IllustrationTHE CARTER PIN HAD FALLEN OFF & BROKE IN THE INTERNAL DIFFERENTIAL HOUSING, CAUSING TRANSMISSION TO PERFORM ERRATICALLY. ALSO, THE CLUTCH & DIFFERENTIAL HOUSING HAD TO BE REPLACED. *AK
1993 Saturn Sl
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1993 Saturn Sl do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 171.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Sl years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 12 of 175 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 32 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 30 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 26 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
24 crash reports8 fire reports13 injury reports
Power Train complaints
26 reportsTHE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS GEARS HARSHLY & ERRATICALLY. IT'S NOT ONLY UNCOMFORTABLE BUT DANGEROUS AS WELL. SATURN IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BECAUSE I HAVE A COPY OF A TECHNICAL BULLETIN(#93-T-22A) THAT THEY ISSUED WHICH DESCRIBES THE PROBLEM. I WROTE TO THE PRESIDENT OF SATURN (DON HUDLER) IN APRIL 1997. THE REPLY I RECEIVED FROM HI…
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THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS GEARS HARSHLY & ERRATICALLY. IT'S NOT ONLY UNCOMFORTABLE BUT DANGEROUS AS WELL. SATURN IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BECAUSE I HAVE A COPY OF A TECHNICAL BULLETIN(#93-T-22A) THAT THEY ISSUED WHICH DESCRIBES THE PROBLEM. I WROTE TO THE PRESIDENT OF SATURN (DON HUDLER) IN APRIL 1997. THE REPLY I RECEIVED FROM HIS OFFICE WAS THAT SINCE THE WARRANTY IS UP, THE NEED FOR REPAIRS IS UNFORTUNATE AND THEY REFUSED TO REIMBURSE ME $750. THEY ALSO SAID THAT JUST BECAUSE THEY ISSUE A TECHNICAL BULLETIN DOESN'T MEAN THAT THE CAR HAS ANY PROBLEM. SO, AFTER HAVING IT FIXED IN 4/97, THE CAR WAS FINE UNTIL 8/98. I'M HAVING THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM AGAIN. I CAN GIVE YOU A COPY OF THE TECHNICAL BULLETIN AND LETTER FROM SATURN IF YOU NEED IT. I KNOW I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM. DOZENS OF MECHANICS HAVE TOLD ME THAT THEY'VE ENCOUNTERED THIS PROBLEM PLENTY OF TIMES WITH SATURNS. WHEN I TOOK THE CAR TO LEE MYLES TRANSMISSIONS, THEY KNEW WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE TRANY BEFORE THEY EVEN TOOK IT FOR A TEST D
TRANSMISSION BANGS INTO GEAR AND HAS TROUBLE GOING INTO REVERSE GEAR DUE TO FAILURE OF THE VALVE BODY.
BRAKES HAVE NEVER WORKED PROPERLY. HAVE TO BRAKE AHEAD OF TIME TO AVOID ACCIDENT. DEALER REPLACED AND RESURFACED ROTORS 2 TIMES. TRANSMISSION LEAKING. REPLACED VALVE BODY COVER GASKET. ANOTHER MECHANIC CLAIMS CRACK IN TRANMISSION. FIRST HALF WAS DONE UNDER WARRANTY. SECOND TIME ROTORS/PADS WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED. DEFECT IS STILL …
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BRAKES HAVE NEVER WORKED PROPERLY. HAVE TO BRAKE AHEAD OF TIME TO AVOID ACCIDENT. DEALER REPLACED AND RESURFACED ROTORS 2 TIMES. TRANSMISSION LEAKING. REPLACED VALVE BODY COVER GASKET. ANOTHER MECHANIC CLAIMS CRACK IN TRANMISSION. FIRST HALF WAS DONE UNDER WARRANTY. SECOND TIME ROTORS/PADS WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED. DEFECT IS STILL REOCCURRING. *AK
WHEEL BEARING LOCKED UP CAUSING FIRE.
SECOND GEAR ACTUATOR FAILED. MJS
BRAKES RUSTED.
WHILE MAKING RIGHT/LEFT HAND TURNS TRANSMISSION POPS OUT OF 3RD GEAR WITHOUT WARNING.*AK
ON TWO OCCASIONS THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED OUT OF GEAR . PLEASE DESCRIBE.*AK
MANUAL TRANS AXLE W/5 SPD SYSTEM BLEW UP, THROWING SHRAPNAL. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS.*AK
Official recalls
293V132000 · Electrical System:alternator/generator/regulator
Aug 10, 1993
THE GENERATOR ELECTRICAL WIRING IS NOT PROTECTED AGAINST EXCESSIVE CURRENT FLOW WHICH MAY BE CAUSED BY AN ELECTRICAL SHORT CIRCUIT IN THE GENERATOR.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: SHOULD AN ELECTRICAL SHORT CIRCUIT OCCUR IN THEGENERATOR, THE GENERATOR WIRING HARNESS WOULD EXPERIENCE EXCESSIVE CURRENT FLOW.UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, ENOUGH HEAT COULD BE GENERATED TO IGNITE SURROUNDINGMATERIALS. IF THIS OCCURS, AN UNDERHOOD FIRE COULD RESULT WITH OR WITHOUT THEENGINE RUNNING AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.
Remedy: THE GENERATOR WIRING HARNESS WILL BE REPLACED WITH ONE THAT WILL OPEN AS A FUSE WOULD UNDER CERTAIN EXCESSIVE CURRENT FLOW CONDITIONS.
93V094000 · Electrical SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V Battery:cables
May 25, 1993
THE POSITIVE BATTERY CABLE TERMINAL AT THE STARTER SOLENOID MAY BE FORMED INCORRECTLY. INCORRECTLY FORMED TERMINALS CAN CONTACT THE STARTER SOLENOID HOUSING AND CAUSE AN ELECTRIC SHORT CIRCUIT.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: AN ELECTRICAL SHORT CIRCUIT BETWEEN THE BATTERY CABLE ANDTHE STARTER HOUSING CAN RESULT IN AN UNDERHOOD FIRE.
Remedy: INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, ADJUST THE CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE POSITIVE BATTERY CABLE TERMINAL SO THAT IT DOES NOT CONTACT THE STARTER SOLENOID HOUSING.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
3EA95003 · Cruise Control Failures
Opened Feb 24, 1995 · Closed May 31, 1996
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Equipment
THIS INVESTIGATION DOCUMENTED HTE FUNCTIONAL ABERATIONS THAT HAVE OCCURRED IN THE PERFORMANCE OF THE SUBJECT CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM.MOST OF THE MALFUNCTIONS INVOLVED FAILURE OF THE SYSTEM TO PROPERLY REGULATE VEHICLE SPEED WHEN ENGAGED, FAILURE OF THE SYSTEM TO ENGAGE, OR SELF-DISENGAGEMENT OF THE SYSTEM. THESE PROBLEMS WERE INVESTIGATED AND STEPS TAKEN BY THE MANUFACTURER TO REMEDY THEIR OCCURRENCES.SERVICE PROCEDURES WERE ISSUED FOR VEHICLES IN USE, AND A DESIGN MODIFICATION MADE FOR NEW VEHICLES.NO CONFIRMED ALLEGATIONS OF FAILURE OF THE SYSTEM TO DISENGAGE UPON COMMAND WERE IDENTIFIED.IMPROVED QUALITY CONTROL PROCEDURES AND DESIGN MODIFICATIONSIN THE SYSTEM WERE UNDERTAKEN TO ENSURE A MORE CONSISTENT LEVEL OF SYSTEM PERFORMANCE.THE DETAILS OF THESE FINDINGS AND THE RESULTING CONCLUSIONS ARE CONTAINED INTHE SUBJECT ENGINEERING ANALYSIS CLOSING REPORT.A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT TREND WAS NOT IDENTIFIED AT EHIS TIME AND FURTHER USE OF AGENCY RESOURCES DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST.THE AGENCY WILL TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.
PE94079 · Cruise Control Failure
Opened Nov 7, 1994 · Closed Feb 24, 1995
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Equipment
There is no summary currently available
PE93022 · Steering System Lockup
Opened Apr 5, 1993 · Closed Sep 30, 1993
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Steering
There is no summary currently available