RoadVitals

1999 Saturn S-Series Sedan

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
4
Latest Nov 23, 2004
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
1
2 injuries, 0 deaths reported

Overview

Our database contains 4 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1999 Saturn S-Series Sedan, most frequently naming the engine, interior & seats and airbags categories. 11 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Engine233.3%
  • Interior & seats233.3%
  • Airbags116.7%
  • Seat belts116.7%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Engine
Filed Nov 23, 2004

IN JANUARY, FEBRUARY AND MARCH OF 2003 I EXPERIENCED REPEATED STALLING ON THE HIGHWAY WITH MY 1999 SATURN. NO ONE, INCLUDING A SATURN DEALER, KNEW WHAT WAS WRONG. BY TRIAL AND ERROR, IT SEEMED THAT IF I KEPT THE GAS TANK AT LEAST HALF FULL I COULD AVOID THE PROBLEM. IT WASN'T THE BEST SOLUTION, BUT IT SEEMED TO WORK. BUT THIS PAST SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2004, IT STALLED AGAIN ON THE HIGHWAY. ON SUNDAY I DROVE IT AROUND TOWN AND IT WAS FINE. THEN TODAY IT STALLED AGAIN IN ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME SPOT AS TWO DAYS AGO. THE WORST PART IS THAT IT HAD ALMOST A FULL TANK OF GAS; THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT THE STALLING OCCURRED WITH THAT MUCH GAS IN THE TANK. IT NEVER HAPPENS ON THE WAY HOME FROM WORK, ONLY ON THE WAY THERE. THE STALLING OCCURS AFTER I HAVE DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES AT A SPEED OF ABOUT 65 MILES PER HOUR. THE CAR GIVES AN INDICATION THAT IT'S ABOUT TO DIE BY SHUDDERING. SO FAR I HAVE BEEN LUCKY THAT I AM ABLE TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. AFTER TURNING OFF THE CAR AND WAITING FIVE MINUTES, I CAN START IT UP AND CONTINUE MY DRIVE TO WORK, ABOUT ANOTHER 10 TO 15 MINUTES AWAY. IF I WAIT LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES, THE CAR STALLS AGAIN. I FEEL THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE OF WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF I WAS UNABLE TO PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. THE SATURN DEALER I TOOK IT TO IN 2003 DIDN'T SEEM TO CARE. *JB

NHTSA ID
10100380
Incident
Nov 22, 2004
Mileage
117,330 mi
Interior & seats
Filed Feb 19, 2004

A WIRE MELTED IN MY WIRING HARNESS BEHIND THE DASH BOARD. THIS STOPPED THE CAR FROM RUNNING. IF IT HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING, IT COULD CAUSE A CRASH DUE TO THE SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER OR COULD HAVE STARTED A FIRE.

NHTSA ID
10058512
Incident
Feb 16, 2004
Mileage
80,000 mi
AirbagsInterior & seatsSeat belts
Filed Nov 28, 2003
Crash reported2 injuries reported

DRIVER WAS REARENED IN TRAFFIC ACCIDENT ON FREEWAY, DRIVERS SEAT BELT DID NOT LOCK, DRIVERS SIDE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY, AND DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BROKE, AND DRIVER WAS LAID IN BACK SEAT.*AK

NHTSA ID
10047714
Incident
Nov 13, 2003
Mileage
80,934 mi
Engine
Filed Aug 30, 2003

I HAVE COMPLAINED FOR MORE THAN 2 YEARS ABOUT EXCESSIVE ENGINE NOISE BUT GOT NO MEANINGFUL RESPONSE UNTIL 48000 MILES WHEN A SERVICE TECHNICIAN (NOT AT A DEALER) FOUND THAT THE RESONATOR HAS A CRACK. CALLS TO EXHAUST SHOPS INDICATE THAT THIS IS NOT A RARE OCCURRENCE. ONE OF THE SELLING POINTS OF THE CAR WAS THE STAINLESS EXHAUST SYSTEM. SEEMS THAT WAS A MEANINGLESS POINT FOR THIS MODEL.*AK

NHTSA ID
10036891
Incident
Jul 30, 2003
Mileage
48,000 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

01T43

VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

SUBJECT REGARDING SUNROOF SERVICE PROCEDURES AND SERVICEABLE SUNROOF COMPONENTS. *JG

01T44

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

SUBJECT REGARDING SEAT BELT LATCH FALLS TO THE FLOOR OR IS DIFFICULT TO RETRIEVE WHEN PUTTING ON SEAT BELT. *JG

01T42

INFORMATION REGARDING NEW PROCEDURE FOR SUNROOF ACTUATOR TO MODULE TIMING. *SLC

01T43

INFORMATION REGARDING SUNROOF SERVICE PROCEDURES AND SERVICEABLE SUNROOF COMPONENTS. *SLC

99T18A

VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS

ON SOME VEHICLES WHENEVER THE WINDOW IS CYCLED FROM FULL UP TO FULL DOWN OR, FULL DOWN TO FULL UP POSITION, THE WINDOW REGULATOR MAY EXHIBIT A POPPING, CLICKING, AND / OR BINDING NOISE THAT IS TRANSMITTED INTO PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. *TT

94T25F

STRUCTURE:BODY

ON SOME 1991 - 2000 SEDANS, WAGONS AND COUPES, A WHISTLE TYPE NOISE IS HEARD AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. *TT

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Saturn S-Series Sedan by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2002310—
2001400—
2000300—
1999Viewing400—
1998100—
1997200—
1996000—
1995000—
1994000—
1993000—
1992000—
1991000—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.