IllustrationWHILE DRIVING 65 MPH REAR PASSENGER'S SIDE TIRE TREAD SEPARATED. AS A RESULT THE REAR QUARTER PANEL AND BUMPER WERE SEVERELY DAMAGED. NO IMPACT REPORTED. *AK *NM
1996 Saturn Sl
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1996 Saturn Sl do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 171.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Sl years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 49 of 287 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 63 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 41 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 40 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
50 crash reports2 fire reports34 injury reports
Tires complaints
13 reportsMY TIRE BLEW OUT WHILE DRIVING FROM LONG BEACH, CA. TO PHOENIX, AZ. WHICH IS ABOUT SIX HOURS AWAY. ABOUT AN HOUR OUTSIDE OF PHOENIX MY TIRE BLEW OUT. I LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR AND IT WENT OFF THE ROAD AND ROLLED 2 - 3 TIMES. I EXPERIENCED MINOR INJURIES TO MY HEAD AND OTHER PLACES ON MY BODY. I ALSO EXPERIENCED WHIPLASH THAT AFF…
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MY TIRE BLEW OUT WHILE DRIVING FROM LONG BEACH, CA. TO PHOENIX, AZ. WHICH IS ABOUT SIX HOURS AWAY. ABOUT AN HOUR OUTSIDE OF PHOENIX MY TIRE BLEW OUT. I LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR AND IT WENT OFF THE ROAD AND ROLLED 2 - 3 TIMES. I EXPERIENCED MINOR INJURIES TO MY HEAD AND OTHER PLACES ON MY BODY. I ALSO EXPERIENCED WHIPLASH THAT AFFECTED MY MEMORY AND CONCENTRATION.*AK
RIGHT FRONT TIRE SIDEWALL SEPARATED DURING A 40MPH TURN ON A PAVED MOUNTAIN ROAD, TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE WAS 101F. TIRES WERE NOT UNDER INFLATED, THEY WERE ROTATED THE DAY BEFORE.*AK
FIRESTONE TIRE, P175/70R14, EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION.
TREAD SEPERATION. *AK (DOT NUMBER: UNKN TIRESIZE: P175/70R14)
TIRE TREAD PEELED OFF WHILE TRAVELING ON INTERSTATE AT 60 MPH. *AK (TIRESIZE: P75/R15)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P75/R15 )
COMPLETE TREAD SEPARATION ON RIGHT-REAR TIRE. TIRE IS NOT LISTED IN RECALL OR 9/1 CONSUMER ADVISORY. *AK( DOT NUMBER: W2EPBCA086 TIRE SIZE: P175/70R14 )
AT 10 AM ON 9/24/2000 GOING WEST ON THE 210 AT APPROX. 65 MPH. SLIGHT BUMPINESS FOR LESS THAN THREE MINUTES, THEN BLOWOUT OCCURRED. TIRE EXPLODED AND VEHICLE FISHTAILED ACROSS THREE LANES OF TRAFFIC. MERCIFULLY, NO ONE WAS INJURED. THE TREAD SEPARATED( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P185/65R1 )
I WAS RETURNING TO HAMILTON, MT FROM HAVING MY CAR IN FOR IT'S 24,000 SERVICE AT THE SATURN DEALER IN SPOKANE, WA. I EXITED I-90 AT THE LIBERTY LAKE EXIT AND, AS I WAS APPROACHING THE END OF THE RAMP, MY PASSENGER SIDE FRONT TIRE BLEW OUT. MY SPEED WAS APPROXIMATELY 30MPH. I INFORMED SATURN OF THIS BY TELEPHONE 9/14/00. NO V…
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I WAS RETURNING TO HAMILTON, MT FROM HAVING MY CAR IN FOR IT'S 24,000 SERVICE AT THE SATURN DEALER IN SPOKANE, WA. I EXITED I-90 AT THE LIBERTY LAKE EXIT AND, AS I WAS APPROACHING THE END OF THE RAMP, MY PASSENGER SIDE FRONT TIRE BLEW OUT. MY SPEED WAS APPROXIMATELY 30MPH. I INFORMED SATURN OF THIS BY TELEPHONE 9/14/00. NO VEHICLE DAMAGE WAS DONE AND A TIRE DEALER WAS A BLOCK AWAY SO I PURCHASED A NEW SET OF TIRES (DAYTON). I WAS NOT COMFORTABLE WITH CONTINUING TO KEEP THE 3 TIRES THAT HAD NOT BLOWN OUT ON MY VEHICLE.AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P195/60R15 )
THE SIDEWALLS ON THIS TIRE LITERALLY DISINTEGRATED AT 70 MILES AN HOUR. NO WARNING. NO SLOW LOSS OF PRESSURE. A CATASTROPHIC LOSS OF PRESSURE. THE SIDEWALL OF THE TIRE LOOKED LIKE IT HAD BEEN ATTACKED BY A MADMAN WITH A KNIFE, ALMOST SEVERED FROM THE TREAD. I THOUGHT I WAS BEING ATTACKED BY A HELICOPTER.( DOT NUMBER: TI…
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THE SIDEWALLS ON THIS TIRE LITERALLY DISINTEGRATED AT 70 MILES AN HOUR. NO WARNING. NO SLOW LOSS OF PRESSURE. A CATASTROPHIC LOSS OF PRESSURE. THE SIDEWALL OF THE TIRE LOOKED LIKE IT HAD BEEN ATTACKED BY A MADMAN WITH A KNIFE, ALMOST SEVERED FROM THE TREAD. I THOUGHT I WAS BEING ATTACKED BY A HELICOPTER.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 175/70-R14 )
Official recalls
197V138000 · Steering:gear Box (other Than Rack And Pinion)
Aug 29, 1997
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH MANUAL STEERING. THE PINION BEARING CAGE IN THE STEERING GEAR CAN SEPARATE UNDER HIGH STEERING SYSTEM LOAD CONDITIONS, SUCH AS PARKING LOT OR SIMILAR LOW SPEED MANEUVERS.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS COULD RESULT IN THE PINION GEAR DISENGAGING FROM THE RACK CAUSING A LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE MANUAL STEERING GEAR ASSEMBLY.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.