IllustrationKEY COMES OUT FREELY WHILE CAR IS IN DRIVE AND KEY DOES NOT NEED TO BE IN THE IGNITION ONCE CAR IS STARTED. ENGINE WILL RANDOMLY STALL. *TR
2002 Saturn Sl
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2002 Saturn Sl do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 171.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Sl years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
130–25K
2325–50K
1550–75K
1075–100K
11100–150K
9150K+
81 reports with mileage · 50 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 43 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
20 crash reports5 fire reports15 injury reports
What owners actually said
131 reportsTL* 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 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14E021000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,…
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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 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14E021000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 82,500.
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. *TR
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. *TR
WHILE CAR IS MOVING KEY COMES OUT OF IGNITION. *TR
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 I…
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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 NHTSA 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 REPLAC…
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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 NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 03V231000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) AND NHTSA 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 …
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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. *TR
IGNITION SWITCH FAILS CAUSES STEERING WHEEL TO LOCK AND OR UNABLE TO TURN ON CAR. *TR
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.