Comments: 1-15, 16-30, 31-45, 46-47
Air conditioning at 36,000.
Brakes at 60,000.
The cars interior always rattles. It has been in to be fixed 3 times. I finally gave up.
The last time it was in they had to jump start for me to leave. Somehow they killed the battery and said that it must have been its time to go.
It losses oil, about a quart every 600 miles, but has no spots where I park it.
As of May 1, I now own my '96 SC-2.
Yesterday, my oil pressure light came on, so I took it to my local mechanic, (since Saturn had been charging me big $$$ for services that were not being done! i.e., tire rotation etc...). My mechanic checked my oil which he, himself had changed only a few months ago. It was only 112 miles over the suggested 3,000 mile change limit. MY CAR HAD NO OIL IN IT!!! He immediately changed/filled the oil and explained to me that he was concerned because he had just seen the same thing happen last week to a '97 Saturn wagon! Turns out that the "head" cracked at 60K miles and the oil simply leaked into the coolant overflow!
So now my car is paid-in-full and I just hit 60K miles! Isn't this strange since I now have oil in MY coolant overflow bottle!!! The repair will cost me roughly $1,000.00 dollars! What should I do??? This is my second Saturn that turned out to have BIG problems... Does anyone out there have any suggestions as to what I should do? (Other than NEVER EVER purchase another Saturn?) HAS ANYONE ELSE HAD THIS PROBLEM WITH THEIR SATURN??? Please oh please respond! Thanks so very much!
Merbin.
The very same incident happened with me when I hit 110,000 miles! My engine head cracked and oil was mixing in my overflow reservoir and through my radiator. You are lucky to get away with only $1,000 for the repairs. My repairs cost $1,800! I do have a lot of miles on my car and for the most part it had treated me well. I like my car, but was very upset when I asked the dealer how something like this could happen. He of course had no answer. I lose approximately 2 qts. of oil every 2000 miles. I was told by the dealer this was NORMAL. Hmmmmmm. I wonder how many others out there have the exact same problem...
I am a one and a half year owner of a second hand '96 SC2 and am fortunate to not have the oil leakage problem many are experiencing. However, a co-worker of mine owns a '94 Saturn Wagon and had a similar problem. He simply added a sealant in the crankcase and no longer experiences oil leakage.
I have a Saturn 96 SC2. I like it and it runs great, but the speed is slow for the sporty look of the car.
I also had a cracked head at 65,000 kilometers and my oil leaked into the radiator etc. Saturn fixed the problem free of charge since there is a bulletin about this problem. However, the car has never run properly since, and I now have a bad ping in the motor with only 78,000 kilometers on it. I have also had many problems with oil pressure since then. I would never, ever buy a Saturn again. They are a good company selling really bad cars. I have heard of numerous other Saturn owners who have had problems with oil levels and leakage.
I HAD the same exact problem with my oil!! I am getting more angry the more people I hear this from. One asked for advice. Here it is: get rid of the Saturn immediately. Listen to what happened to me.
Among all the other problems mine had, I will only talk of the oil problems. My oil also seemed to be completely gone all the time after about 1000 miles after an oil change. Yet, there was never any spots on the ground. I ALSO learn that it has leaked into my coolant. They call it a recall and fix it for free. When the same problems arise again a month later, they won't fix it for free anymore, saying it will cost me over 1000 to find where the oil is going.
Last week, while driving on the interstate to work, my engine finally blew. The cause... low oil that I was continually told was normal for me being a commuter. They kindly offer me a new Saturn engine for nearly $6000. You can imagine what I would've liked to have said to them at this point, but I'm not allowed to write it! I ordered this car brand new in 96 and it is now worth $50-100 to the junk yard that I will have to get it towed to.
After learning that this is not a UNIQUE problem to me like my dealer suggested to me, I am even more angry. The oil was only one of many. I'd have to write you a book to tell of all the problems. I know you always hear great things of Saturn. That is what hooked me in the first place. I now think they are selling cheaply made pieces of junk. I'm now looking for a Honda.
May 28 2002.
I just purchased a 96 Saturn 5 days ago the head gasket is already has a crack in it and there is oil in my overflow also I still owe $5,600 on the car and I have no warranty I really need some advice please e-mail me back with any suggestions I will never own a Saturn again I'm going back to Honda E-Mail me at mark57jen@yahoo.com.
