Saturn L300 Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 128 consumer complaints across the 3 model years of the Saturn L300 (2003–2005) that have at least 5 complaints. 2004 has the most, with 61. Across all years, the part named most often is electrical system (32 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All L300 model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 25 | 16,500 | 0 | 439 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2004 | 61 | 64,070 | 2 | 335 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2003 | 42 | 61,500 | 0 | 302 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Electrical system32 27%
- Exterior lighting22 19%
- Engine cooling16 14%
- Fuel system13 11%
- Transmission and drivetrain10 8.5%
- Vehicle speed control9 7.6%
- Engine9 7.6%
- Tires7 5.9%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2004: “Third break light or over head break light havnt worked since I've bought the car out so been out b4 I bought it and dash lights dimmer switch flickers in and out unless wedge the dimming switch up been like that since bought the car don't know when or how it happened but it's got minor short and everything works as should dimmer switch moves as it should”
NHTSA complaint #11233264, filed 2019-07, 175,320 miles2003: “In february, 2007 and in april of 2008 I was involved separate front end crashes while driving my 2003 Saturn L300. In both instances seatbelt restraints were used (as always), but the air-bags failed to deploy. Fortunately, no one was injured. In both instances, I believed that I was fortunate the air-bags didn't open because of the expense involved repairing a deployed air-bag. …”
NHTSA complaint #10566458, filed 2014-02, 45,000 miles2005: “My 2005 Saturn has a gas leak ,just like my 2009 chevrolet equinox . My chevrolet equinox problem was created because of the hot arizona summers. Dried out gaskets etc. Why was the equinox covered and not the Saturn? Whats gives?”
NHTSA complaint #11196504, filed 2019-04, 187,000 milesOther Saturn models
4,340 complaintsSaturn Vue
2,351 complaintsSaturn SL
2,218 complaintsSaturn LS
1,457 complaintsSaturn Aura
1,434 complaintsSaturn Outlook
1,352 complaintsSaturn Sky
516 complaintsSaturn SC1
413 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology