I have a '99 SL2. For the past week there has been a creaking or groaning noise coming from (it seems) the rear of the car. Today it's gotten bad enough that it sounded like the entire back of the car was going to fall off. There is no particular rhyme or reason when it will creak, though it's least likely to when I"m driving at a consistent speed and more likely when I"m braking, accelerating or turning. I"m going to stop driving it and get it into the garage first thing Monday cause I feel it isn't safe to drive, but can anyone give me an idea what to expect? I feel big $$$ signs coming my way. [img]smileys/smiley6.gif[/img] Thanks for any help.
Edited by: sw2cam

How many miles are on the car?

96,000 miles. And I should have mentioned that it's driving just fine except for the creaking.
Edited by: sw2cam

I'd check the obvious stuff first. Brakes, hubs, struts and strut mounts.

Brakes were totally done a few months ago, so struts , etc. sounds like a distinct possibility. Thanks for your input - much appreciated.Edited by: sw2cam

most likely the rear links. disconnect the links and drink to confirm.
Edited by: sw2cam

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javaluver, et al, did anyone get an answer on this? My mother in laws 99 sl2 with 50999 has same problem, I've narrowed it to the sway bar aluminum links at the rear (can make them pop/creak by hand) and possibly also the 4 link connections at the rear. Anyone else have that problem? Javaluver, did you get yours fixed? where and what did they do. Thanks
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well sway bar links are extemely cheap and easy. So that would definetly be a good place to start

Turned out to be the rear stabilizer links. Couple hundred dollar repair at my Saturn dealership.

Originally I took the car to a different garage. First time I"d taken it anywhere other than Saturn for major problems, but they were in walking distance from my house and I"d heard good things about them so I thought I'd give them a try. They told me both the rear and front struts needed to be replaced to the tune of 1600 dollars.

I decided to get a second opinion from Saturn and - obviously - very glad I did. They also told me they have never needed to replace the struts on my model.

Hope that saves someone some trouble in the future, and thanks again for the help.

$1600? Are they made of gold and diamonds?

Struts are less than $400 for the set and take less than an hour to swap out.