1998 Saturn Sl

REAR WINDOWS WILL NOT GO UP OR DOWN. HOWEVER, THEY FALL DOWN ON LOW SPEED, SLIGHT IMPACT, UNLEVEL TERRAIN (BUMPS). I WONDER IF SATURN HAS ANY IDEA HOW FUN IT IS TO STOP EVERYTIME YOU PASS A BUMP IN THE ROAD, GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND MANUALLY PUSH THE WINDOWS BACK IN PLACE; ONLY TO HAVE THEM FALL AGAIN WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR. DON'T DRIVE YOUR 1998 SATURN SL2 IN THE RAIN UNLESS YOU WISH TO GET WET ALONG WITH EVERYTHING IN YOUR REAR SEAT. IT'S DEFINATELY "DIFFERENT IN A SATURN", THAT'S WHY I WILL NEVER PURCHASE ONE AGAIN. *AK

ACCESSORIES: VOLUME KNOB FELL OFF...NOT REPLACED YET. OVERHEAD INTERIOR LIGHT FELL OFF ROOF...REPAIRED IN AUGUST. OTHER:SINCE AROUND 40,000 MILES THIS CAR HAS HAD A SEVERE VIBRATION, WETHER FROM MOTOR OR TRANSMISSION, OR ??? IS NOT KNOWN. VIBRATION IS SO BAD THAT YOU CANNOT SEE CLEARLY OUT OF REARVIEW MIRROR WHEN IN PARK, OR IN DRIVE WITH FOOT ON BRAKE. IF YOU ARE SITTING IN CAR WHILE IN PARK, VIBRATION CAN ACTUALLY CAUSE A NUMB FEELING IN YOUR BUTT (I AM SERIOUS...THIS IS NOT A JOKE!!!) OTHER TIMES IT IS A FIGHT TO KEEP THE CAR TO A STOP IF IN DRIVE BECAUSE OF VIBRATION AND A "LEAPING" FEELING. DASH PANEL VIBRATES TERRIBLY LOUD, AND IS VERY DISTRACTING FROM THIS PROBLEM TOO.

BEFORE BUYING SATURN SL THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THEY HAD TO REPLACE A MOTOR MOUNT AND PROMISED ME A GOOD RUNNING CAR. SINCE BUYING THIS VEHICLE "USED" IN MARCH OF 2003 I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE SHOP ON AT LEAST 5 OCCASSIONS FOR A VIBRATION IN THE MOTOR THAT CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO SHAKE AND A LOUD EARING RINGING HUMMING IN THE CAR ITSELF THAT WOULD CAUSE THE STEERING WHEEL ITSELF TO SHAKE. ALL BUT ONE OF THE TIMES THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT IT WAS A 4 CYLINDER AND THAT IS HOW THEY SOUND. YHEY WOULD THEN RESET THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT AND SEND ME ON MY WAY. THE NOISE GOT GRADUALLY WORSE TO THE POINT THAT IT WAS UNCOMFORTABLE PHYSICALLY TO DRIVE IT. I RECENTLY REQUESTED ANOTHER LOOK AT THE VEHICLE, THEY DID IN FACT FINALLY SAY " YA THAT'S BAD" AND QUESTIONED WHY THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT HAD NOT COME ON BUT AGAIN REPLACED THE SAME DEFECTED MOTOR MOUNT AGAIN. NOW I HAVE IT BACK AND THERE IS STILL A NOISE IN THE ENGINE THAT IS NOT RIGHT AND WAS TOLD THAT IT IS NO LONGER THEIR PROBLEM.THE VIBRATION ISN'T AS TERRIBLE AS IT WAS BUT MY FEAR IS THAT THEY NEVER FIXED THE PROBLEM THAT CASUED THE VIBRATION JUST A SYMPTOM AND THEREFORE LIKE WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT IT IT WILL COME BACK. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING

1998 SATURN WITH 49,000 MILES NEEDED THE WHOLE TRANSMISSION TO BE REBUILT. THE VALVE BODIES ARE KEPT IN STOCK AT SATURN OF ROUTE 23 BECAUSE THIS IS SUCH A COMMON PROBLEM WITH SATURN. THE CAR HAD BEEN PROPERLY MAINTAINED, TRANS SERVICE AT 25,500 MILES. SATURN WILL TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY IN THE COST OF REPAIRS. I'VE NOTED THAT SATURN IS ON SEVERAL WEBB SITES WITH TRANSMISSION FAILURES DOCUMENTED.

CONSUMER NOTICED UPON STARTING VEHICLE PARK PAW WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF PARK. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK THIS HAPPENED ON FOUR DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. CONSUMER HAD TO ROCK THE VEHICLE, RESTART, PUMP THE BRAKES AND GIGGLE THE LEVER BEFORE IT WOULD RELEASE. WHEN CHANGING GEAR A SCRAPPING SOUND WAS HEARD AND SATURN STATED IT WOULD GET WORSE. AFTER FOUR TIMES, CONSUMER HAD IT REPLACED AT A COST OF $#144.09. CONSUMER NOTED SATURN WOULD NOT WORK ON HIS VEHICLE MAYBE BECAUSE HE FILLED A COMPLAINT FOR SHABBY WORK. *PH

FOR THE PAST 2-3 YEARS I HAVE HAD A MASSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION PROBLEM WITH MY SATURN SL2 '98. I BROUGHT IT TO TWO SATURN DEALERSHIPS WHO TOLD ME THAT I HAD NO LEAK NOR WAS MY CAR BURNING OIL, IN ESSENCE THAT I WAS IMAGINING THIS PROBLEM. IN JULY OF 2003, THE PROBLEM HAD GOTTEN SO BAD THAT I WAS ADDING OIL EVERY 100 MILES, THEN THE CAR BROKE DOWN AND I BROUGHT IT TO A SATURN DEALERSHIP. THEY SAID IT WAS THE TIMING BELT/GASKET AND I REPLACED THEM ON THEIR RECOMMENDATION THAT IT WOULD FIX ALL THE PROBLEMS - COST $1000. THE CAR CONTINUES TO CONSUME MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF OIL AND REGULARLY EXHIBITS A BURNING SMELL. I BROUGHT IT TO A SATURN DEALER LAST WEEK WHO NOW TELLS ME THAT THE CAM COVER IS CRACKED AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED; HOWEVER, HE TOLD ME THAT I PROBABLY INDEED HAVE SIGNIFICANT ENGINE DAMAGE AS A RESULT OF MY MANY OIL PROBLEMS THAT THIS REPAIR WILL NOT FIX. I HAVE WORKED MY WAY UP THE SATURN CORPORATE COMPLAINT SYSTEM AND I CANNOT GET ANYONE TO EITHER PAY FOR THE REPAIR, REIMBURSE ME FOR THE PREVIOUS REPAIR OR EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE THE UNDERLYING ENGINE PROBLEM. ORIGINALLY, I THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS A JUST ME GETTING A "LEMON" BUT AFTER RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM MY CONCERN IS MUCH MUCH GREATER. SPECIFICALLY, THERE ARE NUMEROUS (WELL OVER 100) COMPLAINTS ON VARIOUS INTERNET CITES ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM - EVERYONE HAS MASSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION AND MANY PEOPLE'S ENGINES HAVE ACTUALLY CAUGHT ON FIRE AS A RESULT OF LOW OIL. THEY HAVE ALSO TRIED TO GET SATURN TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINES AND TO NO AVAIL. I AM NOW AFRAID TO DRIVE THE CAR FOR FEAR OF IT CATCHING ON FIRE. I WOULD LIKE THE NHTSA TO INVESTIGATE THE PROBLEMS WITH SATURN ENGINES AND OIL CONSUMPTION. I AM AN ATTORNEY AND PLAN TO PURSUE MY OWN CASE AGAINST SATURN FOR THE COST OF MY REPAIRS, BUT REALLY FEEL LIKE IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND THAT SATURN OR THE NHTSA NEEDS TO ISSUE A WARNING TO CONSUMERS TO KEEP CAREFUL WATCH ON THEIR ENGINES. *LA

I PURCHASED A 1998 SATURN SL2 IN APRIL OF 2002 AND DISCOVERED AFTER PURCHASE THAT IT HAD A DEFECTIVE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL SATURN DEALERSHIP I WAS TOLD THAT EVEN THOUGH THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM ON THIS MODEL I WOULD BE CHARGED FOR THE REPAIR. THE DEALERSHIP WAS ALSO UNABLE TO FIND THE EXACT PART NUMBER AND WANTED TO MAKE THE REPAIR FROM A SIMILAR BUT NOT IDENTICAL 1996 MODEL. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT SATURN DOES NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR DEFECTIVE SAFETY ITEMS SUCH AS THE RETRACTOR BECAUSE SO MANY OF THEIR VEHICLES HAVE THIS PROBLEM AND IT HAS NOT BEEN OFFICIALLY RECALLED.