IllustrationMileage unknown · Oct 12, 1999
Unknown Or OtherCrashInjury
NO SUMMARY
NHTSA ODI #713214
1999 Saturn Sl
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1999 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
60–25K
1725–50K
1450–75K
1575–100K
16100–150K
5150K+
73 reports with mileage · 105 unknown
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.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 45 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 28 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
26 crash reports1 fire reports17 injury reports
What owners actually said
178 reportsNO SUMMARY
INTERMITTENTLY VEHICLE STALLS OUT AND DIES. DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
IGNITION SWITCH CYLINDER FAILED CAUSING DIFFICULTIES WHEN TURNING KEY WHICH WAS REPLACED SEPT.3,99. PROBLEM STILL EXIST. *YC
SECOND OCCURRANCE: 7-26-99 REPORTED TRANS. BUCKS WHEN ACCELERATING. TRANSAXLE-RESET ADAPTIVES, SAID NOTHING WRONG. 08- 25-99 LOST REVERSE GEAR AGAIN..DEALER REFUSED TO SUPPLY PAPERWORK FOR WORK PERFORMED. SAID NOT IN COMPUTER YET. AFTER 3 CALLS, MAILED HAND-WRITTEN WORK-ORDER POST-MARKED 9-10-99. TO DATE HAVE NOT RECEIVED …
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SECOND OCCURRANCE: 7-26-99 REPORTED TRANS. BUCKS WHEN ACCELERATING. TRANSAXLE-RESET ADAPTIVES, SAID NOTHING WRONG. 08- 25-99 LOST REVERSE GEAR AGAIN..DEALER REFUSED TO SUPPLY PAPERWORK FOR WORK PERFORMED. SAID NOT IN COMPUTER YET. AFTER 3 CALLS, MAILED HAND-WRITTEN WORK-ORDER POST-MARKED 9-10-99. TO DATE HAVE NOT RECEIVED COMPUTER PRINTOUT.
HIT FROM BEHIND DRIVER'S SEAT COLLAPSED. THE DRIVER'S SEAT WAS JAMMED TO THE BACK SEAT. CONSUMER CONTACTED DEALER AND MANUFACTURER, THEY CLAIMED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE SEAT. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
THE DRIVER'S/PASSENGER'S SEAT BELTS WOULD FLIP OVER WHEN RETRACTING. WOULD JAM IN TOP GUIDE. THIS CAUSES THE BELTS TO GET CAUGHT IN THE DOOR FRAME. THE BELTS WOULD ALSO BE TWISTED WHEN RETRACTING OUT TO BE USED. POOR DESIGN. A CONTINUOUS PROBLEM. CONTACTED MANUFACTURER WHO HAS NO CORRECTIVE SOLUTION TO PROBLEM. *AK
THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT SHOULDER HARNESS (SHOULDER BOLT) FELL OFF, POSSIBLE ERROR IN ASSEMBLY, WAS NOT TIGHTENED PROPERLY WHEN MANUFACTURED. *YC
I WISH THE STATE HAD MORE STRINGENT LEMON LAWS. I WILL HAVE HAD TO BRING MY CAR IN FOR REPAIRS 5 TIMES NOW, AND I FEEL THAT IS RIDICULOUS FOR A CAR IVE ONLY HAD FOR 6 MONTHS. THERE ARE PROBLEMS THAT EXIST NOW AND HAVE REOCCURRED OR PROBABLY WILL. SATURN SHOULD DEFINITELY PRODUCE BUT BETTER CARS IF THEY WANT PEOPLE TO BUY THEM...…
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I WISH THE STATE HAD MORE STRINGENT LEMON LAWS. I WILL HAVE HAD TO BRING MY CAR IN FOR REPAIRS 5 TIMES NOW, AND I FEEL THAT IS RIDICULOUS FOR A CAR IVE ONLY HAD FOR 6 MONTHS. THERE ARE PROBLEMS THAT EXIST NOW AND HAVE REOCCURRED OR PROBABLY WILL. SATURN SHOULD DEFINITELY PRODUCE BUT BETTER CARS IF THEY WANT PEOPLE TO BUY THEM... I CERTAINLY WON'T BUY ANOTHER ONE OR ANY GM PRODUCT. I HAVE NOT CONTACTED SATURN DIRECTLY BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THEY WON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT AS I HAD DEALINGS WITH ANOTHER SATURN. FURTHERMORE, BRINGING THE CAR TO THE DEALER SEEMS TO BE A HASSLE. I HAVE TO GO OUT OF MY WAY TO GET MY "LEMON CAR" FIXED REPEATEDLY FOR MINOR PROBLEMS WHICH ARE REALLY ANNOYANCES. NO DEFECT MENTIONED IN SUMMARY.
SEAT BELTS CONSTANTLY TRY TO FLIP OVER WHEN RETRACTING. WHEN THIS OCCURS, THEY CATCH IN THE DOORS AND CAN BE EASILY DAMAGED. WHEN THEY FLIP OVER, THEY THEN FIL OVER THE OCCUPANT TWISTED UNTIL THE SIDE PILLAR IS OPENED TO STRAIGHTEN THE FABRIC AT THE RETRACTOR. EVEN WHEN NOT FLIPPED, THE FRONT BELTS TEND TO COME TWISTED OVER YOUR…
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SEAT BELTS CONSTANTLY TRY TO FLIP OVER WHEN RETRACTING. WHEN THIS OCCURS, THEY CATCH IN THE DOORS AND CAN BE EASILY DAMAGED. WHEN THEY FLIP OVER, THEY THEN FIL OVER THE OCCUPANT TWISTED UNTIL THE SIDE PILLAR IS OPENED TO STRAIGHTEN THE FABRIC AT THE RETRACTOR. EVEN WHEN NOT FLIPPED, THE FRONT BELTS TEND TO COME TWISTED OVER YOUR BODY. I'VE NEVER HAD A VEHICLE WHERE YOU MUST PAY SO MUCH ATTENTION TO HOW YOU PUT ON AND TAKE OFF THE BELTS TO AVOID TWISTING THEM. IT'S A POOR DESIGN, AND MY 1996 & 1997 SATURNS DID NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER OFFER NO SOLUTION SINCE THE REDESIGN OF THE FRONT BELTS ALLOWING VERTICAL ADJUSTMENT CREATED THE PROBLEM. MANY CUSTOMERS WILL WEAKEN THE BELTS BY CATCHING THEM IN THE DOORS OVER AND OVER. I DON'T THINK TOO MANY WILL PAY TO REPLACE THEM. IF THE TOP BELT CLIP WERE REDESIGNED, THE TENDENCY TO TWIST MIGHT BE REDUCED. I HOPE YOU CAN CONVINCE THE MANUFACTURER TO PROVIDE A FIX FOR THIS ISSUE. IT'S NOT ONLY ME. ALL USERS OF MY VEHICLE HAVE THE SAME COMPLAINT ABOUT THE BELTS IN FRONT. THANK YOU. *AK
Official recalls
199V280000 · Seat Belts:front:anchorage
Oct 20, 1999
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE VEHICLES DO NOT COMPLY WITH REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 210, "SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY ANCHORAGES." SOME OF THE VEHICLES WERE PRODUCED WITH SEAT BELT SHOULDER GUIDE ANCHOR BOLTS THAT WERE NOT ADEQUATELY TIGHTENED AT THE CENTER PILLAR AND COULD FALL OUT, MAKING THE SEAT BELT INOPERATIVE.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE SEAT OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THESE VEHICLES FOR PROPER INSTALLATION AND TORQUE OF THE SEAT BELT SHOULDER GUIDE ANCHOR BOLTS.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.