Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 10/01/1998 | |||
| Vehicle's full electrical system fails while driving, clock even resets. causing car to shut off. power steering/ brakes/ radio/ air conditioner/ headlights, etc. fail. began around 30,000 miles. battery and alternator replaced, does not fix problem.*ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | |||
| 10/10/2001 | 106000 | 1 | 02/10/1999 |
| Alternator mount bracket failure on 1997 saturn sl2, vin #1g8zk5275vz137179 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. my vehicle is 6 years old but this is something that shouldn't fail. is there any help or information that the nhtsa can provide me in this matter? please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions. thank you very much for your help. *la | |||
| 06/19/2003 | 1 | ||
| Alternator fell off broke from engine bracket. consumer stated the vehicle is without warranty. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY | |||
| 09/13/2003 | 3 | ||
| 1997 sl2 saturn would not start. battery would not hold charge. had early electrical system problems (accessories would not function, no dash lights). *ph | |||
| 04/26/2000 | 7 | 04/01/1997 | |
| I have experienced loss of power, no start conditions,and long periods of crank time,even killing a battery that i had to pay for! notified my dealership and they told me if they---determined it wasn't the fuel pump, i would have to pay a service charge !---and i have the best extended warranty they have ! | |||
| 04/22/1998 | 1 | 09/16/1996 | |
| Battery failed. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS | |||
| 08/17/2002 | |||
| Horn was inoperative. vehicle checked by dealer, who determined there was a wiring problem. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - MODULE | |||
| 07/09/1998 | 1 | 09/01/1996 | |
| Transmission--bushing went out. spark misfire--computer module was replaced by dealer. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - STARTER ASSEMBLY | |||
| 06/01/1998 | 1 | 05/01/1997 | |
| Starter failure. *yc | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||
| 06/21/1997 | 1 | 03/01/1997 | |
| Spark plug wires failed. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | |||
| 03/28/2004 | 64443 | 1 | |
| When starting the vehicle smoke was coming from underneath the dashboard. dealer stated wiring harness melted. as a result, the vehicle became inoperative. *ak | |||
| 07/29/2002 | |||
| When starting vehicle consumer noticed smoke coming from underneath the dash. vehicle was shut off, has not been examined by dealer.*ak | |||