Acceleration complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The 2001 Saturn sl1 gas pedal constantly sticks. It is hard to push down either driving forward or reverse. The brakes must be applied before you can engage the gas pedal which has almost caused several accidents while driving under this condition.
Freezing accelerator on 2001 Saturn sl1.oday I experienced a frozen accelerator cable which caused the car to accelerate very rapidly. I had driven about 80 miles and stopped at a store. When I came out of the store, I started the car and backed out of the parking slot. When I then started to go forward, and pressed the accelerator, it froze up at a rather high speed. Releasing the pressure on the pedal did not cause the pedal to return to idle . The outside temperature was zero degrees. I was able to turn the key off and after working the accelerator pedal and cable for about three or four minutes (from under the hood and the driver seat-took two people) I was able to free up the cable. I would like to know if there is a recall or tech bulletin about this, and if not, suggest that one be issued immediately. …
Twice I was stopping the car--once to park and once at a light and instead of stopping the engine revved up at full throttle dragging the car forward even with the brakes pressed fully down. I had to throw the transmission into neutral and cut the engine off to stop it. No reason was ever found.
When car is placed in driver or neutral, rpms rev up and stick. Potential hazard. Saturn said their diagnostic machine found nothing. 45 minutes after I had it checked I returned to Saturn and spoke with tech and car presented with problem. He changed what he called a "heat/cool sensor" and problem subsided for 3 days. Now problem presents again.
While backing into a public driveway and putting the vehicle into drive, while taking her foot off of the brake, the vehicle took off, consumer lost control and hit a parked car, the vehicle bounced from that car, traveled across the street and hit another parked vehicle, consumer was injured in the accident.
Vehicle lost all power on two occasions, on first occasion, vehicle stalled while consumer was traveling 30 MPH, vehicle would not restart and it was towed where dealer could not find anything wrong, the second occasion the vehicles electrical system turned off and on and vehicle would not restart, dealer again could not find any problems, dealer took a best guess and replaced the crankshaft position sensor and consumer states the vehicle has been running okay so far.
My mother and I were driving south on I-95, mile marker 277 (north of daytona) with the cruise control set for 72 miles per hour. I was in the right lane, and as I approached a car going slower, I applied the brakes to release the cruise control. It would not turn off, so I moved to the left lane and tried repeatedly to release it. I was about the hit the rear of the car infront of me, and it seemed like I was accelerating rather than decelerating. I could not slow down so went into the median strip, and still was unable to slow down.it seemed I was unable to even depress the brake pedal. It seemed frozen. It was rough going, and I was afraid of going into the northbound lanes, so I steered the car to the right, and seemed to slide across the nearest lane into the side of a u-haul truck. The impact spun us around and we came to rest in the median strip.
Cruise control will not disengage by depressing brake, using the off switch, or depressing the clutch. Also, when this occurs, the speed slowly but steadily increases. The only way to correct the problem is to turn off the ignition, or press the brake until the car stops and the engine dies.
Frequently asked questions
Which Saturn SL years have acceleration problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1995 (24), 1996 (17), 1997 (9), 1998 (7) and 1999 (7) model years. Acceleration complaints make up 7% of all complaints for the 1995.
Is there a recall for Saturn SL acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for any Saturn SL model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Saturn SL acceleration problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 99,000 miles; 36% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the accelerator pedal (14 mentions), followed by the cruise control (7).
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.