What breaks most · 1991 to 2002 model years
Saturn SL problems by year
Owners have filed 2,217 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Saturn SL across model years 1991 to 2002. Three years stand out: 1995 for seats complaints, 1996 for engine and cooling complaints and 1994 for seat belts complaints. The quietest years are 1991, 1992 and 2000.
- Years to check closely: 1995, 1996, 1994
- Fewest complaints: 1991, 1992, 2000
- Complaints on file
- 22171991 to 2002, all trims
- Worst year
- 1995355 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 34643 fires · 295 injuries · 7 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 75kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 29Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | 2 | 1 | Seat belts (12) | |
| 123 | 18 | 2 | Seat belts (29) | |
| 175 | 24 | 2 | Brakes (hydraulic) (32) | |
| 286 | 52 | 1 | Seat belts (49) | |
| 355 | 77 | 3 | Seats (69) | |
| 287 | 50 | 2 | Engine and cooling (63) | |
| 226 | 30 | 3 | Engine and cooling (38) | |
| 168 | 23 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (33) | |
| 178 | 26 | 2 | Engine and cooling (45) | |
| 148 | 10 | 8 | Powertrain and transmission (35) | |
| 111 | 14 | 3 | Electrical system (29) | |
| 131 | 20 | 1 | Electrical system (43) |
What fails on the 1995 Saturn SL
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seats | 19% |
69 | 27 | — |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 19% |
67 | 1 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1995 Saturn SL |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 14% |
51 | 11 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1995 Saturn SL |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 11% |
40 | 2 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 10% |
37 | 9 | Shop steering parts for the 1995 Saturn SL |
| Air bags | 9% |
31 | 28 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 8% |
27 | 1 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1995 Saturn SL |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 7% |
24 | 3 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 1995 Saturn SL |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 75 mph the vehicle overheated. This was on the highway and there was nowhere to pull over. The vehicle was driven home and there was steam coming from under the hood. The contact determined the accessory belt had come loose and replaced the belt and belt tensioner.
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I am losing a lot of oil. I spoke with my mechanic he stated that a lot of times it is the valve cover gasket, so he changed it. The car is still losing a lot of oil. About a quart every 400 miles. I started researching on my own and have found that several saturn owners are complaining about the same issue. *jb
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Vehicle's brake rotors and pads have prematurely worn out, have been replaced 2 times.the mfr stated premature wear due to salt. *ak
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Saturn SL years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1995, 1996, 1994 carry the most filings on the Saturn SL. The 1995 alone has 355 complaints, led by seats.
What is the most common Saturn SL problem?
On the 1995 model year, the most-reported component is seats with 69 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Saturn SL problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Saturn SL complaints that include mileage is about 75,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.