1998 Saturn Sl Seat belts Problems

MY BROTHER WAS KILLED JUNE 24, 2005, IN A SINGLE CAR ACCIDENT. HE WAS DRIVING A 1998 SATURN SL ON AN INTERSTATE IN MISSISSIPPI, THE SATURN WENT OUT OF CONTROL, HIS SEATBELT (WHICH HE ALWAYS WORE) AND HE WAS EJECTED FROM THE CAR. SINCE HIS DEATH, I'VE FOUND ON NHTSA'S SITE ALMOST 30 DIFFERENT COMPLAINTS FROM 1998 SATURN SLY OWNERS DESCRIBING SERIOUS FAILURES OF THAT CARS STABILITY, BRAKES, STEERING, AND AIR BAGS---ALL OF WHICH RESULTED IN THE CAR GOING OUT OF CONTROL. FORTUNATELY, THE DRIVERS IN THE 30 COMPLAINTS I'VE FOUND ALL STATED THAT THE INJURIES WERE NOT FATAL. MY BROTHER AND OUR FAMILY ARE NOT SO FORTUNATE. THE 1998 SATURN SL'S FAILURES KILLED MY BROTHER. ALL OF THESE FAILURES WERE REPORTED TO NHTSA YEARS AGO, SO HIS DEATH COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED. NHTSA AND THE SATURN COMPANY OWE ME AND MY FAMILY SOME ANSWERS. AND NHTSA AND SATURN MUST ACT NOW BEFORE MORE PEOPLE ARE KILLED BY THIS FATAL CAR.*JB

NHTSA ID

10130786

Incident

Jun 24, 2005

FREQUENTLY WHEN THE FRONT SEAT BELTS ARE BUCKLED THEY APPEAR TO BE SECURED, BUT ARE NOT AND COME UNDONE. THIS IS THE ONLU CAR I HAVE EVER DRIVEN THAT YOU ARE NOT LOCKED INTO YOUR SEAT BELT WHEN YOU THINK YOU ARE.*AK

NHTSA ID

10118424

Incident

Jan 1, 2005

Mileage

500 mi

I WAS IN AN ACCIDENT THAT TOTALED MY CAR. I WAS ONLY TRAVELING 15-20 MPH WHEN I HIT A CAR WITH NO LIGHTS ON. I HAD TWO PASSENGERS IN MY CAR. ALL OF US SUSTAINED INJURY BECAUSE THE SEATBELTS DID NOT LOCK UP AND HOLD US. MY BACK SET PASSENGER WAS ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE AND SHE WAS RUSHED TO THE HOSPITAL WITH FACIAL INJURIES THAT LEFT A GASH UNDER HER LEFT EYE AND RUN BURN ALL OVER HER FACE. MY FRONT PASSENGER WENT FLYING INTO THE FROM WIDSHIELD AND HIS HEAD HIT AT THE TOP RIGHT CORNER. THE BELT RESTRAINED HIM INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE AS IT STAYED CONNECTED TO THE CAR BUT MY FRONT PASSENGER ONLY STOPED AS SOON AS THE SEATBELT EXTENDED AS FAR AS IT COULD. I WAS DRIVING AND WAS PUSED DOWN INTO THE AIRBAG BY MY PASSENGER SITTING BEHIND ME. I SUSTANINED A SMALL FRACURE THAT LOOSENED MY TWO FRONT TEETH. MY BACK PASSENGER IS THE ONLY ONE TO SUSTAIN DAMAGE FROM THE ACTUAL SEATBELT AND IT WAS AROUUND HER STOMACH, WHICH SEE WAS 7 MONTHES PREGNAT AT THE TIME. THE BABY IS OK AND SHE WAS RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL THE NEXT MORNING. *JB

NHTSA ID

10110019

Incident

Jul 19, 2003

Mileage

50,000 mi

1998 SATURN SL SEAT BELTS ARE DEFECTIVE.***NO ANSWER REQUIRED***. *MR THE DRIVERS SEAT BELT WOULD UNLATCH WHILE THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING. *JB

