MY 1998 SATURN (1.9)HAD OIL IN THE COOLANT. IT HAD A CRACK IN THE # 3 CAM JOURNAL. THE CAR ONLY HAD 72188 MILES. I HAD FOLLOWED ALL THEIR REGULAR SERVICE. I KNEW THAT THEY HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE HEAD IN 1994 AND 1995 MODELS. BUT WAS TOLD THAT PROBLEM WAS FIXED. COST WAS $1990. *NLM
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.
Engine And Engine Cooling complaints
28 reportsSATURN SL2 WAS TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP FOR 15,000 CHECK UP ON 3/17/, AS I WAS SELLING TO SON. CAR HAS APPROX. 15,690 MILES ON IT. SERVICE MGR. HOWARD GORMAN TOOK INFORMATION. MY HUSBAND TOLD HIM THE PLACE THAT CHANGES THE OIL SAID TO HAVE ANTI-FREEZE FLUSHED BECAUSE WE WERE LOSING ANTI-FREEZE AND WE COULD NOT SEE LEAK. MR. GORMA…
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SATURN SL2 WAS TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP FOR 15,000 CHECK UP ON 3/17/, AS I WAS SELLING TO SON. CAR HAS APPROX. 15,690 MILES ON IT. SERVICE MGR. HOWARD GORMAN TOOK INFORMATION. MY HUSBAND TOLD HIM THE PLACE THAT CHANGES THE OIL SAID TO HAVE ANTI-FREEZE FLUSHED BECAUSE WE WERE LOSING ANTI-FREEZE AND WE COULD NOT SEE LEAK. MR. GORMAN AFTER CHECKING CAR AND CALLING US, PERFORMED CLOSE TO $500 WORTH OF REPAIRS ON CAR, INCLUDING ROTATING TIES ETC. HE THEN TOLD US THAT CAR MAY HAVE A HAIRLINE CRACK IN HEAD. THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN ON A CAR WITH THIS LOW MILEAGE. I BOUGHT THE CAR NEW AT SATURN NORTH, 8600 NORTH HIGH ST., WORTINGTON, OHIO. I DRIVE CAR BACK AND FORTH TO WORK WHICK IS APPROX. 8 MILES ONE WAY. MR. GORMAN SUGGESTED THAT WE TAKE CAR HOME AND PUT SOME MILES ON THE CAR AS IT IS NOT DRIVEN FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME. IT STAY IN GARAGE AND IS NOT LEFT OUT IN WEATHER. HE PUT DIE IN THE ANTI-FREEZEE TO CHECK AND ASKED US TO BRING BACK IN A WEEK AND HE WOULD RECHECK. WE TOOK THE CAR BACK ON 3/31/03 AT THIS TIME MR. GORMAN TOLD US SPECIAL DIE CAME THROUGH THE HEAD ON #4 CYLINDER POSITION. AFTER TAXES IT WOULD COST US $3000 TO FIX. WE ARGUED AND COMPLAINED . THEY TOLD US THEY WOULD REDUCE THAT TO $2,268.35 BECAUSE OF THE LOW MILES. I THEN CALLED A CHRISTIE AT SATURN HEADQTRS. AFTER MR. GORMAN SUGGESTED WE DO THIS. SHE TOOK SEVERAL DAYS TO GET BACK TO US AND TODAY TOLD US SATURN WOULD DO NOTHING FOR US. I FEEL THAT FOR A HEAD TO HAVE A CRACK AT 15,000 MILES IS HORRIBLE AND WONDER HOW MANY OTHER CARS HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS IS MY SECOND SATURN AND THE FIRST CAR I TRADED IN HAD ONLY 16,000 MILES ON IT. IT IS MY WORK CAR AND I DO NOT DRIVE GREAT DISTANCES. THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED.
VEHICLE STALLED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS.*JB PH
THE VEHICLE STALLED INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING. THE CAM SWITCH WAS REPLACED TWICE, THE IDLE CONTROL WAS ADJUSTED AND THE THROTTLE WAS REPLACED YET THE PROBLEM RECURRED. THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS SHIFTED IN REVERSE. THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED. *NM
CRACKED CYL HEAD, OIL & COOLANT WERE MIXING TOGETHER. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
I CHECK MY CAR WEEKLY. WITH NO WARNING OR TELL TALE SIGNS, I FOUND WATER IN THE CRANKCASE AND OIL IN THE RADIATOR. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MY MECHANIC AND HE CLAIMS I HAVE EITHER A BLOWN HEAD GASKET OR A CRACKED ENGINE HEAD WITH ESTIMATED REPAIRS IN EXCESS OF $2, 000.00. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THE CAR HAS A WARRANTY…
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I CHECK MY CAR WEEKLY. WITH NO WARNING OR TELL TALE SIGNS, I FOUND WATER IN THE CRANKCASE AND OIL IN THE RADIATOR. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MY MECHANIC AND HE CLAIMS I HAVE EITHER A BLOWN HEAD GASKET OR A CRACKED ENGINE HEAD WITH ESTIMATED REPAIRS IN EXCESS OF $2, 000.00. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THE CAR HAS A WARRANTY OF 36,000 MILES OR 3 YEARS AND I AM OUT OF WARRANTY DUE TO TIME.*AK
CYLINDER HEAD CRACKED IN ENGINE AFTER APPROX. 85000 MILES. ALL ENGINE OIL LEAKED FROM THE AUTOMOBILE AS A RESULT. ENGINE WAS COVERED WITH OIL UPON INSPECTION BUT LUCKILY, DID NOT IGNITE. NEEDED TO BE REPLACED WITH NEW ENGINE AT A COST OF $2400 AS REPAIRS WOULD HAVE BEEN RISKY AND AT A HIGHER COST.*AK
CAR OVERHEATED WITH NO WARNING AND SMOKE SPILLED OUT OF FRONT. COOLANT BURST OUT OF CONTAINER AND FLOODED CAR AND GROUND. TECHNICIAN FOUND THAT THE SENSOR BROKEN AND WIRES REMOVED BUT COULD NOT OFFER ANY EXPLANATION. CAR HAS NOT BEEN IN ACCIDENT AND HAS NOT BEEN TAMPERED WITH. THE ONLY PEOPLE WITH ACCESS TO ENGINE IS SATURN …
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CAR OVERHEATED WITH NO WARNING AND SMOKE SPILLED OUT OF FRONT. COOLANT BURST OUT OF CONTAINER AND FLOODED CAR AND GROUND. TECHNICIAN FOUND THAT THE SENSOR BROKEN AND WIRES REMOVED BUT COULD NOT OFFER ANY EXPLANATION. CAR HAS NOT BEEN IN ACCIDENT AND HAS NOT BEEN TAMPERED WITH. THE ONLY PEOPLE WITH ACCESS TO ENGINE IS SATURN TECHNICIANS.
THE BRAKE ROTORS WARP EASILY, THEY ARE EITHER INSUFFICIENTLY THICK OR COOLED. NLM
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.
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