"How reliable is the 1993 Saturn Sl?"

"Based on 228 NHTSA complaints, the 1993 Saturn Sl has a median complaint mileage of 62500 miles. The most common issue is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE."

"What are common problems with the 1993 Saturn Sl?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1993 Saturn Sl is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE, accounting for a significant portion of the 228 total complaints filed."

1993 Saturn Sl: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 228 complaints

228

Total Complaints

62,500mi

Median Mileage

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

60,000 25th Percentile

62,500 Median Mileage

132,668 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

SEATS

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"ABS BRAKES AND TRACTION LIGHT REMAIN ON. OWNERS MANUAL AND MANUFACTURER STATES LIGHT SHOULD GO OFF. BRAKES MAKE CLICKING SOUND. TT"

"VEHICLE VIBRATION WHEN SHIFTING INTO DRIVE AT IDLE. REPLACED TRANSMISSION MOUNT. TT"

"VEHICLE VIBRATION WHEN SHIFTING INTO DRIVE AT IDLE. REPLACED ENGINE MOUNT. TT"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 40 NY: 25 NJ: 17 MI: 16 MA: 11 OH: 11 MD: 11 FL: 10 TX: 9 VA: 9

Who Files Complaints?

27.2%

Original Owners

72.8%

Second+ Owners

Saturn Sl — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1991	31	-	SEAT BELTS	3
1992	173	140,000	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE	23
1994	376	120,000	VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	65
1995	481	97,000	SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER	104
1996	369	97,770	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE	56
1997	286	84,600	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE	38
1998	222	66,000	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	26
1999	232	76,000	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE	35
2000	202	60,000	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	12
2001	137	58,888	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	16
2002	154	60,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	24

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28