| 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
Saturn L-Series repairs by problem area
Engine (50%)
Transmission and Drivetrain (4%)
Brakes and Traction Control (3%)
Suspension and Steering (18%)
Electrical and Air Conditioning (22%)
Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (2%)
Other (1%)
Chart based on 171 repairs.
Saturn L-Series engine repair cost distribution
$2500+ (5%)
$1000 - $2499 (5%)
$500 - $999 (21%)
$100 - $499 (40%)
< $100 (29%)
Chart based on 82 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.
2003 Saturn L-Series 4dr Wagon
182-horsepower 3.0L V6 4-speed automatic FWD
| 48000 mi US $972 |
Check engine light reset. Valve cover gaskets replaced. |
2003 Saturn L-Series 4dr Wagon
135-horsepower 2.2L I4 4-speed automatic FWD
| 148000 mi US $450 |
Plugs and timing |
| 153000 mi US $70 |
Radiator replaced, leaking at tank |
2003 Saturn L-Series 4dr Sedan
182-horsepower 3.0L V6 4-speed automatic FWD
| 73000 mi US $900 |
Oxygen sensor |
| 79000 mi US $500 |
Replace thermostat and hoses |
| 11000 mi | Replaced leaking head gasket. Sales consultant stated that it appeared that the head gasket was slightly misaligned on assembly. Repaired under warranty. |
| 42670 mi | Thermostat replaced under CPO warranty |
| 48100 mi US $11 |
MIL on, found broken clamp on vac hose. Clamps not covered under CPO warranty. |
| 53600 mi | Oil leak. Oil filter canister was cracked/damaged during dealer oil change. Dealer replaced at no cost since it was their error. |
| 57122 mi US $1724 |
Oil in coolant, oil cooler cracked. Thermostat housing found to be warped, also replaced. Parts ran to $400, the rest was labor, as GM decided that making stuff impossible to get to is good for dealer profits. |
2003 Saturn L-Series 4dr Sedan
135-horsepower 2.2L I4 5-speed manual FWD
| 104300 mi US $900 |
Gas tank cracked |
| 109740 mi C $1000 |
Thermostat and waterpump needed to be replaced. |
| 144000 mi US $350 |
Catalytic converter needed replacing. The O2 sensors appear fine. P0420 error |
2003 Saturn L-Series 4dr Sedan
135-horsepower 2.2L I4 4-speed automatic FWD
| 97200 mi | Replaced knock sensor |
| 108900 mi US $600 |
Needed most of a new exhaust system. my Mazda ran until 246K miles and never needed a new exhaust. |
| 75000 mi US $225 |
Car was loosing power when accelerating. When pedal was barely pressed it went faster. Turned out the Catalytic converter was bad. Replaced it at exhaust shop and was good to go. |
| 94600 mi US $550 |
Exhaust leak. Fixed by replacing the manifold. |
2003 Saturn L-Series 4-door
6-cylinder automatic 2WD
| 125700 mi US $575 |
Started overheating, needed thermostat |
2002 Saturn L-Series 4dr Wagon
182-horsepower 3.0L V6 4-speed automatic FWD
| 116000 mi US $400 |
After problem-free 50-mile freeway trip + parking 1-hour, failed to start; AAA towed to AAA shop "around the corner" + found to have failed in-tank fuel pump + "codes in history possibly indicated need for more repairs". Paid 200+towed Going to attempt to drain & drop the fuel tank + remove & replace the fuel pump & filter to remedy AAA shop's diagnosis while saving 500+ in labor costs. First, reading all I can to learn how to do this "big job" on my own. |
2002 Saturn L-Series 4dr Wagon
135-horsepower 2.2L I4 4-speed automatic FWD
| 139100 mi | Fuel leak at fuel pump on top of gas tank, requires dropping the tank to replace. One hour diagnosis only, repair not yet performed. Problem worked around by not completely filling tank. |
| 44000 mi US $125 |
Service engine light on-replaced secondary air pump |
| 46000 mi US $428 |
loss of power when engaging passing gear or driving up inclines, abnormal transmission shifting, poor gas mileage-replaced catalytic converter |
2002 Saturn L-Series 4dr Sedan
182-horsepower 3.0L V6 4-speed automatic FWD
| 97000 mi US $300 |
Crankshaft Position Sensor failed and was replaced. |
| 100000 mi US $560 |
Replaced heater core. |
| 179000 mi US $400 |
misfire on cylinder #4, running rough, wouldn't idle, stalled while idling |
| 179300 mi US $160 |
replace mass air flow sensor and clear codes from computer. |
| 191000 mi US $150 |
catalytic converters plugged, forcing an o2 sensor code. |
| 125000 mi US $50 |
Leaking oil cap filter |
| 120000 mi US $300 |
MAP sensor, and the EGR valve went bad. Cost around 300 total for the parts, and the dealer wanted 500 to install. We did it at home, it was a simple install. The EGR is held on by 2 bolts, and the MAP sensor comes in a new section of the intake |
2002 Saturn L-Series 4dr Sedan
135-horsepower 2.2L I4 5-speed manual FWD
| 140000 mi US $250 |
Heater Core out, coolant all over front floor board of car. |
2002 Saturn L-Series 4dr Sedan
135-horsepower 2.2L I4 4-speed automatic FWD
| 129130 mi US $230 |
