Saturn Sl2 2002
Model Sl2 made in 2002 by Saturn got 50 consumer complains. Consumer complaints with reference, among others things, to air bags, digital instrument panel and electrical system.
Model 2002
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | |||
| 03/26/2003 | 44000 | ||
| Vehicle was in a high speed frontal collision but none of the air bags deployed upon impact. | |||
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL | |||
| 07/24/2004 | 1 | 01/05/2002 | |
| After a crash in a saturn and the air bags exploded. the passenger side of the dashboard area started smoldering. the fire department arrived and put the fire out before it did a lot of damage.*ak | |||
| DIGITAL INSTRUMENT PANEL | |||
| 04/04/2008 | 125000 | 3 | 09/18/2007 |
| 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. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 07/21/2009 | 100414 | 1 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY | |||
| While driving at highway speeds vehicle stalls without any indication. dealer was contacted and could not duplicate problem, but replaced battery .please provide further information. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||
| 07/25/2008 | 1 | ||
| 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! *tr | |||
| 10/30/2006 | 37672 | 1 | 10/15/2001 |
| 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? *nm | |||
| 03/17/2006 | 1 | 06/15/2002 | |
| 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! *nm | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||
| 09/23/2003 | 1 | ||
| 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 nhtsa should issue a recall. *sc 8jb | |||
| 09/10/2003 | 25000 | 1 | 06/01/2002 |
| 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 *sc | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - FRONT UNDERHOOD | |||
| 04/17/2004 | 30002 | 0 | 09/30/2002 |
| 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. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 01/13/2008 | 87000 | 1 | |
| 2002 saturn sl2 timing chain broke and damaged engine valves. *tr | |||
| 04/01/2005 | 1 | 10/14/2004 | |
| 2002 saturn sl2 stalled then vehicle caught on fire. *mr the vehicle begun to smoke then ignited. *sc | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| While driving at highway speeds vehicle stalls without any indication. dealer was contacted and could not duplicate problem, but replaced battery .please provide further information. *ak | |||
| 11/15/2001 | |||
| After a long distance drive and stopping at local store for a moment vehicle would hesitate while consumer was traveling at about 45mph. then, when pulling into a parking lot vehicle started smoking, releasing very thick vapor. also, smoke was coming from exhaust, and vapors was from inside of vehicle. contacted dealer, and the dealer was not willing to do anything. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| 11/15/2001 | |||
| After a long distance drive and stopping at local store for a moment vehicle would hesitate while consumer was traveling at about 45mph. then, when pulling into a parking lot vehicle started smoking, releasing very thick vapor. also, smoke was coming from exhaust, and vapors was from inside of vehicle. contacted dealer, and the dealer was not willing to do anything. *ak | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS - HIGH/LOW BEAM DIMMER SWITCH | |||
| 9500 | 1 | ||
| When driving at night with the high beams on or off, the headlights, flickered. the consumer felt it was very distracting and annoying. *ak *scc *jb | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - TAIL LIGHTS | |||
| 10/01/2001 | |||
| No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak | |||
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - DELIVERY - HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | |||
| 03/30/2006 | 37600 | 1 | |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 25mph, the fuel line fractured. the vehicle was towed to the local repair shop. the fuel line was repaired. | |||
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | |||
| 06/06/2005 | 49000 | 1 | 05/23/2004 |
| The ignition cylinder lock on my saturn sl2 2002 will not budge. doing an internet search it is evident that scores of people have had this problem with all models of saturns. has there been a recall? if not how does one start that process. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 05/21/2002 | 10000 | 1 | |
| I have had trouble with this car since new delay and hard shifts into reverse always, and forward gears quite frequently had saturn service dept check and they show no codes. *tr | |||
| 02/20/2008 | 33175 | 10 | 11/18/2002 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 saturn sl2. while driving between 20 and 40 mph mph, the vehicle became sluggish while the contact attempted to accelerate. he had to slow the vehicle down and gradually accelerate in order to switch gears. the contact spoke with the dealer and they accused him of not following the maintenance schedule. the current mileage was 33,323 and failure mileage was 33,175. updated 04/04/08. *lj | |||
| 05/22/2006 | 68000 | 2 | 05/22/2002 |
