Saturn Aura vs Tesla Model S

Both cars' complete complaint records, side by side.

Read the totals carefully. NHTSA publishes no sales figures, so the car that sold more collects more complaints regardless of quality. The rows worth weighing are the proportions — the share of complaints that involved harm, and which part dominates.

Measure	Saturn Aura	Tesla Model S
Complaints on file	2,227	5,283
Model years covered	2000–2010	2012–2026
Worst model year	2007	2016
Best model year	2009	2024
Crashes reported	79	659
Fires reported	19	94
Injuries reported	41	207
Deaths reported	5	35
Most complained-about part	Steering	Electrical System
Share of complaints involving harm	6.5%	18.8%

Saturn Aura by year

4 6 950 677 588 2

00 05 07 08 09 10

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Steering 396 17.8%

Transmission & Drivetrain 387 17.4%

Electrical System 257 11.5%

Brakes 214 9.6%

Stability & Traction Control 154 6.9%

Airbags 150 6.7%

Lights 147 6.6%

Engine & Cooling 113 5.1%

Tesla Model S by year

89 677 546 1,057 1,027 673 288 73 123 279 198 162 78 7 6

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Electrical System 1,001 18.9%

Other & Unspecified 863 16.3%

Suspension 730 13.8%

Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance 672 12.7%

Steering 344 6.5%

Acceleration & Cruise Control 273 5.2%

Brakes 208 3.9%

Lights 195 3.7%