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Saturn SKY Reliability

Owners filed 462 complaints about the SKY: 4.62 per production run against 3.73 for the market, more complaints than most cars. The year to avoid is 2007; the cleanest year old enough to judge is 2009.

NHTSA owner complaints · 462 complaints · 2007–2009 · Updated Nov 4, 2026
Quick answer

The 2007 draws 8.47 complaints per run and the 2009 1.54, a 5.5-fold gap within the same model. Half of all complaints arrive by 8 years of age, so 88.5% land after the 3-year basic warranty ends. The system owners report most is Air Bags, with 336 complaints, typically at 8 years.

Saturn SKY years to avoid — and the best ones

FIG.01·Saturn SKY — complaint rate by model year
Model yearPer runComplaintsRunsEnough history?
20091.544328yes
20083.8416543yes
20078.4725430yes
ROWS 3·SOURCE NHTSA complaints, grouped by VIN production run

Does the market discount it? In our listings a 2007 SKY asks a median $7,000, against $6,950 for a 2008, the next model year: about the same, so the price shows no discount for its complaint record.

Among the 3 Saturn SKY years with enough history, the three to walk away from are 2007, 2008, 2009; the three worth hunting are 2009, 2008, 2007.

When it starts to break

FIG.02·Saturn SKY — age at failure
Age at failureComplaintsRunning totalWarranty
0 years358.2%covered
1 year1010.5%covered
2 years411.5%covered
3 years813.3%you pay
4 years1516.9%you pay
5 years2021.5%you pay
6 years5033.3%you pay
7 years6949.4%you pay
8 years6464.4%you pay
9 years5176.3%you pay
10 years3684.8%you pay
11 years1488.1%you pay
12 years2193%you pay
13 years1295.8%you pay
14 years997.9%you pay
15 years9100%you pay
ROWS 16·SOURCE NHTSA complaints with incident dates

Basic warranty on this car is 3 years / 36,000 miles. Only 11.5% of reported failures happen inside it — the remaining 88.5% come out of the owner's pocket. Powertrain cover (5 years / 60,000 miles) reaches further, but it only covers the engine and transmission, which account for about 4% of the complaints here.

What actually fails — and at what age

On the Saturn SKY, the early trouble is Service Brakes and Hydraulic — reported at around 2.6 years, so a car still under warranty is the one to check for it. What waits further out is Air Bags at 8 years — past every basic warranty, and the bill lands on whoever owns the car then.

FIG.03·Saturn SKY — what fails and when
SystemComplaintsTypical ageCrashFire
Air Bags3368 yrs6—
Service Brakes672.6 yrs41
Hydraulic500.6 yrs31
Electrical System456.8 yrs22
Seats257.9 yrs——
Power Train146.5 yrs2—
Unknown Or Other148.5 yrs1—
Engine67 yrs1—
ROWS 8·SOURCE NHTSA complaints

What else in this class

6 models share the SKY's vehicle class. Per production run, the Chevrolet Corvette draws 3.41 and the Dodge Viper 1.2, against 4.62 for the SKY. That is the most complaints of the group.

FIG.05·Saturn SKY — rivals in the same class
Same class as the SKYComplaints on recordRecall campaignsYears built
Audi R81382008–2023
Chevrolet Corvette5,3931551981–2026
Dodge Viper81451992–2017
Mazda MX-598341990–2026
Lamborghini Huracan2252015–2026
Ford GT10122004–2022
ROWS 6·SOURCE NHTSA complaints and recall campaigns

The table shows totals on record; the rates per production run are in the sentence above.

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Everything on the Saturn SKY
Recalls18 campaignsFuel economy23 mpg bestCommon problems516 complaintsCheck a VINAgainst this exact buildDimensionsSize, weight, generationsUsed prices182 listingsWhat yours is worthValue by year & mileageWindow stickerOriginal Monroney labelDecode a VINWhat each character meansAbout this car2007–2010

Frequently asked questions

Is the Saturn SKY reliable?

By complaints per production run it is worse than typical: 4.62 against 3.73 for the average car, and more than each of the 2 class rivals we compared.

Which SKY years should you avoid?

By complaints per production run, 2007, 2008, 2009. The cleanest years old enough to judge are 2009, 2008, 2007. Years newer than 6 are left out: complaints keep arriving for years after a car is sold.

When do SKY problems usually start?

Half of all complaints arrive by 8 years of age. The most reported system is Air Bags, typically at 8 years, followed by Service Brakes.

Will the warranty cover SKY problems?

Mostly not: basic cover is 3 years / 36,000 miles, and only 11.5% of reported failures fall inside it. Powertrain cover lasts longer, but engine and transmission make up about 4% of the complaints here.

Is the SKY more reliable than the Chevrolet Corvette?

No: 4.62 complaints per production run for the SKY against 3.41 for the Chevrolet Corvette.

Complaint records from NHTSA, grouped by VIN production run (characters 1–11). Rates, age-at-failure and warranty coverage computed by ForCar. Model years newer than 6 years are excluded from rankings — complaints accumulate for a decade (how we measure). Last updated Nov 2026. — ForCar Reviewed by , founder of ForCar.
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