IllustrationWINDOW WEATHER STRIPPING TOO LOOSE CAUSING VISIBILITY PROBLEMS DUE TO CONDENSATION.
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 reportsWHEN TRAVELING 35 MPH, GOING UP AN INCLINE AND VEHICLE IS PLACED IN FOURTH GEAR, THE VEHICLE WILL DROP FROM FOURTH GEAR INTO SECOND AND WILL ACCELERATE. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER. DEALER STATES NORMAL OPERATIONS. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
FRONT END MISALIGNED, RESULTING IN PULLING.
AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY DURING FRONTAL COLLISION.
UPON APPLYING STEADY PRESSURE THE BRAKES RELEASE A COUPLE OF SECONDS AFTER INITIAL APPLICATION.
TIE ROD CAME APART DUE TO MISSING/OMITTED NUT AND COTTER PIN.
FRONT SEAT BELT ATTACHMENTS ARE TOO LOW, WHEN SITTING IN SEAT IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE RELEASE BUTTON.
THROTTLE: SITTING AT A STOP SIGN AND PULLED OFF AND FELT LIKE IT WASN'T GETTING ANY GAS. PUT FOOT ON GAS PEDAL, AND SUDDENLY IT STUCK OPEN AND STAYED. HAD TO PUT IN NEUTRAL AND TURN CAR OFF AND RESTART. *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.