| 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
2001 Saturn L-Series repairs by problem area
Engine (60%)
Transmission and Drivetrain (5%)
Brakes and Traction Control (2%)
Suspension and Steering (18%)
Electrical and Air Conditioning (16%)
Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (0%)
Other (0%)
Chart based on 62 repairs.
2001 Saturn L-Series repair cost distribution
$2500+ (6%)
$1000 - $2499 (9%)
$500 - $999 (15%)
$100 - $499 (37%)
< $100 (33%)
Chart based on 54 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.
2001 Saturn L-Series
Engine not specified
| Saturn L-Series in Colorado, United States Dec 2011 - Jan 2012 | |||
| Jan 2012 | Transmission would not upshift from second gear. It would start fine in first, shift to second fine, but not upshift any further. Estimated cost to repair transmission: $2400. KBB value of car: ~$1000. | ||
| Saturn L-Series in Pennsylvania, United States Oct 2013 - Nov 2013 | |||
| Nov 2013100000 miUS $159 | Left rear shock was blown. | ||
2001 Saturn L-Series 4dr Wagon
182-horsepower 3.0L V6 4-speed automatic FWD
| Saturn L-Series in Arizona, United States Feb 2011 - Feb 2016 | |||
| Apr 201170000 miUS $255 | Low fuel pressure, leaking fuel pump. Replaced w/ OEM delphi pump. replaced power steering/fan belt idler pulley after it's bearing froze completely and shredded the belts causing loss of power to steering and extreme engine overheating due to loss of coolant flow. towed to dealer for repair. | ||
| Saturn L-Series in Massachusetts, United States Feb 2011 - Aug 2017 | |||
| Mar 201292000 miUS $75 | Oil filter housing cracked when trying to change filter element | ||
| Jul 201294200 miUS $600 | Body control module failed, replaced with new unit that could only be programmed at a dealer | ||
| Oct 201398200 miUS $175 | ball joint | ||
| Dec 201399000 miUS $400 | Alternator failed and required replacement | ||
| Mar 2014101000 miUS $350 | water pump was leaking and needed replacement. | ||
| Saturn L-Series in Kansas, United States May 2011 - Apr 2019 | |||
| Jun 2011124000 miUS $850 | A/C compressor would not engage even though freon in system. Replaced A/C compressor and rcvr/drier. Work done by dealer, parts purchased by owner. | ||
| Jun 2012143000 miUS $1200 | While having all 4 struts replaced, found left front coil spring broken. Replaced both front coil springs and both front sway bar links, along with all 4 struts. | ||
| Jan 2016168000 miUS $225 | Leaking coolant at the firewall quick-connect for the heater hose. | ||
| Jun 2016196000 miUS $315 | Crank Position Sensor failed - No Start. After cool down period, was able to get engine started and drove car to shop. Shop verified with scantool and replaced CPS. | ||
| Dec 2016200339 miUS $3100 | While changing upper radiator hose, discovered that plastic neck of radiator was too brittle to remove old hose and install new one. Required replacement of radiator. Valve Cover Gaskets were leaking oil - needed to be replaced (old gaskets were extremely hard and brittle). System had a slow coolant leak (would lose about 12 ounces over 2 weeks of normal driving). Found to be weepage and leaking from O-rings on fittings in engine valley for the oil/water heat exchanger. Replaced all O-rings and gaskets in valley related to cooling system. | ||
| Oct 2017209735 mi | Loss of coolant started slowly (a pint over about 100 miles) and accelerated to a pint in 13 miles of driving. Shop performed pressure test of system and found fittings on the new radiator were leaking. Fitting were sealed using coolant hose. Work performed at no charge to owner. | ||
| Dec 2017212000 miUS $110 | System would not cool - found to have lost all refrigerant | ||
