"How reliable is the 2001 Saturn Sl?"

"Based on 137 NHTSA complaints, the 2001 Saturn Sl has a median complaint mileage of 58888 miles. The most common issue is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION."

"What are common problems with the 2001 Saturn Sl?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2001 Saturn Sl is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, accounting for a significant portion of the 137 total complaints filed."

2001 Saturn Sl: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 137 complaints

137

Total Complaints

58,888mi

Median Mileage

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

35,000 25th Percentile

58,888 Median Mileage

96,737 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY

AIR BAGS

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHILE IN 5TH GEAR AT 65 MPH VEHICLE AUTOMATICALLY SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL, THERE WAS A TRUCK RIGHT BEHIND CONSUMER WHEN THIS HAPPENED. *AK THERE WAS A SECOND OCCASION WHEN AT AN INTERSECTION IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, VEHICLE WAS IN THIRD GEAR AND AS CONSUMER ACCELERATED, TRANSMISSION SLAMMED INTO NEUTRAL, C..."

"PANTS ON DRIVER'S LEGS GOT CAUGHT UNDER LEFT LEVER OF FRONT SEAT, AND DRIVER COULD NOT ACCELERATE. DEALER WILL BE NOTIFIED.*AK"

"FUEL LINE RUPTURED DUE TO FLYING DEBRIS FROM ROAD, FUEL LINE IS A RUBBER OR PLASTIC HOSE AND IS CLOSE TO CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND MUFFLER, CONSUMER IS CONCERNED THAT THE RUPTURE COULD HAVE LEAKED GASOLINE ONTO THESE OTHER COMPONENTS AND CAUSED A FIRE, CONSUMER FEELS THE LINE SHOULD BE STEEL OR BE COV..."

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