NHTSA — Engine And Engine Cooling Problems

2.8

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
50,736 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2003 Saturn L200 engine problems

engine problem

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2003 Saturn L200 Owner Comments

problem #9

Aug 312022

L200

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2003 Saturn L200. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 45 MPH, an abnormal whirling sound was coming from the vehicle and the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact's wife was unable to restart the vehicle and with the assistance of a police officer, she coasted the vehicle off to the shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with a defective timing chain which resulted in engine failure. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Hubert, NC, USA

problem #8

Mar 132014

L200

  • 91,200 miles
Parked car and next morning went to start and car would not start. It would only turn N not start. Went to where bought it N they diagnosis timing chain was broke.

- Pleasantville, NJ, USA

problem #7

Mar 202012

L200 4-cyl

  • miles
I was driving my 2003 Saturn and when I stop it made a noise in the engine. When I went to start it, it turned over real fast and would not start. It has spark and fuel but no not think it has compressor. Would like to know if this car is under a recall for the timing chain. It has 107,000 miles on it. It seem like it would be very costly to fix.

- Bryan, OH, USA

problem #6

Feb 082010

L200

  • 69,400 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Premature failure of timing chain on 2003 Saturn L200 at 69,400 miles. This car has the same timing chain components as involved in the 2000 model year recall. The parts were not revised until after this car was built. The car was maintained with recommended oil change intervals, but the chain still failed prematurely.

- Anchorage, AK, USA

problem #5

Mar 282009

L200

  • 56,000 miles
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.

- Fort Thomas, KY, USA

problem #4

Aug 082008

L200

  • 67,000 miles
I was driving my Saturn L200 on a country road at about 35 mph. The engine suddenly stopped running, and would not restart. The car became difficult to steer and stop without the power steering and brakes. I came close to running into a ditch as a result of the difficulty in controlling the car.

- Syria, VA, USA

problem #3

Jul 242008

L200

  • 81,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2003 Saturn L200. The vehicle was parked and the contact could not get it to start. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic and they stated that the timing chain failed for the second time in seven months. The VIN was unknown. The current mileage was 93,800 and failure mileage was 81,000.

- Rochester, MN, USA

problem #2

Mar 062007

L200 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 42,300 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Saturn L200. The contact stated that her son's vehicle failed and completely shut down twice. The contact also stated that the vehicle would make a loose, rattling noise while making a turn. She stated that there was a recall on the vehicle involving the steering module. The steering wheel would lock and her son could not return it to the proper position. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they proceeded to sell her son a warranty, although the vehicle was already under warranty. The dealer was unable to locate any failures. The speed was unknown. The current mileage was 55,253 and failure mileage was 42,300. Updated 04/29/08. The vehicle would not shift out of park, the engine, air bag and ABS lights illuminated. Updated

- Pottstown, PA, USA

problem #1

Jul 262004

L200 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 49,728 miles
My service engine light came on. The first time I took it to Saturn dealership in lynchburg, Virginia they told me they could not find a problem. It has come on again and is reading the same code. I have to take it back again for the same problem. The code reads P1887. I truly think that this is a problem with the Saturn L 2003.

- Forest, VA, USA

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