1991 Saturn Sl Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1991 Saturn Sl, 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
- Seat belts1238.7%
- Interior & seats412.9%
- Electrical39.7%
- Brakes26.5%
- Driver assistance26.5%
- Engine26.5%
- Visibility13.2%
- Other / unspecified13.2%
- Steering13.2%
- Suspension13.2%
- Transmission13.2%
- Airbags13.2%
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
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE PASSENGER AND DRIVER PASSIVE RESTRAIN SEAT BELT LOCKS DOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE DRIVER THAT SEAT BELTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *LA
FRONT PASSENGER PASSIVE RESTRAINT BELT IS LOCKED IN FORWARD POSITION, LEAVING OCCUPANT UNRESTRAINED.*AK
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
DRIVERS SEATBACK BROKEN AND MOTORIZED SHOULDER BELTS BIND IN TRACK AND BLOW FUSE. *AK
NO SUMMARY PROVIDER BY CONSUMER.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
CONSUMER EXPERENCING PROBLEMS WITH REPLACING THE BATTERY. BATTERY HAS BEEN REPLACED ON FIVE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. DEALER UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
I INQUIRED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT SATURN OF MONROVIA (MONROVIA,CA, 91016) IF THEY WERE AWARE OF THE AFOREMENTIONED PROBLEMS. THEY DENIED ANY KNOWLEDGE OF ANY PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH ELECTRICAL WIRING UNDER THE HOOD. *AK
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.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE BRAKE PEDAL IS ALWAYS LOW AND SOME TIMES BOTTOMS OUT WHEN YOU FIRST START DRIVING THE CAR. YOU CAN'T STOP. RECORD OF COMPLAINT IS ON FILE WITH SATURN, BUT THEY JUST BLEW ME OFF BECAUSE THEY CHECK OUT THE CAR, BUT SAID IT WAS OK. I SHOWED THEM THAT BY PUMPING THE BREAKS A FEW TIMES THAT THE PEDAL WOULD BOTTOM AND BREAKING WAS LOST. THEY DUPLICATED IT BUT REFUSED TO ADMIT IT WAS A PROBLEM. NOW MY SONS ARE DRIVING AND I CAN'T LET THEM DRIVE THE CAR BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT EXPERIENCED ENOUGH DRIVERS AND IF THEY EVERY GET INTO A PANIC STOP SITUATION THEY NEED TO HAVE EXTRA ROOM FOR GLIDING AS THE WHEELS WON'T LOCK UP. I MADE SATURN REPLACE THE MASTER BREAK CYLINDER AND THE PROBLEM BECAME WORSE. I HAVE THE OLD MASTER BREAK CYLINDER. *NM
THE BRAKE PEDAL IS ALWAYS LOW AND SOME TIMES BOTTOMS OUT WHEN YOU FIRST START DRIVING THE CAR. YOU CAN'T STOP. RECORD OF COMPLAINT IS ON FILE WITH SATURN, BUT THEY JUST BLEW ME OFF BECAUSE THEY CHECK OUT THE CAR, BUT SAID IT WAS OK. I SHOWED THEM THAT BY PUMPING THE BREAKS A FEW TIMES THAT THE PEDAL WOULD BOTTOM AND BREAKING WAS LOST. THEY DUPLICATED IT BUT REFUSED TO ADMIT IT WAS A PROBLEM. NOW MY SONS ARE DRIVING AND I CAN'T LET THEM DRIVE THE CAR BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT EXPERIENCED ENOUGH DRIVERS AND IF THEY EVERY GET INTO A PANIC STOP SITUATION THEY NEED TO HAVE EXTRA ROOM FOR GLIDING AS THE WHEELS WON'T LOCK UP. I MADE SATURN REPLACE THE MASTER BREAK CYLINDER AND THE PROBLEM BECAME WORSE. I HAVE THE OLD MASTER BREAK CYLINDER. *NM
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE 60 MPH ON THE FREEWAY VEHICLE STARTED ACCELERATING BY ITSELF. DRIVER STEPPED ON THE BRAKES TO STOP. BUT VEHICLE DID NOT STOP, AND DRIVING OVER CURVES WITHOUT STOPPING, SHE FINALLY STOPPED IT BY PULLING THE IGNITION KEY ON A MALL PARKING LOT. *AK
VEHICLE STALLS OUT AT ANY SPEED, DEALER SAID STALLING OCCURS WHEN CRUISE IS ON AND VEHICLE RPM IS OVER 70. TT
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
HAVE HAD CAR SERVICED NUMEROUS TIMES, ENGINE ALWAYS REMAINED ROUGH, CAR DIES ON US, HAS LOW UPTAKE SPEED, MECHANIC SAID ITS A SATURN ENGINE DEFECT, WILL EVENTUALLY DIE ALTOGETHER. *AK
ENGINE OIL LEAK, GASKET OIL PAN RUSTED, CAUSING LOSS OF ENGINE OIL, IN FOR REPAIR WILL PROVIDE INVOICE RECEIPT. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH THE SUNROOF DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE. UPON INSPECTION THE MOUNTS WERE COMPLETELY RUSTED THROUGH. AT NO TIME THE SUNROOF HAS BEEN IMMERSED AND THE VEHICLE HAS NEVER BEEN TO A ROLL OVER. I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS TO BE A RESULT OF NEGLECT ON MY PART, RATHER POOR QUALITY MATERIALS USED IN MANUFACTURE. *LA
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHILE COMING TO A STOP THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL FOUR LUG: NUTS BROKE OFF, CAUSING THE WHEEL TO FALL OFF. PLEASE PROVIDE DETAILS. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
STEERING GEAR BOX LEAKED. *TW
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
DT: CONTACT STATES THE VEHICLE IS CONTINUOUSLY SHAKING, AFFECTING THE STEERING. THE SOLENOIDS HAVE BEEN REPLACED, 6 MONTHS LATER THE PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK
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.
From owner reports, verbatim
MANUAL TRANSMISSION GEAR SHIFT ARM SUDDENLY WAS LOOSE. SATURN OF ASUTIN REPORTED SHIFTER CABLE BROKE AND REPLACED SAME. IF BREAK HAD OCCURRED WHILE MOVING IT LIKELY WOULD HAVE CAUSED ACCIDENT AND INJURY.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
VEHICLE INVOLVED IN A REAR END CRASH GOING ABOUT (20-25) MPH AND THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. ALSO THE SHOULDER HARNESS DID NOT LOCK. VEHICLE IS BEING REPAIRED. *AK
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
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .