1996 Saturn Sl: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 369 complaints
369
Total Complaints
97,770mi
Median Mileage
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
Top Issue
56
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

71,592 25th Percentile
97,770 Median Mileage
128,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
32
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
18
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
16
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN
16
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER
12
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
11
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
11
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
11
POWER TRAIN
10
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
10

Severity Assessment

56
Crashes
2
Fires
52
Injuries
1
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"CAR WILL NOT HOLD IN FIFTH GEAR WHEN PUTTING IT IN FIFTH GEAR IT SLIPS OUT . TT"
"THE CAR SHIMMIES AND CAUSES LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE STEERING WHEEL. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT"
"THE CAR SHIMMIES AND CAUSES LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE STEERING WHEEL. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT"

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

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