"How reliable is the 1997 Saturn Sl?"

"Based on 286 NHTSA complaints, the 1997 Saturn Sl has a median complaint mileage of 84600 miles. The most common issue is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE."

"What are common problems with the 1997 Saturn Sl?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1997 Saturn Sl is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE, accounting for a significant portion of the 286 total complaints filed."

1997 Saturn Sl: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 286 complaints

286

Total Complaints

84,600mi

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.

54,000 25th Percentile

84,600 Median Mileage

118,733 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

TIRES

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS

SEATS

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE TURN SIGNAL INDICATOR STICKS IN THE RESUME POSITION INTERMITTENTLY.*AK"

"WINDSHEILD WIPERS WILL NOT CLEAN THE WINDOWS IN WET WEATHER, CAUSING VISUAL PROBLEMS. *AK"

"SEAT BELTS ARE DIFFICULT TO ENGAGE, THE LOCKS ARE NOT SECURE. *AK"

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