Comments: 1-15, 16-30, 31-45, 46-57
The automatic lock doesn't work on the driver side in the back seat. It was like this when I bought it used. I broke two of my own rules - Never buy a used car and never buy a car in its first year.
I've had the car about two years now and have had great luck with the engine and handling and reliability. It's all these little things I don't recall ever having a problem with on my last two Saturns that I bought new. The light that indicates which gear I am in only works when the headlights aren't on!
The bulbs on the dash are going out. I have no light at all behind my fuel gauge; only half of my speedometer lights up. Same with the tach and temperature gauge.
Yesterday my turn signals made a popping noise and now they do not shut off when I finish the turn; I have to shut them off manually.
Today was the worst. I looked at my trip meter to find it stuck on zero! So I switched to the odometer and was amazed to see it is stuck on 694,947!! It was 120,000 yesterday!
When I first noticed the dash lights going out I took the car to a reputable mechanic here in town that I trust. Even he said it would be very expensive to fix the bulbs as they are very hard to get to. I'm fearful of what I will hear now about the trip meter/odometer problem. Will post again.
The mileage reading such a wacky number is absolutely due to failure of the BCM (body control module). The L-series cars (I own one, too) are famous for BCM replacements. It may actually be causing the interior light problems too--the bulbs may not be burned out.
The BCM replacement runs about $350 parts and labor. It's something that you should replace sooner rather than later, since it may cause other annoying problems.
Overall, once the bugs were worked out of these cars, they are pretty decent to own and a pleasure to drive. Don't let this problem sour you on Saturn. Once you fix the BCM, you will be happy to own it again.
My input is to mention a very exact problem with my Saturn 2000. Mileage about 93000. 2 days ago I observed that my odometer had gone to the value of 694978. Exactly the same as the previous writer had mentioned. (except for last two digits) This must be some kind of failure code being displayed!
I was curious to find out what his problem was on his Saturn.
Trip meter is also reset to zero and the odometer is stuck on this value. I am also curious if once the BCM is replaced, do you recover the exact mileage reading? (or does it have to be reprogrammed?)
I too have a 2000 Saturn LS with the very same problem - it happened on Sat night - I heard a high pitched noise then when I got home I smelled an electrical burn smell. I noticed Mon morning that my trip meter was stuck on zero and my total mileage the same as the other comments. My car has approx 90,000 miles on it - must be something that goes out around that figure... We asked our mechanic for a quote and he came back with 500.00 - 100 to remove it and 400 to have it rebuilt. He also said he wasn't sure about entering the previous mileage back in and if not then they would have to place a sticker on the inside of the door stating it had been replaced and the mileage a that point. I love my car, bought it used 2 1/2 yrs ago and I put about 500 miles a week on it and now it is starting to have some inconvenient problems. But nothing major. It did cost a pretty penny to change the spark plugs though. All the labor involved was bad enough (have to remove the manifold to get to them so it is labor intensive) but the mech. had to buy the plugs from the dealer at 25.00 each (all 6 of them!) I'm hoping to drive this car a bit longer - and hope not to have more annoying problems that add up. The mech. said it has a great engine! But this new quote for 500 seems high - I guess I'll check around...
The false odometer readings given by the BCM, once fixed, will return to the actual mileage. The "actual" mileage is still being recorded and will not affect the odometer once the BCM is fixed. It will not affect the resale of the car.
I've been having an amazingly bad time with my Saturn to the point where I don't think I'll ever own another one. When I'm driving down the road my horn starts honking, my lights start flashing, my trunk opens and my doors lock and unlock themselves. It used to just do it every once in a while, but in the last few weeks it has started doing it incessantly to where I have to unhook the battery for a little while to make it stop. It's actually sitting in my driveway right now unhooked because it was going crazy all the way home. I had to pull out the fuse to the horn so it would quite honking non stop. I'm afraid I'm going to get shot when it starts honking at the wrong person.
I know it's the BCM that needs to be replaced, but it seems like an expensive fix for my 2001 L300 car with mileage in the early 100,000's.
