2000 Saturn LS Transmission and drivetrain Problems

“I purchased a 2000 Saturn LS 1 from carmax with 63,000 miles on it in september, 2007. Since february, 2008, I have spent more than $2,600 in repairs on the car; $1,600 was the timing chain which broke when the car only had 73,000 miles on it! I was told this was not a typical problem and that it was early for it to have broken. I see through my research that this is not untypical and is a frequent problem.”

“My 2000 Saturn ls1 completely shut down while driving, and never started again. It will cost $2500 for a used motor and installation, plus $175 for the tow and the diagnostics; and now I'm enduring significant transportation challenges without a vehicle.”

“I started the car and backed out of the driveway when a put it in forward it stalled. It started again and I drove to my destination. It also started again and I was able to return home. While I was driving to and from my appointment I could not maintain speed going up hills on the highway. When I went to start the car the next day it turned over but did not start. From there on it would not turn over at all. My mechanic says there no compression on any of the cylinders and it is most likely the timing chain.”

“I have a 2000 Saturn ls2. I was approaching a red light. I downshifted from 3rd to 2nd without incident. When I tried to shift down to 1st, I heard a pop and the gear shift lever was completely disconnected to the linkage. This was very disconcerting. When I called the mechanic and told them what happened the first question was 'do you have a Saturn? I found out that this problem is caused by failure of a plastic bushing which costs less than $20 but which Saturn is charging $800 to replace along with a lot of other parts. They will not sell just the bushing. I bought one on ebay for $19.99. …”

“I have a 2000 ls1 Saturn. I bought it brand new. In the past year I have had to take it in other than for maintenance because something has gone wrong. October 2002- my hydraulics went out of my clutch causing me to be stalled without a car. A few months ago it was recalled due to something gone wrong in the rear axle. So Saturn replaced it. On thursday, october 16, 2003, I took it in again because I was hearing a rubbing noise when I made sharp left turns. Turns out I need a $1400 new steering rack because there is an internal leak from my power steering fluid. …”