IllustrationDURING A REAR END COLLISION THE BACK OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT RELEASED TO FULL RECLINE POSITION. LEAVING ME WHICH MORE SEVERE INJURIES THAN I SHOULD HAVE SUSTAINED. *NM
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
Seats complaints
7 reportsI WAS INVOLVED IN A REAR END COLLISION IN APRIL 2002. I WAS HIT FROM BEHIND WHILE WAITING AT A RED LIGHT. THE BACK OF MY SEAT COLLAPSED THEREBY RENDERING THE ANTI-WHIPLASH HEAD RESTRAINT INEFFECTIVE.
VEHICLE WAS HIT FROM REAR AT 50 MPH WHILE IN A STOP POSITION AND DRIVER'S SEAT COLLAPSED BACKWARDS. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
CONSUMER FEELS THE HORN BUTTON IS VERY SMALL AND HARD TO LOCATE, SOMEONE BACKED INTO HIM AND HAD TROUBLE FINDING THE HORN. *SLC
VEHICLE WAS IN A REAR END COLLISION AND THE DRIVER'S/PASSENGER'S SEATS FELL BACK INTO CHILDREN'S FACES ,AND THE CHILDREN WERE INJURED. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
LUMBER SUPPORT FOR THE SEAT FAILED. YH
VEHICLE WAS REAR ENDED. DEFECT WITHIN SEATBACK OF DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SIDE CAUSED THE SEAT TO COLLAPSE BACKWARDS, RESULTING IN MINOR INJURIES. *AK
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.