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Vehicle safety record

1995 Saturn SL Problems, complaints & recalls

Owners have filed 357 complaints about the 1995 Saturn SL with NHTSA, most often about the seats & seat belts (74) and the engine & cooling (66). Those complaints describe 75 crashes, 7 fires and 57 injuries. It is covered by 3 recalls, the latest in March 1999 for the seats. For comparison, the 1994 has 339 and the 1996 has 315.

NHTSA data checked

DMore problems than a typical SL year, for its age

#14 most complained-about 1995 vehicle

Complaints
357
Recalls
3
Crashes
75
Fires
7
Injuries
57
Deaths
0

Most common 1995 Saturn SL problems

Share of all 357 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.

1995 Saturn SL recalls 3

Recall repairs are free. Your dealer fixes them whether or not you bought the car there - check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if yours is done. What to do

Seats

99V045000138,691 vehicles affected

The problem
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Some front seat back recliner gear teeth may wear excessively through repeated use, and could cause the seat back to slip partially rearward when force is applied.
The risk
If this happens while the vehicle is being driven, it could cause a loss of control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix
Dealers will replace the front seat recliner mechanisms.

Power train: pedal / hand lever(motorcycle)

94V21700020,518 vehicles affected

The problem
The automatic transaxle park lock cable assembly was improperly adjusted making it possible to shift from the "park" position with the ignition key removed, or remove the ignition key with the shift lever in a position other than "park." This does not meet the requirements of fmvss 114, "theft protection."
The risk
Consequence of non-compliance: unintended vehicle movement can occur which could result in an accident.
The fix
Consumers are being asked to inspect the park lock cable. If it does not perform correctly, dealers will make the necessary adjustments.

What owners say

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357 complaints about the 1995 Saturn SL

Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners. Page 1 of 15.

AirbagsCrash1 injury

Auto accident that occurred on 07/31/2015, the left front air bag deployed on its own causing injuries to the passenger in our vehicle. The vehicle was stationary and once the keys were taken out is when right front air bag was disployed.

Filed Incident Air bagsNHTSA 10871654
Engine & coolingEquipment & accessoriesFuel system

Installed microgard fuel filter on a 1995 saturn sl1 a month ago started smelling gas had it looked at and it was determined that the fuel filter hose developed a small hole. The hole is in the black plastic, this pipe attaches to the aluminum pipe, by the test valve. I t rubs on the egr valve? (This filter has the hose attached to it, all one unit.) This leak could have resulted in a massive fire because it above the exhaust system, and is a high pressure hose. I bought a new one another micro gard and put a thicker hose around the black pipe. I still have the original. *Tr

Filed Incident Engine and engine cooling · Equipment · Fuel / propulsion systemNHTSA 10578963
Steering

After a pop noise during negotiating a curve the steering wheel suddenly appeared tilted even while going straight while driving. Car was steered with increased loss of control for a few seconds and moved to curb. Steering was unusable thereafter and car was towed for repairs. *Tr

Filed Incident SteeringNHTSA 10470830
Seats & seat belts

Tl* the contact owns a 1995 saturn sl sedan. The contact stated that the recliner on the front driver side seat would become loose and the contact lost support in the back while sitting. The contact was able to adjust seat but the failure recurred constantly. The contact stated the failure also occurred when attempting to exit the vehicle. The contact had to adjust seat every time he entered the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to dealer for inspection or repairs. The contact referenced nhtsa campaign id number: 99v045000 (seats), but the vin was not included. The current mileage was 125,000. The failure mileage was 110,000.

Filed Incident SeatsNHTSA 10462507
Seats & seat belts

My wife was on the way home from picking up our kids from school and the drivers seat reclining back gave way reclining the seat back all the way. I looked up a previous recall saturn had for the yr, make, and model however either due to either age or vin # series from what I had found online the dealer will not honor the warranty. I also contacted a young lady with gm customer assistance who also could not find any information on the recall even though I read off the recall numbers found on nhtsa's website. ...

