1999 Saturn SW
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
Have the VIN?
These records cover every 1999 Saturn SW. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
1 recall names the 1999 Saturn SW. Newest first.
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. these vehicles do not comply with requirements of fmvss no. 210, "seat belt assembly anchorages." some of the vehicles were produced with seat belt shoulder guide anchor bolts that were not adequately tightened at the center pillar and could fall out, making the seat belt inoperative.
Risk and remedy
Risk
In the event of a crash, the seat occupant may not be properly restrained.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect these vehicles for proper installation and torque of the seat belt shoulder guide anchor bolts.
Owner complaints
16 complaints4 involved a crash3 injuries1 deaths
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Air bags · Steering
My son was killed in a 1999 saturn the airbags did not work I need to know why car cut off while go down I-20. *Tr
- Air bags
The automobile in front of me slammed on their brakes, I slammed on my brakes and my chest hit the steering column. The airbags did not deploy. *tr
- Equipment › Appliance › Air conditioner
Broken steering wheel mechanism replaced, rusted out hood replaced. Mode control from a/c to defrost went out, less than 14,000 miles. *Bf the mode door cable disconnected due to mode door fabric coming off and caused cable to stick. *nm
- Power train › Automatic transmission · Power train › Driveline › Differential unit
While driving at 65 mph consumer heard a popping sound and vehicle jerked. consumer pulled onto the shoulder. then, consumer heard a loud bang, and vehicle jerked again and smoked badly. dealer examined the vehicle, and determined that differential pin came out and destroyed the transmission. a new transmission was needed for this vehicle. *Ak
- Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components
Consumer stated the vehicle has defective brakes, consumer was informed by dealer that the problem has been described as a hot spot on the brake disc which causes rubbing, the dealer also stated the problem IS a result od driveability or mishandling of the vehicle.*mj
- Air bags › Frontal
During a vehicle crash airbags did not deploy, consumer sustained injuries. cause unknown. Dealer notified.*ak
- Seat belts › Front › Retractor
At a safety check for seatbelts, 3 of the seatbelt retractors in were found to be inoperative. Only front passenger seatbelt retractor works.*ak
- Tires › Tread/belt
Hot florida day; car fully loaded; tread separated at 70 mph (3000 mi on tire at time). *ak (tiresize: p17570r14)
- Power train › Axle assembly › Axle shaft
Intermediate shaft/carrier bearing assembly failed at relatively low miles. I am trying to determine if this specific failure IS common so owners can be notified and avoid this costly and serious repair.*ak
- Air bags › Frontal · Seats › Front assembly › Recliner
My husband and daughter (age 4) were involved in an accident on july 27, 2000 in our 1999 saturn SW1. they were sitting at a red light when they were rear ended at approximately 40-45pmh. upon impact niether airbag deployed. I'm not sure if they were supposed to), but the major concern was that…
My husband and daughter (age 4) were involved in an accident on july 27, 2000 in our 1999 saturn SW1. they were sitting at a red light when they were rear ended at approximately 40-45pmh. upon impact niether airbag deployed. I'm not sure if they were supposed to), but the major concern was that the drivers seat springs broke collapsing the drivers seat and left my husband landing in the back seat, his foot falling from the brake and rolling into traffic at approximately 12-15mph. my husband ended up injured with a thoracic strain. my daughter (in the front passenger seat) was also injured. both of them were restrained with full seat belts. in the emergency room and at the sight we were told that it was lucky that my daughter was in the front seat that day or she would have been crushed and killed by the seat that collapsed behind my husband. in addressing this problem with saturn they have said that their seats are designed like that for safety purposes and that "in a rear-end collision, a seatback can yield if the forces in the collision exceed the design load limits for that seatback." they also referred me to the federal motor vehicle safety standards fmvss 207 for the standard. I am not able to tell in reading the fmvss 207 if the forces in the collision exceeded the design load limits for the seatback and I am hoping that you can help me. my husband IS 6 feet tall and weighs 260 pounds. saturn tells me that the seats were designed this way to help prevent whiplash. if that IS the case they almost killed my child. can you shed some light on this for me? thank you in advance for your time and attention to this matter......... Sincerely, mrs. Juli gordon. *ak
- Tires › Tread/belt
Firestone tires tread came apart, which could have caused a tire blowout and crash. firestone replaced the tires at consumer's expense. please provide further information. Tire size p18565r15. *Ak
- Vehicle speed control
Stepping on the brake caused the idle to go to maximum rpm. Yh
- Seats
Due to the design of the seats, which are angled back for safety purposes, the child safety seats do not fit properly, which could lead to injuries if in accident. *mjs
- Equipment › Appliance › Air conditioner · Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Disc › Rotor · Structure › Body › Door · Suspension › Front
Passenger door behind driver's seat will not unlock, several repair attempts, however not fixed. Mjs (attorney for consumer).
- Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer
Windshield wiper blade does not come within 6 inches from the end of the windshield which may cause visual difficulty, and may result in an accident. currently at dealer. please provide further information. *ak
- Unknown or other
Driver's side factory installed floor mat slides and wedges under pedals. service manager said they know about this problem, but have no fix. at no speed do you feel as if you are fully in control of the vehicle. it wallows and pulls to the right. this leads to constant over-steering, which…
Driver's side factory installed floor mat slides and wedges under pedals. service manager said they know about this problem, but have no fix. at no speed do you feel as if you are fully in control of the vehicle. it wallows and pulls to the right. this leads to constant over-steering, which could cause loss of control. service manager contends that everything meets the manufacturer's specs. when questioned about the firestone affinity, touring T1, p185/65/r15 86T m& s tires the car came through with, he made no response.
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10248444Vehicle Recalls
- 10246631Expanded Availability for Remanufacture and Return (R&R) Electronic Control Modules
- 10233369This service bulletin revision provides a repair procedure to Remove Debris from Evaporator Case, Disinfect evaporator or Apply Cooling coil coating and install blower motor control module to correct a customer concern of A/C Odor at start-up.
- 10232287This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
- 10190934Underbody Component Corrosion The following information may be helpful when addressing underbody component corrosion with customers. Some customers may comment that one or more of their vehicle's underbody components are showing some form of corrosion. This corrosion may be red in appearance (rust) if the component is steel, forged iron or cast iron. This corrosion may also be grey or white in color if the component is constructed of an aluminum alloy.
- 10190933Underbody Component Corrosion The following information may be helpful when addressing underbody component corrosion with customers. Some customers may comment that one or more of their vehicle's underbody components are showing some form of corrosion. This corrosion may be red in appearance (rust) if the component is steel, forged iron or cast iron. This corrosion may also be grey or white in color if the component is constructed of an aluminum alloy.
- 10190932Refinishing Aluminum Wheels This bulletin updates General Motor's position on refinishing aluminum wheels. GM does not endorse any repairs that involve welding, bending, straightening o re-machining. Only cosmetic refinishing of the wheel's coatings, using recommended procedures, is allowed. Evaluating Damage In evaluating damage, it is the GM Dealer's responsibility to inspect the wheel for corrosion, scrapes, gouges, etc. The Dealer must insure that such damage is not deeper than what can be sanded or polished off. The wheel must be inspected for cracks. If cracks are found, discard the wheel. Any wheels with bent rim flanges must not be repaired or refinished. Wheels that have been refinished by an outside company must be returned to the same vehicle. The Dealer must record the wheel ID stamp or the cast date on the wheel in order to assure this requirement. Refer to Refinisher's Responsibility Outside Company later in this bulletin.
- 10190931Refinishing Aluminum Wheels This bulletin updates General Motor's position on refinishing aluminum wheels. GM does not endorse any repairs that involve welding, bending, straightening o re-machining. Only cosmetic refinishing of the wheel's coatings, using recommended procedures, is allowed. Evaluating Damage In evaluating damage, it is the GM Dealer's responsibility to inspect the wheel for corrosion, scrapes, gouges, etc. The Dealer must insure that such damage is not deeper than what can be sanded or polished off. The wheel must be inspected for cracks. If cracks are found, discard the wheel. Any wheels with bent rim flanges must not be repaired or refinished. Wheels that have been refinished by an outside company must be returned to the same vehicle. The Dealer must record the wheel ID stamp or the cast date on the wheel in order to assure this requirement. Refer to Refinisher's Responsibility Outside Company later in this bulletin.
- 10170494This informational bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Procedures to Unlock Delco Radio with Theftlock.
- 614008Some customers may comment about abnormal wear or a cut on the inboard edge of the driver or passenger seat back cover.
- 605959Vehicles built after and including wz150315 may exhibit a dome lamp that IS either inoperative, working intermittently, or flickers when turned on.
Every Saturn SW model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.