IllustrationCONSUMER FEELS THE HORN BUTTON IS VERY SMALL AND HARD TO LOCATE, SOMEONE BACKED INTO HIM AND HAD TROUBLE FINDING THE HORN. *SLC
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
What owners actually said
168 reportsSATURN TELLS ME, "IT HAS TO GET WORSE BEFORE WE CAN TELL WHAT'S WRONG." NO SAFETY DEFECT (S) LISTED IN THE SUMMARY. *AK
ROTORS WARPED VERY FREQUENTLY AFTER SERVICE, CAUSING THE BRAKE AND THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE TO VIBRATE AND CREATING SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD. YH
NO SUMMARY
THE COMPONENT IN QUESTION HAS NOT FAILED AND PROBABLY WON'T. I FEEL THE DESIGN OF THE KNOB WHICH ALLOWS THE SHOULDER BELT ANCHOR POINT TO BE ADJUSTED UP / DOWN COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER. I AM TALL, SO I SIT WITH THE SEAT ALL THE WAY BACK. THIS "KNOB" IS LOCATED EXACTLY BESIDE MY TEMPLE WHILE I'M DRIVING. IF I WERE TO BE HIT FR…
Read full complaint
THE COMPONENT IN QUESTION HAS NOT FAILED AND PROBABLY WON'T. I FEEL THE DESIGN OF THE KNOB WHICH ALLOWS THE SHOULDER BELT ANCHOR POINT TO BE ADJUSTED UP / DOWN COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER. I AM TALL, SO I SIT WITH THE SEAT ALL THE WAY BACK. THIS "KNOB" IS LOCATED EXACTLY BESIDE MY TEMPLE WHILE I'M DRIVING. IF I WERE TO BE HIT FROM THE DRIVER'S SIDE, I HAVE VISIONS OF THIS KNOB DOING SERIOUS INJURY TO MY SKULL AND WHAT LITTLE BRAIN I HAVE IN THERE. I THINK THE KNOB NEEDS TO BE REDESIGNED (AN ADJUSTABLE SHOULDER ANCHOR POINT IN THE NEW NISSAN ALTIMA IS MUCH LESS INTRUSIVE.)
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.
NOTHING
POWER WINDOW MOTOR.
BATTERY.
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.
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.