Loss of coolant. AZ didn't have adapter to pressure test. The heater hoses were leaking an difficult to take off. Wet carpet on passenger side was relatively easy to fix with two O-rings from Graingers...bag of 50 $5, so I have 48 spares. |
| 143000 mi US $600 |
Replaced timing and balance chain. Sheared off bolts in the process because of poor work instructions from GM and a very complicated job for one person. |
| 143000 mi US $2500 |
Took it to my mechanic and they replaced the chains again. Also cylinder head valve job. The engine did not hold compression because the valve faces had eroded. |
| 68842 mi US $649 |
Replaced Ignition Coil |
| 69000 mi US $285 |
Replaced catalytic Converter Replaced catalytic Converter |
| 8600 mi US $500 |
Body control module (dealer parts and labor) |
| 87000 mi US $400 |
Catalytic converter replaced |
| 105000 mi | Was driving the car, heard and felt a "thud", and the engine stopped. Mechanic suspected internal timing chain broke. Recommended not fixing. |
| 180000 mi US $600 |
Car failed to start. Diagnostic discovered a bad fuel pump. Both pump and fuse were replaced. |
2001 Saturn L-Series 4dr Wagon
182-horsepower 3.0L V6 4-speed automatic FWD
| 92000 mi US $75 |
Oil filter housing cracked when trying to change filter element |
| 101000 mi US $350 |
water pump was leaking and needed replacement. |
| 143800 mi US $225 |
Leaking coolant at the firewall quick-connect for the heater hose. |
| 196000 mi US $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. |
| 200339 mi US $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. |
| 209735 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. |
| 199000 mi US $65 |
My vehicle developed a sudden coolant leak with a loss of a quart of coolant over the course of one week. |
| 201000 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. |
| 203000 mi US $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. |
| 218000 mi US $2900 |
Exhaust system noise |
| 223000 mi US $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. |
| 223300 mi US $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. |
| 70000 mi US $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. |
| 92000 mi US $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. |
| 98000 mi US $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 Sedan
182-horsepower 3.0L V6 4-speed automatic FWD
| 141000 mi US $400 |
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 |
| 132000 mi | Main ECU threw every code in the book, and because Saturn no longer exists, replacement ECUs were $1200 plus labor to install |
| 105400 mi US $167 |
oil cooler housing leaks - declined to have repairs done ($687) |
2001 Saturn L-Series 4dr Sedan
135-horsepower 2.2L I4 5-speed manual FWD
| 130480 mi C $800 |
The shop replaced the exhaust flexible and the manifold linking with the muffler assembly. |
| 151900 mi | replace flexible exhaust pipe |
2001 Saturn L-Series 4dr Sedan
135-horsepower 2.2L I4 4-speed automatic FWD
| 75300 mi US $200 |
Replaced water pump. |
| 119000 mi US $1500 |
Muffler rusted out |
| 119000 mi | Timing chain broke and damaged the engine valves, possibly two pistons as well. |
| 92000 mi US $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. |
| 149600 mi US $80 |
Engine misfire caused by a defective coil pack. |
| 109200 mi US $120 |
Heater core leaking, replaced with new heater core. Cause of leak - bad o-rings. |
| 130800 mi US $30 |
Throttle position sensor failed. Replaced with new OEM sensor. |
| 140000 mi US $5 |
Replaced Throttle Position Sensor. Had to pay for a different part due to previous supplier no longer carrying part. Replaced under part warranty. |
| 159000 mi | Melted pipe inside the radiator. I had to fill the radiator daily. |
| 130000 mi | The timing belt went out, and the car wasn't worth the trouble to fix it. |
| 150000 mi US $250 |
Cooling system leak. Replaced coolant fan & radiator cap. |
2000 Saturn L-Series 4dr Wagon
182-horsepower 3.0L V6 4-speed automatic FWD
| 110000 mi US $87 |
I used a scanner to get trouble codes, checked for vacuum leaks and bad fuses that could cause the p0030 and p0171 codes that came up, and then replaced the faulty oxygen sensor. |
2000 Saturn L-Series 4dr Sedan
182-horsepower 3.0L V6 4-speed automatic FWD
| 98000 mi US $120 |
Common failure: CPS disallowing car to start. |
| 130200 mi C $305 |
Replaced the MAP sensor again, 305 bucks this time, not the 675 the GM dealer soaked me for |
| 134540 mi C $462 |
Replaced faulty EGR Valve |
2000 Saturn L-Series 4dr Sedan
137-horsepower 2.2L I4 5-speed manual FWD
| 236220 mi C $120 |
Exhaust Flex Joint was changed. |
2000 Saturn L-Series 4dr Sedan
137-horsepower 2.2L I4 4-speed automatic FWD
| 110000 mi | Problem with pistons and valves needed top or full engine rebuild. Too expensive to repair, car not worth fixing. |
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