The 1994 Saturn Sl has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 138,691 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 376 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the vehicle speed control. Last updated July 5, 2026.
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.
IF THIS HAPPENS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN, IT COULD CAUSE A LOSS OF CONTROL, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT SEAT RECLINER MECHANISMS.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“The fbi was my first choice. The car overheats from a cold start after I just filled up the coolant and drove the car for a few feet in 2 minutes from start. The coolant was already overflowing. I noticed something was eating the battery load when this happened another time making the car lose…”
“The fbi was my first choice. The car overheats from a cold start after I just filled up the coolant and drove the car for a few feet in 2 minutes from start. The coolant was already overflowing. I noticed something was eating the battery load when this happened another time making the car lose…”
“The fbi was my first choice. The car overheats from a cold start after I just filled up the coolant and drove the car for a few feet in 2 minutes from start. The coolant was already overflowing. I noticed something was eating the battery load when this happened another time making the car lose…”
“For several years now, the cruise control on the car will turn itself off while engaged, and, if left alone, will randomly reengage ten or fifteen minutes later with no warning. This can cause a surge of acceleration (as much as one can expect from a saturn, anyhow) if speed has slowed due to…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1994 saturn sl. The vehicle was equipped with big o big o aspen tires (205/70/r14 dot u9t9 tx30103). While driving approximately 75 mph the rear drivers side tire tread separated causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle and crash into a ditch. The vehicle was towed…”
“I have a 1994 saturn sl2 vehicle and was almost in a horrible accident on a major highway when the timing chain broke and caused my car to completely shut down on a heavily traffic highway. This was the second time this incident happened to me with the same problem. Had to have the engine totally…”
“I own a 1994 saturn sl1 . This model of car employs "automatic" style seat belts, that are built into the door frame. When you open the door the seat belt is supposed to open by sliding up the track. When you get in the car and close the door, the seat belt is supposed to close by sliding back on…”
“Vehicle driver seat slips backwards while operating the vehicle. It is the same exact problem as the following recall 99v045000, yet dealer was contacted and this specific vehicle is not part of the recall. *tr”
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…
IN ITS LETTER DATED MARCH 5, 1999, GENERAL MOTORS STATED THAT IT WILL RECALL 136,300 MODEL YEAR 1994 AND 1995 SATURN VEHICLE (ALL MODELS) BUILT BETWEEN JANUARY 1994 AND AUGUST 1994.DURING THIS PERIOD, SATURN'S SEAT SUPPLIER MANUFACTURED RECLINER ASSEMBLIES WHICH WERE OUT OF DESIGN SPECIFICATION, ALLOWING THE FRONT…
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Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1994 Saturn Sl as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.