IllustrationACCELERATOR PEDAL HINGE BROKE... LEAVING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL HANGING FROM THE ACCELERATOR CABLE. CAR IS NOT DRIVEABLE.*AK
1998 Saturn Sw
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 Saturn Sw do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 20.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Sw 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: 4 of 27 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.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
4 crash reports1 fire reports2 injury reports
Vehicle Speed Control complaints
5 reportsWHILR AT A COMPLETE STOP, VEHICLE WILL NOT RETURN TO CORRECT IDLE POSITION, IT WILL STAY AT A HIGH IDLE POINT. CONTACTED DEALER, AND THE DEALER CAN NOT LOCATE THE PROBLEM.*AK.*JG
WHEN ENGINE WARMS UP/SLOWING DOWN OR STOPPING RPMS WILL INCREASE. ALSO IF TAKEN FEET OF GAS PEDAL, VEHICLE WILL ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN. THIS HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER REPAIRED AND REPLACED PARTS, BUT STILL DID NOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM. *AK
THIS IGNITION-HIGH IDLE PROBLEM HAS EXHISTED SINCE OWNERSHIP AND FIRST PART REPLACEMENT UNDERWARENTY WAS THE IDLE AIR CONTROL J5542 IN FEB. 2000. THE IDLE ACCELERATION PROBLEM STARTED IN 1999, HOWEVER, COULD NOT BE REPEATED DURING TESTS DRIVE UNTIL FEB. 15,2000. AT THE 42,000 SERVICE THE SAME COMPLAINT WAS ADDRESSED WITH THE I…
Read full complaint
THIS IGNITION-HIGH IDLE PROBLEM HAS EXHISTED SINCE OWNERSHIP AND FIRST PART REPLACEMENT UNDERWARENTY WAS THE IDLE AIR CONTROL J5542 IN FEB. 2000. THE IDLE ACCELERATION PROBLEM STARTED IN 1999, HOWEVER, COULD NOT BE REPEATED DURING TESTS DRIVE UNTIL FEB. 15,2000. AT THE 42,000 SERVICE THE SAME COMPLAINT WAS ADDRESSED WITH THE IAC MOTOR REPLACED. THE 60,000 MILE SERVICE THE TEMP. SENSOR AND IGNITION MODULE WAS REPLACED FOR $391.00, AND THE PROBLEM OF ACCELERATION CONTINUES WITH THE RPM'S OVER 2,000. I AM CONCERNED FOR MY SAFTEY. THE CAR HAS ACTUALLY ACCELERATED WITHOUT GAS/OR CLUTCH CHANGES. IF I WERE ON ICE, WHICH THIS AREA IS NOTED FOR IN THE WINTER, I WOULD BE IN DANGER. AGAIN, THIS HAPPENS WHEN THE CAR HAS BEEN DRIVEN FOR A WHILE AND THE MOTOR IS WARM, AND INTERMITTANTLY.*AK
CRUISE CONTROL FAILED. YH
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.