Saturn SL Seats Problems
Owners have filed 135 complaints with NHTSA about seats problems on the Saturn SL across 8 model years. The 1995 model year has the most (69). The words owners use most often: “driver seat” (27% of reports).
- 135seats complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 75mention a crash
- 55mention an injury
- 2related recalls
- 12%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Driver seat: mentioned in 36 of 135 complaints (27%)
- Rear ended: mentioned in 27 of 135 complaints (20%)
- End collision: mentioned in 14 of 135 complaints (10%)
- Collapsed backwards: mentioned in 7 of 135 complaints (5%)
At what mileage do seats problems happen?
Based on 18 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 135 complaints, 75 mention a crash, 55 an injury.
Saturn SL seats complaints by model year
When owners reported it
Related recalls (2)
Seats
Model years: 1995
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.
Risk: If this happens while the vehicle is being driven, it could cause a loss of control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the front seat recliner mechanisms.
Seats
Model years: 1997
Problem: Vehicle description: passsenger vehicles. These vehicles were built with suspect cold welds on the right side in the tunnel area of the floor pan. This does not comply with the requirements of fmvss no. 210, "seat belt anchorage."
Risk: In the event of a vehicle crash, the seat occupant may not be properly restrained increasing the risk of personal injury.
Fix: Dealers will repair these vehicles.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The vehicle was stopped, was involved in a 3 car collision. The vehicle was hit from behind by a 1985 cadillac fleetwood traveling at at least a moderate rate of speed. The vehicle was pushed into a 2002 audi (i believe it was) suv. During the collision the drivers seat back failed and collapsed…
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…
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…
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…
I was involved in a rear end collision to my 1999 sl1 saturn sedan that caused the rear seat to collapse so that i was prone after the accident and neither air bag deployed (driver or passenger). *nm
Frequently asked questions
Do all Saturn SLs have seats problems?
No. NHTSA has 135 owner complaints about seats for the Saturn SL. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Saturn SL seats?
Yes: 2 safety recalls list seats. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
What do owners say about seats problems on the Saturn SL?
The most frequent phrase is “driver seat”, in 36 of 135 complaints, followed by “rear ended” (27).
Other Saturn SL problems
See all Saturn SL problems.