IllustrationCONSUMER STATED VEHICLE WOULD NOT START, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE BATTERY WAS NOT HOLDING ITS CHARGE.*JB
1999 Saturn Sl
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1999 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
60–25K
1725–50K
1450–75K
1575–100K
16100–150K
5150K+
73 reports with mileage · 105 unknown
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 45 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 28 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
26 crash reports1 fire reports17 injury reports
Engine And Engine Cooling complaints
45 reportsCONSUMERS VEHICLE HAS A CRACKED HEAD GASKET. CONSUMER CALLED SATURN COMPANY TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE VEHICLE BEING FIXED AND THEY REFUSED TO FIX IT. CONSUMER REQUESTS A REFUND OF MONEY PAID FOR REPAIRS. *JG....*AK
02 SENSOR FAILURE, WATER PUMP, FUEL PUMP, SERPENTINE BELT, FUSE BLOCK - ALL PARTS DEFECTS WITHIN SHORT SPAN OF TIME AFTER THEIR 36K WARRANTY EXPIRED- ATYPICAL PROBLEMS FOR CAR WITH THIS TYPE OF MILEAGE. MANUFACTURER CONTACTED AND WOULD NOT REVEAL PARTS MANFUCTURER - "NOT LEGALLY OBLIGATED TO TELL THE PUBLIC." AS THIS CAR WA…
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02 SENSOR FAILURE, WATER PUMP, FUEL PUMP, SERPENTINE BELT, FUSE BLOCK - ALL PARTS DEFECTS WITHIN SHORT SPAN OF TIME AFTER THEIR 36K WARRANTY EXPIRED- ATYPICAL PROBLEMS FOR CAR WITH THIS TYPE OF MILEAGE. MANUFACTURER CONTACTED AND WOULD NOT REVEAL PARTS MANFUCTURER - "NOT LEGALLY OBLIGATED TO TELL THE PUBLIC." AS THIS CAR WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY, I WAS INFORMED THAT SATURN WOULD NOT REIMBURSE FOR DEFECTIVE PARTS BUT WOULD DOCUMENT THAT I WAS UNHAPPY WITH MY SATURN EXPERIENCE. SATURN NOT CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY FACTORS INVOLVED WITH REPETITIVE PARTS FAILURES. OFFERRED FREE OIL CHANGE. DID NOT OFFER TO HAVE CAR BROUGHT IN FOR INSPECTION OR EXTENDING SOME KIND OF WARRANTY IN ORDER TO STUDY ANY PROBLEMS FOR CORRECTIVE ACTION WITH THIS PARTICULAR CAR OR MODEL. *AK
VEHICLE EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKES. A TECHNICIAN FOUND THAT THE REAR BRAKES WERE OUT OF ADJUSTMENT, CAUSING NOISE, CONSUMER STATES THIS COULD POSSIBLY BE DUE TO FAULTY INSTALLATION OF THE TIRE ASSEMBLY. *JG
VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER ON TWO OCCASIONS, ON FIRST OCCASION, VEHICLE STALLED WHILE CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING 30 MPH, VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART AND IT WAS TOWED WHERE DEALER COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG, THE SECOND OCCASION THE VEHICLES ELECTRICAL SYSTEM TURNED OFF AND ON AND VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART, DEALER AGAIN COULD NOT FIND A…
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VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER ON TWO OCCASIONS, ON FIRST OCCASION, VEHICLE STALLED WHILE CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING 30 MPH, VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART AND IT WAS TOWED WHERE DEALER COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG, THE SECOND OCCASION THE VEHICLES ELECTRICAL SYSTEM TURNED OFF AND ON AND VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART, DEALER AGAIN COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEMS, DEALER TOOK A BEST GUESS AND REPLACED THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR AND CONSUMER STATES THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN RUNNING OKAY SO FAR. *SLC
IT APPEARS THIS VEHICLE HAS A CRACKED HEAD ,WATER IS MIXING IN THE OIL.LOW COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON ,CHECKED LEVEL RESAVOIR DOWN TO 1 INCH.FILLED WITH 2 QUARTS.LIGHT CAME ON NEXT DAY SAME FLUID LEVEL.PULLED DIP STICK AND NOTICED THE WATER OIL MIXTURE.VEHICLE HAD BEEN SERVICED SINCE NEW BY SATURN DEALER UNDER CONTRACT.WAITING FOR E…
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IT APPEARS THIS VEHICLE HAS A CRACKED HEAD ,WATER IS MIXING IN THE OIL.LOW COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON ,CHECKED LEVEL RESAVOIR DOWN TO 1 INCH.FILLED WITH 2 QUARTS.LIGHT CAME ON NEXT DAY SAME FLUID LEVEL.PULLED DIP STICK AND NOTICED THE WATER OIL MIXTURE.VEHICLE HAD BEEN SERVICED SINCE NEW BY SATURN DEALER UNDER CONTRACT.WAITING FOR ESTIMATE.THIS SEEMS TO BE THE SAME PROBLEM THAT WAS EXPERIENCED ON EARLIER MODELS WHER THE WARRANTY WAS EXTENDED TO SIX YEARS/100,000 MILES.
VEHICLE HAS BEEN LOSING COOLING FLUID. CONSUMER IS ADDING 2 QUARTS A WEEK FOR LAST FEW WEEKS. INSPECTED HOSES, NO LEAKS, ALSO NO FLUID UNDER VEHICLE WHEN PARKED. *AK
CRACK IN HEAD. CAN'T DRIVE. OE DEFECT. *AK
ENGINE STALLED ON A RAINY DAY. NLM
ENGINE STALLED ALONG WITH BATTERY AND OIL LIGHT COMING ON, DEALER FOUND THE OIL PRESSURE SWITCH TO BE DEFECTIVE. *SLC
Official recalls
199V280000 · Seat Belts:front:anchorage
Oct 20, 1999
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE VEHICLES DO NOT COMPLY WITH REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 210, "SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY ANCHORAGES." SOME OF THE VEHICLES WERE PRODUCED WITH SEAT BELT SHOULDER GUIDE ANCHOR BOLTS THAT WERE NOT ADEQUATELY TIGHTENED AT THE CENTER PILLAR AND COULD FALL OUT, MAKING THE SEAT BELT INOPERATIVE.
Consequence & remedy
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.
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.