Two problems related to dash wiring have been reported for the 1997 Saturn SL1. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
No prior indication of a fault. On March 26, 2005 my wife went to start the car and not only would it not start, but smoke started coming up from the dashboard. Upon having it towed to a Saturn dealer, we were told that the iginition switch had failed and had burnt out the wiring harness. This car has 48849 miles on it. This just does not make any reason, as should iginition swaiches go bad on a low mileage car and cause so much additional damage?.
We experienced a dashboard fire in our 1997 Saturn Sl1 in the fall of 2003. My wife turned the key, started the car, shifted to reverse, and began backing up when the engine quit, the car jolted to a stop, and the interior immediately filled with acrid smoke. The knoxville Saturn dealer replaced the ignition switch and wiring--not cheap. This is obviously a safety-related event.