1993 Saturn SW problems & reliability
27 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1993 Saturn SW. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 6 | 22% |
| Seat Belts | 5 | 19% |
| Structure | 3 | 11% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 3 | 11% |
| Child Seat | 2 | 7% |
| Electrical System | 2 | 7% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 7% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 2 | 7% |
| Power Train | 2 | 7% |
| Seats | 2 | 7% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 13 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“A known fault in the automatic transmition valve assembly of my 1993 saturn sw1 is not covered by the dealership, but is admitted by the manufactuer and can be fixed at my expence with no reembursment offered.*ak”
Power Train · filed Aug 23, 2004
“Driver's seat back won't "hold" position. Falls back under weight. Problem continuing for years. I informed dealer who simply told me I would have to pay hundreds of dollars to replace defective seat. I no longer drive this car any significant distance because of this. This is so dangerous that I do not feel I can, in…”
Seats · filed Oct 6, 2003
“I currently own a 1993 saturn sw2. I was unaware of the recalls on my car. Today my car caught on fire. I went ont he internet and found out that there are 3 different recalls on my car that could start a fire. I called saturn at the honolulu office. I gave them my vin # and they told me that there are no current…”
Electrical System · filed Aug 1, 2003
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- CRUISE CONTROL FAILURES
Engineering Analysis EA95003 · opened Feb 24, 1995 · closed May 31, 1996
- CRUISE CONTROL FAILURE
Preliminary Evaluation PE94079 · opened Nov 7, 1994 · closed Feb 24, 1995
Technical service bulletins
2 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1993 Saturn SW.
This 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…
92-T-40D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 10, 2023
Expanded Availability for Remanufacture and Return (R&R) Electronic Control Modules
130089009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 1, 2013
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1993 Saturn SW in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1993 Saturn SW?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.