Tl* the contact owns a 2002 saturn sl. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing ignition failures. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 14e021000 (electrical system). The failure mileage was 60,000 and current mileage was 82,500.
2002 Saturn SL electrical complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 43, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I have removed the key with the vehicle stopped and the car continues to run. The key falls out of the ignition switch. Additionally, the key can be removed before being turned to the "off" position. This causes the key to be difficult to reinsert into the ignition.
Ignition switch is hard to impossible to turn on and once the car is running the key will turn to the off position and with the key extracted from the lock the engine continues to run.
While car is moving key comes out of ignition.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 saturn sl2. The contact stated the vehicle stalled intermittently without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the ignition switch was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the defect. The contact was never notified or informed if his vehicle was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 03v231000 (electrical system). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. The current mileage was 85,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 saturn sl. The contact stated that the ignition locked and prevented the vehicle from being started. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or mechanic. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was unknown.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 saturn sl. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled on numerous occasions. The contact mentioned that the visibility was low on the high beams and the lights on the instrument panel failed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign id number: 03v231000 (electrical system) and the federal safety agency campaign id number: 05v158000 (exterior lighting). The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.
When I removed the keys from my car it kept running. They keys have only fallen out twice, but I have since removed all the extras from the key fob. But the car should not continue to run after it has been placed in park and the key removed from the ignition. I know it is an older car and currently has 135,000 miles on it. I have had diligent maintenance performed on it since I purchased it new in 2002. The problem occurred when it had 45,000 miles on it and should have been replaced by gm, but I was advised it was a costly expense for me. Gm should replace the ignition at their cost.
Ignition switch fails causes steering wheel to lock and or unable to turn on car.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 saturn sl1. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start and the key failed to turn to start the engine. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 104,000.
The key comes out of the ignition while running. There is also trouble turning the key in the ignition to start it. Similar to what can happen when the steering wheel locks, sometimes the key wont turn. This happens without the steering wheel locked and takes 20-30 tries before it finally turns over.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 saturn sl. The contact stated that the key was unable to be removed from the ignition. The contact also stated that the key was able to be removed while the vehicle was being operated. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 72,000. Updated 5/27/14*cn updated 06/02/2014
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 saturn ls. The contact stated while the driver drove at low speed in a parking lot the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact's independent mechanic inspected the vehicle and located the failure at the ignition switch. The contact notified the manufacturer, who advised the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number 14v047000 (air bags, electrical system). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 155,000.
The gm ignition problems prompting the current recall also affected the car above. I bought the 2002 saturn new in march of 2003, and owned it for over 10 years, selling it last fall to a friend. I had it at the jake sweeney (cincinnati) dealership several times for strange "electrical" problems. (car did not have auto door locks or windows - everything was manual). I would be driving, when all the dash gauges would go out. It would register no speed, no temp, no gas, no rpms. Odometer didn't move. I could drive the car, stop and start. Then suddenly it would "come to". The dealership thought I was nuts, until finally in early 2013, I was able to get it to the dealership while it was doing it. After days of diagnostics, they said it was the ignition. They replaced the whole thing (at my expense) and the problem was solved. They said "were you aware that you could take the key out while the car was in drive?" (I had not been aware).
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 saturn sl. The contact stated that he attempted to start the vehicle but the engine would not start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection where they stated that the ignition switch would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 155,062.
Ignition switch-lock mechanism is bad. Mechanic states this has been an on- going problem. Replacing whole ignition system, progressively gotten worse since around 50,000 mile mark. Problem occurs every time car is started.
Car idles high. If you are at a light or parked in the car the car will idle high then shut off. If youare driving on the highway and need to pick up speed the car revs up and then rpms go real high but not any power put into the car to move. This issue has been a problem since we first bought the car. And is getting worse.
