE COMPRESSOR KICKS IN, IT PUTS A SEVERE POWER DRAIN ON THE CARS LIGHTS, WHICH WAS USING THE HEAT OR A/C THAT COULD BE DOZENS OF TIMES IN A MATTER OF MINUTES IF IT APPEARS THAT I AM FLASHING MY HEADLIGHTS TO THOSE IN FRONT OF ME AND TAPPING MY BRAKES TO THOSE BEHIND ME. LAST WEEK, MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP WAS TRYING TO FIX MY CAR. ON THE 2ND DAY OF WORKING ON MY CAR THE SERVICE DEPT. CALLED SATURN INC FOR HELP. MY DEALERSHIP WAS FORCED BY SATURN CORPORATION TO STOP WORKING ON MY CAR. THEY WERE TOLD NOT TO FIX MY CAR CLAIMING ALL SATURNS ARE DESIGNED THIS WAY. THEY SAID IT IS NOT A SAFETY OR WARRANTY ISSUE BECAUSE MY LIGHTS DON'T GO ALL THE WAY OFF. MY LIGHTS MIGHT NOT GO ALL THE WAY OUT BUT THEY GO OUT TOO MUCH TO BE CONSIDERED SAFE. NOTE:(THE 2004 L-300 LOANER THEY HAD SUPPLIED ME DOES IT TOO) *LA