2006 Saturn Relay problems
NHTSA has received 32 complaints about the 2006 Saturn Relay, and 16% of them involve brakes. Next are drivetrain & axles (16%) and fuel system (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 32 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 16% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 2 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 2 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 68,000 miles 30 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 10 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 4 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 1 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 0 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 2 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 2 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 11 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 30 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 68,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 2 complaints mention a crash; 2 injuries reported.
It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle was involved in a collision and the airbags did not deploy. The contact was stopped in the center lane, when another vehicle attempted to get into the same lane. The contact's vehicle was hit on the front passenger side fender causing the vehicle to flip completely over and landed right side up. The contact sustained head and arm injuries and a police report was taken. All occupants were wearing their seatbelts. The airbag warning light was not illuminated prior to the crash.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 saturn relay. The contact stated that within three months, the interior of the vehicle darkened by three shades. The contact stated that there was a strong metallic smell inside the vehicle that had even affected her breathing. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that there was a foreign hose attached to the catalytic converter that could have been the cause of the toxic leak.
My 18 year old son had an accident. He rolled the van multiple times, hit trees ,damaged all sides, and roof of the van. The only door that would easily open was the drivers door. The front axle broke, windshield broken. The insurance appraiser said all panels were damaged and could not believe none of the air bags opened. The saturn relay 2006 was a total loss.
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 saturn relay. The contact stated that the rear passenger side sliding door failed to close properly. The door has to be slammed shut in order for it to close. There were no warning indicators prior to the failure. The vehicle has not been inspected by a dealer. The current and failure mileages were 7,000.
AWD disabled when needed in snow. It seems to be caused by icy slush. I confirmed with the dealer that the hub assembly's AWD sensor can get covered up with mud or slush and the AWD system will disable. Any AWD system that gets disabled by slush is ludicrously designed, and borderline negligent with regards to safety.
Other model years of the Relay
- 2007
- 2006
- 2005