2005 Saturn Relay: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 2005 Saturn Relay. The newest campaign is 05V287000. NHTSA received the report on 20 Jun 2005. The NHTSA record gives the component Parking Brake. NHTSA has 59 complaints on file for this model year. 3 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 05V287000, in the NHTSA record

Dealers will inspect for parking brake lever slippage at each rear brake caliper and replace the caliper if lever slippage is identified. The recall began on november 14, 2005. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, pontiac at 1-800-620-7668, or saturn at 1-800-972-8876.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 29 Mar 2018. Recall file through 29 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

2 campaigns, newest first. 33,450 units in total.

05V287000Received 20 Jun 2005. 14,600 units.
Parking Brake
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Certain sport utility vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 135, 'passenger car brake systems.' to meet the standard, the vehicle must not move for five minutes when stopped on a steep hill with the parking brake applied and the vehicle in neutral (n). Some of these vehicles failed this test.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
When the parking brake is released, the driver may notice unintended braking when accelerating, decelerating, or coasting, and a noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. Unintended vehicle movement could occur increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will inspect for parking brake lever slippage at each rear brake caliper and replace the caliper if lever slippage is identified. The recall began on november 14, 2005. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, pontiac at 1-800-620-7668, or saturn at 1-800-972-8876.
Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Manufacturer campaign number 05059. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 14 Nov 2005.
05V061000Received 18 Feb 2005. 18,850 units.
Seats / Mid/Rear Assembly
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain minivans, the outboard release handle on the impact-side second-row bucket seat may be actuated and the rear latches may unlatch early in a side impact crash. This was discovered in a side impact test run by GM, under conditions similar to NHTSA's new car assessment program (ncap) side impact test.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If the rear latches of the seat release early in a severe side impact, the front outboard latch may disengage and increase the potential for injury to the occupant of the seat.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will remove the seat latch release handle and install a black plastic cap over the exposed metal stud to eliminate the side impact safety concern free of charge. The recall began on april 5, 2005. Owners may contact saturn at 1-800-972-8876, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, and pontiac at 1-800-620-7668.
Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Manufacturer campaign number 05015. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 5 Apr 2005.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

59 complaints, 82 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

2005 Saturn Relay
All 2005 vehicles

2005 Saturn Relay: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	2005 Relay	All 2005 vehicles	Relay, all years	Mentions
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	243.9	69.4	200	20
Electrical System	122	115.9	104.3	10
Structure	122	45.7	156.5	10
Latches/Locks/Linkages	109.8	34	113	9
Exterior Lighting	48.8	35.7	34.8	4
Power Train	48.8	115.8	52.2	4
Fuel System, Gasoline	36.6	60.7	52.2	3
Tires	36.6	33	26.1	3
Suspension	36.6	48.1	26.1	3
Service Brakes, Electric	36.6	5.8	34.8	3

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 21.

Complaints that report a crash: 1
Complaints that report a fire: 0
Injuries in the complaints: 1
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 28 Jun 2010

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 2005 Saturn Relay, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2006, with 15 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 2005 Saturn Relay
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed
EA07019	Engineering analysis	POWER SLIDING DOOR	Latches/Locks/Linkages / Doors / Latch	11 Dec 2007	23 Feb 2009
PE07044	Preliminary evaluation	POWER SLIDING DOOR OPENING	Latches/Locks/Linkages / Doors / Latch	16 Aug 2007	11 Dec 2007
PE05063	Preliminary evaluation	ELECTRICAL HARNESS DAMAGE	Electrical System	29 Nov 2005	6 Mar 2006

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

20052
20061
20070

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 2005 Saturn RelayThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 2005 Saturn Relay: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/saturn/relay/2005/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 29 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 29 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 29 Mar 2018
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 2005 Saturn Relay?: 33,450 units in 2 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Saturn Relay have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the Saturn Relay, model years 2005 to 2007. 2 of them name the 2005 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 2005 Saturn Relay name most often?: Service Brakes, Hydraulic: 20 of 82 component mentions, or 243.9 per 1,000. For all 2005 vehicles the figure is 69.4 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2005 Saturn Relay open?: No. Each of the 3 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.