Research · complaint index
Saturn SL years to avoidWhat NHTSA complaint data does and doesn’t say
We compared 7 model years of the Saturn SL by owner complaints to NHTSA, adjusted for how long each year has been on the road. No single year stands far above the rest.
Complaints per year on the road
1.0 = typical year for this model
| Year | Complaints | Per year on road | Index | Recalls | Crashes | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 149 | 6 | 0.9 | 1 | 23 | Typical |
| 2001 | 128 | 5 | 0.8 | 3 | 18 | Typical |
| 2000 | 171 | 6 | 1.0 | 8 | 11 | Typical |
| 1999 | 193 | 7 | 1.1 | 2 | 28 | Typical |
| 1998 | 183 | 6 | 1.0 | 1 | 25 | Typical |
| 1997 | 256 | 9 | 1.3 | 3 | 32 | Typical |
| 1996 | 315 | 10 | 1.6 | 2 | 52 | Typical |
- 2002149 complaints · 1 recallTypical
- 2001128 complaints · 3 recallsTypical
- 2000171 complaints · 8 recallsTypical
- 1999193 complaints · 2 recallsTypical
- 1998183 complaints · 1 recallTypical
- 1997256 complaints · 3 recallsTypical
- 1996315 complaints · 2 recallsTypical
Data from NHTSA Complaints & Recalls APIs · synced Nov 10, 2026
About this comparison
What Saturn SL years have the most complaints?
No Saturn SL model year drew more than twice the typical complaint rate among the 7 model years compared. The highest was 1996.
Is this a reliability rating?
No. These are counts of unverified owner complaints to NHTSA. They are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so a popular year can collect more complaints. Use them to find patterns, then read the reports.
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.