2001 SATURN SL — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 108 complaints · 3 recalls
Most-reported system: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (24 complaints · 22.2%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 14
  • Fires 0
  • Injuries 10
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2000 →
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 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM appears in 24 of 108 owner complaints (22.2%) in this vehicle snapshot. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 24 complaints, 22.2% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 24 · 22.2% · 1 crash reports POWER TRAIN: 19 complaints, 17.6% of reports POWER TRAIN 19 · 17.6% ENGINE: 14 complaints, 13.0% of reports ENGINE 14 · 13.0% AIR BAGS: 12 complaints, 11.1% of reports AIR BAGS 12 · 11.1% · 7 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 10 complaints, 9.3% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 10 · 9.3% · 1 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 3 complaints, 2.8% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 3 · 2.8% STRUCTURE: 3 complaints, 2.8% of reports STRUCTURE 3 · 2.8% · 1 crash reports VISIBILITY: 3 complaints, 2.8% of reports VISIBILITY 3 · 2.8% EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 2 complaints, 1.9% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 · 1.9% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 74 complaints, 68.5% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 74 · 68.5% · 10 crash 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)
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 24 22.2% 1 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 19 17.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 14 13.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 12 11.1% 7 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 10 9.3% 1 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 3 2.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 3 2.8% 1 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 3 2.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 1.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 74 68.5% 10 crashes · 0 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 2001; the first recall shown was reported in Oct 2000. 2001-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2001-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2001-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2002-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2002-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2002-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2003-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2003-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2003-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2003-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2004-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2004-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2005-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2005-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2005-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2007-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2008-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2008-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2008-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2014-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2015-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 2000 Jan 2024 Recall campaign 00V309000 ◆ Recall campaign 00V309000 Recall campaign 00V310000 ◆ Recall campaign 00V310000 Recall campaign 09E012000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E012000
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2001-Q1 Owner reports 3
2001-Q2 Owner reports 3
2001-Q3 Owner reports 1
2002-Q1 Owner reports 3
2002-Q2 Owner reports 8
2002-Q3 Owner reports 5
2002-Q4 Owner reports 4
2003-Q1 Owner reports 5
2003-Q2 Owner reports 3
2003-Q3 Owner reports 5
2003-Q4 Owner reports 1
2004-Q1 Owner reports 4
2004-Q2 Owner reports 4
2004-Q3 Owner reports 2
2005-Q1 Owner reports 3
2005-Q2 Owner reports 1
2005-Q3 Owner reports 3
2005-Q4 Owner reports 2
2006-Q2 Owner reports 2
2006-Q4 Owner reports 2
2007-Q1 Owner reports 4
2007-Q2 Owner reports 1
2007-Q3 Owner reports 1
2007-Q4 Owner reports 1
2008-Q1 Owner reports 3
2008-Q2 Owner reports 5
2008-Q3 Owner reports 5
2008-Q4 Owner reports 2
2009-Q1 Owner reports 1
2009-Q2 Owner reports 1
2009-Q3 Owner reports 1
2011-Q2 Owner reports 1
2011-Q4 Owner reports 2
2012-Q1 Owner reports 1
2014-Q2 Owner reports 2
2014-Q3 Owner reports 4
2014-Q4 Owner reports 3
2015-Q2 Owner reports 3
2016-Q1 Owner reports 1
2018-Q1 Owner reports 1
2024-Q1 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 00V309000
Recall campaign 1 00V310000
Recall campaign 1 09E012000
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 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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. 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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. 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 →
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 108 complaints · page 1 of 5

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