This is an update. I took my 2000 L-series to the dealer to fix the BCM after reading all the very informative comments on this site. It cost around $500 just like I expected. I'm happy, but the miles logged were not being recorded somewhere within the computer system. The dealer had to estimate it and adjust the odometer.
I also have a Saturn LS1 that has some of the very same problems that that seem to be consistent with the Body Control Module. I would think that the unit needs to be replaced with a new unit, but where is it located in the vehicle?
My keyless entry remote will synch and lock the doors and activate the passive security system, but will not unlock the doors or the trunk. After the initial synch and entering the car, I cannot stop along the way and lock the car with the key pad.
Is anyone else replacing their cruise control fuse every three or four months?
The car runs still runs good after 110K mile. Road noise is a little louder, but I didn't pay for a Mercedes E Class of the same year. I can deal with it.
I have a 2000 saturn LS v6 and I have already had two problems with it, and I haven't had the car six months yet.
One problem is that when I am driving my car at a fast rate such as maby 60-65 mph my gears start to jump. Another one is that my locks on my back door won't unlock when I use my key switch. (have you noticed that when you look at your hand book you see a little card inside it that has some of the makers looking back at you with a big smile) Notice the comment under the pic that says how well they stand by there work. I must say that it was over done, I stay in a small city called albany, yes right next to Atlanta G.A, and I half to drive almost an hour and a half just to get to the nearest saturn dealership. So if the CEO of the saturn industry sees this plz help!!!
To answer the previous comment, the BCM is located behind the glove box in the dash. Not terribly easy to get to, and since it needs to be flashed by the dealer, it's worth having them put it in. Your door locks and other electrical gremlins will clear up once replaced.
I am right at 90.+++ miles, and for the last twenty thousand miles, the power locks would work only sporadically. On Monday morning the gear would not go into position. So I opened the gear box and flipped up the shift lock. The Service light and the airbags lights went on, and as I drove to work, I noticed that the gas gauge was stuck at empty. Over the next thirty six hours, the dash lights went out, followed by the odometer and trip meter. Last night on Wednesday, my gas door that wouldn't open. At first, my thoughts were that it was an electronic failure. After reading your comments, I am convinced that it has to be the BCM. Fortunately, the Saturn dealer is down the street from where I live. I hope they can give me a ride home while they fix the car.
Guaranteed to be the BCM... your symptoms are a perfect example. They can range from wacky door locks to honking the horn at random while driving down the street! Once fixed, it'll be cleared up and back to normal.
OK on the 14th of Apr 2006 at 15:50 I wrote a small comment on my car. Now I am back again, but with another problem, Well now my 2000 Saturn ls v6 is having even bigger problems. Now my car is going down the road making a whisteling noise, I know its not the belt or brakes, but something inside the motor. I was thinking its the timing gears inside that little black cover needing changed (bearings), if anyone knows plz help!!!
Albany G.A.
The V6 model uses a timing belt that should be replaced (along with the water pump) at 100,000 mile intervals. Get the service history for the car and make sure it's been done if it has that many miles on it, otherwise you're on borrowed time. A whistling noise may be due to a vacuum leak too. Although it sounds like it's a haul, it might be worth a trip to the dealer. This is a unique engine.
As for erratic shifting, it's likely due to the MAF sensor. The MAF gets contaminated over time and throws off the computer that controls the transmission's shifting patterns. This is a relatively cheap part and you can put it in yourself with just a screwdriver.
Why would a car intended for the mass market have a "unique engine"? Just more proof GM doesn't know what it's doing, including taking Saturn upscale with fixed prices. Yeah, I'm really in the mood to plunk down nearly $30K for a Saturn Sky Redline. Please.
Well, from a marketing standpoint, I'd have to agree. Using the L81 V6 (which was very expensive to produce) was probably a mistake for GM, as the profitability from the car went way down. The only other vehicles sold here that used this engine was the Saab 9-5, the VUE (02-03), and the Cadillac Catera.
For those of us that have the V6 L, it's a fantastic engine. It makes great sounds and much more power than the numbers indicate. Yeah, it's a little more $$$ to service, but to me it's worth it. But from a marketing perspective, a North American-made (the L81 was British) V6 would have been more appropriate.