2002 Saturn Vue Engine cooling Problems

“The timing chain on my 2002 Saturn VUE, that has only 55,000 miles on it, broke, causing the engine to be destroyed. (engine destroyed was verified by the dealership I took it to, they said it was something they had never seen happen, yet I see many complaints about their l series here. My car has the same engine as it was the first year the VUE was made and the engine was the same as the l series that year).”

“Approximately 6-9 months ago my 2002 Saturn VUE, 4 cyl, with approx 55,000 miles stopped working. Saturn of bowie, now closed, told me that the timing chain broke and engine was now no good. They said the only way to fix vehicle was to replace engine at my expense. Approximately $6,500. I complained and after my discussions with a Saturn hq person, they replaced the engine and charged me approximately $5,500. I have exact figures in my files. I asked if there was any history of this problem and Saturn responded that it wasn't known problem. …”

“I'm the original owner of a 2002 Saturn VUE awd with the GM vti transmission and engine. Two days ago I experienced my transmission/engine failing for the fifth or sixth time since 2006. The very first time I took my VUE to the dealership in austin, tx where I had to argue with first my service rep. Followed by his manager that the problem was with the transmission. Since the faulty GM design was still relatively new, they originally blamed me for poor driving, resulting a bad bcm which they made me pay in spite of my argument the faulty GM design was the origin of the problem. …”

“Incident = second instance in 54,438 miles of: timing chain 'slipped' due to lack of lubrication. This is on my 2002 Saturn VUE, 4 cyl. Engine - front wheel drive. Saturn blames me for not keeping up with the every 3000 mile oil change requirement. (and is satisfied to look no further for other causes.) I have seen a report, on this site, of an investigation into frequent timing chain failures in l-series models (having the same engine). The report references lack of oil flow to the timing chain when operating at low RPM. …”

“While driving my 2002 Saturn VUE to work, the reduced power and service engine lights came on simultaneously, and I had no power. I pulled over to the side of the road where a state trooper sat behind me with his lights on so that I would not be rear-ended. My car was towed to a local repair station where it could not be fixed, so it was towed to the Saturn dealer. It was reported to me that the timing chain broke and since the engine was a zero tolerance engine, the entire engine has to be replaced at a cost of over $2000. …”