United States · NHTSA recalls & complaints
Saturn VIN decoder
Saturn was a General Motors brand launched in 1990 with its own assembly plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee, where every Saturn was built at the start. That changed over time: Spring Hill stopped building Saturns in 2007, and GM's VIN standard for the 2010 model year still listed a separate WMI, W08, for Saturns built by Opel in Europe.
Enter all 17 characters to see the build details NHTSA holds and the recalls for that model year.
- 18 model pages
- 78 recall campaigns
- 14,385 owner complaints
- model years 1995–2010
- 5 WMI codes in vPIC
- origin: United States
| Country of origin | United States |
|---|---|
| Region | North America |
| NHTSA recall and complaint data | Yes, model years 1995–2010 |
| WMI codes in NHTSA vPIC | 5 |
| Model pages | 18 |
| Other model names in NHTSA data | 13 |
| Vehicle recall campaigns | 78 |
| Owner complaints | 14,385 |
| Complaints reporting a crash | 840 (5.8%) |
| Complaints reporting a fire | 205 (1.4%) |
| Complaints reporting an injury | 545 (3.8%) |
| Complaints reporting a death | 15 (0.1%) |
| Data updated | September 25, 2026 |
GM tried to sell Saturn during its 2009 restructuring. When Penske Automotive Group walked away from the deal on September 30, 2009, GM said it would shut the brand down. Model year 2010 was the last: NHTSA's vPIC lists the Sky, Aura, Vue and Outlook for 2010 and no Saturn models after that. GM's VIN standard for that year covers the same four models, two cars and two SUVs.
Saturns are now used cars only, which makes the VIN the most reliable way to confirm the model, engine and plant, especially because the lineup came from several GM plants and from Opel. Every Saturn uses the 17-character VIN format required from model year 1981. Saturn shared GM's VIN system with Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick and GMC.
NHTSA’s files hold 78 vehicle recall campaigns and 14,385 owner complaints for Saturn vehicles from model years 1995 to 2010, summarised here on 18 model pages. The Ion has the most complaints (4,343), followed by the Vue (2,351) and the SL (1,605). Of those complaints, 840 report a crash, 205 a fire, 545 at least one injury and 15 at least one death; the figures count complaints, not people.
The World Manufacturer Identifier is the first three characters of the VIN. NHTSA’s vPIC database decodes 5 WMIs to Saturn; this is the complete list, with the manufacturer name, country and vehicle type vPIC records for each.
| WMI | Manufacturer (vPIC) | Country | Vehicle type | Also decoded as |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1G8 | GENERAL MOTORS LLC | United States | Passenger Car | – |
| 3GS | GENERAL MOTORS LLC | United States | Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV) | – |
| 4NT | GENERAL MOTORS LLC | United States | Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV) | – |
| 5GZ | GENERAL MOTORS LLC | United States | Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV) | – |
| W08 | ADAM OPEL AG | United States | Passenger Car | Opel |
Some codes are shared across a manufacturer’s brands; the last column names the other brands in our catalog that vPIC links to the same code. See the WMI code guide for how the codes are assigned.
Each model page lists NHTSA’s recall campaigns and owner complaints for that model name, by model year and component. Models are sorted by complaints; the data covers model years 1995–2010.
| Model | Model years | Recall campaigns | Complaints |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ion | 2003–2008 | 10 | 4,343 |
| Vue | 2002–2010 | 7 | 2,351 |
| SL | 1995–2002 | 12 | 1,605 |
| LS | 2000–2004 | 12 | 1,458 |
| Aura | 2000–2010 | 5 | 1,439 |
| Outlook | 2007–2010 | 10 | 1,352 |
| Sky | 2007–2010 | 5 | 516 |
| SC1 | 1995–2001 | 6 | 252 |
| SC | 1995–2002 | 12 | 201 |
| Astra | 2008–2009 | 1 | 164 |
| SW | 1995–2001 | 9 | 151 |
| L200 | 2003 | 4 | 138 |
| L300 | 2003–2005 | 2 | 128 |
| Relay | 2005–2007 | 3 | 122 |
| Vue Hybrid | 2007–2009 | – | 44 |
| S-Series Sedan | 1997–2002 | 1 | 17 |
| EV1 | 1995–1999 | 8 | 5 |
| Z | 1995–2002 | 4 | 2 |
– means NHTSA has no records of that kind under the model name.