NHTSA ID

10127997

Incident

Jan 3, 2005

WHILE DRIVING/PARKING SEAT BELT LATCH UNLOCKED FROM THE BELT BUCKLE. CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO WEAR SEAT BELT CORRECTLY. *AK LEFT FRONT SEAT BUCKLE WERE REPLACED ON CONSUMER'S EXPENSE. DEALER WASN'T ABLE TO EXPLAIN THE MAIN CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. *LA

NHTSA ID

10059765

Incident

Feb 18, 2004

Mileage

59,200 mi

I PURCHASED A 1998 SATURN SL2 IN APRIL OF 2002 AND DISCOVERED AFTER PURCHASE THAT IT HAD A DEFECTIVE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL SATURN DEALERSHIP I WAS TOLD THAT EVEN THOUGH THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM ON THIS MODEL I WOULD BE CHARGED FOR THE REPAIR. THE DEALERSHIP WAS ALSO UNABLE TO FIND THE EXACT PART NUMBER AND WANTED TO MAKE THE REPAIR FROM A SIMILAR BUT NOT IDENTICAL 1996 MODEL. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT SATURN DOES NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR DEFECTIVE SAFETY ITEMS SUCH AS THE RETRACTOR BECAUSE SO MANY OF THEIR VEHICLES HAVE THIS PROBLEM AND IT HAS NOT BEEN OFFICIALLY RECALLED.

NHTSA ID

10038717

Incident

Sep 8, 2003

Mileage

68,000 mi

I WAS INVOLVED IN A REAR END COLLISION IN APRIL 2002. I WAS HIT FROM BEHIND WHILE WAITING AT A RED LIGHT. THE BACK OF MY SEAT COLLAPSED THEREBY RENDERING THE ANTI-WHIPLASH HEAD RESTRAINT INEFFECTIVE.

NHTSA ID

10007867

Incident

Apr 17, 2002

Mileage

50,000 mi

THE PLASTIC SHELL OF CAR SEAT WAS SHARP/KNIFE LIKE, AND RESULTED IN A CHILD CUTTING TWO FINGERS. *AK SCC

NHTSA ID

10006140

Incident

Jan 31, 2003

Mileage

127,000 mi

NO SUMMARY. DT

NHTSA ID

770395

Incident

Nov 5, 2002

DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT TWIST TO WHERE IT WON'T RECALL AND IS DIFFECULT TO BUCKLE. I RECEIVED A SAFTY RECALL IN 2000 AND TOOK IT TO THE DEALER IN LAFAYETTE, IN TO HAVE IT REPLACED. IT WOOKED OK FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND THEN IT ACTS UP AGAIN. DT

NHTSA ID

770002

Incident

May 1, 2000

WHEN SEAT BELT COMES THROUGH SLIDER TO CONNECT ACROSS CHEST BELT IT IS CUT. .*AK THE BELT MUST BE CUTTING WHEN IT IS PULLED DOWN TO BE FASTENED, THE CUTS ARE NOT NOTICEABLE BECAUSE THEY ARE OBSCURED BY THE SLIDER WHEN THE BELT IS RETRACTED AND OUT OF SIGHT WHEN THE BELT IS FASTENED, THE CONSUMER RETAINED THE DAMAGED PART. NLM

NHTSA ID

894055

Incident

Aug 9, 2001

MY DAUGHTER IS ABLE TO RELEASE THE CLIP ON THE FIVE POINT RESTRAINT OF THE NEW CARSEAT WE JUST PURCHASED. WE HAD THE SAME MODEL BEFORE BUT THE CLIP WAS DIFFERENT. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE CLIP REMOVED FROM THE MARKET BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT IT IS A DANGER TO CHILDREN. THE MAKE IS COSCO AND THE MODEL IS THE ALPHA OMEGA EDITION.

NHTSA ID

746314

CONSUMER STATES HORN FAILED. *JB

NHTSA ID

785412

REAR LAP BELT DOES NOT LOCK, WHEN PLACING A CAR SEAT IT CAUSES SEAT NOT TO BE PROPERLY INSTALLED AND MOVES FREQUENTLY. SATURN SAID LAP BELT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

NHTSA ID

875306

Incident

Nov 20, 2000

I WAS INVOLVED IN A TWO CAR ACCIDENT ON 5/10/00. ANOTHER CAR PULLED OUT INFRONT OF MY SATURN, WHICH CAUSED A COLLISION. I WAS DOING 30-35 MILES PER HOUR AT IMPACT. BOTH AIR BAGS DEPLOYED, AND THE SEATBELTS RESTRAINED, BUT NOT COMPLETELY. THE PASSANGER SIDE COMPLETELY PULLED AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE CASING. THE PART THE BELT LOOPS AROUND CRACKED, AND THE PASSANGER DID NOT RECEIVE ANY MARK FROM THE SEATBELT, WHICH MAKES ME THINK THE BELT DID NOT FUNCTION CORRECTLY. I WAS THE DRIVER AND RECEIVED A LARGE BRUISE FROM MY SHOULDER TO MY BREAST BONE, FROM THE SHOULDER RESTRAINT, BUT MY SEATBELT SYSTEM ONLY SEPERATED WHERE THE TWO CASINGS CONECT. I AM CONSERED THAT IF IN ANOTHER ACCIDENT AT A HIGHER RATE OF SPEED, THE SEATBELTS WILL NOT HOLD PASSENGERS, OR MYSELF IN PLACE. THAT THEY WILL SEPERATE FROM THE CAR AGAIN. I WAS WONDERING IF ANY OTHER SATURN OWNERS HAVE REPORTED PROBLEMS WITH THEIR SEATBELTS. IN SPEEKING WITH THE REPAIRSHOP, IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY WILL JUST POP THE CASINGS BACK INTO PLACE. IS THIS THE CORRECT WAY TO HANDLE THIS? SHOULD I CONTACT SATURN? ANY INFORMATION YOU CAN PROVIDE WOULD BE GREATLY APRECIATED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. MELISSA. *AK

NHTSA ID

722604

Incident

May 10, 2000

THE COMPONENT IN QUESTION HAS NOT FAILED AND PROBABLY WON'T. I FEEL THE DESIGN OF THE KNOB WHICH ALLOWS THE SHOULDER BELT ANCHOR POINT TO BE ADJUSTED UP / DOWN COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER. I AM TALL, SO I SIT WITH THE SEAT ALL THE WAY BACK. THIS "KNOB" IS LOCATED EXACTLY BESIDE MY TEMPLE WHILE I'M DRIVING. IF I WERE TO BE HIT FROM THE DRIVER'S SIDE, I HAVE VISIONS OF THIS KNOB DOING SERIOUS INJURY TO MY SKULL AND WHAT LITTLE BRAIN I HAVE IN THERE. I THINK THE KNOB NEEDS TO BE REDESIGNED (AN ADJUSTABLE SHOULDER ANCHOR POINT IN THE NEW NISSAN ALTIMA IS MUCH LESS INTRUSIVE.)

NHTSA ID

712176

SEAT BELT BUCKLE DID NOT FULLY ENGAGE AND BECAME STUCK, WHEN FORCEFULLY DISENGAGED, THE BUCKLE DIDN'T ENGAGE AT ALL. YH

NHTSA ID

608706

Incident

Mar 1, 1998

COOLANT LIGHT FAILED. MJS

NHTSA ID

607989

Incident

Dec 1, 1998

SEAT BELT FAILED TO RESTRAIN PASSENGER DURING AN ACCIDENT.

NHTSA ID

541411

Incident

Jul 19, 1998

FRONT SEAT BELT ATTACHMENTS ARE TOO LOW, WHEN SITTING IN SEAT IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE RELEASE BUTTON.

NHTSA ID

529088