2004 Saturn L300 3 V6 from North America

Summary:

Could have done better for the price

Faults:

Leaking air conditioning condenser replaced.

Tie-rod end replaced.

Presently having intermittent problem with starting.

Motor cranks, but will not start. Try again 5 to 30 minutes later, and the motor starts.

General Comments:

Considering it is six years old, I really did not have too many problems.

The V6 is very responsive.

The ride is still smooth and quiet.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 8th August, 2010

2004 Saturn L300 L V6 from North America

Summary:

Very poor automobile

Faults:

95% of the miles are freeway miles; 128 to and from work.

48,000 needed brakes and rotors (could not be turned), continuous fluid light coming on, oil light coming, on gas cap light (emissions) light coming on.

Rotors need replacing again at 84,000 miles, and now again at 105,000 miles.

The straw that broke the camels back at 105,000 miles; it needs intermediate steering shaft $220.00 and a coolant bridge kit to the tune of $1600.00. Plus many little things keep popping up.

General Comments:

Very undependable car. Seats are uncomfortable.

100,000 mile service $1200.00. Might just as well be driving a Benz.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 30th December, 2009

29th Jan 2011, 12:06

Plain and simple, once this car hit 100k mark, your best bet is to trade. I've purchased 2 fuel pumps in two years and that's at $326.00 each (not including labor), that's just to name the most recent problem. The list can go on all day about this LEMON, but it's not even worth my time. I am a single mom, and keeps my vehicle serviced regularly, but this (SAD)URN always finds a way to break the bank. I'm traumatized to buy another used car with only 50k!

2004 Saturn L300 3.0L V6 from North America

Faults:

The car has been great until one day it decided to not start. That was two weeks ago. An hour later, I tried again, it started and the check engine light was on. I got gas and the engine light went off.

Exactly a week later it did the same thing.. I brought it to the mechanic because the dealership wants $60 just to see what the problem is, even though I purchased the extended warranty.. When he drove it (for a couple days) there was no problem. The light even went off by itself the next day so he couldn't check the diagnostics..

I got it back, go to make a right turn about an hour later and it just shut off while I was driving. No check engine light or anything. It started back up with no problem. He took it a few more days, no problems (of course) and the day after I got it back, I stopped at a light and it just shut off again.

General Comments:

I loved the car up until now.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 22nd October, 2008

2004 Saturn L300 from North America

Faults:

The stalling thing happened to me now for the first time this weekend. Came out after dinner and it wouldn't start for about 20 minutes, then drove 150 miles home, and another 150 the next day. Went out at night, and it happened pulling up to a stoplight. I don't get it. I wish I had seen this forum before I purchased the car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 25th June, 2008

2004 Saturn L300 from North America

Summary:

Electrical Nightmare

Faults:

Car stalls out while driving at highway speeds.

General Comments:

I bought my 2004 L300 in November 2004. I started having problems with it less than a month later.

While driving on the highway at 65mph+ it all of a sudden stalls out. It will lurch forward and not allow me to accelerate. I have to turn on my hazards and make my way to the shoulder of the road where, sitting idle, it has what can only be described as convulsions. I turn it off, wait a few second and turn it back on. It starts right up like nothing was ever wrong with it, except that the SES, car/wrench light and another light on the right side of the dash come on. Of course this almost always happens on the weekends when dealerships are closed and I am out of town.

Unlike some of the posts on here, my dealership has been nothing but kind, helpful and understanding. I have not had to pay for them to try to figure out what is wrong, and they have provided me with a rental car each time they needed to keep it longer than a day.

My car has been in the shop since Tuesday and it is now Friday. They have not been able to get it to act up for them (of course). It seems to only want to break down on me. I will be getting it back today to go on another trip. I have already found other dealerships close to my destination, so that if it does stall on me again I can get it somewhere before the codes disappear.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 25th January, 2008

26th Jan 2008, 09:51

Gosh, what a horrible situation. I thought the whole point of buying a brand-new car and spending all the money was to AVOID having problems with your car. So sorry. If the problem is tripping the warning lights in your instrument cluster to come on, they should be staying on from that point on until they are reset. My point being, the codes the computer pulls up should still be there, telling the dealership what the problem is. If you restart the car after it has stalled and the warning lights do not stay on, something very odd is going on and it would be very hard to diagnose. Based on my experience though, it sounds like an electrical problem, which might explain why the computer keeps resetting itself and not illuminating the warning lights after it has stalled. Good luck!

2004 Saturn L300 3.0 V6 from North America

Summary:

Ride comfort is very bad for a V6 engine car

Faults:

The Dimmer switch went bad at 8,400 miles.

General Comments:

Riding comfort for this car is very bad. I have been experiencing vibrations/shimming between the 45-65 miles/hour range since the day I bought this car. The dealer replaced all tires, but did not solve the problem completely. Rotating and balancing the tires does not solve this issue either. These vibrations happen at unpredicted times. You cannot predict when they might occur. The dealer is not interested in taking care of this issue. Did anybody else experience this issue?

Road noise is a major issue as well.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 30th December, 2006

3rd Jan 2007, 03:53

I'm experiencing the same problem with my 2003 L300 (85K miles). Along with the vibrations, I've also had to replace the transmission solenoid, the fuel pump, and most currently the wheel bearings, which I've been told should eliminate the vibrations. Also, ever since purchasing the vehicle in March 2003, the AC has never properly distributed the air flow correctly. I've since found out that the sensor which controls the AC was a bad design (Saturn has since discontinued this feature). Repair after repair, I'm convinced I have a LEMON!