I purchased the vehicle from a private dealer with an as-is no warranty back in august 2007. The vehicle had a little over 88,000 miles on it. Had the vehicle inspected by a mechanic and all major items appeared to be in good working order. Approximately 1 month later, the car came due for an oil change. I had the oil changed at approximately 90,000 miles. At approximately 94,000 miles, while driving on the interstate on november 21, 2007, the engine went bang. The car jerked violently and the oil light and check engine lights came on. I was going at approximately 75-80 MPH and there was no knocking heard prior to engine failure. I pulled the vehicle to the side of the interstate and noticed smoke billowing out of the engine compartment. Immediately called 9-1-1 to report my vehicle was on fire. The fire department arrived and said the engine had not been on fire, but that the engine threw a rod through the block. The fire department asked about knocking prior and I told them there was none. In fact, a mechanic had just looked at it the day before. I recall that the change oil soon light had been coming on intermittently but never steady. The oil light also kept flickering but was never steady. The RPM's increased from 2500 to 3000 and returned to 2500. No previous history of problems reported by dealer. The vehicle was towed to northland community and technical college in east grand forks. The automotive mechanics looked at the engine and said it is totaled. Currently in the process of locating a new or used engine to replace.
Saturn SL fire or smoke problems
32 of the 2,211 owner complaints about the Saturn SL describe fire, smoke or burning smell, most of them for the 1993 model year.
- owner complaints
- 32
- worst model year
- 1993
- typical mileage
- 73,568
By model year
Often reported together
Knocking 2Transmission failure 1Stalling 1Oil consumption 1Loss of power 1Jerking 1Engine failure 1Check engine light 1
What owners say
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 saturn sl2. While driving 35 MPH, the contact noticed smoke rising from the hood. He then pulled over as the smoke turned into flames. After he extinguished the fire, he restarted the vehicle and oil sprayed out from the cylinder head. The dealer has not inspected the vehicle. The current and failure mileages were 131,000. Updated 01-11-08. *kb updated 12/12/07
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
2002 saturn sl2 stalled then vehicle caught on fire. *mr the vehicle begun to smoke then ignited.
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.
While driving 60 MPH driver noticed that smoke was coming from the hood. The driver was able to pull over to a gas station. Opened the hood, and vehicle caught on fire. *ak while driving at 60 MPH, consumer noticed an orange glare from the sunroof. It was found that the electrical wires in the front passenger side were not insulated.
While driving 55 MPH, the vehicle caught on fire in the center of the dashboard. The dealer stated that the electrical wires were faulty. No injuries reported. *ak
Vehicle was parked about 20 minutes when it suddenly caught on fire. The fire department was called. The fire department determined it was an electrical fire.
Consumer heard a knocking then a bang noise from the engine. This occurred while going up an incline at 30 MPH. The noise was followed by smoke. The consumer then pulled off the road and within seconds the engine was in flames. Prior to this incident there was knocking in the engine, and dealership replaced a cylinder because it was bad.
Had to replace transmission casing had a bad leak wiring harness from ignition caught on fire putting me and my families life at risk rattles real bad in rear portion of car heater quit working
Related recalls
Electrical system: alternator/generator/regulator
- What is wrong
- The generator electrical wiring is not protected against excessive current flow which may be caused by an electrical short circuit in the generator.
- Risk
- Should an electrical short circuit occur in thegenerator, the generator wiring harness would experience excessive current flow.under certain conditions, enough heat could be generated to ignite surroundingmaterials. If this occurs, an underhood fire could result with or without theengine running and without prior warning.
- Remedy
- The generator wiring harness will be replaced with one that will open as a fuse would under certain excessive current flow conditions.
Recall number 93V132000 · Recall details
Electrical system: 12v/24v/48v battery: cables
- What is wrong
- The positive battery cable terminal at the starter solenoid may be formed incorrectly. Incorrectly formed terminals can contact the starter solenoid housing and cause an electric short circuit.
- Risk
- An electrical short circuit between the battery cable andthe starter housing can result in an underhood fire.
- Remedy
- Inspect and, if necessary, adjust the clearance between the positive battery cable terminal so that it does not contact the starter solenoid housing.
Recall number 93V094000 · Recall details
Questions about the Saturn SL fire or smoke
Which Saturn SL years have fire, smoke or burning smell problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1993 (5 complaints), 1995 (5 complaints) and 2002 (5 complaints).
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