| Saturn L-Series in Michigan, United States Mar 2011 - Feb 2014 | |||
| Jun 2011181000 miUS $470 | Check engine light came on then the lights went out. Stopped vehicle as it was dark and was towed. Alternator was replaced. Two days later, the car completely died and the battery was replaced. No recurrence in six weeks. | ||
| Jan 2012199000 miUS $65 | My vehicle developed a sudden coolant leak with a loss of a quart of coolant over the course of one week. | ||
| Feb 2012201000 mi | Engine began to run roughly and the "service engine soon" light cam on. The mechanic diagnosed no firing on cylinder three. Repair required replacement of the one-three-five ignition coil. | ||
| Mar 2012203000 miUS $380 | Check engine light came on. A trip to my mechanic turned up two codes indicating problems with the EGR valve. It had never been replaced before, so it was replaced. | ||
| Dec 2012218000 miUS $2900 | Cracked transmission housing. Creaking from rear suspension Exhaust system noise | ||
| Mar 2013223000 miUS $30 | Oil leak. Turns out it was from the main bearing seal. Not worth spending the money to repair, will try oil additives. Update: added Blue Devil Bearing Seal stop leak, and after two weeks it seems to have worked. | ||
| Apr 2013223300 miUS $322 | I was getting an intermittent battery warning light and occasional cut out of the power steering during turn when it was raining. I suspected the serpentine belt was slipping. It and the belt tensioner were faulty and replaced. | ||
| Feb 2014229000 mi | Creaking from rear suspension never resolved, even with a replacement of the rear suspension bushing and repeated lubrication. Final thing that lead to getting rid of the car was the need to replace the front strut mounts. Would have cost $700+. | ||
| Saturn L-Series in New York, United States Feb 2011 - Aug 2021 | |||
| Aug 201177300 miUS $300 | Hard shifts (auto trans), "wrench" icon lit and all shifts after that were very hard. Reset when car was restarted (no light). Similar problem solved years ago (35K miles) with trans fluid flush, and this seems to have worked again. | ||
| Jun 201282000 miUS $1080 | AC clutch open circuit (electromagnet fail) Took an extra day to get the special order part ($300+). Due to the tight package/serpentine belt, diagnose/install was $600. This was at a Chevy dealer co-owned by the former Saturn dealer. | ||
| Oct 201389000 miUS $220 | Strong vibration started at about 55 mph, got worse (like a washboard dirt road) until it stopped abruptly above 72 mph. Replaced the two older tires, now have 4 matching Goodyears that are all low mileage. This didn't solve the problem. | ||
| Feb 201592000 miUS $550 | Rear muffler developed leak on top (against a heat shield). Repaired by independent muffler shop. Other than the price (shop claimed this was because this is a fairly low volume car) the repair seems OK. | ||
| Mar 201593000 miUS $300 | Service Engine Soon light on. Had codes read at parts store -- 21 codes! Dealer diagnosed weak battery, low voltage during cranking causes the computer to throw codes. New battery has cured the problem. | ||
| Feb 201898000 miUS $1000 | Fuel filler neck rusted through -- I live in a high salt area, so while unpleasant, I can't fault the car for this problem. My Chevy (former Saturn) dealer had the fuel filler neck in stock. | ||
2001 Saturn L-Series 4dr Wagon
135-horsepower 2.2L I4 5-speed manual FWD
| Saturn L-Series in Nunavit Territory, Canada Feb 2015 - Dec 2015 | |||
| Feb 201580600 miC $150 | Power steering pump broke. | ||
2001 Saturn L-Series 4dr Wagon
135-horsepower 2.2L I4 4-speed automatic FWD
| Saturn L-Series in Maryland, United States Nov 2013 - Mar 2014 | |||