The starter motor energized without a key in the ignition or anyone in/near the car. It was in gear with the emergency brake engaged, and it ran over a 12 inch "stop" and into a freezer where it continued to run for sometime until it burned up. The freezer prevented it from going through the garage wall and into the house.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 saturn sl. Whenever the contact starts the vehicle, the ignition control module fails and the ignition will not start. She had new keys made, but this did not correct the issue. During the failure, the check engine indicator remains illuminated and will not dim. The failure has been occurring for over a year. The contact must wiggle the keys for at least fifteen to thirty minutes before the vehicle will start. The dealer has not been notified. The failure mileage was 120,000. Updated 3/19/09 *cn the consumer also stated the engine idles very high. Over 4000 RPM/ updated 03/25/09.
I have a saturn sl2 and everytime I try to start the car, the key gets stuck and I have to jiggle and push and shove and sit in the hot car for over 15 minutes in the summer heat to start the car. This is after I paid to have two new keys made thinking that would solve the problem. I did some research after being told I need a new ignition barrel and saw that many many many saturn vehicle owners go through the same thing... Why hasn't this issue been addressed by saturn??? We must we spend so much money on a faulty item? Life and gas is so expensive to have to deal with a faulty car that this dealership keeps selling. Please help us!
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 saturn sl. When the contact placed the key in the ignition, it would jam and not turn to the accessory position. He described the ignition lock as "frozen". After referencing the owner's manual, the contact jiggled the steering wheel and key, but still was unable to turn the ignition. The ignition lock cylinder (or tumbler) was defective according to a mechanic. The manufacturer was aware of the issue, but offered no assistance. The dealer has not been notified. The contact had an extended warranty, which lapsed on may 30, 2008. The current mileage was 45,302 and failure mileage was approximately 45,000. Updated 08/04/08. *lj the mechanic replaced the igntion lock cylinder. Updated 08/06/08
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 saturn sl1. Whenever the contact attempts to turn on the vehicle, the ignition will not turn to the start position. The contact stated that it takes 5-10 minutes of attempting to turn on the vehicle before the ignition would turn. The contact did not notice any differences in the vehicle prior to the failure. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. The current mileage was 103,787 and failure mileage was 87,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 saturn sl2. While driving at 5 MPH, all of the instrument panel gauges malfunctioned and the vehicle shut off. The vehicle has been serviced by the dealer several times. During the most recent failure, the vehicle would not restart and was towed to the dealer for repair. The failure still persists. The current and failure mileages were 125,000.
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. *jb my son received a superficial cut in which the emergency paramedics bandaged while on site. The saturn was towed to saturn of arlington for diagnostic tests. The technician explained that the computer contains vehicle systems information that occured immediately prior to the collision, however he did not have the capability to extract the information.
At my last service visit, the repair tech recommended the repair/replacement of: 1 ignition housing bolt -- he stated that without this repair, the car could suddenly "stop where it is and be unsteerable and/or undriveable". (lord help whoever's behind me on the freeway that day!) I've owned 5 vehicles -- manufactured by ford, chrysler, subaru and general motors -- nothing like this has ever happened before. It's also kind of scary to know that the only reason I'm aware of this problem is because I just happened to take my car in for an oil change! Questions: if 2 little bolts are that important, shouldn't those areas, instead and/or in addition to, be soldered? Is this type of breakage supposed to happen? Am I driving "an accident waiting to happen"?
Put my car in park and was able to pull the key out of the ignition. The car was still running...was able to put the car into gear and drive it. I do not know how long the car has been like this!
Dt: while trying to start the car with the key it will not turn the ignition to start the car. A recall was issued on the same component but for a different model car. Dealer has fixed problem, butcaller has to pay for it. Manufacturer has not been contacted yet.
Electrical wiring defect resulted in the 2002 saturn sl2 catching on fire. *mr (short in electrical system) the consumer requested that the general public should be made aware of this hazard and the federal safety agency should issue a recall. *sc 8jb
When brakes applied the brake light failed to come on, the brake light did not illuminated. The consumer drove to the dealer and the mechanic informed the consumer that there was an electrical shortage connecting from the steering harness. Please provide additional information.
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.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2002 Saturn SL?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history