| I have a 2002 saturn sl2 and i've had to replace my transmission twice now. i believe that the dealership in manchester, nh knowingly sold it to me like this since i had brought up a very slight speed up effect the car had to the car sales woman, and she had told me that it was because the car had a slightly more powerful engine than the 4.0 i was used to (it had a 4.6) and the jump was just the extra power. i haven't even owned the car for 18 months yet. it's a piece of crap and i have a pretty bitter taste in my mouth from dealing with the car dealerships in nh and in md. the dealership in salisbury, md wanted to charge me $3100 for a new transmission. i noticed (after the fact) that there was some technical problems with the transmission from the beginning in all '02 s-series, but i really think that if there's so many people having issues that there should be some sort of recall on the product. it has already cost me about $5000 on top of the 9,000 that i have already spent to purchase it (cost of car plus bank interest for loan). the car is hardly worth $14,000 but i'm still upside-down on my loan so i can't get rid of the thing. i've looked into the research on the nhtsa website in hopes that it will give some insight on how to fix the problem permanently (more money down the drain) but saturn should really be reprimanded or made to reimburse the customers somehow. cars are really too big of a purchase for things to go this wrong. *tr | |||
| 12/07/2006 | 67000 | 1 | 10/01/2005 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 25 mph, a noise was heard and the vehicle stalled without warning. it was maneuvered off the road, and towed to the dealer. the dealership determined the transmission needed to be replaced. the gear went through the bottom of the transmission. updated 01/10/07. *jb | |||
| 07/20/2005 | 71800 | 1 | 04/10/2002 |
| At approx. 71,000 miles, automatic transmission began exhibiting shifting difficulties between 2nd & 3rd gears. reputable transmission shop diagnosed problem as hydraulic leaks within transmission. replaced seals with trans. rebuild, replaced mlps, total repair cost over $3650. trans. was not abused, this was a premature trans. failure. *jb | |||
| 04/22/2003 | 12000 | 1 | |
| Transmission was defective, when shifting it down shifted and changed gears on its own. manufacturer to date has offered no assistance.*ak | |||
| 11/05/2004 | 53400 | 1 | 10/03/2001 |
| Automatic transmission. driving on straightaway ~ 20-30 mph. banging into gear as shifts. harder bang when going into r. brought to dealership immediately. problem: faulty solenoid. replaced valve body. expensive repair! this is a very premature, failure. car only 3 years with ~50k. *jb | |||
| 06/09/2002 | 6000 | 5 | |
| While driving at any speed vehicle jerk and vibrated uncontrollably. consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and drove it to dealer for inspection numerous times. however, mechanic could not duplicate the problem. *ak | |||
| 04/22/2004 | 1 | ||
| When putting the gear shift in reverse vehicle would not move. consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection. *ak | |||
| SEATS | |||
| 01/14/2006 | 70000 | 1 | 10/15/2002 |
| Dt*: the contact stated that two wires at the back of the driver side seat were poking out through the upholstery and someone could be injured. it was not safe for the driver and passenger as well. the dealer offered to pay for partial repair but the contact expressed dissatisfaction with with the seat because there was faulty on workmanship. | |||
| 09/01/2003 | 06/29/2002 | ||
| I purchased a 4-door saturn sl 2002 this past summer. the cars design is incorrect. when i sit in the seat with both of my hands on the steering wheel and drive, i have to turn my body from the waist down to the left in order to press on the gas or brake. i have no room on the right side next to the gas pedal due to the center console panel, it forces me to sit with my waist turned to the left. this is an extremely uncomfortable position and i have had continual back pain, which began two months after purchasing the car. i have been seeing a chiropractor for the past 4 months. i spoke to the dealer whom i purchased the car from, and was given a letter stating the seat was positioned correctly and there was nothing they could do. i believe i will have long term back pain if i continue to drive this car. as it is a new car and i would loose $8000 or $9000 if i were to sell it immediately, i find it very difficult to do so. *jb | |||
| SEATS - FRONT ASSEMBLY - RECLINER | |||
| 07/18/2006 | 64000 | 1 | 10/01/2002 |
| After leaving a traffic light, i had to stop suddenly because the car in front of me stopped for a stalled car in the lane of traffic we were traveling. the car behind me also stopped. the car behind this car collided with the car behind me causing it to collide with my car which was then pushed into the car in front of me. my car was sandwiched between the cars involved in the accident. the hinges of the driver's seat gave way causing the seat to move to the reclining position. i was not injured but the seat could not be placed in driving position. this kind of action could lead to serious injury and should be investigated. *jb | |||
| 07/08/2006 | 1 | 06/01/2002 | |
| Dt*: the contact stated the two front seats failed when the vehicle was in an accident, and both the driver and the passenger reclined. the vehicle was deemed totaled and the insurance company determined the front seat recliner was a manufacturer defect. both the driver and the passenger were injured as a result. | |||
| 12/05/2003 | 25000 | 1 | |
| While driving 15 mph the vehicle was involved a rear end collision. upon impact the driver seat collapsed without warning. the driver sustained neck and back injuries. please provide any additional information. *nlm | |||
| 10/28/2002 | |||
| Consumer notice the vehicle doesn'tcomplies with all applicable u.s federal motor vehicle safety standards (fmvvss). latch ts | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | |||
| 05/01/2010 | 35000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2002 saturn sl2. the brake light illuminated intermittently. the dealer was contacted, who stated that the bulb needed to be replaced. the bulb was replaced; however, the brake light continued to illuminate. the vehicle was not repaired. the current mileage was approximately 40,000. the failure mileage was approximately 35,000. bw | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK | |||
| 09/04/2004 | 28600 | 1 | |
| The brake pedal travelled to the floor board. the owner took the vehicle to the dealer and had the dealer inspect the vehicle. the service manager stated after the vehicle was evaluated they could not find any defects in the brakes. however, they did have to add fluid to the brakes. later they contacted the owners spouse and said the vehicles brake response was normal for this type vehicle. provide further details. *jb | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - ROTOR | |||
| 06/09/2002 | 5000 | 5 | |
| While applying the brake pedal brakes failed. consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and pulled over. vehicle was taken to dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that rotors needed to be replaced, and replaced them four times. however, the problem recurred. *ak | |||
| 02/23/2004 | 43000 | 3 | 09/04/2002 |
| Vehicle rotors are warped.*mr the consumer stated the rotors warped so bad in 10,000 miles that the vehicle shook and vibrated. when maneuvering around a curve the vehicle was difficult to control. *ph *nm | |||
| 06/26/2003 | 30269 | 1 | 09/22/2001 |
| Steering wheel shakes when braking, especially at higher speeds. the dealer reports this is due to warped rotors due to external forces and not a warranty problem. the car has 30,000 miles and less than 2 years old. driven mostly highway to and from work, 35 miles one way each day. seems more like a defective part or engineering.*ak | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - PEDALS AND LINKAGES | |||
| 10/10/2002 | 2 | 10/10/2001 | |
| Vehicle experienced brake failure.*mr while driving the consumer brake pedal went all the way down to the floor, as she was attempting to stop the vehicle at a traffic signal. it had resulted in a collision with the vehicle in front of her. about $600 worth of damages occurred not including the cause of repairs for the consumers vehicle.*cb | |||
| STRUCTURE - BODY - BUMPERS | |||
| 09/11/2005 | 1 | 10/15/2004 | |
| There was nothing that lead up to the event the rear plastic bumper cover fell off i have to buy a new bumper and matching paint. *nm | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||
| 01/08/2006 | 1 | ||
| 2002 sl2 front right side of vehicle exploded for no apparent reason. *ts a defect or product failure in the coil spring mount, strut mount or tie rod released enough kinetic energy to lift the vehicle off the pavement and shatter the windshield and body nd jettison the right front wheel. the vehicle was declared a total loss. *nm | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - HUB | |||
| 11/21/2005 | 85000 | 1 | 04/24/2004 |
| Humming sound coming from front passenger side. sound got louder after replacing brake pads and tires with front end alignment. upon inspection, front hub bearing is going out. saturn 2002 sl2 with 85k miles, with mostly highway driving. sound occurs whether driving highway or city. *jb | |||
| TIRES - TREAD/BELT | |||
| 06/03/2006 | 1 | ||
| 2002 saturn sl-1 rear passenger tire blew out. *kb the consumer noticed something flying from the rear of the vehicle. the consumer was loosing control and immediately grasped the steering wheel to regain control. *jb | |||
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | |||
| 05/10/2006 | |||
| Ignition switch-lock mechanism is bad. mechcanic 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. | |||
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | |||
| 12/31/2001 | 4 | ||
| While driving it is hard for brakes to stop vehicle. *ak when brakes are applied vehicle continues to accelerate. the engine rpms raced and would not idle down. driver had has to apply brakes very hard. dealer replace throttle position sensor. *tt | |||
Car dealers selling
| State | City | Zip | Name | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA | TEMECULA | SATURN OF TEMECULA | ||
| CT | DANBURY | 06810 | DANBURY SATURN | |
| IL | TINLEY PARK | 60477 | SATURN OF TINLEY PARK | 708 614 7400 |
| MI | DETROIT | 48265 | SATURN CORPORATE | 13135565000 |
| MO | KANSAS CITY | 64131 | KANSAS CITY SATURN | |
| NC | ASHEVILLE | 28806 | SATURN OF ASHEVILLE | 8286659999 |
| NH | MANCHESTER | 03103 | SATURN OF MANCHESTER | 603-222-3100 |
| NY | LONG ISLAND CITY | 11101 | SATURN OF LONG ISLAND | 718-721-1300 |
| NY | PENFIELD | 14526 | ENTERPRISE CAR SALES | |
| NY | ROSLYN | SATURN OF ROSLYN | ||
| OH | HILLIARD | 43026 | SATURN WEST | (614) 771-9700 |
| OH | MALVERAN | SMITTY AUTO SALES | ||
| OH | TOLEDO | SATURN OF TOLEDO | 419-841-9070 | |
| TN | JOHNSON CITY | 37601 | SATURMN OF THE MOUNTAIN EMPIRE | |
| TX | HOUSTON | ENTERPRISE | ||
| WV | CLARKSBURG | SATURN OF CLARKSBURG |