U.S. public vehicle records

1999 Saturn SL problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

160 owner complaints analyzed

1 distinct recall campaigns

64,000 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 1999 model year. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12 (September 12, 2026). 73 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine is the most frequently named component, appearing in 16 of 160 complaints (10.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Braking behavior	38	23.8%
Steering behavior	17	10.6%
Transmission and shifting	15	9.4%
Engine operation	10	6.3%
Electrical and battery issues	9	5.6%
Fuel system concerns	2	1.3%

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.

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine

Air Bags:Frontal

Engine And Engine Cooling

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components

Air Bags

Power Train:Automatic Transmission

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Rotor

Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System

Component breakdown data
Category	Count
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine	16
Air Bags:Frontal	12
Engine And Engine Cooling	9
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components	9
Air Bags	8
Power Train:Automatic Transmission	8
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Rotor	8
Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System	7

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 16; Air Bags:Frontal: 12; Engine And Engine Cooling: 9; Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components: 9; Air Bags: 8; Power Train:Automatic Transmission: 8; Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Rotor: 8; Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System: 7

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: 6; 25,000 to 49,999: 17; 50,000 to 74,999: 14; 75,000 to 99,999: 15; 100,000 to 149,999: 16; 150,000 and above: 5

25,000 to 49,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (17). 87 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.

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2013

2014

2015

2018

2020

2000: 22; 2001: 23; 2002: 17; 2003: 34; 2004: 19; 2005: 10; 2006: 10; 2007: 4; 2008: 6; 2009: 4; 2010: 2; 2011: 2; 2013: 1; 2014: 3; 2015: 1; 2018: 1; 2020: 1

Pattern summary

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 38 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 17 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 15 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 10002020 · 2003-01-03 (January 3, 2003)

WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKES AND VEHICLE SHIFT GEAR WITHOUT WARNING. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. TS

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10002020 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10016558 · 2003-04-27 (April 27, 2003)

FRONT END SHAKES AND AMOUNT INCREASES AS BRAKES ARE APPLIED. SEVERAL DIFFERENT BRAKES PADS HAVE BEEN APPLIED. CALIPERS HAVE BEEN REPLACED AND RECENTLY THE CV AXLES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. AFTER A FEW WEEKS THE PROBLEM IS RECURRING. MAKES VEHICLE FEEL UNSAFE ESPECIALLY WHEN BRAKING. *NLM

Owner-reported narrative. 30,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10016558 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10018146 · 2003-05-05 (May 5, 2003)

CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING AND NO WARNING THERE IS A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE STEERING WHEEL CAUSING A DISTRACTION TO THE CONSUMER. DEALER NOTIFIED

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10018146 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10032700 · 2003-08-12 (August 12, 2003)

STEERING WHEEL HOUSING CAME LOOSE.*AK

Owner-reported narrative. 18,128 miles reported. Look up ODI 10032700 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10003575 · 2003-01-28 (January 28, 2003)

1999 SATURN SL2 WITH 30,500 MILES TRANSMISSION EXPLODED.

Owner-reported narrative. 30,550 miles reported. Look up ODI 10003575 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10022184 · 2003-05-13 (May 13, 2003)

DEFECTIVE BRAKES DUE TO BRAKE CYLINDER LEAKAGE, AND ENGINE STALLED. PH

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10022184 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10094219 · 2004-09-23 (September 23, 2004)

WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONSUMER TRIED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND WAS NOT ABLE TO DO SO. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THE ENGINE WAS CRACKED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10094219 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10036732 · 2003-08-27 (August 27, 2003)

AFTER BOTH MY CHILDREN AT DIFFERENT TIMES TOLD ME THAT I HAD AN EXHAUST LEAK BECAUSE I AM EXPERIENCING INCRESASED EXHAUST NOISE (I HAD IT CHECKED), I RAN ACROSS AN ARTICLE IN "HIGHWAYS" MAGAZINE (GOOD SAM CLUB) THAT STATED THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THE 2000-2003 SATURN L-SERIES. I OWN A 1999 SATURN L-SERIES AND IT IS SHOWING ALL THE SIGNS OF THE SAME PROBLEM DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 03V231000. THE CAR HAS BEEN SLUGGISH AND VERY HARD TO START ALONG WITH THE INCREASED EXHAUST NOISE. THIS MODEL/YEAR SATURN SHOULD BE INCLUDED …

Owner-reported narrative. 32,749 miles reported. Look up ODI 10036732 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10043934 · 2003-10-22 (October 22, 2003)

PROBLEMS WITH AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATING.*MR THE CONSUMERS HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE AIR BAG LIGHT FLASHING IN THE DASH. WHEN TAKEN TO THE SERVICE DEALER THEY DETERMINED THAT THE PASSENGER FRONTAL DEVELOPMENT LOOP HAD LOW RESISTANCE AND THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS WOULD HAVE TO DETERMINE THE ROOT CAUSE AS TO WHY THE LIGHT CONTINUE TO FLASH ON AND OFF. *CB *JB

Owner-reported narrative. 8,246 miles reported. Look up ODI 10043934 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 765011 · 2002-07-31 (July 31, 2002)

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 R…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 765011 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 8005064 · 2002-03-06 (March 6, 2002)

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

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 8005064 at NHTSA ↗