Other Saturn models in NHTSA data
NHTSA also lists these Saturn model names, but with no recall campaign and fewer than 25 complaints each, so they have no page of their own: Aura Hybrid, Coupe, L Series, LW200, LW300, S-Series, S-Series Coupe, S-Series Only, S-Series Wagon, S-Series Wagons, Sedan, Sports Coupe, Wagon.
Which WMI codes appear on Saturn VINs?
GM's 2010 VIN standard lists 1G8 and W08 for Saturn passenger cars and 5GZ, 4NT and 3GS for Saturn MPVs. The W prefix is the WMI region code for Germany, matching GM's note that W08 marks Saturns built by Opel.
| WMI | Manufacturer (NHTSA vPIC) | Country | Vehicle type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1G8 | GENERAL MOTORS LLC | United States | Passenger car |
| W08 | ADAM OPEL AG | Germany | Passenger car |
| 5GZ | GENERAL MOTORS LLC | United States | MPV |
| 4NT | GENERAL MOTORS LLC | United States | MPV |
| 3GS | GENERAL MOTORS LLC | Mexico | MPV |
How do you decode a 2010 Saturn VIN?
Saturn cars use GM's passenger-car layout, where positions 4 and 5 give the carline and series. Saturn SUVs use the truck layout, where position 4 is the GVWR, brake and body code and positions 5 and 6 give the line and series. For the 2010 model year GM filed these codes with NHTSA:
| Model | WMIs | Model code | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sky | 1G8 | M | 4 (carline) |
| Aura | 1G8 | Z | 4 (carline) |
| Vue | 5GZ, 4NT, 3GS | L | 5 (line) |
| Outlook FWD | 5GZ, 4NT, 3GS | R | 5 (line) |
| Outlook AWD | 5GZ, 4NT, 3GS | V | 5 (line) |
Position 11 is the plant. GM's 2010 table uses Z for Spring Hill on cars, S for Spring Hill on trucks and MPVs, J for Lansing Delta Township and S for Ramos Arizpe on Mexican-built vehicles, so read it together with the first character. Position 10 is the model year.
When did Saturn go out of business?
GM announced it would close Saturn on September 30, 2009, after Penske Automotive Group dropped its plan to buy the brand. Model year 2010 was the last year of Saturn vehicles listed by NHTSA's vPIC.
Why does my Saturn VIN start with W08?
W08 is the WMI GM used for Saturns built by Opel. The W is the region code for Germany, and GM's 2010 VIN standard lists W08 as Opel for Saturn. NHTSA's vPIC lists W08 under Adam Opel AG.
Are Saturn recalls still searchable?
Yes. NHTSA keeps recall records for Saturn models, and our recall lookup shows campaigns for your model and model year. To see whether a specific VIN still has an open recall, use NHTSA's VIN search.
Will decoding a Saturn VIN show accidents or previous owners?
No. The decode covers factory data such as model, body, engine, model year and plant. Accident, title and ownership records come from state agencies and licensed history providers, which this site does not use.
Brands mentioned in the notes above, then other North American brands, each with its own VIN notes and WMI list.
- Chevrolet (172) United States · 751 recall campaigns
- Pontiac (17) United States · 133 recall campaigns
- Buick (20) United States · 170 recall campaigns
- GMC (102) United States · 434 recall campaigns
- Cadillac (33) United States · 197 recall campaigns
- Chrysler (37) United States · 208 recall campaigns
Data: NHTSA recalls and complaints flat files and NHTSA vPIC, updated September 25, 2026.