2002 Saturn SL

Typical pattern

9.7% of complaints about the 2002 Saturn SL came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2002 vehicle — around the middle of the 230 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 4.8 yr in service. The most-reported system is electrical system (43 complaints), typically at 7.8 yr or about 87,000 miles.

Complaints: 144
Median age at failure: 4.8 yr
Median mileage: 60,000 n=92
Crash / fire / tow: 19.4% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

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.

In owners’ own words

Engine cooling mileage not reported 2 mo in service

AFTER A LONG DISTANCE DRIVE AND STOPPING AT LOCAL STORE FOR A MOMENT VEHICLE WOULD HESITATE WHILE CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING AT ABOUT 45MPH. THEN, WHEN PULLING INTO A PARKING LOT VEHICLE STARTED SMOKING, RELEASING VERY THICK VAPOR. ALSO, SMOKE WAS COMING FROM EXHAUST, AND VAPORS WAS FROM INSIDE OF VEHICLE. CONTACTED DEALER, AND THE DEALER WAS NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING. *AK

Engine cooling mileage not reported 2 mo in service

AFTER A LONG DISTANCE DRIVE AND STOPPING AT LOCAL STORE FOR A MOMENT VEHICLE WOULD HESITATE WHILE CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING AT ABOUT 45MPH. THEN, WHEN PULLING INTO A PARKING LOT VEHICLE STARTED SMOKING, RELEASING VERY THICK VAPOR. ALSO, SMOKE WAS COMING FROM EXHAUST, AND VAPORS WAS FROM INSIDE OF VEHICLE. CONTACTED DEALER, AND THE DEALER WAS NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING. *AK

Engine cooling mileage not reported 10 mo in service

THE CAR IDLES ROUGH, HAS LOUSY GAS MILEAGE, AND NO POWER. I WAS TOLD ON THE 5TH TIME TO THE SATURN REPAIR SHOP, THAT THE SL1S HAVE AN ENGINEERING DEFECT AND SATURN DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO FIX IT. DT

Electrical system mileage not reported 6 mo in service

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE EXHIBITS TICKING NOISE AND THEN STALLED. CONSUMER ATTEMPTED TO RESTART VEHCLE AS IT DIED OUT AGAIN. DEALER REPLACED MAIN MODULE COMPUTER (ECM) ENGINE CONTROL MODUEL. *TT

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.

2002 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