Why Saturn Canada Sucks

So I have a 2005 Saturn Ion 2 sedan. And boy, what a hunk of junk. The car barely has over 30,000 KM on it, and I cannot count how many times the damn thing has been in the shop.

This car has been in the shop 4 times for transmission problems. The last time it was in for this problem was last week. And yet I am still having problems.

The car has also been in 3 times because I couldn't get the key out of the ignition. To make matters worse, not only could I not get the key out, but nor could I turn off the engine. This probably wouldn't bother me so much except the dealership was not open when this occurred, and I had to leave my car in the dealership parking lot, pull fuses out of the car to turn the engine off, and lock the key in the car to prevent it from being stolen.

This car has had 16 warranty complaints against it in the 19 months that I have had it. That translates to 1 warranty issue for every 36 days of ownership. Or, roughly 1 warranty issue for every 1875KM on the car.

Now I know what your thinking. Your thinking 'Rainn, why are you putting up with this crap? Just make them give you a new car!'.

Hey, I hear you. Believe me, I have been trying. Some time ago, oh, probably around the 10th issue with the car, I called Saturn Canada's corporate service centre. Basically, a pleasant English woman named Margaret told me that they would document all of the issues I have had for future reference. Stellar. Um.... The service centres document those.

So again, last week, I picked up my car from the dealership after they attempted to fix my transmission for the 4th time. 5 hours later, I drove to a client's home to drop off proofs of some photos I had taken for them. Low and behold, when I got to the destination, I could not remove the key from the ignition, or turn off the engine.

So once more, I called the customer service line. I told them I insisted on getting a different car. I told them I wanted to talk to someone higher up the chain of command. And the response? I was told They (GM Canada) won't take the car back, because your service records show the problems have been corrected. You will have to wait until you have another issue with the car before this can go further.

Of course they do. EVERY time the car leaves the dealership, the problem is shown as being corrected. That doesn't change the fact that the problems continue to reoccur. Also, Margaret would not give me the name of the District service manager because apparently 'There are too many of them to remember all of their names.'

So. Now what to do? Well, as luck would have it, the next day I was sent a card in the mail from Saturn to remind me to fill out my customer satisfaction survey. Believe me I did. But fortunately, the reminder card also had the address of the corporate office, and the name of the Director for Saturn Saab Canada. How fortunate! So I wrote a letter, enclosed a copy of all the service issues I have had. I made the dealership print me a history of the car the last time I was there. U will see a copy of the letter I sent below. I will keep you posted on what, if anything, I hear back from Saturn.

Now to all you fanatical Saturn owners out there... Please do not send me hate mail telling me how wonderful your car works. I am sure that there are many Saturns out there that work wonderfully. The point I am making is that MY car does not. I understand that every product that is mass produced will have a batch of defective units. However, I expect Saturn to deal with my car in a more productive fashion, because after all, continuing to repair the car under the warranty program is NOT working.

I will keep you posted.

Rainn.

LETTER TO SATURN

October 13, 2006

Saturn Saab Canada

7496-2 Bath Road

Mississauga, ON L4T 1L2

Dear D.B. McCall,

Recently, you sent me a Service Satisfaction Survey in the mail, as well as a reminder card to fill out the survey. After much consideration, I have decided that a survey simply cannot convey the concerns I have with my Saturn, the service centre, and your company.

I got my 2005 Saturn Ion 2 on a three year lease, which commenced in March, 2005. Since then, I have had warranty issues too numerous to mention. Enclosed, you will find a service history from the main service centre I use, although there have been other problems which I know are not recorded on this document.

While some of the problems have been cosmetic, such as needing a new CD player or new seal on the steering column, most of the issues have been substantially more serious. The car currently has just over 30,000 KM on it, and the transmission had to be recently overhauled. Even still, we are as of yet, unsure whether this will in fact fix the problem. On three separate occasions, I have been unable to remove the key from the ignition, and two of those times, I was unable to actually turn off the engine. This left me no choice but to pull fuses out of the car to turn it off, as it happened after service centre hours.

On October 11, 2006, I had picked up my car at 5 PM from the service centre, after they overhauled the transmission. 5 HOURS later, I had to return the car at 10 PM, because once again, I could not turn the engine off, or remove the key from the ignition.

I am currently on the 4^th repair for my transmission, and 3 times for the lock cylinder (so I can get the key out of the car).

I voiced my concerns with your customer service call centre some time ago, and no solutions were offered. Again yesterday, I called the service call centre. While pleasant, the agent flat out refused to take my concerns to anyone of a higher rank in the company. At least until I experience more problems with the car.

This is unacceptable to me. I have experienced nearly 20 warranty issues with this car in the last 18 months. I do not think I should have to experience more.

I will be moving to the city of Fort McMurray, Alberta at the end of October. The city is isolated, and there is no Saturn dealership there. I also use my vehicle for my job, and I cannot have an unreliable vehicle. At this point, I simply do not want the car. If that means having GMAC end the lease term early, or simply replacing the vehicle, then so be it. But this car is less than a quality product.

I am also disappointed with the service I have experienced with your call centre and the service depot. Even through all of the issues I have dealt with, not once was I ever asked if anything could be done to help make my experience better. Finally, I received a spoken apology from the service centre manager when I picked up my car yesterday. But nothing more has ever been offered. This does not sound like a company that puts people first.

At this point, with the experience I have had, I certainly would not purchase or lease another Saturn. And I would encourage everyone else I know to not purchase one. I am most disappointed, as I was very much looking forward to buying a Saturn Sky at the end of my lease.

Thank you very much for hearing my concerns, and I hope that in some small way, this letter will help improve the service given to other Saturn customers. I look forward to hearing from you.