Electrical complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
My son had an accident involving 3 other vehicles. The motor of the 2002 Saturn sl1 in which he was driving stalled as he exited the highway onto a service road. Once the engine stalled,he did not have the ability to steer or stop the vehicle. As a result, he struck 2 vehicles that were stopped at a red light causing a chain reaction. The second vehicle that he struck hit the vehicle in front of it. The airbags deployed in the vehicle my son drove. The right side of vehicle 1 sustained damage. The rear and front bumpers were damaged on vehicle 2. The rear of vehicle 3 is damaged. The Saturn in which my son was driving had front bumper damage, hood crumpled, airbag deployment, left rear view mirror separated from the car, left head light and brackets destroyed, and damage along the left front quarter panel. …
Vehicle caught on fire under the hood, near the battery, after having oil changed. Two parties have looked at the car and determined that the electrical system was faulty. The wiring near the battery was the affected area. The car was a loss with only 30000 miles on it. Saturn does not want to honor factory warranty. Also, Saturn found crack in the engine. They "believe" this crack could have caused the fire. No other inspector found this crack and I want to know how it got there. Saturn had no answers and were very nasty about my entire situation.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Saturn SL. The contact stated that when the ignition was turned towards the on position, it was difficult to turn the key and it took numerous attempts to start the vehicle. The contact stated that the key was removed without the ignition being turned to the off position. The contact also stated that while refueling the fuel tank, the vehicle failed to indicate when the fuel tank was fuel causing fuel to spill. The failures recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 142,000. Updated 7/7/15 the consumer stated the vehicle would shut off, when she approached a stop sign. Updated 08/06/15
My Saturn that I've been driving for about a year and a half now, completely cut off in the middle of me driving it. Luckily I was at a drive they so so serious damage to me or anyone else. Could not get it to start back up for a good 5-10 mins. Also the transmission is going out in it and I'm constantly having to add fluid so it doesnt skip. The rear tail lights keep having to be replaced because they keep blowing out.
Important, I do not know the dates so I had to just put in a random one. This car turned itself off on 3 occasions. I brought it to Saturn on all the incidents. I would be driving and start to break and downshift and the car would literally just turn off, and I was literally at the cars mercy till it would turn back on. As a former drivers ed instructor, I am just lucky I remained calm. At Saturn they tried to tell me this could not happen. I demanded it did, and the one time even left the car with them for a week. I seen the recall for this exact issue but that they are only recalling till the 2003's. I am therefore compelled to make sure it is known these incidents happened as far back as the 2000 models. I also am willing to testify if need be because I was so upset. I had no idea back then how to handle it, so I let it go. …
My 2000 Saturn sl2 is becoming increasingly difficult to start. When the key is inserted into the ignition it refuses to turn to the "start" position without extensive jiggling of the key. This problem surfaced four years ago and was "fixed" by the dealership. The problem has since returned and is worse than ever. This seems to point to a design defect in the ignition switch that could result in a driver and passengers being stranded without assistance in inconvenient or dangerous situations. Googling "Saturn ignition key problems" will reveal that there is quite a widespread problem with Saturn in this type of defect. Since the problem didn't go away completely I will assume that Saturn is replacing the defective ignition switch with the same defectively designed switch. Saturn needs to design an ignition switch that will not fail and use the new unit as a replacement.
I just received a 1999 Saturn SL 2 series a year ago from my mother for my very first car. I got it at about 100,000 miles and it is now currently at 122,446. I noticed about a month ago while I would be driving, usually after about 1-2 miles after starting up the car and driving, my gears began to slip. I kept up with just about monthly oil changes, accompanied by transmission fluid checked and topped off. My transmission oil has never been low. Then, about 4 days ago I went to leave from my work orientation, and I couldn?t back up my car from my parking spot, the reverse had went out. So I put the car back in drive, then back to reverse thinking maybe it didn?t go into reverse all the way and it did not work. I revved up the engine, nothing happening until I did it pretty hard, and eventually it started rolling back a little. …
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Saturn SL. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the brakes were applied to prevent from crashing into another vehicle that had disobeyed the stop sign. As a result, the vehicle slid and crashed into another vehicle and rolled into a snow embankment. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The contact driver sustained head injuries and the three passengers sustained minor injuries, which required medical attention. In addition, the key could be removed from the ignition when driving. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.
Frequently asked questions
Which Saturn SL years have electrical problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2002 (43), 1996 (40), 1997 (31), 2001 (29) and 1995 (27) model years. Electrical complaints make up 33% of all complaints for the 2002.
Is there a recall for Saturn SL electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for any Saturn SL model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Saturn SL electrical problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 85,000 miles; 27% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the ignition (47 mentions), followed by the horn (29).
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.