RoadVitals

2002 Saturn S-Series Sedan Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

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.
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Latest Nov 8, 2010
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
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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.
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What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2002 Saturn S-Series Sedan, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.

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

Reports by component

Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category

  • Airbags133.3%
  • Brakes133.3%
  • Transmission133.3%

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

Each component in detail

What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words

Airbags

Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

A CAR WAS GOING 55 MPH, DIDN'T BRAKE AND HIT THE PERSON BEHIND ME WHO WAS PUSHED INTO MY CAR AND I WAS PUSHED INTO A TRUCK. THE FORCE OF THE IMPACT MOVED ALL OUR CARS 65 FEET. THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, ALTHOUGH ACCORDING TO SOME COMMENTS BY POLICE AND FIRE, THEY SHOULD HAVE. I JUST WANTED TO REPORT THIS JUST IN CASE THERE WERE OTHER OWNERS WITH THE SAME ISSUES. CAR WAS TOTALED, NO REPAIR DONE. *TR

NHTSA ID 10365060 · filed Nov 8, 2010

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Brakes

Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

BRAKES FAILED ON MY 2002 SATURN S SERIES SEDAN (15,000 MILES) WHILE DECELLERATING AT A YIELD MERGE AND REARENDED A CAR AT LOW SPEED WITH MINIMAL DAMAGE. POLICE OFFICER NOTED BRAKE PEDAL HAD TO BE FLOORED TO GET ONLY SLIGHT BRAKING OFFICER ADVISED VEHICLE MUST BE TOWED. VEHICLE TOWED TO SATURN DEALERSHIP. AFTER MUCH RESISTANCE SATURN HOME OFFICE IN TENNESSEE SENT INSPECTOR. CONVERSATION THIS DATE WITH TENNESSEE OFFICE SAID VERBAL PRELIM. REPORT- NOTHING REALLY SEEN WRONG. I DON'T BELIVE IT AND FEAR DRIVING THE CAR.CAR STILL AT SATURN OF FREEHOLD.

NHTSA ID 10000148 · filed Dec 16, 2002

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Transmission

Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

CAR ENGINE STALLS AND DIES. CAR IDLES VERY ROUGH. THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION POPS OUT OF GEAR BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD OCCASIONALLY. CAR DOES NOT HAVE A 1ST GEAR IF YOU USE 1ST THE CAR BUCKS LIKE CRAZY. BUT ACCORDING TO SATURN DEALER SERVICE CENTERS VISITED 5 TIMES THE VEHICLE IS RUNNING WITHIN FACTORY SPECS AND THERE ARE NO FAIL CODES. HAVE BEEN SEVERAL TIMES ON THE EXPRESSWAY GOING 65 M.P.H AND THE ENGINE HAS DIED WHAT FUN. THE CAR HAS BEEN INSPECTED AND THE REPORT STATES THE CAR SINCE DAY ONE I DROVE IT OFF THE DEALERSHIP LOT WAS WORTH LESS THAN 50% OF PURCHASE PRICE AND HAS BECOME A SAFETY HAZARD. THE CAR HAS SAT IDLE FOR TWO YEARS NOW IN MY GARAGE AND I HAVE LOST MY FIGHT TO HAVE SATURN UPHOLD THEIR END OF THE LEMON LAW IN WISCONSIN. SATURN HAD TRIED TO REPAIR THE CAR TWICE BY PUTTING ALL NEW FUEL INJECTORS IN THE CAR. CAR WAS RETURNED THE FOLLOWING DAY WITH SAME PROBLEM. THEY KEPT THE CAR FOR TWO WEEKS AND GAVE ME ANOTHER SATURN CAR TO DRIVE AND THEY STILL COULDN'T FIND OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR. THE WOULD BE IN THE SHOP EVERY WEEK IF I HAD DECIDED TO STILL DRIVE THE HEALTH RISK TO MYSELF AND DAUGHTER. WENT AND BOUGHT ANOTHER NEW CAR AND DEFINITELY NOT A AUTO FROM GM. *JB

NHTSA ID 10098667 · filed Nov 11, 2004

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

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.

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .