Faults:
Driver's power seat went out -- Dealer moved seat during oil change and when I got in the car, the seat wouldn't move. Dealer claimed they weren't responsible, I had to fight with them, they fixed the problem. Blown fuse.
Car wouldn't start -- Start switch went out less than 5 months of me owning it. Stranded. Had to get car towed to dealer. $400.
Oil plug stripped -- Dealer stripped the oil plug. Had to get it replaced by the dealer and couldn't get my oil changed elsewhere.
Countless exterior lights have blown out.
Tape player stopped working -- Will play tapes for about 30 seconds at a time, then flips tapes. Very strange.
Exhaust leak, knocking noise when starting -- Dealer claimed they couldn't duplicate the noise or find anything wrong with the car.
Air conditioner went out -- Dealer claimed compressor was locked up, but I could turn it with my hand. Wanted to replace it for over 800 dollars. A service garage said the car has serious electrical problems and the compressor is not the problem. It's a mystery.
Wiper fluid basin has a hole -- Dealer tells me every time I go, there is a hole in the windshield wiper fluid basin. Not worried about it; every time I use this feature fluid still sprays the windshield.
Crack on rear tail light cover -- Collects water, then drains upon opening the trunk and pours water over everything.
Transmission shifts rough -- I don't even notice this anymore, but the transmission jerks and jolts about half of the time I am driving. I think it's just poor quality not a legitimate issue.
General Comments:
Where do I begin? Seems like a nice car with a lot of nice features. The engine is one of the few things that actually works pretty good on this car. Acceleration is pretty good and it is reasonable on gas. The interior can only be described as tacky and cheesy. The colors are terrible, but the car isn't that uncomfortable unless you're driving over 70 mph, then you'll need to scream to passengers due to road noise.
Exterior wise the car is fine, unless, of course, one of your lights has blown out.
Then we get to the issue. Once your first problem begins, they don't stop. The best advice I can say is to bring a really good pair of walking shoes everywhere you go, because you'll probably get stranded at least once, an ice cold drink when the AC goes out, and some loud music if you'll be driving on the highway. You might want to bring some pain reliever for when you get the repair bill and the headaches Saturn will cause you.
Saturn service is a joke. The service department here is an absolute joke. They have no clue what is going on, usually scratch their heads at problems, and you'll go bankrupt paying for the repairs. You'll probably get scammed by the dealer at least once unless you can catch it in time, they will come up with some load of crap problem when its something minor and they tell you these big long explanations in hope you'll just let them rip you off. And friendly wise, haha! No wonder the dealer was itching to get this car out of their used lot.
26th Aug 2009, 09:09
I agree with the previous post concerning this auto's engine. It does run well and gets great fuel mileage. However I also agree that this auto will "nickel & dime" you to death. I am constantly repairing things (minor stuff) such as exterior lighting, the hood latch cable and don't forget the air conditioner recharge every spring... the last being due to the service department's inability to locate the leak (numerous times).
I've seriously contemplated selling this auto and purchasing another Hyundai Santa Fe... we love the '03 model we have now.
So much for "Buy American"!