Saturn L300 problems and owner complaints

SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER IN ENGINE, HAD TO PULL OFF ROAD. ENGINE DID NOT STALL. AFTER 5 MINUTES AT IDLE, WAS ABLE TO CONTIUE. FIRST HAPPEND IN JUNE 2004. MILEAGE NEAR 35000 ON CAR. DEALERSHIP REPLACED TANK FUEL PUMP, SAID IT WAS OVERHEATING AND FAILED. NON SHELL GAS HAS BEEN USED. MAY 2005, MILEAGE NEAR 52000, EXACT SAME PROBLEM. DEALERSHIP WAS PERPLEXED.

Owner-reported narrative. 51,869 miles reported. Look up ODI 10123807 at NHTSA ↗

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SATURN L300. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS EXPERIENCING A RECURRING FAILURE IN WHICH IT WOULD STALL WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WOULD ALLOW THE VEHICLE TO COOL OFF BEFORE HE WAS ABLE TO RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SEVERAL AUTHORIZED DEALERS AS WELL AS INDEPENDENT REPAIR FACILITIES WHERE THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT TO NO AVAIL. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO STALL INTERMITTENTLY AT ANY SPEED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000 AND THE C…

Owner-reported narrative. 60,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10361564 at NHTSA ↗

WHILE DRIVING APPROX. 65 MPH WITH CRUISE CONTROL ON, TAPPED BRAKE TO DISENGAGE CRUISE CONTROL. THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER. AFTER STOPPING THE VEHICLE, RESTARTED THE ENGINE. POWER APPEARED TO BE RESTORED BUT THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT REMAINED ON. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER. DEALER RELOADED EEPROM SOFTWARE. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. 5,700 miles reported. Look up ODI 10041322 at NHTSA ↗

WHILE DRIVING 50-70 MPH FRONT END SHAKES UNCONTROLLABLY. *AK THE BRAKES SQUEAK AND THE ROTORS WARPED. THE METALLIC SURFACE AREA RUSTED ABNORMALLY FROM "MORNING COMPENSATION." THE WHEELS WOBBLED AS A RESULT OF THE WARPED ROTORS. *SC

Owner-reported narrative. 8 miles reported. Look up ODI 10059854 at NHTSA ↗

AFTER TURNING ON MY LEFT BLINKER, SMOKE STARTING COMING FROM THE STEERING WHEEL. I HAD IT REPAIRED THIS MORNING AT THE SATURN DEALERSHIP. I OVERHEARD TWO OTHER CALLS OF THE SAME PROBLEM. IN FACT, ONE OF THE SERVICE ADVISORS TOLD THE CUSTOMER NOT TO USE THEIR BLINKERS. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 69,950 miles reported. Look up ODI 10200111 at NHTSA ↗

SATURN 2003 L300, PURCHASED NEW, MULTIPLE ISSUES. INTERIOR LIGHTS FLICKER. CAR WILL NOT START WHEN GAS IS UNDER 1/4 TANK, DEALERSHIP SAYS OPERATING PER DESIGN. IGNITION, KEY FROZE, WOULD NOT TURN, KEY STUCK, CAR HAD TO BE TOWED, IGNITION REPLACED. MAJOR ISSUE: STEERING. INTERMEDIATE SHAFT HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE. IN ADDITION TO GEAR BOX. PROBLEM MAKES STEERING LOOSE, CLUNKING FEEL AND NOISE WHEN TURNING LEFT OR RIGHT. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 45,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10215728 at NHTSA ↗

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SATURN L300. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE RECENTLY RAN OUT OF WARRANTY AT 45,000 MILES. THREE SEPARATE FAILURES HAVE OCCURRED ON THE VEHICLE. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE MECHANIC DIAGNOSED IT AS ELECTRICAL FAILURE. FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER, THE FAILURE RECURRED AND THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE ENGINE EXPERIENCED MASTER ENGINE FLOW FAILURE. THREE MONTHS LATER THE ENGINE FAILED AGAIN. THE CONTACT HAS SPENT ALMOST $1,200 ON REPAIRS. HE HAS CONTACTED THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU AND THEY REFEREED H…

Owner-reported narrative. 44,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10192028 at NHTSA ↗

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SATURN L300. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD EXHIBIT A SHARP AND ABNORMAL INCREASE IN ENGINE RPMS WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE WOULD ALSO EXHIBIT AN UNUSUALLY LOUD ROARING BUT WOULD NOT RESPOND. AS A RESULT, THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILED. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THEY ARE AWARE OF THE FAILURE BUT THEY COULD OFFER NO ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 133,000. THE CONSUMER STATED THE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR LIG…

Owner-reported narrative. 133,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10357847 at NHTSA ↗

FUEL PUMP FAILURE -- DISINTEGRATED. HAVE OVER $1,000 OF REPAIRS. THIS IS ON TOP OF $400 REPAIRS LAST MONTH TO REPLACE THE HEATER CORE AND A RECOMMENDED $600+ TO REPLACE THE OIL COOLER HOUSING. THE CAR HAS LESS THAN 80,000 MILES ON IT AND IS NOT PAID OFF FOR 2 MORE MONTHS. I'VE GONE TO THE WEBSITE WWW.CARSURVEY.ORG AND MANY OTHERS ARE HAVING SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS WITH THIS AS WELL. LUCKILY, THE PUMP DIDN'T DISINTEGRATE WHILE WE WERE DRIVING, UNLIKE SOME OTHER OWNERS. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 80,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10215441 at NHTSA ↗

I OWN A 2004 SATURN L300 SEDAN. ON OCTOBER 25, 2007, I WAS DRIVING MY CAR ON THE HIGHWAY IN THE PASSING LANE GOING ABOUT 65 TO 70 MPH AND THE CAR STALLS AND THE GAS PEDAL SHOWS NO RESPONSE. THE CAR ENGINE WARNING LIGHT COMES ON ALONG WITH THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT AND LOSS OF POWER LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD. I HAD TO CROSSOVER A LANE AND PULL THE CAR OVER. WHILE PUTTING THE CAR IN PARK THE CAR SHAKES. I TURN THE IGNITION OFF AND START THE CAR AGAIN AND I AM ABLE TO GO BUT THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS VERY HARD. THERE WERE NO PRECURSOR SIGNS THAT T…

Owner-reported narrative. 81,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10217964 at NHTSA ↗

PROBLEM SYNOPSIS: WHILE DRIVING AT FREEWAY SPEEDS (65 MILES PER HOUR) THE VEHICLE LOST POWER, CAUSING THE "REDUCED ENGINE POWER" (REP) AND "SERVICE VEHICLE SOON" (SVS) LIGHTS TO ILLUMINATE. UPON PULLING TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND SHIFTING THE VEHICLE INTO PARK, IT WOULD IDLE ROUGHLY UNTIL SHUTTING THE ENGINE OFF. VEHICLE WOULD START IMMEDIATELY AFTER, WITH HIGH RPM AT IDLE AND HARD SHIFTS INTO GEAR. VEHICLE WOULD ONLY EXHIBIT THESE PROBLEMS WHEN THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WOULD SHIFT GEARS, USUALLY BETWEEN 3RD AND 4TH GEAR. /// REPAIR HI…

Owner-reported narrative. 91,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10439123 at NHTSA ↗