Cracked rear seat molding/facia

[brenner46]

Check your silver molding/facia piece behind the seats. On day 2 of ownership, we noticed a crack in this piece, after putting the passenger seat forward. We started looking more closely, and also found multiple fractures in the silver paint around the buttress flaps (they flip up when you pull on them with the top down). We returned to the dealer for repair of the crack behind the passenger seat, as well as to correct the wind noise and the fact that the passenger door window didn't clear the top when closing the door. I had the car 14 days, the dealership has had it 5! Every facia replacement piece shipped to them was either damaged worse than mine or had similar fractures. A design flaw?? Take a GOOD, CLOSE look at yours in the sunlight when your top is down. Are there fractures in your silver facia?? Look again! The dealer looked at every Sky currently on their lot . . . they all had the same flaw. I saved for 1 1/2 years, put over $20K down on my dream, and the dealership has had the car nearly 25% of my ownership time. The 30 day return isn't going to help if this is a design flaw! They will ALL have it. Perhaps massive complaints from us to Saturn will elicit a recall. This part should be metal if the flexing of the car fractures the paint on the facia behind the seats!

[marlboromike]

r u talking about the waterfall with the saturn logo on it? Just to make u smile, the SKY has no rear seat...

[JohnD]

Originally Posted by marlboromike

Just to make u smile, the SKY has no rear seat...

Shhhh! That's where the eBAY cross floor stiffening brace goes...

[Rick Tinley Park]

Originally Posted by brenner46

Check your silver molding/facia piece behind the seats. On day 2 of ownership, we noticed a crack in this piece, after putting the passenger seat forward. We started looking more closely, and also found multiple fractures in the silver paint around the buttress flaps (they flip up when you pull on them with the top down). We returned to the dealer for repair of the crack behind the passenger seat, as well as to correct the wind noise and the fact that the passenger door window didn't clear the top when closing the door. I had the car 14 days, the dealership has had it 5! Every facia replacement piece shipped to them was either damaged worse than mine or had similar fractures. A design flaw?? Take a GOOD, CLOSE look at yours in the sunlight when your top is down. Are there fractures in your silver facia?? Look again! The dealer looked at every Sky currently on their lot . . . they all had the same flaw. I saved for 1 1/2 years, put over $20K down on my dream, and the dealership has had the car nearly 25% of my ownership time. The 30 day return isn't going to help if this is a design flaw! They will ALL have it. Perhaps massive complaints from us to Saturn will elicit a recall. This part should be metal if the flexing of the car fractures the paint on the facia behind the seats!

Sounds more like the factory has a load of defective plastic parts. From what you are saying the actual part was already cracked before it was installed. The car is not causing it to break - the part is defective.
Actually the 30 day return would work great -- keep refusing it on the same flaw -- That would get them to notice it quickly!!

[Celt03]

Re-checked my '08 - it is fine. And believe me that I would have noticed something like that at the get-go.
I agree with Rick that GM must have gotten a bad batch and nobody caught it.

[brenner46]

The dealer tried 5 attempts to ship in new plastic facia, all were damaged by "shipper" worse than the original part. After 5 days at the dealership, high-pitched yelling at "service" on the phone, resulted in them finding a Sky for sale on the lot with an unblemished facia. They dismantled it to fix mine. Now it's perfect! And for all my trouble, the Gen'l Mgr is going to make my 1st car payment.
I agree it must be a "batch" of defective facia parts. The dealer is taking issue with Saturn corporate (so they say), cuz they're out all those defective/broken parts, and had a majorly pissed off customer complaining on the phone almost daily. Their reputation is important to them, so it matters that the parts continually shipped to them broken or compromised in some way.

I'm happy now, and didn't have to return the car! She's beautiful! And I'm checking it daily for any issues. There've been none.

[jwolfpack02]

I thought this was a hootie & the blowfish thread...

[compdoc777]

Originally Posted by Celt03

Re-checked my '08 - it is fine. And believe me that I would have noticed something like that at the get-go.
I agree with Rick that GM must have gotten a bad batch and nobody caught it.

That is ridulous that nobody caught the flaw. Maybe they did and just did not care. They soon will be replaced with robots anyway or they will ship the plant to China so they can paint our cars with lead paint and store spent nuclear fuel rods and toxic waste inside the empty cavities of the body of the cars.

[Rick Tinley Park]

Originally Posted by compdoc777

That is ridulous that nobody caught the flaw. Maybe they did and just did not care. They soon will be replaced with robots anyway or they will ship the plant to China so they can paint our cars with lead paint and store spent nuclear fuel rods and toxic waste inside the empty cavities of the body of the cars.

More than likely -- they weren't cracked at the plant -- but inbetween.

[brenner46]

A quick follow-up to all (except the idiots whose comments had nothing what-so-ever to do with the Sky) . . . there have been no issues since the facia was replaced. I'm back in Sky happy-land. Drive her every day, 52 miles round-trip, to and from work, and even grocery shop with her. She's getting 26MPG, on average, and is an absolute HOOT to drive. Fun, fun car, worth every penny saved to buy her. And just love the rubber-necking when I drive by and the turbo whistles! Can't wipe that smile off my face!!!

[G8TR]

Glad that they managed to resolve your issues and it seems that the dealer really stood behind you on this. Good to know that you've been happy with it since and get pleasure out of daily driving. I know I go through withdrawal if I don't drive mine on a daily basis.