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Dealer wants me to come in for a diagnostic however will not let me know of a price? This could have been a very severe incident as both my children were also in the car at the time of the incident which luckily she was able to keep control of the vehicle. *Js

Filed Incident SeatsNHTSA 10456898
Wheels & tires

My complaint is with a dayton quadra se tire, size p175/70r14 the tire is 2 years old with 20,000 miles and has never been plugged or patched. It has never been flat or low on air pressure. On sept 1 2011 while driving down interstate 40 near the forsyth-davie county line in north carolina a piece of the tire's tread separated from the core of the tire similar to the way recapped tires do. The separated piece is still attached to the tire at one point but threw enough rubber off that it actually knocked a hole in...

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the saturn's left rear quarter panel. A crack nearly 5 inches long. I believe this was similar issue to the firestone tires separating and being blamed for suv accidents 10 years or so ago. The tire caused no personal injury but I did lose control due to the pounding caused by the loose rubber. The tire never lost air pressure. *Tr

Filed Incident Tires · WheelsNHTSA 10427227
Seats & seat belts

Tl* the contact owns a 1995 saturn sl1. The contact stated that the front driver seat began to recline abnormally. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified and the contact was told that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 99v045000 (seats). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 200,000. Updated 06/03/11 *bf updated 09/19/11

Filed Incident SeatsNHTSA 10395825
Wheels & tires

Driving my 1995 saturn sl1 at 65mph, my right front tire immediately went flat. I was able to guide the car to the shoulder in less than 200 yards and change the tire. The local shop said the valve stem was "dry rotted" and so they replaced it. Visual inspection of the other tire valve stems shows cracks. The tires were installed at wal mart in summer 2007. *Tr

Filed Incident TiresNHTSA 10240971
Electrical system

Tl*the contact's father owns a 1995 saturn sl2. The contact stated that after driving the vehicle and attempting to remove the key, the key would not go back to the lock position. The current and failure mileages were 118,000.

Filed Incident Electrical systemNHTSA 10238397
Seats & seat beltsCrash1 injury

Tl*the contact owns a 1995 saturn sl1. While approaching a stop sign, the contact's vehicle was rear ended and caused her to crash into a pole. Upon impact, the driver's seat retracted backwards towards the floor. The contact sustained severe injuries to her back, neck, and shoulders. The vehicle was completely destroyed. She has all the documents pertaining to the failure, and a copy of the police report. The manufacturer denied all responsibility because her vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 99v045000 (seats). The speed was unknown. The failure and current mileages were 100,000.

Filed Incident SeatsNHTSA 10233998
Seats & seat beltsCrash1 injury

Tl*the contact owns a 1995 saturn sl2. While changing lanes at 10 mph, the contact's vehicle was rear ended and caused her to crash into a pole. Upon impact, the driver's seat retracted backwards towards the floor. The contact sustained severe injuries to her back, neck, and shoulders. The vehicle was completely destroyed. She has all the documents pertaining to the failure, and a copy of the police report. The manufacturer denied all responsibility because her vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 99v045000 (seats). The failure and current mileages were 107,000.

Filed Incident SeatsNHTSA 10233997
BrakesCrash

1 Incident and 1 crash. Left emergency brake on by accident when driving and went to apply brake to slow down, but had no brakes. Could not stop..No accident first time it happened. But 2nd time caused multiple car accident w/an injury. After I stopped driving, the brakes began working again. I had my brakes checked but they did not need replaced. *Tr

Filed Incident Service brakes, hydraulic · Parking brakeNHTSA 10227543
Seats & seat belts

My car has the problem described in nhtsa campaign id number 99v045000, and even falls into the "cars affected" that is listed in the recall. However, saturn says that there are no recalls for my car and refuses to fix, despite the recall that is on your website. They told me it doesn't show up in their computers, and I believe it is because it is such an old problem and car, that their databases don't have it anymore, for whatever reason. *Tr

Filed Incident SeatsNHTSA 10221804
Steering

Tl*the contact owns a 1995 saturn sl1. While making a sharp u-turn at an unknown speed, the steering wheel column made a loud noise and began wobbling excessively. Approximately ten minutes later, the steering column failed completely and caused the vehicle to become fixated. The dealer stated that the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 97v138000 (steering:gear box (other than rack and pinion)). The manufacturer was notified as well. The vehicle has not been repaired. The current and failure...

