IllustrationEXITING FREEWAY LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR AND CRASHED VEHICLE. *TR
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
Structure complaints
9 reportsNO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY AND BY THE REFLECTION OF LIGHT DAMAGED VEHICLE. CONSUMER WILL ADD ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *AK
CONSUMER STATES HORN FAILED. *JB
SPRING THAT HOLDS TRUNK OPEN IS TOO WEAK, MOST NOTICEABLE WITH FACTORY INSTALLED SPOILER. HAS HIT ME IN THE HEAD SEVERAL TIMES. DEALER SUGESTED PROP-ROD TO HOLD TRUNK OPEN. TRUNK WILL NOT STAY OPEN IF PARKED ON SMALL INCLINE OR SLIGHT HEADWIND. IF A CHILD WAS REACHING INTO THE TRUCK, IT COULD SEVERLY INJURE THERE BACK.*AK
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.
DOOR SEAL MALFUNCTIONING. *YC
FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM FAILED.
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.