1998 SATURN SL Service Brakes, Hydraulic Problems

1998 SATURN 41,635 MILES- BAKES PULSE AND SHAKEY STEERING- MACHINE ROTORS NEW PADS 48,343 MILES-SHAKEY STEERING-BALANCE WHEELS REPLACE SUSPECTED BAD TIRE. 64,057 MILES-SHAKEY STEERING-MACHINE ROTORS, PADS OKAY FOR NOW.*MR THERE IS SOMETHING DEFINITELY WRONG WITH THE BRAKES AND OR THE ROTORS. I HAVE OWNED MANY VEHICLES AND NEVER HAD ROTOR PROBLEMS. WHILE AT THE REPAIR SHOP I OVERHEARD TWO PHONE CALLS FROM CUSTOMERS WITH SIMILAR COMPLAINTS.

VEHICLE EXPERIENCING NOISE IN THE FRONT END. DEALER COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG AND ADVISED CONSUMER THAT THERE IS NO ADJUSTMENT ON FRONT BRAKES AND THE REAR BRAKES ADJUST THEMSELVES. HOWEVER CONSUMER FOUND OUT THAT THE REAR BRAKES DO NOT ADJUST THEMSELVES AND HAVE TO BE ADJUSTED MANUALLY. THIS HAPPENED 3 TIMES. VEHICLE ALSO LOSING BRAKE PEDAL GOING 2/3 OF THE WAY TO FLOOR. DEALER FOUND LEFT FRONT WHEEL ROTOR WAS WORNED. CONSUMER REPLACED BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS. *TT THE CALIPERS WERE STICKING AND THE DEALER WAS NOT WILLING TO REPLACE IT. *YH

VEHICLE EXPERIENCING NOISE IN THE FRONT END. DEALER COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG AND ADVISED CONSUMER THAT THERE IS NO ADJUSTMENT ON FRONT BRAKES AND THE REAR BRAKES ADJUST THEMSELVES. HOWEVER CONSUMER FOUND OUT THAT THE REAR BRAKES DO NOT ADJUST THEMSELVES AND HAVE TO BE ADJUSTED MANUALLY. THIS HAPPENED 3 TIMES. VEHICLE ALSO LOSING BRAKE PEDAL GOING 2/3 OF THE WAY TO FLOOR. DEALER FOUND LEFT FRONT WHEEL ROTOR WAS WORN, CONSUMER REPLACED BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS. PROBLEM NO LONGER EXIST. MAUFACTURER NOTIFIED. *TT

THE FRONT ROTORS HAVE BEEN REPLACED TWICE IN 57000 MILES. SOMETHING IS WRONG WHEN THIS HAPPENS THIS OFTEN WITH THIS LITTLE AMOUNT OF MILEAGE. *AK

I TOO HAVE HAD REPEATED BRAKE PROBLEMS WITH MY SL1. THE FIRST TIME SATURN REPLACED THEM BECAUSE AT 25,000 MILES, THEY SHOULD NOT BE BAD. THEN AT 45,000 MILES IT HAPPENED AGAIN! THE SERVICE MAN TOLD ME IT WAS BECAUSE I WAS "RIDING" THE BRAKE. OF COURSE IT WAS MY FAULT - NOT! I ARGUED WITH HIM, BUT LOST. HAD TO PAY ALMOST $400 DOLLARS FOR A BRAKE JOB THAT WAS ALREADY REPLACED AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN UNDER WARRANTY. I ASKED HIM IF I WAS GOING TO BE CHANGING THE ROTORS AGAIN IN 30,000 MILES, HE SAID NO. IT SHOULD LAST TILL 50,000 MILES. GUESS WHAT?!? 25,000 MILES LATER, IT IS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS. NOT ONLY THAT, I NOW HAVE A CRACKED/BLOWN HEAD GASKET TO WHICH AFTER MANY INQUIRIES, SEEMS TO HAPPEN ALOT IN THE SL1 MODELS. WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS, BUT NEEDLESS TO SAY I WILL NOT BE INVESTING IN "A DIFFERENT KIND OF CAR COMPANY" ANYMORE.*AK

WHILE PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE, STEPPED ON THE BRAKES, WHICH FAILED. CAR STRUCK THE CRUB AND A RAILING CAUSING THE AIRBAGS TO DEPLOY AND THE SEATBELTS TO LOCK VERY TIGHT. TWO DAYS PRIOR TO PURCHASING THE BRAKES WERE SQUEAKING.

ROTORS WARPED AND WERE REPLACED 9 WITHIN 9 MONTHS AFTER BUYING VEHICLE BRAND NEW, REPLACEMENT PART WAS DEFECTIVE AND REPLACED ONE MONTH LATER, IN FEBRUARY OF 2001, ROTORS WERE WARPED AND REPLACED AGAIN. *SLC

