U.S. public vehicle records

1994 Saturn SL problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

169 owner complaints analyzed

1 distinct recall campaigns

118,500 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 1994 model year. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12 (September 12, 2026). 16 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Vehicle Speed Control is the most frequently named component, appearing in 28 of 169 complaints (16.6%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Braking behavior	27	16.0%
Transmission and shifting	7	4.1%
Engine operation	6	3.6%
Electrical and battery issues	6	3.6%
Steering behavior	5	3.0%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Vehicle Speed Control

Air Bags:Frontal

Seat Belts

Seats

Seats:Front Assembly:Recliner

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine

Seat Belts:Front:Retractor

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components

Component breakdown data
Category	Count
Vehicle Speed Control	28
Air Bags:Frontal	14
Seat Belts	11
Seats	11
Seats:Front Assembly:Recliner	11
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine	9
Seat Belts:Front:Retractor	9
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components	9

Vehicle Speed Control: 28; Air Bags:Frontal: 14; Seat Belts: 11; Seats: 11; Seats:Front Assembly:Recliner: 11; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 9; Seat Belts:Front:Retractor: 9; Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components: 9

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 1; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 2; 75,000 to 99,999: 1; 100,000 to 149,999: 7; 150,000 and above: 5

100,000 to 149,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (7). 153 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

1995

1996

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2011

2013

2016

1995: 63; 1996: 22; 2000: 24; 2001: 22; 2002: 9; 2003: 10; 2004: 6; 2005: 2; 2006: 3; 2007: 1; 2008: 3; 2009: 1; 2011: 1; 2013: 1; 2016: 1

Pattern summary

Vehicle Speed Control leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 27 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 7 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 6 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10024189 · 2003-07-18 (July 18, 2003)

THE CONSUMER WAS CLEANING THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE, WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN WHEN HE SPRAYED THE HAND BRAKE AND THE SURROUNDING AREA, THE AUTOMATED SAFTETY BELT ARM STARTED TO MOVE BACKWARD AND FOWARD AND THEN LOCKED AND RETRACTED MULTIPLE TIMES WITHOUT ANY REASON OR WARNING. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD IT WAS COMMON SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS DESIGNED WITHOUT A CUP HOLDER, IF DRINKS WERE ACCIDENTLY SPIILED INTO THE HAND BRAKE OPENING, IT WOULD CAUSE THE SEAT BELT MODULE TO MALFUNCTION. WHEN THE CONSUMER ARRIVED AT THE DEALERSHIP,…

Owner-reported narrative. 102,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10024189 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 482728 · 1995-03-24 (March 24, 1995)

BRAKE ROTORS REPLACED TWICE DUE TO WARPING, CAUSING VEHICLE TO VIBRATE. *SKD

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 482728 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10093917 · 2004-10-11 (October 11, 2004)

AIR BAG LIGHT WAS NOT WORKING, REPLACED 2 OF THE COMPONENETS UNDER THE DASH ONE UNDER THE DRIVERS SIDE UP IN THE CORNER AND THE OTHER UP BEHIND THE GLOVE BOX. COOLING FAN DOES NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY MUST KEEP THE AC ON FOR THE FAN TO WORK. A FRIEND OF MINE HAS THE SAME CAR AND HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. TRIED TO FIX BY REPLACING THE SENSORS HAD A MECHANIC TRY TO TROUBLE SHOOT, CAN'T FIND A REASON SO IT IS NOT FIXED JUST KEEP AC ON ALWAYS. CAR VIBRATES AND CAN'T FIND A REASON STILL LOOKING FOR PROBLEM, VIBRATES SO MUCH BODY PARTS ON FRONT ARE BECOM…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10093917 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10163429 · 2006-07-25 (July 25, 2006)

MANUAL TRANSMISSION - GEAR SHIFT LINKAGE TO SHIFT CABLE -- BROKEN BUSHING AT THE BOTTOM OF THE MANUAL FLOOR SHIFTER WHERE IT ATTACHES TO THE SHIFT CABLE. THE CABLE FALLS OFF THE SHIFTER LINKAGE. SATURN PARTS (OEM) WANTS TO SELL ME THE ENTIRE SHIFT CABLE ASSEMBLY FOR ~$200 (PLUS 3 HOURS LABOR TO INSTALL IT) -- SHOULD BE A $5 FIX FOR THE BROKEN PLASTIC BUSHING. APPARENTLY THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM AMONG SATURN OWNERS. (SEE HTTP://WWW.CHAOSMAGNET.COM/BLOG/ARCHIVES/000112.HTML ). *JB

Owner-reported narrative. 120,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10163429 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 958633 · 1995-01-12 (January 12, 1995)

VEHICLE WILL STALL AT SPEED OF 50 MPH WHEN CHANGING GEARS AND LOSS OF POWER HEARD A NOISE. TT

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 958633 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 958795 · 1995-01-18 (January 18, 1995)

STALLS ON THE HIGHWAY WITHOUT WARNING. TT

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 958795 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10015394 · 2003-04-08 (April 8, 2003)

THE BATTERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, AND THEY STATED THE ALTERNATOR WAS BAD. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. 17,989 miles reported. Look up ODI 10015394 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10031296 · 2003-07-28 (July 28, 2003)

CONSUMER STATES WHILE PULLING INTO THE DRIVEWAY DRIVER'S SIDE SEATBELT RETRACTOR WAS MAKING A WIERD NOISE. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, DEALER STATED THAT ELECTRICAL SEATBELT CABLE WAS BROKEN. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. 115,932 miles reported. Look up ODI 10031296 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 759714 · 2002-03-23 (March 23, 2002)

LTR WAS SENT DATED 1/29/02 W/ACCIDENT RPT. INJURY WAS FRACTURED STERNUM. AS I CHANGED LANES AT FREEWAY SPEED THE TRAFFIC IN THE LANE I ENTERED STOPPED. I BRAKED HARD BUT COULD NOT AVOID HITTING THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. THE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY AND THE SHOULDER RESTRAINT DID NOT LOCK (IT NEVER HAS AND I DIDN'T REALIZE IT SHOULD). I WAS WEARING THE LAP AND SHOULDER BELTS. THE LAP BELT HELD ME IN PLACE, BUT MY UPPER BODY HIT THE STEERING WHEEL. I HAD DAMAGE REPAIRS DONE AT A 21ST CENTURY INS RECOMMENDED SHOP. I HAVE NOT HAD ANY MODIFICA…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 759714 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 784606 · 2000-04-09 (April 9, 2000)

RACK AND PINION STEERING UNIT FAILED. NLM

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 784606 at NHTSA ↗