1999 SATURN SL — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 166 complaints · 2 recalls
Most-reported system: ENGINE (41 complaints · 24.7%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 23
  • Fires 1
  • Injuries 19
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 1998 →
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 41 of 166 owner complaints (24.7%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 41 complaints, 24.7% of reports ENGINE 41 · 24.7% · 1 fire reports SERVICE BRAKES: 21 complaints, 12.7% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 21 · 12.7% · 3 crash reports POWER TRAIN: 19 complaints, 11.4% of reports POWER TRAIN 19 · 11.4% AIR BAGS: 17 complaints, 10.2% of reports AIR BAGS 17 · 10.2% · 9 crash reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 16 complaints, 9.6% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 16 · 9.6% · 1 crash reports SEAT BELTS: 9 complaints, 5.4% of reports SEAT BELTS 9 · 5.4% · 4 crash reports STEERING: 6 complaints, 3.6% of reports STEERING 6 · 3.6% SUSPENSION: 6 complaints, 3.6% of reports SUSPENSION 6 · 3.6% PARKING BRAKE: 4 complaints, 2.4% of reports PARKING BRAKE 4 · 2.4% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 110 complaints, 66.3% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 110 · 66.3% · 15 crash reports 1 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 41 24.7% 0 crashes · 1 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 21 12.7% 3 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 19 11.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 17 10.2% 9 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 16 9.6% 1 crashes · 0 fires
SEAT BELTS 9 5.4% 4 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 6 3.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SUSPENSION 6 3.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
PARKING BRAKE 4 2.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 110 66.3% 15 crashes · 1 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 Oct 1998; the first recall shown was reported in Oct 1999. 1998-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 1999-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 1999-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 1999-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 1999-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2000-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2000-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2000-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2000-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2001-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2001-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2001-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2001-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2002-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2002-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2002-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2002-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2003-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2003-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2003-Q3: 16 owner reports 16 2003-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2004-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2004-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2004-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2005-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2005-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2005-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2006-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2006-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2006-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2007-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2008-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2015-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 1998 Apr 2020 Recall campaign 99V280000 ◆ Recall campaign 99V280000 Recall campaign 09E012000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E012000
  • Campaign 99V280000 was reported 120 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1998-Q4 Owner reports 1
1999-Q1 Owner reports 5
1999-Q2 Owner reports 4
1999-Q3 Owner reports 7
1999-Q4 Owner reports 1
2000-Q1 Owner reports 1
2000-Q2 Owner reports 4
2000-Q3 Owner reports 7
2000-Q4 Owner reports 5
2001-Q1 Owner reports 2
2001-Q2 Owner reports 7
2001-Q3 Owner reports 9
2001-Q4 Owner reports 2
2002-Q1 Owner reports 2
2002-Q2 Owner reports 2
2002-Q3 Owner reports 4
2002-Q4 Owner reports 9
2003-Q1 Owner reports 5
2003-Q2 Owner reports 5
2003-Q3 Owner reports 16
2003-Q4 Owner reports 7
2004-Q1 Owner reports 8
2004-Q2 Owner reports 1
2004-Q3 Owner reports 5
2004-Q4 Owner reports 5
2005-Q1 Owner reports 1
2005-Q2 Owner reports 2
2005-Q3 Owner reports 4
2005-Q4 Owner reports 3
2006-Q1 Owner reports 1
2006-Q2 Owner reports 3
2006-Q3 Owner reports 3
2006-Q4 Owner reports 3
2007-Q1 Owner reports 2
2007-Q3 Owner reports 2
2008-Q2 Owner reports 1
2008-Q3 Owner reports 3
2008-Q4 Owner reports 1
2009-Q1 Owner reports 1
2009-Q3 Owner reports 1
2010-Q1 Owner reports 1
2010-Q3 Owner reports 1
2011-Q2 Owner reports 1
2011-Q3 Owner reports 1
2013-Q1 Owner reports 1
2014-Q3 Owner reports 3
2015-Q3 Owner reports 1
2018-Q1 Owner reports 1
2020-Q2 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 99V280000
Recall campaign 1 09E012000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (2)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09E012000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 99V280000

    Report date
    Component:
    SEAT BELTS
    Consequence:
    IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE SEAT OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSPECT THESE VEHICLES FOR PROPER INSTALLATION AND TORQUE OF THE SEAT BELT SHOULDER GUIDE ANCHOR BOLTS.
    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 166 complaints · page 1 of 7

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