ABS BRAKES; WHEN APPLYING BRAKES FAILED TO STOP VEHICLE AND RESULTED IN REAR END COLLISION. *AK
1994 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 1994 record →
FRONT BRAKE ROTORS WARPED, CAUSING BTAKES TO VIBRATE/SHUDDER. *AK
CONSUMER WAS IN AN ACCIDENT AND THE DRIVER SIDE SEATBACK FELL BACKWARD, WASN'T INJURED/PASSENGER'S SEAT WAS MALFUNCTIONED SINCE CAR WAS PURCHASED. *AK
ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR FAILED. *AK
STEERING KNUCKLE BROKE WHILE DRIVING 3MPH, CAUSING COMPLETE LOSS OF STEERING. CONSUMER STATES THE AREA WHERE PART FAILED SHOWS MATERIAL CASTING FLAWS AND SECTIONS WHERE RUBBING OCCURRED PRIOR TO PART FAILURE. *SLC
ERRATIC OPERATION OF THE SEAT BELT CONTROL MODULE, BELT GLIDES UP AND DOWN THE TRACK WHILE DRIVING.*AK
ERRATIC OPERATION OF DRIVER SEAT BELT MODULE. BELT GLIDES UP AND DOW THE TRACK WHILE DRIVING.
DRIVER'S FINGER STUCK IN MOTORIZED SHOULDER BELT HOOK.
VEHICLE'S BRAKE ROTORS AND PADS HAVE PREMATURELY WORN OUT, HAVE BEEN REPLACED 2 TIMES.THE MFR STATED PREMATURE WEAR DUE TO SALT. *AK
STOPPED AT STOP LIGHT AND HIT AT (45) MPH FROM THE REAR AND BOTH FRONT SEATS BROKE. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK
VEHICLE BACKFIRES. *SD
TIMING CHAIN NOISE. *SD
EXT 554: ENGINE LOSES POWER, POWER TO DRIVETRAIN IS INTERRUPTED WHEN SHIFTING GEARS, LOSES ACCELERATION, MANUAL TRANSMISSION, 5 SPEED. *AK
DOORS AND IGNITION SWITCH CAN BE STARTED WITH A PAIR OF SCISSORS. *AK
ELECTRICAL SHORT IN THE AIR CONDITIONER MOTOR CAUSED THE VEHICLE ENGINE TO CUT OFF IN TRAFFIC,
PREMATURE WEAR OF CLUTCH. *DSH
APPLIED BRAKES, PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. NO RESPONSE FROM THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM. *AK
VEHICLE WAS REAR ENDED, DRIVERS SIDE SEAT COLLAPSED. *AK
LEFT FRONT RUBBER BRAKE HOSE REPLACED TWICE IN 2 MONTHS TIME, RUBBING AGAINST UNKNOWN ORIGIN. BRAKES FAILED COMPLETELY ONE TIME. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK
VEHICLE WILL STALL AT ANY SPEED WHILE DRIVING, STOP AND WAITING AND RESTART. *AK
WHEN COMING TO STOP SIGN AND LIGHT VEHICLE STALLS OUT. TT
WIPER BLADES, HAVE METAL HOOKS AT THE END OF THE BLADE THAT CAUSES INJURIES WHEN CHANGED. TT
FRONT BRAKE ROTOR WARPED; WHILE BRAKING, CAUSED LOUD BANGING NOISE. TT
THE CRUISE CONTROL ONLY WORKS SOMETIMES. TT
VEHICLE WILL NOT ACCELERATE PASSED 40 MPH MORE OFTEN ON COLD START. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT
VEHICLE REARENDED WHILE STOPPED; DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGER BUCKET SEAT REST FLIPPED FLAT ONTO BACK SEATS. TT
WHEN YOU PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE IT STALLS AND JUMPS IN GEAR. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT
REAR WINDOW IN VEHICLE BROKE WHILE PARKED IN OPEN AREA. TT
BRAKE FAILURE, EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE, PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, IMPACT 12:00 SPEED 25 MPH. TT
THE VEHICLE RAN OVER SOME PAPER. A FEW MINUTES LATER THE WHOLE CAR WAS IN FLAMES. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT
AIR BAG DEPLOYMENTWAS VIOLENT DURING ACCIDENT, CAUSING INJURIES. *SD
STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP WHILE VEHICLE LOCKED UP VERY HARD TO THE LEFT, CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL IMPACT 11:00 POSITION SPEED 45 MPH. TT
DRIVER'S SEAT BACK FELL BACKWARDS UPON IMPACT; REARENDED BY ANOTHER VEHICLE WHILE AT STANDSTILL; DRIVER WAS FORCED IN RECLINED POSITION. POOR VISIBILITY. TT
DRIVER'S SEAT BELT RETRACTOR FAILED TO LOCK DURING ACCIDENT, CAUSING DRIVER TO HIT STEERING WHEEL/INJURY, ALSO BELT INTERMITTENTLY MALFUNCTIONS.
REAR ROTOR ON BRAKES ARE CORRODING. COULD CAUSE WHEEL LOCK UP. TT
FRONT DISC ROTORS FAILED, CAUSING VIBRATION/NOISE. TT
EVERY FEW THOUSAND MILES THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WILL SLIP, AND WILL NOT ACCELERATE, AS WELL AS STALLING. *AK
AIRBAG INFLATED 5 TO 8 SECONDS AFTER IMPACT; SHOULDER HARNESS DISENGAGED UPON IMPACT; DRIVER RECEIVED 1ST DEGREE BURNS ON BOTH ARMS; HIT BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. TT
CRUISE CONTROL ACTIVATED IT WILL DISENGAGE BY ITSELF ALSO CAUSES VEHICLE TO SURGE. TT
THE CRUISER CONTROL WILL SET ITSELF AND IT WOULD ACCELERATE. TT
VEHICLES CRUISE CONTROL QUIT WORKING WHILE GOING UP HILL AT HWY SPEEDS WAS NOT ABLE TO RESET UNTIL CAR WAS TURNED OFF.(EA95-003). TT
WHEN DRIVING UP OR DOWN HILL THE CRUISE CONTROL GO UP AND DON'T STAY AT THE SETTING.CUTTING ON. TT
LAP BELTS CANNOT BE REACHED WITHOUT OPENING DOORS, ONCE DOORS ARE OPEN DIRVER/PASSENGERS ARE STRUCK BY AUTOMATIC BELT. *SKD
EA95-003 ACTIVE, CRUISE CONTROL INTERMITTENTLY FAILS WHEN TURN WILL NOT COME ON. TT
CRUISE CONTROL FAILURE, WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS IT WILL DISENGAGE. TT
WHEN CRUISE CONTROL IS ACTIVATED VEHICLE SURGES . TT
CRUISE CONTROL WHEN ENGAGED WILL INCREASE IN SPEED. DEALER THINKS COMPUTER CHIP IS POSSIBLE CAUSE, NOT YET SUCCESSFUL IN DOING SO. TT
CRUISE CONTROL WILL INCREASE 5 TO 10 MILES MORE THAN ONCE SET. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT
CRUISE CONTROL WOULD GO OFF WHILE DRIVING, HAD FIXED TWICE. TT
FRONTAL COLLISION IMPACT 12:00 POSITION SPEED 12 MPH AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. 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 1994 Saturn SL → · Every SL year → · How the figures are calculated →