I bought a '96 Saturn SC-1 back in January of 2002. About 2 months later the head gasket blew, that cost about $1,000. Now the piston rings, seals and the gasket blew again. I am replacing the engine in the car because I am tired of sending my car to the repair shop every several months.
1996 SC-2 Problems: I am the original owner of this wonderful purple charmer. The problems I have encountered have been amazing. For starters, the driver-side mirror was replaced 4 times due to vibrations (not allowing you to see other cars) and the tachometer was replaced by Saturn (at no cost) at 21 K and 53K miles. The OIL leaks? Well, here's the deal... The valve cover gasket is one culprit. I have replaced this myself after having Saturn charge me $120 6 times. The design flaw is with the way the engine block is mounted. When facing your car's engine, look in the left rear corner of the gasket cover... right next to the belt. You should see oil there. Saturn tells me this is normal.?!? I am perplexed at where my oil disappears to. It always seems to be empty, but there is never a spot on the driveway. The other problem with this car is the brakes and the wheel bearings. After 110 K miles, the rotors warp due to continual brake system pressure problems. Here is word to the wise: check your motor mount brackets on the top left side of the motor. If the rubber is cracked, (according to the local Saturn dealer), you have to get it replaced... they say it is standard to pay $750 to get it replaced.
I like my car, but the problems continue to occur making me convinced I bought a lemon. Have you ever noticed that Saturn never has product recalls and such a friendly customer service program???
I recently bought a 1994 SL1 with 100,000 miles on it. I THOUGHT I was getting a good deal. About two weeks later as I was sitting at a stop light it suddenly stopped running. I cannot afford dealership prices so I took it apart myself. The timing chain tensioner had come apart due to the chain guides disintegrating. The guides are made of plastic and according to the parts guy are "designed to wear out". Well this $30 part has turned into over a $1000 problem... does does this mean that the valves were "designed" to get bent and ruin the head too? After all the repairs I have done I still am having problems, as there is no oil pressure now.
If you ever hear a slight rattle coming from the motor of your Saturn, get it checked right away, it could save you big bucks.
I wish I would have bought the Volkswagen.
We drove up to Asheville NC last week in my wife's 96 SC2 Saturn with only 79,000 miles and when we got close to Asheville we heard a bad knock - we found the Asheville Saturn dealer and he told us the bad news - oil had almost all spun out - he didn't know why (maybe he did and didn't want to tell - like a cracked head???) - result the #2 connecting rod bearing had spun - end of story - new engine for $5000 - OUCH!!! My wife had just had an oil change about 2000 miles before and I had checked the oil before we left on our trip - then to add injury to insult coming back on our trip the brand new Saturn engine overheated on the highway and we had to stop for a few hours to cool it off - we limped home - still don't know why it overheated - will have to take it to the dealer this week - WE WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER SATURN.
I bought my Saturn new a 96 Sl1. took it to get the oil change every three thousands miles to the dealership (what a joke). Any problem that they would say that I had we would let them fix it. Christmas Eve 2001 the car check engine light came on. Guess what, the head was cracked. I had oil in my coolant system and had to get it fixed. Not two weeks later same thing. I myself would not recommend a Saturn to my worse enemy. They told me it would cost about seven thousand to get it fixed. give me a Nissan.
Pierce
Problems with Saturn head gasket: check out www.lemonaidcars.com. and click on secret warranties. Site also has helpful info on filing a complaint.
My dad gave me his 96 SL2 sedan to drive, everything was great at first, then at around 70000 miles the oil pressure light went on and.. there was no oil in the engine. I took it to the dealer and they said that its normal to burn some oil. It didn't burn some oil, it burned it ALL. It burns a LOT of oil too, this cant be good for the environment. After reading all the comments on this web page I have concluded that a Saturn is a low quality vehicle and there is indeed a problem with its engines. I will have a talk over with the dealership to see what they can do. This could be a class action suit in the making.
I wish I had found this site two weeks ago. Then someone else would be writing this.
At 109,000 miles, my 1996 Saturn SL has suddenly developed the symptoms described above (overheating, oil in the coolant). With the help of a friend, I am in the process of tearing it apart to replace the head gasket. It sounds like I will end up replacing the head as well.
I have written to Saturn about this problem. Has Saturn shown any interest in correcting this problem, or should I buy a different kind of car next time?