2000 Saturn LS Engine and Engine Cooling Problems
Owners have filed 140 complaints with NHTSA about engine and engine cooling problems on the 2000 Saturn LS, 37% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 85,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “timing chain” (67% of reports).
- 140engine and engine cooling complaints
- 85,000median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 2mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $3,700typical repair cost reported by owners
- 34%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Timing chain: mentioned in 94 of 140 complaints (67%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical engine and engine cooling repair on the 2000 Saturn LS at $3,700, and half of them between $1,500 and $5,300.
Based on 32 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2004–2010), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems happen?
Based on 107 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 140 complaints, 1 a fire, 2 an injury.
Saturn LS engine and engine cooling complaints by model year
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists engine and engine cooling for the 2000 Saturn LS. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
I took my car in for a tune up and found out the timing belt tensioner had gone bad destroying my motor. *tr
Engine began having a slow knocking noise, prior to that i would hear a noise of the chain slapping, which i was explained to by saturn that this was normal in my vehicle. Drove the vehicle home then while i was parking, heard a loud bang and when i got out - there was oil gushing from underneath…
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 saturn ls. While driving approximately 35 mph the contact heard a ticking noise in the engine. The noise was heard while driving various speeds. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed the noise was coming from the timing belt located in the engine. The vehicle was…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2000 Saturn LSs have engine and engine cooling problems?
No. NHTSA has 140 owner complaints about engine and engine cooling for the 2000 Saturn LS (37% of the 382 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2000 Saturn LS engine and engine cooling?
No recall currently lists engine and engine cooling for this vehicle.
At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems start?
The median reported mileage is 85,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix engine and engine cooling problems on the 2000 Saturn LS?
Owners report a typical cost of $3,700 (half paid between $1,500 and $5,300), from 32 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about engine and engine cooling problems on the 2000 Saturn LS?
The most frequent phrase is “timing chain”, in 94 of 140 complaints.
Other 2000 Saturn LS problems
See all 2000 Saturn LS problems or engine and engine cooling problems across all LS years.