Complain about a product or service

Santa Fe Design

Kent of Ft Michell KY (07/30/07)
My mother bought a Saturn SL2 about 3 years ago off of a lady,her father is a saturn dealer representitive. My mother paid 2500 dollars for the car. Within 2 months after purchasing the vehicle, the engine blew. The odomoter read around 125k miles. She paid 1200 hundred dollars for a new (used) engine. Which is almost as much as she paid for the car its self. Now.....a few years later...She is having mulitple other problems.

I have recently noticed that the transmission is starting to fail. When she comes home from work, and proceeds to back the car into the garage,it does not want to switch to reverse. But when she gives it a little throttle,the transmission jolts into reverse,with a very rough jerk. This happens everyday. A few weeks ago,we had a family vacation in florida.

Due to my moms fear of airplanes,we drove the saturn to florida. After about 5 hours on the road (at 65mph),we hit some heavy traffic. Our averahe speed during the traffic ranged from 10-40mph. Anyway.... while we were starting to pick up after the traffic cleared, I noticed that the car was running at almost 5000 rpms, and we were doing about 35mph. So i informed my mom that i think the car is froze in first gear,and it was.(this car is a 4 speed automatic by the way).We pulled off the road,and i took the chance to check the tranny fluid... it smelt burnt.

This puzzled me. We waited about half an hour, then i suggested that my mom give it another try. The car took off like it does when she first starts it in the morning. We drove the rest of the way to florida with no complications. However,the car did the same thing on the way back home. So that was another half hour on the side of the road. I have researched many saturn databases the moment i noticed the problems,because i was sure i was not the only one with these problems. Obviously i wasn't.

I have called numerous transmission specailest,and we have taken it to many different garages. They all say the same thing. We can't help you. I did however find 1 garage that said they could run a diagnostics test on it.... for 110 dollars. Seeing as how it seemed to be my only option, I asked for an estimate on a new/used transmission. 2200 dollars. Thats what she paid for the car. I am always hearing that used saturns are in high demand, i dont doubt it, but if people new about the lack of service offered to repair the vehicles they plan to purchase, i think used saturns sales would go down.. a lot.It kinda makes me want a ford.

The Ford my grandpa used to own had almost 200k miles on it, and he never had to relace anything on the car. Don't take what i said the wrong way,yeah...saturns are good runnin cars,and they are fun to drive,untill something goes wrong.I really dont understand why the repair costs are so high too.Its an american car.. So you don't have to rely on waiting for 2 weeks for you part(s) to be shipped to you. And even if you did find you own parts, and later on get a price estimate on the installation, the cost is still outragous.

Saturns are not complicated cars,except for the trans-axle and other related parts. It just does not make sense. When you buy a saturn right off the lot brand new, they give you a warrantee. This comforts most people.because it puts the thought in their mind that if something goes wrong,it can be fixed with no hassle. But the buyer is later to find out that the warantee is strictly limited,which again... they fail to mention. I have also heard about the timing chains breaking on the newer Saturns, and i am praying it does not happen to us. I believe that if you drive your car rationaly,(no drifting,excessive flooring of the gas pedal ect.) I believe that if the owner takes good care of the car, they should have the support of the saturn dealership they bought it from. I heard about a timing chain breaking on a 2001 saturn, the car did not even have 100k miles on it yet.

All in all, all we can do is hope that Saturn steps up to the plate. -Kent Ft Michell, KY 1998 Saturn SL2

James of Pensacola FL (03/15/07)
I was given a quote to have a new radiator installed for my 1994 SL. The quote was 529.00 dollars. I asked why so much when down the block a radiator replacement expert installer charged 129.00 for the radiator and 95.00 to install for a total of 224.00 before tax. I was very upset and disappointed that Saturn would not budge. THEY WERE SO BENT ON SELLING ME A NEW CAR.I guess it bothered them that I maintain my car and still have it after 200,000 miles. It seemed apparent that this was their way of sticking it to the loyal customer for holding on to their car.

Curtis of Parker CO (03/07/07)
For two years (2004/2005)they charged for a center console ($150) in a Saturn ION2, when that console was part of the listed standard equipment. They add $750 to $1500 into the deal and then if the customer agrees to the price, they go in to the finance office and then told they can get an extended warranty for $8 a month, when in reality it's costing them $20-30 extra a month.

I once worked there but couldn't stand the unethical and crooked way of doing business. This dealership is ran by a bunch of thieves, plain and simple.

Alan of Apo MA (04/17/06)
On January 10, 2006, while Stationed in Afghanistan, I closed on a duplex in Copperas Cove, TX 76522. The closing was completed and funding was issued. On the closing documents it clearly stated that 2 washers/dryers and mini blinds would be installed on both sides immediately after closing. Nancy C (Sante Fe Designs) had specifically told my wife that they did not want to install them prior to the closing because no one was living on the property and she had concerns of them being stolen.

The day after the closing the builder, Nancy  notified my realtor, Kathy H (Flood Realty) that the washers/dryers and mini blinds would not be installed until they received an additional $1076 from us due to a mix up on their end. After consulting my lender, realtor and after having a lawyer review the paperwork I was advised that I should not have to pay the $1076. Because of this I had to hire someone to purchase and install the washers/dryers and mini blinds on the property. This cost me $1547.31 for which I am seeking reimbursement. After consulting with my lawyer and being advised that because I am a soldier stationed overseas, it will be extremely difficult for me to settle this via the court system. Alan G., Staff Sergeant, US Army.

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