Car Problem DataNHTSA records

1999 Saturn S-Series

Routine

Owners filed 2 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the electrical system › ignition › switch. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Engine and Engine Cooling1
000
Electrical System › Ignition › Switch1
000

What owners reported

Newest filings
Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Oct 13, 200876,000 milesFL

I HAVE A 1999 SATURN. IT KEEPS STALLING WHILE IN MOTION. IT WILL WORK FINE FOR A FEW WEEKS, THEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN IT WILL "ACT UP" AND THE RPMS WILL DANCE AROUND UNTIL IT FINALLY STALLS. I HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN MANY TIMES ALREADY. I BELIEVE IT SHOULD BE INCLUDED WITH THE TIMING CHAIN INQUIRY, BUT I AM NOT SURE IF IT WILL RUN LONG ENOUGH FOR IT TO BE COVERED. I AM UPSET THAT I CAN'T GET ANY ANSWERS FROM SATURN. THEY INSIST ON ME BRINGING THE CAR IN AND I AM QUITE SURE THAT WILL NEED TO "FIX IT" WHICH WILL COST ME PLENTY. PLEASE MAKE NOTE THAT MY VEHICLE IS AFFECTED BY THIS DEFECT AND I CAN'T AFFORD TO FIX IT MYSELF. *TR

Electrical System › Ignition › Switch
Filed Dec 17, 200441,000 milesWI

BAD IGNITION SWITCH, THREE TIMES THE CAR ACTED LIKE IT HAD A DEAD BATTERY, THE THIRD IT WENT COMPLETELY DEAD, LIKE THE BATTERY WAS DISCONNECTED. JIGGLED KEY IN SWITCH AND IT CAME BACK TO LIFE. HAD TO HAVE SWITCH REPLACED, KEYS CODED, ETC. *JB

2 of 2 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2001
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20023000Routine
20015000Routine
20003000Routine
1999 — this page2000Routine
19982000Routine
19971000Routine
19962100Routine
19951100Routine
19943101Fatalities reported
19930100Routine

Compare every S-Series year →

Other Saturn models

All Saturn models →
Ion 4,343Vue 2,351SL 2,218LS 1,458Aura 1,439Outlook 1,352Sky 516SC1 413SC 296Saturn 211

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.