no report yet
Engine and engine cooling
Risk. IF A TIMING CHAIN LINK SEPARATES WHILE THE ENGINE IS RUNNING, THE ENGINE WILL STALL AND WILL NOT RESTART INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
2001 Saturn LSProblems, recalls & complaints
NHTSA has logged 582 owner complaints about the 2001 Saturn LS, most often about the engine and engine cooling. It is covered by 7 safety recalls.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through January 14, 2025. Updated daily.
Complaints by system
Where the 2001 Saturn LS has problems
582 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.
300Engine and engine cooling2 crash/fire/injury
80Electrical system13 crash/fire/injury
51Exterior lighting6 crash/fire/injury
41Engine
30Power train
29Steering
29Suspension
17Fuel system, gasoline
16Air bags
8616 other systems6 crash/fire/injury
| System | Complaints | Crash, fire or injury |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and engine cooling | 300 | 2 |
| Electrical system | 80 | 13 |
| Exterior lighting | 51 | 6 |
| Engine | 41 | 0 |
| Power train | 30 | 4 |
| Steering | 29 | 1 |
| Suspension | 29 | 0 |
| Fuel system, gasoline | 17 | 1 |
| Air bags | 16 | 8 |
| 16 other systems | 86 | 6 |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.
7 recalls
2001 Saturn LS recalls and how many were fixed
Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
no report yet
Exterior lighting: brake lights
Risk. THIS CAN CAUSE (1) AN INTERMITTENTLY INOPERATIVE BRAKE/TAIL LAMP BULB OR (2) A SHORT CIRCUIT THAT OPENS A FUSE CAUSING INOPERATIVE BRAKE LAMPS (INCLUDING THE…
no report yet
Ignition: module
Risk. FAILURE OF THE RESONATOR WILL CAUSE INCREASED EXHAUST NOISE.
no report yet
Air bags: frontal
Risk. THIS COULD INCREASE THE SEVERITY OF INJURY TO A PERSON WHO WAS NOT PROPERLY RESTRAINED AND WHO WAS CLOSE TO THE PASSENGER AIR BAG AT THE TIME OF DEPLOYMENT.
Show 3 more recalls
no report yet
Air bags: frontal
Risk. IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH THAT WOULD TRIGGER A PASSENGER AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT, A DOUBLE LOAD OF GENERANT CAN CAUSE THE INFLATOR MODULE TO EXPLODE.
no report yet
Automatic transmission: gear position indication (prndl)
Risk. UNEXPECTED MOVEMENT OF THE VEHICLE COULD CAUSE A CRASH WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.
no report yet
Air bags: side/window
Risk. THIS COULD CAUSE INJURY TO AN OCCUPANT.
Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Saturn.
Mileage at failure
When do engine and engine cooling problems start?
84kmiles, median
Based on the odometer reading in 261 engine and engine cooling complaints. 67% were reported before 100,000 miles.
3under 30k miles175under 100k miles86100k miles or more
Owner-reported costs
What owners say repairs cost
Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.
Engine and engine cooling
55 owners mentioned a cost$2,300median
Middle half: $1,500 – $3,100
If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.
Best & worst years
2001 vs. every other LS year
Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the LS median. How we score
'00'01'02'04
- Avoid
- Caution
- Solid
- Best
- Not rated
8 investigations
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal investigations that included the 2001 Saturn LS, and the recalls they led to.
- INOPERATIVE TAIL LAMPSNo recall
- TIMING CHAIN FAILURENo recall
- TIMING CHAIN FAILURE-STALLNo recall
- TIMING CHAIN FAILURE - STALLLed to recall 07V-519
- HEADLAMPS FLICKER OFF AND ONNo recall
- INOPERATIVE TAIL LAMPSLed to recall 05V-245
- TIMING CHAIN FAILURENo recall
- TIMING CHAIN BREAKS, ENGINE STALLNo recall
In owners' words
What LS owners report
Recent engine and engine cooling complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.
WELL FIRST MY ENGINE CONTROL MONITOR IS SENDING A BUNCH OF RANDOM OFF CODES FROM MA'S AIR SENSOR VOL LOW TO CRANKSHAFT SENSOR VOLUME LOW TO O2 SENSORS TO TRANSMISSION CODES, MY SIDE AIRBAG ON DRIVER SIDE BLUE UP OUT OF NO WERE MY KEY FOB STOPPED READING AND NOW MY CAR WON'T START I KNOW ALL OF A…
I HAVE 2 CHILDREN AND IM A PART TIME SINGLE MOM. I LOVE MY CAR. NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS. ONE DAY AFTER WORK. IT SIMPLY WOULDN'T START. THE TIMING CHAIN DEFAULTED ON ME. NOW I AM CAR LESS AND IN DANGER OF LOSING EMPLOYMENT. I HAVE RECENTLY DISCOVERED THAT THERE HAD BEEN A PREVIOUS RECALL ON THIS…
WHILE DRIVING HOME MY CAR JUST STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. I HAD NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENED OR WHAT WAS WRONG, IT JUST STOPPED WITH NO WARNING, RIGHT BEFORE IT STOPPED IT MADE A NOISE UNFAMILIAR TO ME BUT IT SOUNDED AS IF THE BRAKES HAD FALLEN OFF OR SOMETHING. I HAD TO GET MY CAR TOWED AT MY OWN…
Own a 2001 LS?
Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.