2003 Saturn L200

I PURCHASED A 2003 SATURN L200 IN JANUARY 2014. ABOUT 4 MONTHS LATER I NOTICED THAT THE LIGHTS WERE FLASHING ON AND OFF IN THE CAR. THE LIGHTS WOULD DIM AND COME BACK ON. THE WIPERS WOULD STOP WORKING OR SOMETIMES THEY WOULD JUST SLOW DOWN. ONE EVENING I WENT TO THE STORE AND WHEN I RETURNED TO THE CAR THE HEADLIGHTS WERE STILL ON I CONTINUED ON HOME AND AS I STARTED THE VEHICLE THE STEERING COLUMN STARTED SMOKING. WHEN I ARRIVED BACK INTO THE PARKING LOT THE HEADLIGHTS WOULD NOT GO OFF. I CALLED THE SATURN DEALERSHIP AND ALSO THE SATURN HEADQUARTERS WHO BOTH STATED THERE ARE NO OPENED RECALLS ON THE CAR. SO I ASKED THEM IF I COULD GET A COPY OF THE SERVICE REPAIRS FOR THE RECALLS DONE ON THE CAR. THEY SAID THERE ARE NO SUCH RECORDS BUT I HAVE A PRINTOUT OF RECALLS FOR THE VEHICLE. NHTSA REFERENCE #05V245000 FOR THE BREAK LIGHTS #03V231000 FOR THE IGNITION MODULE AND #02V283000 FOR THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS. THE PROBLEMS I HAVE EXPERIENCED ARE THE SAME PROBLEMS AS THE RECALLS. THEY INFORMED ME THAT I SHOULD FILE A COMPLAINT WITH YOUR ORGANIZATION AND MAYBE YOU WOULD INITIATE A RECALL ON THE VEHICLE. THE LADY AT THE DEALERSHIP WANTED ME TO BRING IT TO HER SO THEY COULD TAKE A LOOK AT IT. BUT ACCORDING TO THE ARTICLES I READ ON THE IGNITION MODULE IF YOU CONTINUE TO DRIVE IT IN THAT CONDITION IT MAY CAUSE A FIRE, SO I DID NOT WANT TO DO THAT.

THE STOP LIGHT STOPS FUNCTIONING INTERMITTENTLY. I REPLACE THE BULB AND IT SOMETIMES WORKS FOR A FEW DAYS AND THEN AGAIN, IT STOPS WORKING. I TRIED TO BUY THE TAIL LIGHT SOCKET, BUT THEY COME UP WITH A DIFFERENT PART EVEN THOUGH THEY SEARCH THROUGH MY VIN AT AN AUTHORIZED PARTS RETAILER. I BELIEVE IT IS RELATED TO THE RECALL CAMPAIGN NUMBER 05V245000 BUT SINCE MY CAR WAS OF A LATER MODEL BY ONE YEAR, IT MISSED THE RECALL. I WOULDN'T HAVE CARED IF I FOUND AN EXACT REPLACEMENT PART, BUT SINCE THEY CAME UP WITH A MODIFIED PART AT THE STORE, IT MAKES ME THINK MY CAR HAS THE DEFECTIVE TAIL LIGHTS BUT THE MANUFACTURERS TRIED TO GET AWAY WITH IT BY NOT INCLUDING THAT YEAR'S MODEL IN THEIR RECALL TO AVOID ANOTHER THOUSANDS OF REPLACEMENTS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SATURN L200. WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED OR EVEN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN PARK, THE HEADLIGHTS TURN ON AND OFF, THE GAUGES CONSTANTLY FLASH ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, THE DOOR LOCKS WILL LOCK AND UNLOCK THEMSELVES, AND THE WINDOWS WILL ROLL DOWN AND BACK UP AUTOMATICALLY. THE WINDOWS ARE CURRENTLY INOPERATIVE DUE TO THIS FAILURE. WHENEVER THE CONTACT DRIVES THE VEHICLE, HE SMELLS BURNING WIRES, BUT THERE IS NO SMOKE. HE FEELS THAT THE VEHICLE IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION AND THEY STATED THAT THE BODY CONTROL MODULE WAS THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT DID NOT GET THE VEHICLE REPAIRED BECAUSE HE BELIEVES IT SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER A RECALL DUE TO THE SAFETY RISK INVOLVED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE OWNER WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIRS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 105,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 115,000.

SOMETIMES WOULD HAVE A HARD TIME STARTING THE CAR OR THE CAR WOULD NOT START AT ALL. AFTER ABOUT A WEEK,THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG LIGHT WOULD COME ON. WHEN THESE LIGHTS WERE ON, THE SPEEDOMETER AND TACHOMETER DID NOT WORK. SHORTLY AFTER THAT THE ENGINE LOCK LIGHT CAME ON AND THEN NOTHING WORKED. THE DEFROST FRONT AND REAR, A/C, HEATING CONTROL, INTERIOR LIGHTS, AIRBAG FAILURE LIGHT LIT UP, SEAT BELT LIGHT LIT UP AND THE SELF LOCKING FOR THE DOORS DID NOT ENGAGE WHEN PUTTING THE CAR INTO GEAR. SOMETIMES I WOULD TURN THE CAR OFF AND ABOUT A HALF AN HOUR LATER, THE EXTERIOR LIGHTS WOULD COME ON ALL BY THEMSELVES, SOMETIMES DRAINING THE BATTERY IF I DID NOT NOTICE THIS. I FELT TOTALLY UNSAFE DRIVING THE CAR WHEN THIS WOULD HAPPEN - I HAD NO SAFETY FEATURES TO RELY ON AND I DID NOT EVEN KNOW IF I WOULD HAVE A CAR THAT WOULD RUN. I TOOK THE CAR TO A SATURN DEALER AND HAD THE BCM (BODY CONTROL MODULE) REPLACED. I ALSO FOUND OUT THAT SATURN IS HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THIS AND I HAVE ASKED OTHERS THAT OWN SIMILAR SATURNS ALSO EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM. THIS WAS QUITE COSTLY TO REPLACE APPROXIMATELY $600.00 (THE CHEAPEST AROUND). OTHERS PAID MORE FOR THIS REPAIR THAN I DID. *TR

DT: 2003 SATURN L200. ALL OF THE LIGHTS ON THE VEHICLE CUT ON AND OFF. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN TO THE DEALERSHIP TO BE INSPECTED. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR 2 DAYS. THE VEHICLE WAS BEING TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE CONSUMER CHECKED ALL OF THE FUSES HIMSELF AND NOT FOUND ANY PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER FOUND THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM FROM OTHER COMPLAINTS. ALL OF THE LIGHTS; FRONT, BACK, AND INTERIOR LIGHTS FLASHED ON AND OFF.*AK

WHILE PULLING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY, THE CONSUMER STARTED SMELLING WHAT SEEMED LIKE ELECTRONICS BURNING. AFTER DRIVING A FEW BLOCKS THE CONSUMER SMELLED SMOKE COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. THE CONSUMER PULLED OVER AND CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR AN EXAMINATION. THE DEALER FOUND THAT THE SIGNAL INDICATOR ARM WAS THROWING SPARKS. B*JB

THIS IS THE THIRD INCIDENT, SECOND IN SAME DAY, WHERE THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILED. AUDIBLE CLICKING SOUND UNDER DASH AND LIGHTS REPEATEDLY TURNING ON & OFF, LOCKS ON AND OFF AND HORN SOUNDING. ON 1 PRIOR OCCASIONS, AUDIBLE CLICKING HEARD AND LOCKS REPEATEDLY TURNING ON AND OFF. CLEARLY NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT, AS I CAN SEE FROM OTHER COMPLAINTS THAT OTHER OWNERS OF THIS MODEL ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. CONSEQUENCES OF THE PROBLEM --- NEIGHBORS CALLED POLICE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT NOISE. UNABLE TO KEEP ALARM ON DUE TO CONTINUING PROBLEM, LEADING TO INSECURE CAR. ALSO, SAFETY ISSUE WITH LIGHTS AND LOCKS REPEATEDLY TURNING ON AND OFF WITH THE ELECTRICAL FAILURE. DEALER WILL SERVICE IN TWO DAYS (FIRST AVAILABLE APPT!!) AND WILL UPDATE THEN.