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mileages were 116,900. Updated 01/03/08. *Lj it was determined that the bearing at the end of the worn gear failed. The worn gear separated from the rack and pinion assembly, which resulted in loss of steering.

Filed Incident SteeringNHTSA 10210198
Other & unknownCrash1 injury

1995 Saturn model sl customer wants copies of all recalls **cc (lawyer on behalf of client)*tr

Filed Incident Unknown or otherNHTSA 10192134
Brakes

Emergency brake button broke; button ejected when using parking brake, preventing e-brake from being used. Button and spring assembly came out, with button having two small plastic chips that were broken, preventing reassembly. This effectively prevented the vehicle's standard emergency equipment (parking brake) from being used. No replacement button was available.*Ak

Filed Incident Parking brakeNHTSA 10187980
Engine & cooling

Loud engine knock. Engine consumes oil but no leak. Took to saturn dealer in fayetteville, ar and told it needs a new engine. Engine has less than 85,000 miles on it. Told there was a bulletin about this sometime in the past. All regular maintenance done as recommended by saturn. Cost to replace engine $2600. Engine should not be on brink of failure at 83,000 miles. *Jb

Filed Incident Engine and engine coolingNHTSA 10177211
Steering

I was turning around slowly up into a driveway and there was a couple of clunking/scraping type noises steering went away completely. I have called saturn regarding recall 97v138000 however my vehicle happens to be a 1995 sl and my vin number misses the recall status. I would like this to be remedied so that I can have my vehicle fixed under the recall because of the highly dangerous nature of this particular recall/problem. *Jb

Filed Incident SteeringNHTSA 10159257
Engine & cooling

Dt*: the contact stated while driving various speeds, the engine temperature gauge elevated without warning. Upon further inspection, the contact noticed the oil and antifreeze were mixed together. The vehicle was seen by a dealer who determined there was a fractured engine head. After replacement of the head, the problem persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop to await further inspection.

Filed Incident Engine and engine coolingNHTSA 10157806
Transmission & drivetrain

1995 Saturn sl2 manual transmission shifter cable bushing failure while backing out of driveway, pushed in clutch to shift from reverse to first gear and heard a "pop". Transmission went into some gear (not first), engine stalled and gear shift lever was loose and floppy. Coasted around corner and parked next to curb. Repair not yet made. Disassembled center console to expose shifter mechanism and found bushing on lower shift cable had failed and was in 3 pieces. Contacted dealership for availability and...

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price of bushing and was told bushing was integral to cable and entire cable must be replaced. Cost of parts $197.10 Plus tax. Will probably end up drilling through the ball and bolting the cable to the shift lever although this may fatigue shifter cable and ultimately require cable replacement. Had this happened on the highway or in traffic instead of a residential street, the result could have been catastrophic. *Jb

Filed Incident Power trainNHTSA 10154341
Engine & cooling

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 75 mph the vehicle overheated. This was on the highway and there was nowhere to pull over. The vehicle was driven home and there was steam coming from under the hood. The contact determined the accessory belt had come loose and replaced the belt and belt tensioner.

