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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 →
27Owner complaints

Model-year median: 20

0Recall campaigns

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0Investigations

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
36
199520
199631
199727
199816
199915
20006
2001
Compare all Sw years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Engine And Engine Cooling
6Vehicle Speed Control
5Power Train
3Visibility
3Air Bags
2
All reported categories
Seat Belts
2Seats
2Electrical System
1Fuel System, Gasoline
1Parking Brake
1Service Brakes, Hydraulic
1Suspension
1

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

Fuel System, Gasoline complaints

1 reports
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Mileage unknown · Aug 21, 2002
Fuel System, Gasoline

RPMS DO NOT ALWAYS RETURN TO IDLE AFTER REMOVAL OF ACCELERATOR PRESSURE. THE RPMS AT RANDOM TIMES, REMAIN AT 1800 TO 2200 AS INDICATED BY THE TACHOMETER. THE ENGINE IS ALSO NOISY WHEN COMING TO A STOP. CONSUMER HAS TO SHIFT FROM DRIVE TO NEUTRAL WHEN COMING TO A STOP, BUT RPMS STILL RACE FROM 1000 RPM TO 2200. NORMAL TACHOME…

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RPMS DO NOT ALWAYS RETURN TO IDLE AFTER REMOVAL OF ACCELERATOR PRESSURE. THE RPMS AT RANDOM TIMES, REMAIN AT 1800 TO 2200 AS INDICATED BY THE TACHOMETER. THE ENGINE IS ALSO NOISY WHEN COMING TO A STOP. CONSUMER HAS TO SHIFT FROM DRIVE TO NEUTRAL WHEN COMING TO A STOP, BUT RPMS STILL RACE FROM 1000 RPM TO 2200. NORMAL TACHOMETER RESPONSE IS USUALLY FROM 750 TO 1000 RPMS. CONSUMER IS CONCERNED THIS IS PUTTING WEAR AND TEAR ON TRANSMISSION AND BRAKES. ON OTHER OCCASIONS, THE VEHICLE JUMPED BACKWARDS WHEN CONSUMER REMOVED HIS FOOT FROM BRAKE PEDAL. *TT

NHTSA ODI #567179

Official recalls

0

No 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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.