IllustrationWHILE DRIVING STEERING WHEEL STARTED TO GET HARDER AND HARDER TO TURN. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND STEERING HYDROBOOST UNIT WAS REPLACED. 2 MONTHS LATER,STEERING HYDROBOOST UNIT BROKE AGAIN. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
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
What owners actually said
178 reportsVEHICLE 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
REAR CENTER SEATBELT BUCKLE WILL NO LONGER BUCKLE.*AK
WHILE BACKING INTO A PUBLIC DRIVEWAY AND PUTTING THE VEHICLE INTO DRIVE, WHILE TAKING HER FOOT OFF OF THE BRAKE, THE VEHICLE TOOK OFF, CONSUMER LOST CONTROL AND HIT A PARKED CAR, THE VEHICLE BOUNCED FROM THAT CAR, TRAVELED ACROSS THE STREET AND HIT ANOTHER PARKED VEHICLE, CONSUMER WAS INJURED IN THE ACCIDENT. *SLC
WHILE DRIVING AT 60-65 MPH STEERING WHEEL WILL START TO SHAKE. CONTACTED DEALER, AND THE DEALER COULD NOT FIND PROBLEM AFTER NINE ATTEMPTS.*AK CONSUMER STATES ROUGH IDLE WHEN WARM. DEALER REPLACED PCM/ECM, BUT PROBLEM STILL EXIST. POWER STEERING FLUID LOW. EXPERIENCING SHIMMY WHEN BRAKING. NOISE FROM GAS TANK WHEN COMING TO …
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WHILE DRIVING AT 60-65 MPH STEERING WHEEL WILL START TO SHAKE. CONTACTED DEALER, AND THE DEALER COULD NOT FIND PROBLEM AFTER NINE ATTEMPTS.*AK CONSUMER STATES ROUGH IDLE WHEN WARM. DEALER REPLACED PCM/ECM, BUT PROBLEM STILL EXIST. POWER STEERING FLUID LOW. EXPERIENCING SHIMMY WHEN BRAKING. NOISE FROM GAS TANK WHEN COMING TO A STOP. *TT
PARKING BRAKE FELL APART CAUSING VEHICLE TO ROLL BACKWARDS INTO STREET, THE SPRING FOUND ON THE FLOOR.
WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE, THE WHEEL LINER BECAME DISENGAGED AND BLEW INTO THE FRONT LEFT TIRE. ALTHOUGH NO ACCIDENT ENSUED, A LESSER-SKILLED DRIVER COULD POSSIBLY LOSE CONTROL AND CRASH. THE MANUFACTURER CLAIMS THE LINER WAS DAMAGED WHILE PARKING AT A CURB. I MAINTAIN THAT THIS IS NOT SO, THAT THE MATERIAL IS DEFECT…
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WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE, THE WHEEL LINER BECAME DISENGAGED AND BLEW INTO THE FRONT LEFT TIRE. ALTHOUGH NO ACCIDENT ENSUED, A LESSER-SKILLED DRIVER COULD POSSIBLY LOSE CONTROL AND CRASH. THE MANUFACTURER CLAIMS THE LINER WAS DAMAGED WHILE PARKING AT A CURB. I MAINTAIN THAT THIS IS NOT SO, THAT THE MATERIAL IS DEFECTIVE; BUT IF SO, THERE IS AN INHERENT DESIGN FLAW THAT ALLOWS SUCH DAMAGE TO OCCUR BEFORE THE TIRE CAN CONTACT THE CURB.*AK
CONSUMER WAS AT A STOP SIGN AND WAS REARENDED BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. DRIVER'S SEATBELT DID NOT ENGAGE, CONSUMER SUFFERED BACK AND WRIST INJURIES. DAMAGE TO VEHICLE WAS $ 2000.00. *AK
WHILE TRAVELING AT ABOUT 30 MPH CONSUMER WAS REAR ENDED, AND CONSUMER, IN RETURN, REARENDED CAR IN FRONT. UPON IMPACT, DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT FULLY RECLINED/ SEATBELT POPPED OFF, AND NONE OF THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
ACCORDING TO DIAGRAMMED POLICE REPORT AND PERSONAL PHOTOS TAKEN (I CAN PROVIDE COPIES OF ALL, SATURN SKIDDED APPROXIMATELY 80 FT DUE TO LEFT, FRONT BRAKE LOCKING AT 35 MPH. VEHICLE STARTED TO TURN TO RIGHT JUST BEFORE IMPACTING A SUBURBAN REAREND. SATURN DOES NOT HAVE ABS; HOWEVER, AT 35 MPH MOST VEHICLES WILL STOP BEFORE 80 F…
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ACCORDING TO DIAGRAMMED POLICE REPORT AND PERSONAL PHOTOS TAKEN (I CAN PROVIDE COPIES OF ALL, SATURN SKIDDED APPROXIMATELY 80 FT DUE TO LEFT, FRONT BRAKE LOCKING AT 35 MPH. VEHICLE STARTED TO TURN TO RIGHT JUST BEFORE IMPACTING A SUBURBAN REAREND. SATURN DOES NOT HAVE ABS; HOWEVER, AT 35 MPH MOST VEHICLES WILL STOP BEFORE 80 FEET. WOULD LIKE TO KNOW OF OTHER INCIDENTS. *AK
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.