Lemon Law Center

vehicle description: certain passenger vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of fmvss no. 301, "fuel system integrity." these vehicles were built with an inadequate vent valve weld on the top portion of the fuel tank.

Corrective Action

fuel spillage could occur during refueling or if the vehicle were involved in a rollover. if an ignition source were present, a fire could occur.

Recall Notes

dealers will inspect the vehicle to ensure the fuel tank vent valve is properly welded. if necessary, dealers will replace the fuel tank assembly.

2001 Saturn Sl

Component

Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Park/Neutral Start Switch

Consequence of Defect

vehicle description: certain passenger vehicles, equipped with automatic transaxles, fail to comply with the requirements of fmvss no. 114, "theft protection." these vehicles were built with an improperly adjusted automatic transaxle park lock cable assembly. if improperly adjusted, it is possible to shift from the "park" position with the ignition key removed.

Corrective Action

this condition increases the risk of a crash resulting from the unintended movement of parked vehicles.

Recall Notes

saturn is asking owners and retailers to perform a functional check of the automatic transaxle park lock cable assembly operation, and if necessary, to have the cable adjusted. if owners are not comfortable performing the functional check themselves, they can have their dealer perform this inspection for them.

2000 Saturn Sl

Component

Structure:Body:Bumpers

Consequence of Defect

vehicle description: passenger vehicles. these vehicles do not comply with requirements of fmvss no. 581, "bumper standard." these vehicles were produced with rear bumper fasteners that may be loose or missing.

Corrective Action

if the fasteners are loose or missing, the rear bumper may not absorb energy as it was designed to do in the event of a rear end collision.

Recall Notes

dealers will verify that the rear bumper beam fasteners are present and properly tightened and, if missing, install new fasteners.

2000 Saturn Sl

Component

Structure:Body

Consequence of Defect

vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with a console armrest fail to comply with requirements of fmvss no. 201, "occupant protection in interior impacts." the armrests were produced with a latch that will not withstand the vertical force requirements of the standard.

Corrective Action

in the event of a crash, the latch may open and the armrest or the contents of the console could injure an occupant.

Recall Notes

dealers will replace the console armrest latch.

2000 Saturn Sl

Component

Seat Belts:Front:Anchorage

Consequence of Defect

vehicle description: passenger vehicles. these vehicles do not comply with requirements of fmvss no. 210, "seat belt assembly anchorages." some of the vehicles were produced with seat belt shoulder guide anchor bolts that were not adequately tightened at the center pillar and could fall out, making the seat belt inoperative.

Corrective Action

in the event of a crash, the seat occupant may not be properly restrained.

Recall Notes

dealers will inspect these vehicles for proper installation and torque of the seat belt shoulder guide anchor bolts.

2000 Saturn Sl

Component

Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly

Consequence of Defect

Corrective Action

fuel spillage could occur during refueling or if the vehicle were involved in a rollover. if an ignition source were present, a fire could occur.

Recall Notes

dealers will inspect the vehicle to ensure the fuel tank vent valve is properly welded. if necessary, dealers will replace the fuel tank assembly.

2000 Saturn Sl

Component

Other

Consequence of Defect

vehicle description: passenger vehicles. these vehicles do not comply with requirements of fmvss no. 208, "occupant crash protection." some of these vehicles were manufactured with welds in the instrument panel carrier assembly that do not meet saturn quality standards.

Corrective Action

a front seat occupant, particularly an unbelted occupant, may have an increased risk of injury in a frontal crash.

Recall Notes

dealers will repair the vehicle's instrument panel carrier assembly.

2000 Saturn Sl

Component

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components

Consequence of Defect

vehicle description: passenger vehicles. these vehicles do not comply with requirements of fmvss no. 135, "passenger car brake systems." these vehicles were produced with brake pipe attachment nuts that may not be tightened to specifications.

Corrective Action

if the brake pipe nuts are not properly tightened, brake fluid leakage could occur, increasing the brake's stopping distance.

Recall Notes

dealers will inspect the brake pipe nuts for leakage, verify they are tightened to specifications, and replace the brake pipes if needed.

2000 Saturn Sl

Component

Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Park/Neutral Start Switch

Consequence of Defect

Corrective Action

this condition increases the risk of a crash resulting from the unintended movement of parked vehicles.

Recall Notes

1999 Saturn Sl

Component

Seat Belts:Front:Anchorage

Consequence of Defect

Corrective Action

in the event of a crash, the seat occupant may not be properly restrained.

Recall Notes

dealers will inspect these vehicles for proper installation and torque of the seat belt shoulder guide anchor bolts.

1997 Saturn Sl

Component

Seats

Consequence of Defect

vehicle description: passsenger vehicles. these vehicles were built with suspect cold welds on the right side in the tunnel area of the floor pan. this does not comply with the requirements of fmvss no. 210, "seat belt anchorage."

Corrective Action

in the event of a vehicle crash, the seat occupant may not be properly restrained increasing the risk of personal injury.

Recall Notes

dealers will repair these vehicles.

1997 Saturn Sl

Component

Steering:Gear Box (Other Than Rack And Pinion)

Consequence of Defect

vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with manual steering. the pinion bearing cage in the steering gear can separate under high steering system load conditions, such as parking lot or similar low speed maneuvers.

Corrective Action

this could result in the pinion gear disengaging from the rack causing a loss of steering control.

Recall Notes

dealers will replace the manual steering gear assembly.

1996 Saturn Sl

Component

Steering:Gear Box (Other Than Rack And Pinion)

Consequence of Defect

Corrective Action

this could result in the pinion gear disengaging from the rack causing a loss of steering control.

Recall Notes

dealers will replace the manual steering gear assembly.

1995 Saturn Sl

Component

Power Train:Clutch Assembly:Pedal/Linkage

Consequence of Defect

the automatic transaxle park lock cable assembly was improperly adjusted making it possible to shift from the "park" position with the ignition key removed, or remove the ignition key with the shift lever in a position other than "park." this does not meet the requirements of fmvss 114, "theft protection."

Corrective Action

consequence of non-compliance: unintended vehicle movement can occur which could result in an accident.

Recall Notes

consumers are being asked to inspect the park lock cable. if it does not perform correctly, dealers will make the necessary adjustments.

1995 Saturn Sl

Component

Steering:Gear Box (Other Than Rack And Pinion)

Consequence of Defect

the steering gear pinion shaft was improperly heat treated causing the shaft to fracture during vehicle operation.

Corrective Action

fracture of the steering gear pinion shaft causes complete loss of steering control which can result in an accident.

Recall Notes

dealers will replace the manual steering assembly.

1995 Saturn Sl

Component

Seats

Consequence of Defect

vehicle description: passenger vehicles. some front seat back recliner gear teeth may wear excessively through repeated use, and could cause the seat back to slip partially rearward when force is applied.

Corrective Action

if this happens while the vehicle is being driven, it could cause a loss of control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Recall Notes

dealers will replace the front seat recliner mechanisms.

1994 Saturn Sl

Component

Seats

Consequence of Defect

Corrective Action

if this happens while the vehicle is being driven, it could cause a loss of control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Recall Notes

dealers will replace the front seat recliner mechanisms.