1995 SATURN SL — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 346 complaints · 3 recalls
Most-reported system: ENGINE (56 complaints · 16.2%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 74
  • Fires 6
  • Injuries 54
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 1994 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ENGINE appears in 56 of 346 owner complaints (16.2%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 56 complaints, 16.2% of reports ENGINE 56 · 16.2% · 1 crash reports 2 fire reports SERVICE BRAKES: 41 complaints, 11.9% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 41 · 11.9% · 7 crash reports STEERING: 35 complaints, 10.1% of reports STEERING 35 · 10.1% · 8 crash reports POWER TRAIN: 33 complaints, 9.5% of reports POWER TRAIN 33 · 9.5% · 1 crash reports AIR BAGS: 25 complaints, 7.2% of reports AIR BAGS 25 · 7.2% · 22 crash reports 1 fire reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 21 complaints, 6.1% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 21 · 6.1% · 2 crash reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 17 complaints, 4.9% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 17 · 4.9% · 3 fire reports VISIBILITY: 10 complaints, 2.9% of reports VISIBILITY 10 · 2.9% SEAT BELTS: 9 complaints, 2.6% of reports SEAT BELTS 9 · 2.6% · 6 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 267 complaints, 77.2% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 267 · 77.2% · 67 crash reports 4 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ENGINE 56 16.2% 1 crashes · 2 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 41 11.9% 7 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 35 10.1% 8 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 33 9.5% 1 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 25 7.2% 22 crashes · 1 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 21 6.1% 2 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 17 4.9% 0 crashes · 3 fires
VISIBILITY 10 2.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SEAT BELTS 9 2.6% 6 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 267 77.2% 67 crashes · 4 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 1995; the first recall shown was reported in Sep 1994. 1995-Q1: 9 owner reports 9 1995-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 1995-Q3: 18 owner reports 18 1995-Q4: 16 owner reports 16 1996-Q1: 12 owner reports 12 1996-Q2: 9 owner reports 9 1996-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 1996-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 1997-Q1: 12 owner reports 12 1997-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 1997-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 1997-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 1998-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 1998-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 1998-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 1998-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 1999-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 1999-Q2: 9 owner reports 9 1999-Q3: 15 owner reports 15 1999-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2000-Q1: 14 owner reports 14 2000-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2000-Q3: 14 owner reports 14 2000-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2001-Q1: 15 owner reports 15 2001-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2001-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2001-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2002-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2002-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2002-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2002-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2003-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2003-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2003-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2003-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2004-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2004-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2004-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2004-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2005-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2005-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2006-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2011-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Sep 1994 Apr 2016 Recall campaign 94V170000 ◆ Recall campaign 94V170000 Recall campaign 94V217000 ◆ Recall campaign 94V217000 Recall campaign 99V045000 ◆ Recall campaign 99V045000 Investigation PE94079 ● Investigation PE94079 Investigation EA95003 ● Investigation EA95003 Investigation RQ00005 ● Investigation RQ00005
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1995-Q1 Owner reports 9
1995-Q2 Owner reports 11
1995-Q3 Owner reports 18
1995-Q4 Owner reports 16
1996-Q1 Owner reports 12
1996-Q2 Owner reports 9
1996-Q3 Owner reports 9
1996-Q4 Owner reports 6
1997-Q1 Owner reports 12
1997-Q2 Owner reports 2
1997-Q3 Owner reports 9
1997-Q4 Owner reports 9
1998-Q1 Owner reports 6
1998-Q2 Owner reports 10
1998-Q3 Owner reports 9
1998-Q4 Owner reports 8
1999-Q1 Owner reports 8
1999-Q2 Owner reports 9
1999-Q3 Owner reports 15
1999-Q4 Owner reports 4
2000-Q1 Owner reports 14
2000-Q2 Owner reports 4
2000-Q3 Owner reports 14
2000-Q4 Owner reports 9
2001-Q1 Owner reports 15
2001-Q2 Owner reports 6
2001-Q3 Owner reports 7
2001-Q4 Owner reports 5
2002-Q1 Owner reports 7
2002-Q2 Owner reports 8
2002-Q3 Owner reports 3
2002-Q4 Owner reports 5
2003-Q1 Owner reports 6
2003-Q2 Owner reports 2
2003-Q3 Owner reports 3
2003-Q4 Owner reports 8
2004-Q1 Owner reports 4
2004-Q2 Owner reports 4
2004-Q3 Owner reports 4
2004-Q4 Owner reports 1
2005-Q1 Owner reports 2
2005-Q3 Owner reports 2
2005-Q4 Owner reports 2
2006-Q1 Owner reports 2
2006-Q2 Owner reports 3
2006-Q4 Owner reports 1
2007-Q2 Owner reports 2
2007-Q4 Owner reports 1
2008-Q1 Owner reports 1
2008-Q2 Owner reports 1
2008-Q3 Owner reports 3
2011-Q2 Owner reports 1
2011-Q3 Owner reports 1
2012-Q2 Owner reports 2
2012-Q3 Owner reports 1
2016-Q2 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 94V170000
Recall campaign 1 94V217000
Recall campaign 1 99V045000
Defect investigation 1 PE94079
Defect investigation 1 EA95003
Defect investigation 1 RQ00005
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (3)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 94V170000

    Report date
    Component:
    STEERING
    Consequence:
    FRACTURE OF THE STEERING GEAR PINION SHAFT CAUSES COMPLETE LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL WHICH CAN RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE MANUAL STEERING ASSEMBLY.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 94V217000

    Report date
    Component:
    POWER TRAIN
    Consequence:
    CONSEQUENCE OF NON-COMPLIANCE: UNINTENDED VEHICLE MOVEMENT CAN OCCUR WHICH COULD RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT.
    Remedy:
    CONSUMERS ARE BEING ASKED TO INSPECT THE PARK LOCK CABLE. IF IT DOES NOT PERFORM CORRECTLY, DEALERS WILL MAKE THE NECESSARY ADJUSTMENTS.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 99V045000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    IF THIS HAPPENS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN, IT COULD CAUSE A LOSS OF CONTROL, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT SEAT RECLINER MECHANISMS.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 346 complaints · page 1 of 14

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources