ROTORS WARPED, CAUSING ROCKING OF CAR DURING BRAKING AT 16,000 MILES AND AGAIN AT 32000 MILES.
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.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints
16 reportsROTORS WARPED VERY FREQUENTLY AFTER SERVICE, CAUSING THE BRAKE AND THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE TO VIBRATE AND CREATING SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD. YH
THE CONSUMER STATE WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH AND APPLYING THE BRAKE'S, THE BRAKE'S WENT STRAIGHT TO THE FLOORBOARD AND THE CONSUMER HAD TO PUMP THE BRAKE'S AND THE VEHICLE SLOW DOWN AND CAME TO A STOP AND THE CONSUMER STATE THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THE BRAKE'S HAS FAIL.
PLEASE TAKE NOTE THAT THE STATE AND ZIP CODE INCORECT , I HAD TO IMPROVISE AS I COULD NOT FILLED OUT THIS QUESTIONAIRE AND I WRITING FROM CANADA. MY POSTAL CODE IN CANADA IS L0L 2P0. ON 21 NOV 1998 , DURING THE 35000 KM(22000 MILES) SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE I REPORTED TO THE DEALERSHIP THAT THE FRONT BRAKES OF MY SATURN WERE PU…
Read full complaint
PLEASE TAKE NOTE THAT THE STATE AND ZIP CODE INCORECT , I HAD TO IMPROVISE AS I COULD NOT FILLED OUT THIS QUESTIONAIRE AND I WRITING FROM CANADA. MY POSTAL CODE IN CANADA IS L0L 2P0. ON 21 NOV 1998 , DURING THE 35000 KM(22000 MILES) SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE I REPORTED TO THE DEALERSHIP THAT THE FRONT BRAKES OF MY SATURN WERE PULSATING WHEN BRAKING (MY ODOMETER READING WAS 22303 MILES(35686 KM) . DURING THE SERVICING THE DEALERSHIP DISCOVERED THAT BOTH FRONT ROTORS (DISCS) WERE WARP AND AS CORRECTIVE ACTIONS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, THE FRONTS BRAKE PADS WERE SANDED, BOTH FRONT ROTORS WERE MACHINED AND BOTH FRONT CALIPERS WERE SERVICED. BASE ON OUR DRIVING HABITS (85 % HWY DRIVING) AND CONSIDERING THE LAST 5 VEHICLES I DROVE I FIND THIS SITUATION RATHER ABNORMAL ON A BRAND NEW CAR. ON 17 AUG 1999, AT 60662 KM (37913 MILES) SAME PROBLEME REOCCURED I REPORTED TO THE DEALERSHIP THAT MY FRONT BRAKES WERE PULSATING. THE SERVICE MANAGER SUGGESTED THAT THE ROTTORS BE MACHINED AGAIN TO WHICH I REFUSED AS IT IS NOT COVER UNDER WARANTY ANYMORE. I INDICATED TO HIM THAT IT IS ABNORMAL THAT THE ROTORS WARP LIKE THIS. IS ANSWER WAS THAT IN ACCORDANCE WITH SATURN THERE IS NO PROBLEM OR ANY DEFECT WITH BRAKES COMPONENT. I HAVE RAISE MY CONCERNS HIGHER WITHIN THE SATURN COMPANIE IN CANADA BUT IT SEEM THEY WASH THEIR HAND AND SHIFT THE BLAME ON ATMOSPHERIC CONDITION AND OUR DRIVING HABITS. I HAVE RESEARCHED IN YOUR DATABASE AND I HAVE FOUD THAT THERE WERE SVC BULLETINS # 96-T-40 A, (NHTSA ITEM # SB049187) AND SVC BULLETIN #98-T-40-A (NHTSA ITEMS SB601049) RELATING TO BRAKE PROBLEMS. MY SATURN WAS BUILT IN AUG 97. IN MY OPINION IT NOT NORMAL THAT ROTORS WARP AND CAUSED BRAKE TO PULSATE. IN ACCORDANCE WITH YOUR DATABASE I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE HAVING PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKE OF MY SATURN. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM, IF BRAKE ROTORS WARP EASILY & PULSATE AND CAUSE THE BRAKE EFFICIENCY TO DECREASE. MAY BE CONTACT ME VIA E-MAIL AT FOURNIER@COIS.ON.CA. THANKS
THE PROBLEM IN A NUTSHELL IS UNEXPECTED/UNPREDICTABLE APPARENT LOSS OF BRAKING.
UPON APPLYING STEADY PRESSURE THE BRAKES RELEASE A COUPLE OF SECONDS AFTER INITIAL APPLICATION.
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.
Illustration