2000 SATURN SL — Owner-Reported Problems
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 141 complaints · 8 recalls
Verdict & Safety Summary
Most-reported system: ENGINE (33 complaints · 23.4%)
Safety signals:
- Crashes 9
- Fires 3
- Injuries 7
- Deaths 1
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)
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 | 33 | 23.4% | 0 crashes · 2 fires |
| POWER TRAIN | 27 | 19.1% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 18 | 12.8% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 10 | 7.1% | 1 crashes · 1 fires |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 6 | 4.3% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| STEERING | 6 | 4.3% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 6 | 4.3% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| SUSPENSION | 5 | 3.6% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| TIRES | 5 | 3.6% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 84 | 59.6% | 7 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
- Campaign 00V310000 was reported 31 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2000-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2000-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2000-Q3 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2000-Q4 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2001-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2001-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2001-Q3 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2001-Q4 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2002-Q1 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2002-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2002-Q3 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2002-Q4 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2003-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2003-Q2 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2003-Q3 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2003-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2004-Q1 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2004-Q2 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2004-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2004-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2005-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2005-Q2 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2005-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2005-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2006-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2006-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2007-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2007-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2008-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2008-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2008-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2009-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2009-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2010-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2011-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2014-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2014-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2014-Q3 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2014-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2016-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2018-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 99V230000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 99V232000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 99V231000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 99V280000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 99V297000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 00V309000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 00V310000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 09E012000 |
Safety Recalls (8)
Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 00V309000
- Report date
- Component:
- FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
- Consequence:
- FUEL SPILLAGE COULD OCCUR DURING REFUELING OR IF THE VEHICLE WERE INVOLVED IN A ROLLOVER. IF AN IGNITION SOURCE WERE PRESENT, A FIRE COULD OCCUR.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VEHICLE TO ENSURE THE FUEL TANK VENT VALVE IS PROPERLY WELDED. IF NECESSARY, DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL TANK ASSEMBLY.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 00V310000
- Report date
- Component:
- POWER TRAIN
- Consequence:
- THIS CONDITION INCREASES THE RISK OF A CRASH RESULTING FROM THE UNINTENDED MOVEMENT OF PARKED VEHICLES.
- Remedy:
- SATURN IS ASKING OWNERS AND RETAILERS TO PERFORM A FUNCTIONAL CHECK OF THE AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE PARK LOCK CABLE ASSEMBLY OPERATION, AND IF NECESSARY, TO HAVE THE CABLE ADJUSTED. IF OWNERS ARE NOT COMFORTABLE PERFORMING THE FUNCTIONAL CHECK THEMSELVES, THEY CAN HAVE THEIR DEALER PERFORM THIS INSPECTION FOR THEM.
-
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.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 99V230000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- A FRONT SEAT OCCUPANT, PARTICULARLY AN UNBELTED OCCUPANT, MAY HAVE AN INCREASED RISK OF INJURY IN A FRONTAL CRASH.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL REPAIR THE VEHICLE'S INSTRUMENT PANEL CARRIER ASSEMBLY.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 99V231000
- Report date
- Component:
- SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
- Consequence:
- IF THE BRAKE PIPE NUTS ARE NOT PROPERLY TIGHTENED, BRAKE FLUID LEAKAGE COULD OCCUR, INCREASING THE BRAKE'S STOPPING DISTANCE.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE BRAKE PIPE NUTS FOR LEAKAGE, VERIFY THEY ARE TIGHTENED TO SPECIFICATIONS, AND REPLACE THE BRAKE PIPES IF NEEDED.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 99V232000
- Report date
- Component:
- STRUCTURE
- Consequence:
- IF THE FASTENERS ARE LOOSE OR MISSING, THE REAR BUMPER MAY NOT ABSORB ENERGY AS IT WAS DESIGNED TO DO IN THE EVENT OF A REAR END COLLISION.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL VERIFY THAT THE REAR BUMPER BEAM FASTENERS ARE PRESENT AND PROPERLY TIGHTENED AND, IF MISSING, INSTALL NEW FASTENERS.
-
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.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 99V297000
- Report date
- Component:
- STRUCTURE
- Consequence:
- IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE LATCH MAY OPEN AND THE ARMREST OR THE CONTENTS OF THE CONSOLE COULD INJURE AN OCCUPANT.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CONSOLE ARMREST LATCH.
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
Showing 0 of 141 complaints · page 1 of 6
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
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.