The following is a copy of a letter I composed after learning that our new car had a serious defect. See also
March 15, 1997
Dear Saturn,
We've enjoyed many wonderful miles with our car. We've enjoyed hearing all the, "Oh, you're one of those people" comments. So, it is with great sadness that I've to come to you today.
At two and a half years (and 49,000 miles) our 1995 Plum SL1 (gray interior, with the option package and the stereo/tape/EQ) has developed the problem described in Technical Service Bulletin 94-T-48A in at least 2 of the cylinders. That is "A clearance condition between the piston pin and the connecting rod bushing."
Art Schild, the service manager of Saturn of Northwest Indiana, has made the following claims:
1. I have done a good job taking care of my Saturn. I have had all of the recommended service on a good schedule. [I don't object to this claim at all.]
2. A "clearance condition" is something that just happens, I should accept it and pay for the repair.
3. They have seen this problem 4 other times.
4. Dealership sales volume is around 1200 cars per year (rough guess). This sets total dealership sales at about 2400 cars for the two year period that they have been open.
5. Due to the severity of the problem, the car should not be driven. [They even went so far as to loan us a car until we could get this worked out.]
6. When I claimed that the frequency of problems in relation to the sales volume (both noted above) would seem to imply that this occurs fairly often, they denied it. [What they deny is their experience of seeing this problem in 5/2400, or 1/480, or 0.21% of Saturn engines. Since the service bulletin does not report that this problem plagues 1996 or 1997 models, it is not unreasonable to calculate that this happens to 1/240, or 0.42% of Saturns from the 1995 model year.]
7. The diagnosis of a bad piston pin is done by listening for a knock and/or rattle noise from the engine. They were aware of the potential for a problem through the Service Bulletin. They had seen it several times before. However, at no time during any of the regular maintenance services did they listen to the engine. They will only listen to an engine if a customer makes a complaint about a particular noise.
So, let me summarize the cause for my sadness: These statistics are alarming. There is nothing more fundamental to the operation of a car than the construction of the pistons, connecting rods and crank shaft. The basic design of these components has not changed since the early 1900's. The construction of these components is nearly foolproof and has been so for the better part of this century. Apart from gross neglect and abuse, these things just don't fail on the modern automotive engine at under 100,000 miles. The frequently of this problem in Saturn engines is astounding.
I want to see Saturn take responsibility for this failure. I want an admission that something was defect in the construction of my engine. Since the potential for damage has certainly compromised the engine life, nothing short of replacing the entire engine is a suitable repair. And, I want an apology.
Very sincerely and sadly,
Paul Nord
Scott Mierhead, Saturn Customer Assistance Center
Susan McAuliffe, Sales, Saturn of South Holland Illinois
Art Schild, Service Manager, Saturn of Northwest Indiana
Todd Terpstra, Service Advisor, Saturn of Northwest Indiana
Dave, Dave's Automotive, Valparaiso, Indiana
Better Business Bureau of Northwest Indiana
Consumer Reports
