Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1997 Saturn SL owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
No prior indication of a fault. On March 26, 2005 my wife went to start the car and not only would it not start, but smoke started coming up from the dashboard. Upon having it towed to a Saturn dealer, we were told that the iginition switch had failed and had burnt out the wiring harness. This car has 48849 miles on it. This just does not make any reason, as should iginition swaiches go bad on a low mileage car and cause so much additional damage?
We experienced a dashboard fire in our 1997 Saturn sl1 in the fall of 2003. My wife turned the key, started the car, shifted to reverse, and began backing up when the engine quit, the car jolted to a stop, and the interior immediately filled with acrid smoke. The knoxville Saturn dealer replaced the ignition switch and wiring--not cheap. This is obviously a safety-related event.
1997 Saturn sl2. Started engine, it ran a few seconds, then stopped with electrical smelling smoke flowing from under dashboard into car. After it stopped, it could still be cranked over but would not fire and run. We got out of the car and pushed it into our garage, where it still sits.
Alternator mount bracket failure on 1997 Saturn sl2, VIN #[redacted] while driving to work, the mount bracket for my alternator snapped in half! The design flaw is that the mount bracket is actually part of the aluminum engine block. The engine heats up which causes the metal to expand and become weaker from the thermal stress. There is considerable stress from the alternator (vibration, stress loads). With the heated up metal (weakened from thermal stress) combined with the stress load from the alternator vibrations, it adds up to trouble. Lucky for me I was only going about 20-30 MPH when the bracket failed. This failure has caused almost $1,400 in repairs to my car which is currently @ Saturn of pensacola, florida getting repaired. I don't want to think of what would have happened if I had been on the highway at a higher rate of speed and this failure had occurred. …
Ignition switch failed to start car. After a few tries, the car finally started only to have mounds of smoke rolling out from under the dash. After turning the vehicle off, the switch worked intermittently. We removed dash covers and ignition cylinder lock, and lowered the steering wheel to find that the wiring harness leading to the ignition switch had what was a black wire that was melted bare for a couple inches, and disfigured the entire wire, and melted the insulation to other wires within the harness. Judging by the damage of done to the wire, it appears that the most heat was in an area where the wire was closest to the steering column, leading one to believe that it wore through and grounded itself to the steering column, which LED to the overheating of the wire and subsequent smoke/fire.
When turning the switch to start the engine, the starter motor stopped an smoke started coming from the dashboard. The vehicle was towed to the dealership where it diagnosed that the switch had shorted out. Another component failure resulted from the shortening of the switch. The ignition cylinder seems to be a problem; however, I can not find information on safey recalls. Web site http://www.alldata.com/TSB/53/975307fc.html shows what appears to be a safey recall 97-c-02 apr 97, TSB title ignition cylinder malfunction.
Started my car, it ran a few seconds, then died. Before I could restart it, smoke started pouring out of the steering column and I smelled an electrical fire. I didn't start it again but found help to disconnect my battery. It's on it's way to the nearby Saturn dealer who refuses to provide me with a loan car. I think this is a very unusual problem, and I've driven a lot of clunkers in the past without having to deal with anything like this.
At start up horn sounded, then, smoke was coming from under the dash. Consumer shut off engine, and had vehicle towed to dealer. Dealer determined that wiring harness under the dash needed to be replaced.
I purchased a used 1997 Saturn SL in 2005. When I negotiated to purchase the vehicle the horn was not working. The used car dealer replaced a fuse. The horn then worked intermittently if the horn button was pushed just so. Within a week it failed to work at all. I contacted Saturn (via the internet) and got no help, other than to take the dealer for repair. This car was totaled out in an accident. I liked it so much (other than the horn issue) that I bought another one - a 1996 SL. The horn on the 96 also worked intermittently. Again, pushing the horn button in just the right way would activate the horn. Recently it stopped working - just like the 97. I feel that this must be a pervasive issue. I have never owned any other vehicle with a horn issue. It is definitely a safety issue; one that could be very expensive to repair due to the steering wheel having an air bag. …
I was parked at a shopping center, when I turned my car on, it would not start. After trying a couple of times,it made a pop sound and smoke flooded inside the car. I turned off the key, took it to a dealer and they could not find anything wrong with it. The windows would not work as well. I replaced the fuse for the windows, and the car started, but now only the drivers side window works.
Electrical complaints in other SL years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 1997 Saturn SL?
NHTSA has 31 complaints about the electrical system of the 1997 Saturn SL, 14% of the model year's 227 complaints. The component named most often is wiring › interior/under dash (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Saturn SL electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 1997 Saturn SL, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1997 Saturn SL electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 77,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 7 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.