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Saturn L-Series

Saturn L-Series
00-02 Saturn L-Series sedan.jpg
Overview
Manufacturer Saturn (General Motors)
Also called
  • Saturn L100
  • Saturn L200
  • Saturn L300
  • Saturn LS
  • Saturn LS1
  • Saturn LS2
  • Saturn LW1
  • Saturn LW2
  • Saturn LW200
  • Saturn LW300
Production 1999–2004
Model years 2000–2005
Assembly Wilmington, Delaware, United States (Wilmington Assembly)
Body and chassis
Class Mid-size
Body style
Layout Transverse front-engine, front-wheel drive
Platform GM2900 platform
Related Opel Vectra B
Saab 9-3
Saab 9-5
Powertrain
Engine
Transmission
Dimensions
Wheelbase 106.5 in (2,705 mm)
Length 190.4 in (4,836 mm)
Width
  • 69.0 in (1,753 mm) (2000–2002)
  • 68.5 in (1,740 mm) (2003–2005)
Height
  • 56.4 in (1,433 mm) (sedan)
  • 57.3 in (1,455 mm) (wagon)
Chronology
Successor Saturn Aura

The Saturn L-Series is a line of automobiles that were sold by Saturn.

The L-Series mid-size sedans and station wagons were introduced in 2000. They were based on the Opel Vectra B and manufactured at a GM plant in Wilmington, Delaware. The L-Series was available with straight-4 and V6 engines with either 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmissions.

Poor sales of the L-Series caused GM to cancel the line for 2005. The first L-series car was built in May 1999, and the last one rolled off the Wilmington line on June 17, 2004, after a short run of 2005 models. About 406,300 L-series cars were built in this period. The plant was then retooled to build the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky roadsters.

The replacement for the L-Series, the Saturn Aura, arrived in August 2006 for the 2007 model-year. The Aura was built on the Epsilon platform, also shared by the Pontiac G6, and the Chevrolet Malibu.

The Saturn L-Series was troubled early in production by a number of quality issues, often related to engine failures, transmission failures and overall fit and finish issues. Consumers reported repeat problems with tire noise and vibration linked to poorly designed control arm bushings and nonadjustable rear alignments. A retrofit kit was released to address these concerns.

In 2005, a recall was issued pursuant to a defect petition by the North Carolina Consumers Council, a consumer nonprofit advocacy organization, alleging repeat brake and tail light failures. The resulting recall affected more than 300,000 vehicles in the United States and Canada. Later that same year, the North Carolina Consumers Council petitioned for an investigation into timing chain failures and subsequent engine failures across the model lineup for vehicles using the 2.2L engine. The resulting recall affected only a small number of vehicles built in a four-month period in late 2000 and early 2001. The organization reported that complaints of engine failure due to a defective timing chain design persist to this day and requests for recall expansions have largely been ignored. The organization has gone so far as to make its first recommendation against the purchase of a vehicle in its more than forty year history due in part to this timing chain defect.


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Wikipedia

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