WHEN RIDING IN EITHER FRONT SEAT, SEAT BELT BUCKLES WILL UNLATCH AT ANY TIME. PLEASE ADD DETAILS AND VIN#. *AK
1992 Saturn SL complaints
Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 1992 record →
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR THIS VEHICLE. *AK
WHEN DRIVING ABOUT 45 MPH THREE SEALS AND THE VALVES BURNED OUT, AND IT REDUCED THE POWER. THE DEALER STATES NEEDS ENGINE OVERHAUL. *AK
SERPENTINE BELT AND TENSIONER FAILED CAUSING POWER STEERING, ANTI LOCK BRAKES AND WATER PUMP TO FAIL, RESULTING IN DIFFICULTY MAINTAINING CONTROL OF VEHICLE.
WHILE DRIVING AT 55 MPH NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN AND PULLED OVER. THE CONSUMER GOT OUT THE VEHICLE AND LEFT THE KEY IN THE INGITION AND THE VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER. THE WHOLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM DIED OUT. THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE SHOP AND WAS REPAIED. THE SHOP REPAIRED THE HARNESS AND NOW THE ELECTRICAL ITEM'S DON'T WORK. *AK
ALTERNATOR HAS BEEN REPLACED THREE TIMES WITHIN ONE MONTH, VEHICLE AUTOMATICALLY CUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING. DEALER CONTACTED AND IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. MANUFACTURER CONTACTED AND CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK
VEHICLE STARTED TO GRADUALLY VIBRATE DUE TO MOTOR MOUNT BOLT MISSING, AND ONE WAS BROKE IN HALF.SATURN CONTACTED AND CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK
THE CAR OVERHEATED DUE TO THE ENGINE BLOCK CRACKING. DEALER WILL REPLACE DAMAGED PARTS. *AK
ALTERNATOR FAILED, REPLACED AND CONTINUED TO FAIL.
STEERING KNUCKLE SNAPPED CAUSING ACCIDENT AND INJURY TO PASSENGER AND DRIVER. QCAW
ABS SENSOR AND BRAKE CABLES ARE ATTACHED TO BRACKETS WHICH HAVE FALLEN OFF, AND CAUSING CABLES TO SHEAR OFF, RESULTING IN LOSS OF BRAKES AND CONTROL. CONSUMER ADDS THAT THE VEHICLE HAS HAD NUMEROUS BRAKE REPAIRS DUE TO WRAPPED ROTORS AND PADS WEARING PREMATURELY, CONSUMER FEELS THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED. *TT
WHILE DRIVING DRIVER'S SIDE SEATBACK COLLAPSED BACKWARD INTO THE REAR SEAT. PLEASE PROVIDE DETAILS. *AK
THE AUTOMATIC RESTRAINT TRACKS BROKE , CAUSING THE BELTS TO BE INOPERATIVE. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
LEFT REAR WHEEL BROKE OFF RESULTING IN A COLLISION.
CONSUMER WAS EXITING ONTO A RAMP ABOUT 30-40 MPH WHEN A WHEEL CAME OFF, CAUSING VEHICLE TO SPIN AROUND AND BOUNCE OF A CONCRETE WALL. DRIVER SUSTAINED SOME INJURIES. *AK
SERPENTINE BELT REPLACED DUE TO STIFF POWER STEERING.
MOTORIZED SHOULDER HARNESS FAILED.
COOLING SYSTEM OVERHEATED 3 TIMES CAUSING AIR DAM TO FALL OFF.
FRONT DISC BRAKE PULSATION/VIBRATION.
SHIFTER CABLE END FASTENER BROKE RENDERING SHIFTER INOPERABLE
SHIFTER CABLE END FASTENER BROKE, RENDERING THE TRANSMISSION INOPERABLE WHILE DRIVING IN TRAFFIC.
HEAD GASKET IS VERY POROUS CAUSING LEAKS WHICH MADE WATER FLOW INTO THE OIL AND OIL FLOW INTO THE RADIATOR.
POOR STEERING CONTROL.
