1999 Saturn SL

Typical pattern

17% of complaints about the 1999 Saturn SL came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 1999 vehicle — around the middle of the 201 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 4.6 yr in service. The most-reported system is engine cooling (43 complaints), typically at 4.9 yr or about 75,000 miles.

Complaints: 194
Median age at failure: 4.6 yr
Median mileage: 79,500 n=87
Crash / fire / tow: 18.6% of reports
Safety recalls: 2

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

09E012000 2009-04-07

Exterior lighting

SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.

DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

99V280000 1999-10-20

Seat belts:front:anchorage

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE VEHICLES DO NOT COMPLY WITH REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 210, "SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY ANCHORAGES." SOME OF THE VEHICLES WERE PRODUCED WITH SEAT BELT SHOULDER GUIDE ANCHOR BOLTS THAT WERE NOT ADEQUATELY TIGHTENED AT THE CENTER PILLAR AND COULD FALL OUT, MAKING THE SEAT BELT INOPERATIVE.

IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE SEAT OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED.

In owners’ own words

Power train mileage not reported 1 mo in service

WHEN FLOOR GEAR SHIFT IS TOUCHED OR BUMPED,THE SHIFT WILL POP OUT OF GEAR SUDDENLY WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. *AK

Power train mileage not reported 9 mo in service

SECOND OCCURRANCE: 7-26-99 REPORTED TRANS. BUCKS WHEN ACCELERATING. TRANSAXLE-RESET ADAPTIVES, SAID NOTHING WRONG. 08- 25-99 LOST REVERSE GEAR AGAIN..DEALER REFUSED TO SUPPLY PAPERWORK FOR WORK PERFORMED. SAID NOT IN COMPUTER YET. AFTER 3 CALLS, MAILED HAND-WRITTEN WORK-ORDER POST-MARKED 9-10-99. TO DATE HAVE NOT RECEIVED COMPUTER PRINTOUT.

Power train mileage not reported 0 mo in service

VEHICLE BUCKS WHEN TRANSMISSION SHIFTS, JERKS BACK AND FORTH. ALSO, LOSES POWER WHEN GOING UPHILL. SHIFTS INTO WRONG GEAR WHILE DRIVING. DEALER CANNOT REMEDY.*AK

Electrical system mileage not reported 4 mo in service

CONSUMER WAS DRIVING APROXIMATELY 35MPH WHEN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FALILED, AND THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN. SECOND TIME, WHILE DRIVING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILED AGAIN, AND ENGINE SHUT DOWN. DEALER COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM, THE THIRD TIME THIS SCENARIO HAPPENED THE DEALERSHIP TOWED VEHICLE ,AND THE DIAGNOSTICS SHOWED VEHICLE SHUTTING DOWN. BUT DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. DAVID- MECHANIC AT SATURN OF ERVING TEXAS--972-790-7400. *AK

Other SL model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

1999 Saturn SL

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other SL model years

How to read this