| Mar 2014207000 miUS $50 | Windshield washer pump needed replacing. I ordered a replacement online and installed myself | ||
| Saturn L-Series in Maryland, United States Feb 2011 - Oct 2012 | |||
| May 201184100 mi | new AC compressor installed | ||
2001 Saturn L-Series 4dr Sedan
182-horsepower 3.0L V6 4-speed automatic FWD
| Saturn L-Series in Texas, United States Apr 2011 - Aug 2012 | |||
| Aug 2011146000 miUS $2000 | Timing belt slipped; destroyed engine, replacement installed Camshaft position sensor failed, rendering vehicle inoperable. Yes, I know, I got shafted on the price of this repair... Oxygen sensor failed. Also on this trip, replaced taillight wiring pigtails, as they had melted AC compressor leaking at front seal. Also, check engine light on because of faulty ECM | ||
| Aug 2012132000 mi | Main ECU threw every code in the book, and because Saturn no longer exists, replacement ECUs were $1200 plus labor to install | ||
| Saturn L-Series in California, United States Feb 2011 - Apr 2012 | |||
| Aug 2011105400 miUS $167 | oil cooler housing leaks - declined to have repairs done ($687) rear control arm bushings ($783) | ||
2001 Saturn L-Series 4dr Sedan
135-horsepower 2.2L I4 5-speed manual FWD
| Saturn L-Series in Quebec, Canada Apr 2011 - Apr 2015 | |||
| Jul 2011130480 miC $800 | The shop replaced the exhaust flexible and the manifold linking with the muffler assembly. | ||
| Mar 2012137640 miC $750 | I did it myself: front, new rotors and pads. Rear brake shoes plus a wheel cylinder with the bleeding. I had new summer tires installed at a shop. Stabilizer bar link kit. | ||
| Jul 2014151900 mi | replace flexible exhaust pipe | ||
2001 Saturn L-Series 4dr Sedan
135-horsepower 2.2L I4 4-speed automatic FWD
| Saturn L-Series in Colorado, United States Sep 2013 - Jun 2016 | |||
| Oct 2013109200 miUS $120 | Heater core leaking, replaced with new heater core. Cause of leak - bad o-rings. | ||
| Jul 2015130800 miUS $30 | Throttle position sensor failed. Replaced with new OEM sensor. | ||
| Jun 2016140000 miUS $5 | Replaced Throttle Position Sensor. Had to pay for a different part due to previous supplier no longer carrying part. Replaced under part warranty. | ||
| Saturn L-Series in Michigan, United States Aug 2014 - Oct 2014 | |||
| Sep 2014159000 mi | Melted pipe inside the radiator. I had to fill the radiator daily. | ||
| Saturn L-Series in Michigan, United States Mar 2011 - Mar 2013 | |||
| Feb 2013119000 miUS $1500 | Rear springs broken and struts excessively worn. Muffler rusted out | ||
| Mar 2013119000 mi | Timing chain broke and damaged the engine valves, possibly two pistons as well. | ||
| Saturn L-Series in Illinois, United States Feb 2011 - Apr 2011 | |||
| Apr 201192000 miUS $470 | Timing chain rattle, possible skipped link. No valvetrain damage. Had chain, oiler, sprockets, and tansioner replaced. Also did oil change and new sparkplugs. Timing chain rattle, possible skipped link. No valvetrain damage. Had chain, oiler, sprockets, and tansioner replaced. Also did oil change and new sparkplugs. | ||
| Saturn L-Series in Missouri, United States Jun 2011 - Jun 2021 | |||
| Apr 201275300 miUS $200 | Replaced water pump. | ||
| Jun 2018225000 miUS $80 | Wheel bearing rear right | ||
| Saturn L-Series in Wisconsin, United States Dec 2011 - Mar 2013 | |||
| Feb 2013149600 miUS $80 | Engine misfire caused by a defective coil pack. | ||
| Saturn L-Series in Illinois, United States Jun 2012 - Jul 2012 | |||
| Jul 2012150000 miUS $250 | Cooling system leak. Replaced coolant fan & radiator cap. | ||
| Saturn L-Series in Arizona, United States Aug 2013 - Nov 2013 | |||
| Nov 2013130000 mi | The timing belt went out, and the car wasn't worth the trouble to fix it. | ||
See TrueDelta's information for all Saturn models.
