Your vehicle report
2008 Saturn Astra
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 162
- Received Jul 2008 to Apr 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Side mirrors give poor rear visibility5 complaints · 3.1% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Airbags fail to deploy in crashes5 complaints · 3.1% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Gear shifter fails to register Park5 complaints · 3.1% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #16V063000General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2006-2011 Saab 9-3 vehicles manufactured May 31, 2002, to February 15, 2011, 2006-2009 Saab 9-5 vehicles manufactured June 7, 2005, to May 28, 2009, and 2008-2009 Saturn Astra vehicles manufactured April 11, 2007, to July 24, 2008. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 5 crashes, 3 fires, 7 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 9 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
- Gear shifter fails to register Park
- Transmission will not engage reverse gear
- Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips
1 more problem
Brakes
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 3 |
| 2009 | 1 |
| 2010 | 4 |
| 2011 | 5 |
| 2012 | 3 |
| 2013 | 5 |
| 2014 | 7 |
| 2015 | 14 |
| 2016 | 69 |
| 2017 | 32 |
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2019 | 5 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 1 |
| Total | 162 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Side mirrors give poor rear visibility | 5 | 3.1% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 5 | 3.1% | – | |
| Gear shifter fails to register Park | 5 | 3.1% | – | |
| Transmission will not engage reverse gear | 5 | 3.1% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 4 | 2.5% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 4 | 2.5% | – | |
| Horn fails with airbag warning light | 3 | 1.8% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 3 | 1.8% | – | |
| Power steering cuts out while driving | 3 | 1.8% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #16V063000February 3, 2016113,716 vehicles affected
air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2006-2011 Saab 9-3 vehicles manufactured May 31, 2002, to February 15, 2011, 2006-2009 Saab 9-5 vehicles manufactured June 7, 2005, to May 28, 2009, and 2008-2009 Saturn Astra vehicles manufactured April 11, 2007, to July 24, 2008. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator on Saab 9-3 and 9-5 vehicles and will replace the driver's frontal airbag module on Saturn Astra vehicles, free of charge. The recall began on March 1, 2017. Owners may contact Saab customer service at 1-800-955-9007 or Saturn customer service at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for this recall is 28810.
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2008 Saturn Astra.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN