2008 Saturn Aura: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 677 complaints
677
Total Complaints
80,000mi
Median Mileage
POWER TRAIN
Top Issue
36
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

51,763 25th Percentile
80,000 Median Mileage
107,250 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

POWER TRAIN
112
STEERING
111
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
89
SERVICE BRAKES
59
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
43
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
42
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
28
AIR BAGS
23
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
21
SEATS
19

Severity Assessment

36
Crashes
3
Fires
17
Injuries
3
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"MY SIDE OR SIDE CURTAIN AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY ON MY 2008 SATURN AURA. 1. I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY IN THE FAR LEFT LANE AT ABOUT 60MPH. A VEHICLE BEHIND ME CHANGED LANES ERRATICALLY TO THE RIGHT CROSSING OVER 4 LANES OF TRAFFIC. THE CAR HAD TO SWERVE BACK INTO THE LANE TO HER RIGHT WHEN S..."
"TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SATURN AURA. WHILE FILLING THE TANK WITH FUEL AT A SERVICE STATION, THE CONTACT OBSERVED A GASOLINE LEAK COMING FROM THE FUEL TANK UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. HE NOTICED A STREAM OF GASOLINE ON THE GROUND. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED TO THE SCENE FOR SAFETY CONCERNS. TH..."
"PURCHASED A 2008 SATURN AURA XR FITTED WITH GOODYEAR LS2 P225/50R18 TIRES. CAR/TIRES HAS 4,000 MILES, NOTICED A SIDEWALL BULGE ON ONE TIRE..TOOK CAR TO GOODYEAR DEALER, MANAGER STATED BULGE DUE TO HIGH IMPACT DAMAGE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT HIS DEFINITION OF "HIGH IMPACT IS"? VEHICLE HAS NEVER BEEN OFF RO..."

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