2004 Saturn L300 electrical problems

Filed Nov 26, 2019 · Brakes, Electrical · 131,342 miles · AL

My brake lights and my 3rd brake light that is on the inside of the rear window is not working correctly and at times my front inside instrument panel lights will go dim and now have completely stopped working and also my inside interior lights have stopped working completely (example) when you open the doors no interior lights come on at all and also will not even come on when you try to turn them on by hand and my map lights on the under side of my inside rear view mirror or map lites have stopped working and the 3rd brake lights located inside the center of the rear windshield now have 2 lites that are completely stopped coming on and my tag lights do not work any more and all this started appx. 4 months ago when a police officer pulled me over after dark and told me about my brake lights not working correctly and no tag lite and 3 weeks prior is when the instrument panel inside started acting up and now no lights work at all inside and this happens whether the car is moving or not and with it sitting in park al this happens and also no trunk lite or glove box lites up !

Filed Oct 22, 2018 · Electrical · 100,000 miles · PA · fire

Wiper switch heats up on ignition and also randomly while running - causing smoke and burning smellfrom steering column and wipers to turn on by themselves. First replacement done by certified mechanic with certified gm part cost $365. 3 years later, it's the same issue again!

Filed Nov 22, 2014 · Electrical · 66,010 miles · FL

The car just shuts down while in motion. Most of the time it shuts off when trying to stop the vehicle. It will eventually crank up in about an hour only to shut down again. The car shut down as I was with my wife and daughter on I-95 going 65 MPH. We were stranded for about 3 hrs. On the interstate before the car cranked back up. The vehicle was purchased through drive time and has a warranty on it . After complaining to the company about the vehicle they instructed me to have a diagnosis done on it to find out what the problem was. I was also informed that a recall was out for saturn cars from the news. I contacted gm and explained what was happening and they gave me a case number but also stated that the model car I have was not on the recall list and for me to take it to a gm dealership near me to have another diagnosis done on the car which was an extra $125. U.s.a auto service performed a diagnosis on the car the to see if it was the ignition switch that was causing the car to shut completely off while the car was moving. They could not get a diagnosis from the ignition. I contacted the warranty company for drive time and they informed me that nothing was covered because it was electrical. Then I called gm back and told them the car was not safe to drive and what the diagnosis report said and they told me that there was nothing they could do unless I paid the $125 with them to have another one done. Then they would determine if it was the ignition. I am at my wits end because nobody wants to take responsibility for the electrical system that will cost close to $1,000 to have fix. I am currently making payments on this car and can't afford all this money. I had the car serviced with u.s.a auto service because drive time requires you to keep up with the maintenance of the car which I faithfully did. Now the whole electrical system has failed.

Filed Apr 26, 2013 · Electrical, Lights · 75,000 miles · CA

I own a 2004 saturn l300; on several occasions over the past several weeks I have seen wisps of smoke coming from the steering column, followed by a strong smell of burning plastic. The area behind the steering wheel is extremely hot to the touch, and I am told it is a fire hazard and that the headlamp stalks need to be replaced for overheating, which may run up to $600 with labor. I have been forced to pull my car over on busy roads, in heavy traffic to let it cool before restarting, and am worried that the faulty wires will cause a fire.

Filed Mar 2, 2010 · Electrical, Engine · NV

My wife and I own a 2004 saturn l300. My wife is the primary driver and she reported seeing a wisp of smoke coming from the steering column. We took it to the saturn dealership and they said it was an electrical short. A couple of weeks later my wife reported the same wisp of smoke. We took it back to the dealership to have them repair it again. The second time they repaired it, the turn signal would not turn off when the wheel was turned. Also, the wisp of smoke is back again. This will be the third time into the dealership for the same problem. I am concerned because I don't want it to start a fire while it is being driven. This does not include the other issues including the power steering rack failing, the water pump failing, and the plenum failing. The car only has 46,000 miles on it and my wife has put about 13,000 in 27 months.

Filed Feb 20, 2009 · Electrical · 97,000 miles · CT

I have a saturn l300 and was driving on the highway in the left lane one day and the car just shut down and stopped running. When my mechanic read the electrical code on the car it was the bcm that had failed. I had read that this is a known common issue with these vehicles and wanted to know why this is not a recall on the vehicle since it could be a safety issue as in my case. I did avoid and accident and got to the side of the road without getting hit or hitting someone else but it was definitely could have been worse and I had my 4 year old in the vehicle with me at the time. Since that happened I have notices other things going wrong on the vehicle that are attached the bcm, radio stopped working, keyless remote stopped working, defrost on side mirrors don't work...which are not safety issues but what cause it to shut my car down on the highway when I was driving was scary and unsafe!!!

Filed May 27, 2008 · Electrical, Transmission · 40,000 miles · AL

The battery warning and emergency service lights (I.e., "the car with the wrench" signal) flashed on my 2004 saturn l300 in mid-may 2008. I was on the highway at the time. As I slowed down to exit the speedometer stopped. I made it home and parked it in the car port. I had it towed to saturn of birmingham (sob) the next morning. Sob has had it for 4 days now. The service tech's (at least three have looked at it) have had a difficult time determining what the problem is. For now, the power train (PCM) has been replaced. But the service rep informed me that the alternator is overcharging so they will have to replace it as well. The battery has been drained, which will make this the second time I have had to replace the battery on this car (the first time was after only 2.5 years). The service rep indicated that the tech will have to do a thorough check on the vehicle to make sure there are no other problems that could have been triggered by the PCM/alternator/battery failure.

Filed Dec 9, 2007 · Electrical · 68,000 miles · IA

2004 saturn ion - will not start if outside temp is below freezing. Service vehicle light comes on. If you wait 5-10 minutes then the car will start. This has happened 15+ times to me in the last month.

Filed Nov 27, 2007 · Electrical · MN

My 2004 saturn ion will not start when the weather is cold. After several visits to the mechanic it was discovered that this is because of a fault in the ignition switch which keeps it from starting when it gets below a certain temperature. I was told this is a common problem in saturn ions and that the cost to fix it would be over $200.

Filed Feb 7, 2005 · Acceleration, Electrical · MI

While driving on the freeway 70 MPH acceleration will drop down to 5 MPH. Dealership stated that there was something wrong with computer that threw the vehicle into idle mode. This problem also occurred in the owner's previous saturn model l200 2002. The cause was still undetermined.