THE BRAKE ROTORS WARP EASILY, THEY ARE EITHER INSUFFICIENTLY THICK OR COOLED. NLM

NOT LONG AFTER WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, THE BRAKES MADE NOISE AND CAUSED THE STEERING WHEEL TO VIBRATE UPON BRAKING. BROUGHT IN THE VEHICLE FOR SERVICE AND THEY SAID THE ROTORS WERE WARPED, THEY CUT THEM DOWN. SINCE THEN THE BRAKES HAVE MADE NOISES AND THE REAR WHEELS LOCKUP UPON INITIAL DRIVING DAILY. EACH TIME THE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT IN FOR REGULAR OIL CHANGES, WE COMPLAINED ABOUT THE NOISES, AT 10.209 MILES &16,284 MILES, BUT THEY ALWAYS SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG. NOW THE BRAKES ARE STILL MAKING NOISES WHEN YOU FIRST START THE VEHICLE. ALSO, NOW THE STEERING WHEEL VIBRATES UPON BRAKING, MORE AT HIGHER SPEEDS, CAUSING HARDER BRAKING AT TIMES WHEN QUICK BRAKING IS NEEDED. UPON SLOW ROLLING STOPS, LIKE COMING TO A LIGHT, THE CAR SURGES, LIKE THE BRAKES ARE GRABBING AT CERTAIN POINTS THEN RELEASING. SOMETIMES BRAKING IN NORMAL CITY ROADWAYS, THE BRAKES DON'T RESPOND WHEN QUICK BRAKING IS NEEDED TO AVOID DANGEROUS SITUATIONS. IT'S LIKE THE BRAKE PEDAL IS TOUGH TO PRESS.

CONSUMER HAD BRAKES RESURFACED THREE TIMES. DEALER WAS SAYING THAT CONSUMER WAS APPLYING BRAKES TOO HARD. BRAKES WEREN'T WARRANTY. DEALER REPLACED IT AS A COURTESY TO THE CONSUMER, AND NOT UNDER WARRANTY. *AK

VEHICLE'S TRACTION CONTROL FAILED, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO HYDROPLANE AND SPIN OUT OF CONTROL AND OFF HIGHWAY. WHILE SPINNING, ABS BRAKES FAILED AND CAUSED WHEELS TO LOCK UP.

ROTORS WARPED, CAUSING ROCKING OF CAR DURING BRAKING AT 16,000 MILES AND AGAIN AT 32000 MILES.

ROTORS WARPED VERY FREQUENTLY AFTER SERVICE, CAUSING THE BRAKE AND THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE TO VIBRATE AND CREATING SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD. YH

THE CONSUMER STATE WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH AND APPLYING THE BRAKE'S, THE BRAKE'S WENT STRAIGHT TO THE FLOORBOARD AND THE CONSUMER HAD TO PUMP THE BRAKE'S AND THE VEHICLE SLOW DOWN AND CAME TO A STOP AND THE CONSUMER STATE THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THE BRAKE'S HAS FAIL.

PLEASE TAKE NOTE THAT THE STATE AND ZIP CODE INCORECT , I HAD TO IMPROVISE AS I COULD NOT FILLED OUT THIS QUESTIONAIRE AND I WRITING FROM CANADA. MY POSTAL CODE IN CANADA IS L0L 2P0. ON 21 NOV 1998 , DURING THE 35000 KM(22000 MILES) SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE I REPORTED TO THE DEALERSHIP THAT THE FRONT BRAKES OF MY SATURN WERE PULSATING WHEN BRAKING (MY ODOMETER READING WAS 22303 MILES(35686 KM) . DURING THE SERVICING THE DEALERSHIP DISCOVERED THAT BOTH FRONT ROTORS (DISCS) WERE WARP AND AS CORRECTIVE ACTIONS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, THE FRONTS BRAKE PADS WERE SANDED, BOTH FRONT ROTORS WERE MACHINED AND BOTH FRONT CALIPERS WERE SERVICED. BASE ON OUR DRIVING HABITS (85 % HWY DRIVING) AND CONSIDERING THE LAST 5 VEHICLES I DROVE I FIND THIS SITUATION RATHER ABNORMAL ON A BRAND NEW CAR. ON 17 AUG 1999, AT 60662 KM (37913 MILES) SAME PROBLEME REOCCURED I REPORTED TO THE DEALERSHIP THAT MY FRONT BRAKES WERE PULSATING. THE SERVICE MANAGER SUGGESTED THAT THE ROTTORS BE MACHINED AGAIN TO WHICH I REFUSED AS IT IS NOT COVER UNDER WARANTY ANYMORE. I INDICATED TO HIM THAT IT IS ABNORMAL THAT THE ROTORS WARP LIKE THIS. IS ANSWER WAS THAT IN ACCORDANCE WITH SATURN THERE IS NO PROBLEM OR ANY DEFECT WITH BRAKES COMPONENT. I HAVE RAISE MY CONCERNS HIGHER WITHIN THE SATURN COMPANIE IN CANADA BUT IT SEEM THEY WASH THEIR HAND AND SHIFT THE BLAME ON ATMOSPHERIC CONDITION AND OUR DRIVING HABITS. I HAVE RESEARCHED IN YOUR DATABASE AND I HAVE FOUD THAT THERE WERE SVC BULLETINS # 96-T-40 A, (NHTSA ITEM # SB049187) AND SVC BULLETIN #98-T-40-A (NHTSA ITEMS SB601049) RELATING TO BRAKE PROBLEMS. MY SATURN WAS BUILT IN AUG 97. IN MY OPINION IT NOT NORMAL THAT ROTORS WARP AND CAUSED BRAKE TO PULSATE. IN ACCORDANCE WITH YOUR DATABASE I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE HAVING PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKE OF MY SATURN. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM, IF BRAKE ROTORS WARP EASILY & PULSATE AND CAUSE THE BRAKE EFFICIENCY TO DECREASE. MAY BE CONTACT ME VIA E-MAIL AT [email protected]. THANKS

THE PROBLEM IN A NUTSHELL IS UNEXPECTED/UNPREDICTABLE APPARENT LOSS OF BRAKING.

UPON APPLYING STEADY PRESSURE THE BRAKES RELEASE A COUPLE OF SECONDS AFTER INITIAL APPLICATION.