AUTOMATIC SEAT BELTS FAIL TO RETRACT OR CLOSE. *AK
DRIVER'S SEAT TWISTED DURING A CLASH, CAUSING BACK INJURY TO PASSENGER. ALSO, LOWER CONTROL ARM FAILURE. *AK
UPON TURNING KEY IN IGNITION, PASSENGER, OUT OF HABIT, REACHE DOVER RIGHT SHOULDER TO GRAB SEAT AND SHOULDER BELT LIKE SHE WAS IN HER OWN VEHICLE. HOWEVER MOTORIZED SHOULDER BELT WAS OPERATING AT SAME INSTANT, AND CONTACTED WITH PASSENGER'S RIGHT INDEX FINGER, PARTIALLY SEVERING THE TIP. ONCLEAR WHETHER FINGER WAS INJURED BY SOMETHING ON MOTORIZED BELT OR BY SHARP EDGES AT LOCKING END OF CARRIER TRACK. *AK
THERE IS AN ELECTRICAL SHORT IN THE WIRING HARNESS, CAUSING A SHORT CIRCUIT AND THE WIRING HARNESS TO MELT. CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE OFF POSITION. *AK
THE ALUMINUM CYLINDER HEAD CRACKED, CAUSING CAR TO OVERHEAT AND OIL TO LEAK IN THE ENGINE COOLANT.
MOTORIZED LAP/SHOULDER BELT ON DRIVER'S SIDE GOT STUCK IN THE TRACK. *AK
RIGHT REAR WHEEL CAME OFF. (NEW JERSEY STATE POLICE REPORT)
POOR TRACTION ON WET PAVEMENT.
ENGINE OIL PUMP FAILURE, INTERIOR WARNING LIGHT DIES NOT CORRECTLY INDICATE WHEN THERE IS NO OIL PRESSURE. AK
FRONT RIGHT WHEEL HAD COME OFF THE VEHICLE AND THE INSIDE OF THE WHEEL WAS FACING OUTWARD WITH PART OF THE AXLE STILL CONNECTED, RESULTING IN COLLISION DUE TO LOSS OF CONTROL.
SUSPENSION FAILURE , THE FRONT RIGHT BALL JOINT CRACKED, WHILE DRIVING, CAUSING A LOSS OF CONTROL OF VEHICLE, VEHICLE SWIRLED TO RIGHT, IMPACT 1:00 POSITION, SPEED 20MPH. *AK
THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PARK POSITION AND THE VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT.*AK
DRIVER REPLACED BATTERIES 4 TIMES, TRANSMISSION SLIPPING IN 2ND GEAR, REPLACED GENERATOR WIRING AS PER SERVICE RECALL, ALSO REPLACED MOTOR MOUNTS AND BRAKE ROTORS AND PADS. *AK
PASSIVE RESTRAINT BELT LOCKS DRIVER IN PLACE AND KEY MUST BE TURNE DIN IGNITION TO RELEASE DRIVER. *AK
WHEEL CYLINDER LEAKS. *SD
WHILE DRIVING THE FRONT BRAKE ROTOR SEPARATED FROM CENTER AND BROKE INTO HALF, ALSO THE COVERS THAT PROTECT THE MOTORIZED TRACK RUN IN FRONT SEATS ON BOTH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE BROKE OFF. *AK
RIGHT FRONT BRAKE ROTOR WARPED.
PISTON RINGS FAILED, CAUSING ENGINE TO BURN OIL EXCESSIVELY. *DH
MOTORBELT FAILURE CAUSED CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO COME ON.
MOTOR MOUNTS HAVE CRACKED. *AK
SQUEAKING SOUND COMES FROM BRAKES AREA; METAL TO METAL LIKE GRABBING NOISE; ROTORS REPLACED; PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *AK
DRIVER'S BACK REST COLLAPSED WHEN REAR ENDED, CAUSING INJURY. *SD
PASSIVE RESTRAINTS FAIL TO COMPLETE CYCLE AROUND DRIVER. DRIVER MENTIONS STRIKING HEAD AGAINST BUCKLE THAT HANGS MIDWAY. *AK
THE AUTOMATIVE SEAT WILL NOT WORK THE SEAT BELTS ARE SURPOSE TO SLIDE BY THEY JUST GET STUCK AND YOU HAVE TO PULL THEM. TT
SEATBELT DRIVER AND PASSENGER SEATBELT BUCKLES WILL NOT FASTEN. TT
AFTER BRAKES WERE CHECKED AND SUPPOSED TO BE SAFE-THEY FAILED WHILE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING-NO INJURIES WAS SUSTAINED. TT
THE ENGINE BOLT BROKE . TT
Reading these
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 1992 Saturn SL → · Every SL year → · How the figures are calculated →