2001 Saturn L300 from North America - Comments

Wow you guys are scaring the * out of me. I have a 2005 L300 with one issue. I have a warning light (the 5 o'clock position on the tach, square box with a down arrow and waves? underneath) going off for about 3-10 min on cold weather starts. Just started, my manual is not to be found and I have no idea what this is trying to telling. Can anyone direct me? I would hate to buy another manual $25-$35 bucks, I'd rather pick up a Chilton's on it, E-bay $12.

Hello all I'm back again ill make this quick: The last straw and my 2001 l300 final demise. I have already had all the above issues, tires, sensors, service lights, throttle body.. etc etc. You name it its had it all. So as one last parting stab it blows a head gasket on Christmas yesterday. This car was the gift that kept on giving...I'm over it I'm not putting one more dime in this car. Good luck to anyone who is still dealing with their l300 take my advice sell it to your worst enemy..lol.

I own a 2003 Saturn L300 from new. Now has 80,000 miles. Never any problems, but now same as recent postings, the light with the wrench comes on then the car starts shifting hard when upshifting. No codes show up at the non-saturn mechanic. If you turn off the car and then start it again the problem goes away for awhile until the wrench light comes back on. Someone from another website recommended this Saturn service bulletin. Will let you know what happens.

Bulletin No.: 04-07-30-020.

Issue Date: April, 2004.

Subject:

Service Vehicle Soon Lamp Illuminated with Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) P1811 "Maximum Adapt and Long Shifts"

(Inspect Transaxle and Replace Pressure Control Solenoid)

Models Affected:

2001-2004 Saturn L-Series.

Attention: Technician.

Condition:

Some customers may comment on the Service Vehicle Soon (Wrench) Lamp illuminated with DTC P1811 "Maximum Adapt and Long Shifts." Vehicle may also have full line pressure shifts when DTC P1811 is set.

Cause:

DTC P1811 may set if any adapt cell is at maximum and any shift time reaches 0.65 seconds for a total of two times during the same ignition cycle.

Correction:

Check the pressure control solenoid function with the line pressure test procedure in this bulletin. If the test fails, replace the pressure control solenoid.

Bought a Saturn 2002 L300 two years ago. Have not had ANY problems until Christmas Eve Day when it just went dead. Had it towed to local garage and replaced the battery. There was hesitation in driving, but the mechanic said nothing showed up on their scanner (they jump-started the car so it was running and that is why nothing showed up on the scanner-the memory was erased), but I knew something was not right. Knew it would just die one day and it did. Ran the scanner again and crankshaft sensor problem came up. Cost $250 parts and labor, so okay the problem fixed. Today, the reduced power light comes on and reduced power indeed. Shut it off and started again and starts fine. Manual says that it could fix itself??? I took a shot to go on-line and I am appalled at the horror stories of Saturn. I don't know whether to cry or laugh. Am thinking trade-in. Looks like everybody got tired of complaining, but needed to add last one.

Had to come back on because I was shell-shocked the first time. Probably too late with this, but the warning light with the arrow down with waves is low coolant. That information came from my $35 manual. Just want to say thanks for making public all the car troubles. I am just glad it was not just me with a lemon.

I've had my 2002 Saturn L300 for about 3 years now. The only problem I've had with it so far has been the battery cable. It started about a year after I purchased my car. I went to go home from work one afternoon and it wouldn't start. The guys in maintenance came and jumped me off and we noticed the positive cable was corroded and the battery had been leaking. This appears to be the original battery that came with the car and from the looks of it (from a professional who looked at my battery) the technician that installed it over tightened the cable and put a tiny crack that just got worse over time. I didn't have the money to have someone replace the cable for me so over the past two years it's gotten worse obviously. I can tell that the power from the battery isn't getting to the car as well as it should be now and finally have the means to get it replaced this weekend. If any one wants to get the cables replaced let me tell you, buy the part from a parts store and take it to the mechanic...to put the part on for me is going to cost about $95 the part is only $7. I'm not taking it to the dealer either, they wanted to charge me $30 to change an oil plug that was stripped by someone that changed the oil for me, I bought the $2 part and took it back to the place that stripped the plug and they replaced it for free. When I asked why it would be so high I was told that it would take 1 1/2 hours to do due to the location of the starter, which is why I can't do it myself. I can't find the starter. The only two other problems I've had are the blinkers freeze when it's cold. I've discovered with the help of a friend that knows cars, that a blinker fuse, or switch (I can't remember)is located directly below the air vents in the middle console. The cold air from the A/C (which works wonderfully) blows across it and freezes it up. I have to push the emergency flasher's button for a couple of seconds to unfreeze it. That's the only other problem I've had except the thermostat has recently gotten stuck open, but that's a recent occurence, the car is 6 years old and has almost 100,000 miles on it.. I expect things to go out on it at this point!

I have a 2001 Saturn L300 and it has been the curse of my life. Anything that has gone wrong with anyone else's cars that have been posted on here has happened to me. Service Engine Light, that stupid wrench, tires, and flat out dying while driving down the road. One question; Does anyone know how to change the battery in these stupid things!?! It won't just lift out like every other car in the world, it has to be a complete hassle (Much like the rest of the car.). You know why they have dent-resistant panels right? So you can kick the living crap out of them when they die on the side of the road!

WOW... I can't believe all the complaints about the SAturn L300. We bought our son's 2001 L300 in July of 06 as a graduation gift. Gee now I wish I would have known about this site. I will say the first year, except for the brakes which STILL squick (was told this is normal) is having the Engine light turn on and the car is trying to shift and can't. It is an automatic. Sorry don't know if they are all automatic or some are stick shift. Any way it finally will shift. Engine light eventually turns off, but when it does turn on that is the problem he gets. Happens occasionally. NOW the Serive light with the wrench is turning on. It was on before and supposedly they couldn't find anything wrong. So now we have an appointment with the Saturn dealer to see what they are going to claim. I spoke to my old mechanic and he told me that the Saturns are known for transmission problem. Never knew that. I have had friends who have Saturns and they love them and have kept purchasing a SAturn. He is saing they use parts from Japan, Germany and other countries to build the car which is why they are hard to fix. Gee, that would explain why they can't' figure out what is wrong with the car. We can't afford another car for him and he surely can't afford one being in College. I will try and come back to this site once I get the report on Friday.

This is a very formative site and I appreciate allt he comments people have said. Just a little to late. :- (

Thanks.

I have had the same issue as many of you had. My 2004 Saturn L300 has stalled while I was driving at highway speeds. The car has to be turned off and then started back up again before I am able to actually drive it. The first time the dealership replaced the ECM because it had the code P0606 (faulty PCM/ECM). The second time it happened I had a parts store check for the problem and the same code came up P0606. I took it to the dealership and they said it was an old code (Liars) so they just reset the computer. Then 12 days later it happened again and I had the same code P0606 along with several new ones P0700, U2107, and U2105. I have no idea what the last two codes are, but the other P code has to do with the transmission and I had that fixed once before.

As you can tell they can replace all these parts and there is still no resolution. Instead of replacing good parts, they should really find out what is wrong with this model before they go on a wild goose hunt!!!

If you are experiencing similar issues please make all your complaints to http://www.odi.nhtsa.gov/ivoq

Maybe if enough of us show how prevelent this problem is, maybe we can find out the truth and get some action done.

I am read all of the complaints and really do appreciate them. So let me add to the problems, my wife is having a greyish smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. We asked the nearest mechanic and told us that it may be the rings. Has anyone experienced this problem yet. If you have or have a mechanic who can diagnose this problem without going to a Saturn dealer please let me know. thx.

I have a 2004 Saturn L300 V6 and am having quite a few problems with it. I had the same problems as everyone else, with having to replace the tires at around 20,000 or fewer miles. At 30,000 miles, the power steering pump needed replaced. Although I was under the 36,000 miles for the warranty, I was a few months out from 3 years, so the dealership would not cover it. I took it to another mechanic to get that repaired just 4 months ago. I now have a radiator leak (currently at 32,000 miles). I'm wondering if I should try to trade it in now, or if it's better to just fix this and hope nothing else goes wrong?

Thank you to everyone who took the time to post your comments. I was considering a 2001 Saturn L300 but after seeing them will steer well clear of it or any other Saturn for that matter.

I have a L300 2002 with 45000 miles on it and am just starting to experience stuttering while accel. Fortunately I have replaced tires/ brakes with after market parts so no issues. Thanks for the CPS heads up- my mechanic and I will be working on it shortly. When buying parts I noticed that this car shares a lot with the SAAB 9-3. Are the same issues reported on that car/ model/year??? Again thanks for your comments- later Saturn, back to Honda.

Everyday I watch the miles tick closer to 100,000 and wonder when and where this car is going to leave me sit. After 5-years, I have had just about every problem listed throughout roughly 90-some comments. I currently am experiencing the check engine light (a picture of the engine), which I have been told is due to a bad fuel pump--although now I am not so sure. I have a coolant leak, which appears to be getting worse--I am judging this by my parking space at work with a stain that keeps getting larger like that thing from the 80's movie, "The Blob". I am also experiencing a maintenance required light (the car with the wrench), which appears to an untrained eye to be a transmission problem. My car runs OK when this light is not on, which is 80% of the time, but when it comes on (for no apparent reason) the car shifts and feels like the transmission is being ripped from the car--Could this be an electrical issue???. No real answer as to what this is yet exactly--but I am sure it will be costly. Additionally, My father and I had to drop half the engine out to change the V-belt: so much for that 5-minute fix. Lemme know if anyone knows what the maintenance light "thing" is all about. I was hoping to get 200,000 miles from my 2003 Saturn L300, however, I am starting to think that is just a "pipe dream".

-PA Saturn Owner.

Hi All! I am so happy that I found this forum! I have read through all of the postings to date and have suffered some of the issues mentioned. After fixing the current problem, I WILL BE GETTING RID OF THIS SATURN! We have a 2001 L300 with roughly 72,000 miles on it. It has been paid off for a couple of years. Purchased it new with 6 miles on it in August of 2001. A little history for the L series owners: The L-series is based on the same platform as the Opel Vectra B or Vauxhall Vectra for model years 1996 through 2002. Subsequently, the Saab 9-3 is based on the Opel Vectra A or Vauxhall Cavalier mK3. The V6 engine is built in the Ellesemere Port plant in England. Now for my repair history:

Just got it back two days ago; I was on my way to an appointment and the engine started to run roughly, especially on acceleration. I took it into my local mechanic (stopped using Saturn dealer) and he ran diagnostics on it and found the right side coil pack faulty causing the engine to run on 3 cylinders. The code that was stored was PO300, PO301: Random misfire bank #1. The V6 has two ignition coil packs; one for the 2, 4, 6 cylinders and one for the 1, 3, 5 cylinders. Typically, you will only have one. They are located to the back of the engine compartment near the firewall. I also mentioned to him that my coolant light was coming on, although I had added some not too long ago. Last year, I had the oil cooler replaced due to it leaking. He ran a pressure test but found nothing. We drove it to work for two days; let it sit for another two days; then went to get it last night, and noticed the passenger-side carpet was soaked with anti-freeze. Yes, I also have a sticky, gooey mess on the floor. No doubt the heater core will have to be replaced; we'll see. I think I know where the pressure went through. We can't get it until next week. The cost for the coil pack repair was $502.00.

As I mentioned above, last August I brought it in for a routine oil change and had the Saturn dealership look into why it was leaking coolant. It was not a big leak; a trickle at best with a spot (the size)of a quarter on the garage floor. They told me the engine oil cooler had to be replaced ($1582.00). They further recommended I change the positive battery cable ($350.00) and power steering pump ($626.00). I refused; I have not done this to date.

In October 2006, I noticed the battery was getting weak and should be replaced. I purchased one at COSTCO (Interstate), and replaced it myself. 2 weeks later the dash lights flashed continually; that turned out to be the ECM ($344.80).

March 2004, 30,000 miles on it and time for brakes. Well we just can't turn the rotors (front) and slap on a new set of pads; we have to replace the rotor due to the soft metal that they are made from (they can't be turned). I was given a choice: to replace with the same type (more expensive), or go with a set of Rabestos (aftermarket and less expensive) and deal with a little harder braking. That's a no brainier; go with the aftermarket. I am still driving on those front brakes and original set of rears (F=10/32 and R=9/32).

I will be going on my third set of tires; my current ones are worn. That makes me a little mad because of the money I spent on a good set of Toyos. If I keep the car, I'll throw a cheaper set on.

My mechanic recommends that I replace the fuel filter, clean the fuel injectors, and service the throttle body.

Now for the weirdest problem we can't seem to get rid of: A couple of years back, we noticed that we were getting exhaust fumes from the vehicles around us inside the cabin, especially in heavy traffic times. My thoughts were that the recirculation air flow damper might be stuck open. The electronic switch on the dash shows closed, recirculating the air inside the cabin (no outside air). Well, I had Saturn look at it, (and my mechanic) and they can't find a thing wrong with it. I can hear the vent open and close when depressing the recirc button. It is extremely frustrating that noone can figure this one out! As it is, we don't (can't) drive during peak traffic times (in the winter months) or else we will get gassed-out and have to keep switching between defrost and heat. It only happens in the defrost cycle, not on heat or A/C. In the Northwest, we use the defrost cycle for at least 6 months of the year. Has anyone ever had this issue?

Overall, minus the HVAC issue, to date I can't really complain especially when reading the other stories. However, I think it is time for this GM to start self destructing and I will be getting rid of it. What gets me is why can't GM and Ford engineer autos on the same scale as Honda and Toyota? Do they not have a pool of talented engineers, or is it cost/value, good old American engineering that gets in the way? In any case, I will be combing the Honda lots to join our 04' CRV, which has been nothing but great!