Filed Incident Engine and engine coolingNHTSA 10151329
Seats & seat belts

Dt*: the contact stated the left front driver's seat recliner gear teeth wore excessively, causing the seat to partially slip rearward while driving. There was nhtsa recall campaign 02v307000 regarding the seats. The vehicle had the same problems as indicated in the recall; however, it was not included in the recall due to the vin. Although the dealer was contacted the vehicle was not seen by a dealer. *Ak updated 03/09/06. *Jb

Filed Incident SeatsNHTSA 10147623
BrakesAirbagsCrash1 injury

Dt: 1995 saturn sl1 4 door. Consumer's vehicle was involved in an accident on september 29, 2005 . Upon impact, the airbags did not deploy. The consumer took pictures . However, had not contacted dealership or manufacturer because he thought vehicle was too old, and dealership information was unknown. The consumer was traveling 30-35 mph, hit the brakes, and they did not stop the vehicle. The vehicle has two front airbags . Consumer's vehicle was hit on front and driver side of vehicle and the...

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airbags did not deploy. The consumer was the only person in the vehicle and was wearing seat belts. The airbag light was not on prior to the crash. A police report was taken. The police report did not state anything about the airbags. The consumer gave the repair invoice to insurance company, but could get a copy. The road that consumer was traveling on was clear. After the impact lost control of vehicle which resulted in a crash. The consumer sustained cuts and bruises but was not taken to the hospital. The chest hit the steering wheel because the seat belts did not lock when hitting the brakes. Was about 24 inches away from steering wheel. There was no other property damage. The back bumper on the other vehicle was damaged. Consumer's vehicle has all the original parts.*Ak

Filed Incident Service brakes, hydraulic · Air bagsNHTSA 10139509
Engine & cooling

Excessive oil consumption, uses 1 qt every 500 miles, no leaks. Saturn says this is normal! *Nm

Filed Incident Engine and engine coolingNHTSA 10139145
Seats & seat belts

In jan 2003 I received a notice that there might be a problem with the front seat back recliner gear teeth to wear excessively and if I had a problem I should go to a saturn dealer . Last month the problem started and I went to my saturn dealer in brandon, fl. They said there were no recalls on my vehicle. I went to the saturn web site and discovered that there is a recall on a 1995 saturn sl1 sedan, which is what I have. This car was purchased new in oct. 1995, And I purchased it used in august 2001. The...

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campaign number :aa 99v0450000 a a a a a dated a a 1999-mar-12. I went back to the saturn dealer in tasmpa, fl. Today and they again said there was no recall on my vehicle. I stated the letter stated 1994 and 1995 vehicles and I feel that mine should be covered since is was manufactured in late 1994. We have to [place a cooler behind the seat to hold it in place or it will fall back. The dealer refuses to honor this recall. What can we do?

Filed Incident SeatsNHTSA 10133835

Saturn SL: every year compared

YearComplaintsRecallsCrashesFiresTop problemGrade
19991932281Engine & coolingC
19981831252Transmission & drivetrainC
19972563339Seats & seat beltsD
19963152522Engine & coolingD
19953573757Seats & seat beltsD
19943391614Seats & seat beltsD
19931982279Seats & seat beltsC
19921482212Seats & seat beltsC
199130121Seats & seat beltsA
All SL years

1995 Saturn SL vs rivals

More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.

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Questions about the 1995 Saturn SL

Does the 1995 Saturn SL have any recalls?

Yes - NHTSA lists 3 recalls for the 1995 Saturn SL: seats (March 1999); pedal / hand lever(motorcycle) (November 1994); gear box (other than rack and pinion) (September 1994). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours has been fixed.

What are the most common problems with the 1995 Saturn SL?

By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the seats & seat belts (74), engine & cooling (66), brakes (51).

How many complaints has the 1995 Saturn SL had?

357 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on December 6, 1994 and the latest on May 31, 2016. Of these, 75 describe a crash and 7 a fire, and together they report 57 injuries and 0 deaths.

Is the 1995 Saturn SL a reliable vehicle?

Its Safety Index is 25 out of 100 (grade D: more problems than a typical Saturn SL year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.

Which Saturn SL years have the most complaints?

1995 (357), 1994 (339), 1996 (315). See every Saturn SL year compared.

What should I do if my 1995 Saturn SL has a problem?

If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data

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