IllustrationROTORS WARPED AND WERE REPLACED 9 WITHIN 9 MONTHS AFTER BUYING VEHICLE BRAND NEW, REPLACEMENT PART WAS DEFECTIVE AND REPLACED ONE MONTH LATER, IN FEBRUARY OF 2001, ROTORS WERE WARPED AND REPLACED AGAIN. *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 reportsTHE BRAKE ROTORS WARP EASILY, THEY ARE EITHER INSUFFICIENTLY THICK OR COOLED. NLM
WHEN I DON'T LET THE CAR WARM UP FOR A WHILE THE GAS PEDAL STICKS AND WILL NOT COME BACK OFF OF THE ACCELERATION UNLESS YOU PULL IT UP OR IF IT RELEASES FOR SOME STRANGE REASON.*AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLES. *AK (TIRESIZE: P28565/R15)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P28565/R15 )
REAR LAP BELT DOES NOT LOCK, WHEN PLACING A CAR SEAT IT CAUSES SEAT NOT TO BE PROPERLY INSTALLED AND MOVES FREQUENTLY. SATURN SAID LAP BELT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
TRAVELING ON I-5 SO @ APPROX 72MPH LEFT REAR TIRE BLEW OUT. ORIGINAL STOCK TIRE ON SATURN. LUCKILY VEHICLE DIDN'T FISHTAIL OR GO OUT OF CONTROL @ FREEWAY SPEEDS. SATURN DEALERSHIP REFERRED ME TO FIRESTONE. FIRESTONE CLAIMED NO CREDIT TOWARDS NEW TIRES; REPLACED ALL FOUR AT THIS TIME. TIRE HAD MULTIPLE GASHES/HOLES & TREAD COMING…
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TRAVELING ON I-5 SO @ APPROX 72MPH LEFT REAR TIRE BLEW OUT. ORIGINAL STOCK TIRE ON SATURN. LUCKILY VEHICLE DIDN'T FISHTAIL OR GO OUT OF CONTROL @ FREEWAY SPEEDS. SATURN DEALERSHIP REFERRED ME TO FIRESTONE. FIRESTONE CLAIMED NO CREDIT TOWARDS NEW TIRES; REPLACED ALL FOUR AT THIS TIME. TIRE HAD MULTIPLE GASHES/HOLES & TREAD COMING APART. HAD TO DRIVE ON RIM TILL GOT TO SHOULDER 2 LANES OVER. DON'T KNOW IF LUCKY I WAS IN A LOW PROFILE VEHICLE SO AVOIDED THE PROBLEMS THE SUV'S HAVE OR NOT? DUE TO LONG COMMUTES WILL NOT PURCHASE THIS TYPE OF TIRE. HAVE HAD BETTER RESULTS FROM OTHER BRANDS.DAMAGE OF $120 IS ONLY 1/4 COST OF COMPLETE SET OF TIRE REPLACEMENT OF $467.87 PAID. (TIRESIZE: P185/65HR1)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P185/65HR1 )
NO SUMMARY
PE 00 020/TIRE TREAD SEPARTION: REPORTING TIRES WERE CUPPING AND A FLAT WAS RECEIVED AFTER TWO MONTHS OF PURCHASE ON A 1998 SATURN, SL. ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT, P195/60R15, DOT# UNAVAILABLE. *AK
THIS VEHICLE IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. WE WANT TO FIND OUT FOR SURE! NO SAFETY DEFECT MENTIONED. *AK
NOT LONG AFTER WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, THE BRAKES MADE NOISE AND CAUSED THE STEERING WHEEL TO VIBRATE UPON BRAKING. BROUGHT IN THE VEHICLE FOR SERVICE AND THEY SAID THE ROTORS WERE WARPED, THEY CUT THEM DOWN. SINCE THEN THE BRAKES HAVE MADE NOISES AND THE REAR WHEELS LOCKUP UPON INITIAL DRIVING DAILY. EACH TIME THE VEHICLE …
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NOT LONG AFTER WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, THE BRAKES MADE NOISE AND CAUSED THE STEERING WHEEL TO VIBRATE UPON BRAKING. BROUGHT IN THE VEHICLE FOR SERVICE AND THEY SAID THE ROTORS WERE WARPED, THEY CUT THEM DOWN. SINCE THEN THE BRAKES HAVE MADE NOISES AND THE REAR WHEELS LOCKUP UPON INITIAL DRIVING DAILY. EACH TIME THE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT IN FOR REGULAR OIL CHANGES, WE COMPLAINED ABOUT THE NOISES, AT 10.209 MILES &16,284 MILES, BUT THEY ALWAYS SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG. NOW THE BRAKES ARE STILL MAKING NOISES WHEN YOU FIRST START THE VEHICLE. ALSO, NOW THE STEERING WHEEL VIBRATES UPON BRAKING, MORE AT HIGHER SPEEDS, CAUSING HARDER BRAKING AT TIMES WHEN QUICK BRAKING IS NEEDED. UPON SLOW ROLLING STOPS, LIKE COMING TO A LIGHT, THE CAR SURGES, LIKE THE BRAKES ARE GRABBING AT CERTAIN POINTS THEN RELEASING. SOMETIMES BRAKING IN NORMAL CITY ROADWAYS, THE BRAKES DON'T RESPOND WHEN QUICK BRAKING IS NEEDED TO AVOID DANGEROUS SITUATIONS. IT'S LIKE THE BRAKE PEDAL IS TOUGH TO PRESS.
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.