IllustrationWHEN TURNING OFF THE CAR, THE KEY GETS STUCK IN THE IGNITION SWITCH BETWEEN THE RUN AND OFF POSITIONS. WHEN STUCK THE KEY CANNOT BE TURNED OR REMOVED. THE CAR CANNOT BE STARTED NOR CAN THE KEY BE REMOVED. *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
Electrical System complaints
16 reportsTL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 SATURN SL2 SEDAN. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND EXTERIOR LIGHTS BEGAN TO FLICKER ABNORMALLY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE WOULD OCCUR INTERMITTENTLY. THE CONTACT REFERENCE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 09E012000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) BUT HIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCL…
Read full complaint
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 SATURN SL2 SEDAN. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND EXTERIOR LIGHTS BEGAN TO FLICKER ABNORMALLY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE WOULD OCCUR INTERMITTENTLY. THE CONTACT REFERENCE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 09E012000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) BUT HIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING AND THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED YET THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING FURTHER INSPECTION OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 180,000.
I HAVE NOTED THE DRIVER OF THIS VEHICLE IS EXPOSED TO UNUSUAL ACTIVITY OF RADIO FREQUENCIES (IN THE 120-140MHZ RANGE) AND THE ARE PULSING AND VARIABLE ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS IN THE AREA OF THE DRIVER'S BODY. I AM CONCERNED WITH HEALTH EFFECTS ON CONTINUED EXPOSURES. *TR
WHILE DRIVING, THE ENGINE STALLED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE CRANKSHAFT SENOR AND COOLANT TEMPERATURE SENSOR, HOWEVER THE ENGINE STALLED AGAIN. *AK THE POWER STEERING AND IGNITION SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE GEAR DID NOT SHIFT PROPERLY, MAINLY IN FIRST GEAR. *JB
CONSUMER CALLED COMPLAINING ABOUT THE IGNITION MODULE AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED, AND STATED THAT THEY HAVE A RECALL OUT, BUT CONSUMER'S VEHICLE NOT INCLUDED DUE TO VIN. *AK
THE VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE WHILE PARKED, POSSIBLE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. TS *JB
WHEN ACCELERATING TRANSMISSION DOESN'T SHIFT INTO GEAR. ALSO, BATTERY IS LEAKING FLUID, DETERIORATING WIRE HARNESS TO TRANSMISSION. DEALER STATED PROBLEM WILL REOCCUR BECAUSE WIRES DO NOT HAVE A PROTECTIVE COVERING. *AK
CONSUMER STATES HORN FAILED. *JB
CONSUMER FEELS THE HORN BUTTON IS VERY SMALL AND HARD TO LOCATE, SOMEONE BACKED INTO HIM AND HAD TROUBLE FINDING THE HORN. *SLC
BATTERY.
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.