IllustrationMileage unknown · Oct 1, 1999
Engine And Engine CoolingPower Train
NO SUMMARY
NHTSA ODI #712656
1998 Saturn Sl
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 Saturn Sl do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 171.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Sl years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 38 of 168 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 33 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 28 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Seat Belts. Review the 17 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
23 crash reports2 fire reports19 injury reports
Engine And Engine Cooling complaints
28 reportsNO SUMMARY
ALL THE COMPLAINTS THAT I HAVE MADE ARE ALREADY LISTED ON YOUR LIST EXCEPT THE WINSHIELD FLUID PUMP. WHEN I TOOK THE CAR IN REGARDING THE RATTLING NOISE THEY COULDN'T HEAR SO THEY TOLD ME TOO BRING IT IN IF IT BECOMES MORE NOTICABLE.
CRACKED HEAD CYLINDER AT 16K MILES WITHOUT ANY UNUSUAL OR HARSH DRIVING. CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALER. NO OIL WAS LEFT IN THE CAR -- IT WAS IN AN "UNDRIVEABLE" CONDITION. THE SERVICE DEPT WAS SHOCKED THIS HAPPENED ON A TWIN OVERHEAD CAM ENGINE & THUS DIDN'T EVEN STOCK THE PART TO FIX THE CAR. DEALER ALSO SAID THERE WAS …
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CRACKED HEAD CYLINDER AT 16K MILES WITHOUT ANY UNUSUAL OR HARSH DRIVING. CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALER. NO OIL WAS LEFT IN THE CAR -- IT WAS IN AN "UNDRIVEABLE" CONDITION. THE SERVICE DEPT WAS SHOCKED THIS HAPPENED ON A TWIN OVERHEAD CAM ENGINE & THUS DIDN'T EVEN STOCK THE PART TO FIX THE CAR. DEALER ALSO SAID THERE WAS NO ENGINE DAMAGE, ALTHOUGH I FIND THAT HARD TO BELIEVE SINCE THE CAR WAS DRIVEN FOR SOME TIME WITHOUT REALIZING THE PROBLEM. *AK
DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS VEHICLE LOSES ALL POWER AND EVENTUALLY STOPS, CAUSING A SAFETY HAZARD. DEALER REPLACED FUEL PUMP, BUT DEFECT HAS REOCCURRED. *AK
VALVE REPLACED DUE TO FAILURE. *YC
THE COOLANT OVERFLOW TANK CAP NOT TIGHT. YH
DRIVING AT ANY SPEED THE VEHICLE WILL VIBRATE AND MAKE BUCKING SOUNDS FROM TIME TO TIME. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP EIGHT TIMES FOR DIFFERENT PROBLEMS. ALSO, THERE IS A LACK OF POWER AND GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. TIDE ROD END HAD TO BE REPLACED. IN ADDITION, CONSUMER HAD POWER STEERING/ WINDOW PROBLEMS. R…
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DRIVING AT ANY SPEED THE VEHICLE WILL VIBRATE AND MAKE BUCKING SOUNDS FROM TIME TO TIME. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP EIGHT TIMES FOR DIFFERENT PROBLEMS. ALSO, THERE IS A LACK OF POWER AND GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. TIDE ROD END HAD TO BE REPLACED. IN ADDITION, CONSUMER HAD POWER STEERING/ WINDOW PROBLEMS. REPAIRED VEHICLE THREE TIMES, AND THEY CAN'T DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN SHOP EIGHT MORE TIMES. *AK
FRONT END MISALIGNED, RESULTING IN PULLING.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.