Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1993 Saturn Sl submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 19 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1993 SATURN SL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 93V132000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) BUT DID NOT CONFIRM IF THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 160,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1993 SATURN SL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE WINDSHIELD WIPER SEPARATED FROM THE ARM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE DRIVER'S SEAT, HORN, IGNITION, AND WINDOWS ALSO FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED OR DIAGNOSED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 172,727. UPDATED 09/15/14*LJ UPDATED 1/13/2014 *JS
WHILE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE, THE MOTOR WOULD JUST STOP AND THEN WOULD NOT START UNTIL IT COOLED OFF. HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED 6 TIMES WITHIN 6 MONTHS. HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DRIVE IT SINCE.
WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKE PEDAL IT WENT TO THE FLOOR. CONSUMER PUMPED THE BRAKES, AND THE THEY MALFUNCTIONED. HOWEVER, CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, AND DROVE IT HOME. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION THE NEXT DAY. MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT BRAKE LINES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK IT WAS LATER DETERMINED THAT THE BATTERY LEAKED ACID ON THE BRAKE LINE. THE CONSUMER BELIEVES THE BRAKE FAILURE WAS DUE TO THE FAULTY DESIGN WHICH LOCATED THE BATTERY OVER THE BRAKE LINES. *NM
CONSISTENT PROBLEM WITH ENGINE CHECK LIGHT/ABS LIGHT, AND BATTERY LIGHT COMING ON AND OFF. *AK THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO INDICATED THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. AFTER THE CONSUMER LEFT THE DEALER ALL THE DASH LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE SHUT DOWN. *NM
THE ALTERNATOR BELT BROKE FOUR TIMES SINCE OWNERSHIP. ON ONE OCCASION, THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AT 50 MPH AND THE BELT BROKE, WHICH CAUSED THE POWER STEERING TO BECOME INOPERATIVE, AND ALMOST RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT. DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER HAVE BEEN INFORMED OF THE PROBLEM.*AK THE SERPENTINE BELT FELL OFF WHILE DRIVING, DEALER REPLACED. *TS *JB
OUR VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE WHILE WE WERE ON OUR WAY TO VACATION ON HIGHWAY 95. NO WARNING WAS GIVEN. WE WERE APPROACHED BY ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT THE CAR WAS ON FIRE. AT THIS POINT WE SAW SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD OF THE CAR, AND IMMEDIATELY, THE CAR WAS FILLED WITH SMOKE FROM UNDER THE DASHBOARD OF THE CAR. VISIBILITY IN THE CAR WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBILE. WE TRIED TO STOP THE CAR, BUT WE HAD NO BRAKES, NOR ANY EMERGENCY BRAKES. WE TRIED PUTTING THE CAR IN PARK, BUT THE GEAR SHIFT HAD BEEN MELTED DOWN AS WELL. WE HAD TO CUT THE CAR COMPLETELY OFF AND LET IT COAST TOWARDS A DITCH TO STOP IT.WE JUMPED OUT AND RAN OVER A DITCH. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS THERE WITHIN TWO MINUETS FROM ANOTHER BURNING CAR. EVERTHING UNDER THE HOOD WAS MELTED. WE WERE TOLD BY THE FIREMEN THAT UNDER THE CAR WAS ALSO MELTED DOWN. *AK
VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE WHILE ON WAY TO AIRPORT. NO WARNING WAS GIVEN . CONSUMER WAS FLAGGED BY ANOTHER AUTOMOBILE THAT HER VEHICLE WAS SMOKING. THEN SHE STOPPED, GOT OUT, THEN ALMOST IMMEDIATELY CAR EXPLODED.*AK
THE PROBLEM I LISTED WAS THE FIRST TIME I HAD THE ALTERNATOR DIE, IT THEN HAPPENED ON 7/3/00 AT APX. 10900 MILES, AND AGAIN ON 10/7/01 AT APX. 130,000 MILES. THEN ON 12/27/01 THE BATTERY DIED ON THE CAR. I BOUGHT THE CAR USED AND I AM NOT SURE IF THE ALTERNATOR THAT WAS IN IT WAS THE ORIGINAL OR NOT. BUT I HAVE REPLACED IT EVERY TIME WITH A REBUILT ONE. I ALSO DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE SEATBELTS ARE CALLED BUT THEY ARE AUTOMATIC ONES ON THE SHOULDER AND MANUAL FOR THE LAP IN THE FRONT. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME AT MY HOME AND I WILL RETURN YOUR CALL ON THE NEXT BUSINESS DAY. OR YOU CAN E-MAIL ME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.*AK
CAR FIRE AFTER CAR WAS OFF FOR 1.8 HOURS. *AK
UPON EXITING VEHICLE IT CAUGHT ON FIRE. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY INFORMATION.*AK
PLASTIC AROUND AIR BAG MODULE IS WARPED AND IS PUSHING AGAINST HORN ASSEMBLY, CAUSING HORN TO BECOME INOPERABLE. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK
I HAVE REPLACED THE BATTERY 4 TIMES SINCE 08/97 AND THE ALTERNATOR 2 TIMES SINCE 08/97. I SEE RECALL INFORMATION FOR THESE PARTS BUT SATURN SAYS THAT MY CAR IS NOT IN THE VIN SECTION COVERED. I HAVE LOGGED A COMPLAINT WITH THEM AS WELL, PLEASE RESEARCH THIS PROBELM FURTHER. AS IT MAY OR MAY NOT BE CAUSING ACCIDENTS BUT FOR SURE IT IS CAUSING FINANCIAL HARDSHIPS. I HAVE A CO-WORKER WITH THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBELMS WITH THIS CAR.
WHILE DRIVING THE BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK VEHICLE TO TECHNICIAN, AND THE GENERATOR HAD TO BE REPLACED. PROBLEM WAS SIMILAR TO THE ONE DISCUSSED IN RECALL 93V132000. BUT THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO VIN. *AK
SINCE I HAVE PURCHASED MY VEHICLE IN 1996, I HAVE HAD TO HAVE A NUMBER OF REPAIRS DONE TO AVERGING $200. OR MORE . I AM HAVING REPAIRS DONE ABOUT EVERY TWO MONTHS. I GOT THE HISTORY OF MY CAR AND FOUND THAT IT HAS BEEN THIS WAY SINCE THE DAY IT WAS READY TO BE SOLD. NO SAFETY DEFECT LISTED IN THE SUMMARY. *AK
TRANSMISSION BANGS INTO GEAR AND HAS TROUBLE GOING INTO REVERSE GEAR DUE TO FAILURE OF THE VALVE BODY.
ALTERNATOR FAILED; ALSO REPLACED ABS BRAKES. *AK
SEAT BELT DEFECTS. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM DEFECTS--POWER ACCESSORIES DON'T WORK.
PURCHASE CAR NEW THE ENGINE BLEW THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR WILL NOT SHUT RIGHT AND THE CAR HARD TO START THE FRONT END SHAKES, THE BRAKE GOES TO THE FLOOR . TT
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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