AI DamageSaturn SKY: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Saturn SKY across 3 model years: 516 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 71% of all complaints
- 2 Service brakes 16% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 10% of all complaints
- 4 Seats 6% of all complaints
- 5 Powertrain 3% of all complaints
- 6 Engine 1% of all complaints
- 7 Exterior lighting 1% of all complaints
- 8 Electronic stability control 1% of all complaints
- Air bags: 366 complaints (71% of all), 8 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 82 complaints (16% of all), 6 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 53 complaints (10% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seats: 30 complaints (6% of all).
- Powertrain: 15 complaints (3% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2 L · petrol · turbo · 4 cyl 2007–2010
- 2.4 L · petrol · 4 cyl 2007–2010named in 1 complaints
- automatic, 5-speed 2007–2010
- manual, 5-speed 2007–2010named in 1 complaints
Drive: RWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 516 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 366 | 8 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 82 | 6 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 53 | 2 | 0 |
| Seats | 30 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 15 | 2 | 0 |
| Engine | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Equipment | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 3 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
My car rolled down the driveway and off an embankment. The emergency brake was still up when it stopped. The car was a total loss.
The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The contact sustained head injuries that required medical attention. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 106,000.
The contact stated that while driving 30 mph and applying the brakes, the engine stalled without warning and caused the driver to crash into another vehicle. The driver sustained injuries to the back. The vehicle was destroyed and a police report was not filed.
The airbags did not deploy after first colliding with the divider, nor after it had landed back onto its wheels. Hazard lights were operable, onstar did not activate. Injuries were sustained to both the driver and passenger.
Brake failure. Hard brake pedal resulting in the brakes not holding the car at a stop. On july 4, 2012 while stopped at an intersection the brakes failed to hold the car inplace resulting in the car creeping into the center of the intersection into oncoming traffic.
The airbags did not deploy. I bruised my rib cage badly from slamming into the steering wheel, even though it was a low mileage, frontal impact. The car is still in repair.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Seats. Occupant sensor, power adjustment, seat mounts.
Other models of this make
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.