Thousands of Saturn stories like this! My wife bought a new Saturn. When Saturn Corp discovered that her car had a casting flaw in the engine's cylinderhead (causes the head to eventually CRACK)- they did not notify her about getting a replacement head but allowed her to continue to drive the car OVER the warranty period- until the head cracked on a cold winter road! Boy was that FUN for her! This "quality" car company is not run by quality people! Saturn HIDES epidemic flaws from its customers. For epidemic Saturn problems. email: [email][/email] (this is some of what they receive): [url]http://www.lemonaidcars.com[/url] GM's Saturn: a 'Dead Man Walking' GM's Saturn division is in serious trouble due to chronic powertrain problems, that its recent purchase of Honda engines won't cure. Japanese and South Korean competitors have been proven to offer far better quality for a slightly higher cost. Even GM's less pretentious models, like the Cavalier and Sunfire offer better quality and value for the money. Saturns have exhibited a plethora of serious mechanical problems, which GM has masked by setting up extended warranties applicable to original buyers. Owners of used Saturns say they are treated like they're from some other planet. Engines and Trannies In a March 2000 Customer Satisfaction Campaign letter (No: 00-C-09) sent to dealers, GM admits that the Saturn 2.2L 4-cylinder engines "were produced with internal engine components that may fail prematurely." GM says it will replace the engine at no charge with no mileage or time limitations, in addition to providing a loaner vehicle or paying rental costs. Faulty CVT automatic transmissions forced GM to halt production of the Ion Coupe and Vue during the first quarter of 2004; almost 200,000 units were affected. Saturn owners say the transmission hesitates at low speeds, causes the engine to surge, and makes grinding noises. Automotive News reports that when the CVT was introduced on late-2002 models, it had been delayed a year due to problems with inconsistent machining of parts, the hydraulic pump, and the software." Saturn's ads are far better than the company's cars and Vue SUV (Vue service bulletins show serious powertrain defects). Don't go anywhere near a new or used Saturn unless you're armed to the teeth with a comprehensive extended warranty. also- search Google groups-keywords SATURN MISTERFACT SATURN CAR ENGINES ARE JUNK Saturn has made over 100,000 engines with casting flaws in the cylinder head. This flaw causes the head to CRACK- usually just after the warranty expires. When that happens, Saturn won't pay for the replacement (big bucks!) That's the way Saturn does business. When they finally discover an epidemic flaw in an untested design and hundreds of thousands of flawed cars have gone off the assembly line into the customer's hands- They wait as long as they can to announce the problem so they can get as many of those cars OVER the warranty period as possible- to cut their losses! I got socked with a 00 loss.Saturn witheld the information on this engine head flaw from its car owners for at least three years before making the announcement. from Saturn internet message boards: [QUOTE="Son_Worshipper"] Go to odometergears.com to get replacements. There are 2 gears. They are each. It's usually the smaller one that breaks. It is a good deal of work to remove the cluster, the speedometer unit, the odometer, and finally, the gears. Replace both and get it over with. Don't buy a used cluster to fix this problem. I have bought 2 and been given 1. The gears were broken in every one. I suspect your gear is in the process of losing a tooth. I hope this helps.[/QUOTE] More Cheap Construction on Saturns Aluminum heat shields over the catalytic converter, entire exhaust pipe and muffler are NOT bolted to the underbody but are RIVETED. The rivet heads quickly rust out around the shield and the shield comes off. You would have to drill out the rivet body, tap it and insert your own bolts and washers to hold the shield on. A lengthly process. The only cure on rusting rivet heads is to slap on high temperature grease around each head every year to keep them from rusting out. Don't expect Saturn to take 15 seconds to do it at the assemblyline! Here's more: Many SATURNS have PLASTIC rear STABILIZER LINKS (2)! They FREEZE UP only in one or two years after new. The cheap grease drips out or evaporates out of those ball joints.The ball joints in those links do not have grease fittings-so you can't keep them greased! Instead of paying big bucks for new links-tell your mechanic to INJECT GREASE UNDER THE RUBBER PROTECTIVE CUPS - It's another important part under the frame MADE OF CHEAP, UNSERVICEABLE, UNGREASEABLE SEALED CRAP! You can do it yourself by buying a small POLYETHYLENE PLASTIC (NOT GLASS) hypodermic syringe (without needle), filling it with grease - put a small hole (with a sharp nail) into the rubber cup; insert the syringe and inject the grease. It might be better to inject the grease at the top of the cup without having to put a hole in it, but that small hole has never affected the durability or integrity of the cup in my experience or even let any dirt in. The resonator (exhaust system) develops CRACKS easily. Don't let the Saturn dealer tell you that you need a new 0 resonator! Chances are you can get it welded up for to . WE DID! Cheap steel (rusting) muffler straps are common in Saturns. They rust out in as little as ONE YEAR! You can paint the strap with high temperature paint and lightly coat it with high temp grease. The heat on the muffler is well below the flashing point of the grease. Do not use regular low temp grease. FRONT BALL JOINTS! Like all of Saturn's ball joint CRAP- they also SEALED . Tell you mechanic- to cover grease OVER those cups to keep dirt out. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE! When a SEALED ball joint goes bad- the ball wears out and the front end of your car can fall to the pavement at 70mph! Many of Saturn's ball joints are non-grease, and DRY. Call NHTSA (1-800-4249393)and demand they OUTLAW SAELED BALL JOINTS IN CARS! Contact your congressman. There should be NO WARRANTY LIMITATIONS ON ANY FRAME OR DRIVE TRAIN PART- INCLUDING ENGINE FLAWS- IN ANY CAR. These parts all are SAFETY ISSUES. A worn front ball joint is a safety issue. These ball joints should have a grease fitting so they can be MAINTAINED. Car companies can make enough money selling non-safety related parts- clock, panels, new styling every year,etc. We are talking about FLAWS in SAFETY RELATED parts- not normal wear and tear on parts which can not be avoided- example: brake pads, hoses, etc.) MORE SATURN HORROR INFORMATION TO FOLLOW! You can copy this email and take it to your dealer. Your knowledge of possible future problems may prompt the dealer to give you HIS OWN WARRANTY in addition to the standard one. Email me for details on other and new Saturn problems or email me your Saturn horror story or information on other epidemic Saturn problems. I'll see they get posted everywhere. PROTECT YOURSELF. Go to the NHTSA website and look for service bulletins issued on Saturns. Copy them off and take them to the dealer so you can show him the FACTS when you negotiate a LIFETIME WARRANTY, ESPECIALLY ON THE DRIVE TRAIN- THE MOST COSTLY AND SAFETY RELATED PART OF THE CAR (in addition to the brakes, frame, gas tank straps and steering!) [email][/email] To those (mostly dealers and Saturn execs)who can't deal with bad news about SATURNS: go work for a QUALITY car company that makes quality cars!
