Airbag complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Driving on highway rt. 80, when a car swerved into right lane in front of me from entrance ramp. I was traveling at approx. 45 miles an hour. Airbags failed to deploy in a front end collision, causing life altering injury. Left temporal brain damage, post concussion syndrome and epilepsy, also other injuries to neck, shoulder and to lower back.
On September 28, 2005 at approximately 8:00 am I was traveling on I 295 north where the speed limit is 65 MPH. I was in the middle lane of the interstate driving a 2001 Saturn sl1 blue in color. The car in front of me which was a Saturn vue slammed on his brakes hitting a white Honda that was in front of him. When the vue hit the Honda the vue went from the middle lane of traffic to the left lane. I was behind the vue in the middle lane and when the vue went into the left lane I hit the white Honda on the right bumper and was going approximately between 55 MPH and 65 MPH. My car then spun around and I then hit the vue in the left hand lane and my car ended up between the middle and left hand lane. The two airbags in my 2001 Saturn sl1 never deployed. My car has extensive damage to the front end, the left front tire and will probably be a total loss. …
I was in an accident on July 18 2009 a lady pulled out of a side street and we hit. I could not avoid her. Im not sure what speed I was going at impact but I slammed on my brakes at 40 MPH. My front end hit her side.most passengers me, the front passenger and two others were injured. Neither air bag deployed. Im not sure if they should have but at that speed and the impact I feel they definitely should have. My daughter and I flew forward and she hit the windshield and I went into the steering wheel coming very close to the windshield. The car in totaled.
I was traveling on the freeway at 75 MPH (speed limit.) the truck in front of me hit the brakes. I applied my brakes as I should have had enough distance to slow down enough. My brakes locked-up and I slid into the pick-up truck in front of me at about 65 MPH. The seat belts worked, but the air bags did not deploy. My car was totaled. I was injured and taken by ambulance to the hospital.
Sidewall exploded while entering a driveway. Bought the same tire as a replacement and it developed a giant sidewall bubble in a few thousand miles that just ruptured...the two tires both went bad in only 11333 miles...about 5666 miles each!!
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Saturn SL. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the brakes were applied to prevent from crashing into another vehicle that had disobeyed the stop sign. As a result, the vehicle slid and crashed into another vehicle and rolled into a snow embankment. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The contact driver sustained head injuries and the three passengers sustained minor injuries, which required medical attention. In addition, the key could be removed from the ignition when driving. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.
Dt: the contact stated while pulling into a parking area the vehicle lightly hit a curb. The front air bags deployed. Vehicle was traveling under 5 MPH. The manufacturer said the air bags would deploy under any circumstances. However, the service manual said the air bags would deploy from an impact while traveling 10-15 MPH. The vehicle has not been inspected to determine the reason for the air bag deployment under 5 MPH.
I was a passenger in the 1998 Saturn sl1, while approaching an intersection "two cars behind the lead car about to go through intersection" the driver in the on-coming lane decide last minute to make a left hand turn at the intersection in front of the lead car in are lane. Which caused a chain reaction of accidents. While the 1998 Saturn SL was indeed the last car to hit the "pile up" upon impact I exhaled and tried to relax my body for impact "like I observed on discovery's myth busters" after impact as I was asking my friend "driver" if she was OK. The air bag deployed late! ... If this will happen to me a 300pd grown man id hate to see the out come if a person not of my mass had this happen to them. I feel as if they would have gone through the windshield... Life threatening injury's would of most certainly occurred.
Frequently asked questions
Which Saturn SL years have airbag problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1995 (31), 1999 (20), 1996 (18), 1997 (17) and 2001 (13) model years. Airbag complaints make up 9% of all complaints for the 1995.
Is there a recall for Saturn SL airbag problems?
No. NHTSA lists no air bags 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 airbag problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 86,000 miles; 31% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the frontal (82 mentions), followed by the frontal › sensor/control module (2).
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.