1998 Saturn SL Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe transmission trouble, with harsh or delayed shifts and in some cases a rebuild, along with engine cooling problems where a cracked cylinder head let coolant and oil mix. Brake pulsation from warped front rotors, seat belt retractors and buckles that would not hold, and power windows that dropped or stopped working are the other recurring themes. Reports arrive from very low mileage up to well past 100,000 miles, with transmission and brake complaints often appearing under 70,000 miles.

1. 1
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission harsh shifts, slipping and early rebuilds

   • 26 complaints (15%)
   • median 55,600 mi at 6.5 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1998–2014

   Complaints describe automatics that hesitate or jerk before engaging a gear, with owners told a valve body needed replacement or that the unit had to be rebuilt, sometimes well below 60,000 miles. Some report the car dropping from a higher gear into a lower one on its own, including one case at highway speed, and one describes fluid running several quarts low with no warning. Others report the floor shifter going limp or the lever refusing to move out of park, traced in one case to a plastic bushing sold only as part of the whole shift cable. Reports cluster between roughly 12,000 and 61,000 miles, with transmission work often described before 50,000 miles.

   What to check: On the test drive, feel for hesitation, a clunk or a long pause when shifting from park into drive or reverse, and check the fluid colour and level. Move the shifter through every gear and ask whether the shift cable, bushings or valve body have been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While parking my 1898 Saturn SL in a hospital garage, the shift lever went limp without warning. There was no way to operate the transmission. When I removed the console, I discovered that the plastic bushing that connects the manual shift lever to the shift cable was missing. There was no longer any connection between the shift lever and the cable to the transmission. The entire shift cable assembly had to be replaced to fix the problem. Saturn told me that the bushing is made onto the cable rather than being available as a separate part. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10108486, filed 2005-02, 55,600 miles

   “1998 Saturn with 49,000 miles needed the whole transmission to be rebuilt. The valve bodies are kept in stock at Saturn of route 23 because this is such a common problem with Saturn. The car had been properly maintained, trans service at 25,500 miles. Saturn will take no responsibility in the cost of repairs. I've noted that Saturn is on several webb sites with transmission failures documented.”

   NHTSA complaint #10068767, filed 2004-01, 49,000 miles
2. 2
   Tires

   Tire tread separation, sidewall bubbles and blowouts

   • 13 complaints (8%)
   • median 90,350 mi at 8.8 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1999–2012

   Complaints describe tread separating from original-equipment tires, bubbles forming in sidewalls, and tires losing air or blowing out without warning at highway speed; one owner reported the same tire model failing repeatedly within a year. Another found the tread on an unused compact spare split open with the belts showing after years in the trunk. Where owners raised it with a dealer or tire maker, they report being told the cause could not be identified. Reported from very low mileage up to about 125,000 miles, including tires that failed with little tread wear and a spare that failed with age rather than use.

   What to check: Read the four-digit date code on all four tires and the spare, and look for cracks, bubbles or exposed belts in the tread and sidewall. Plan on replacing any tire that is old regardless of how much tread is left.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My firestone compact spare tire for a 1998 Saturn sl2, which has never been used, shows tread separation. The rubber is splitting apart in the tread area and the belts are showing through. This also happened to a previous firestone compact spare I owned for a Saturn. The tire is size t115/70r14 and the serial number is hym7h5a377. The tire is admittedly old, but the extent of damage is alarming considering the tire has not been used. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10325422, filed 2010-04, 70,000 miles

   “My new husband and I had just driven over 300 miles the night before on the interstate to our honeymoon destination. The next afternoon, we were traveling on a divided four lane at approximately 50 MPH when a tire blew. The tires were relatively new and had little wear. The gentleman at the tire dealership showed us where the tire had just ruptured on its on. The tire was made by firestone and was an affinity label. I replaced the damaged tire and the opposite tire on the front (my car is front wheel drive). …”

   NHTSA complaint #10141216, filed 2005-10, 110,700 miles
3. 3
   Engine cooling

   Cracked cylinder head and coolant in the oil

   • 8 complaints (5%)
   • median 76,597 mi at 6.2 yrs old (4 state mileage, few)
   • filed 1999–2014

   Owners describe coolant disappearing with no obvious external leak, sometimes with the coolant level light coming on, then finding oil and coolant mixed, such as sludge in the cooling system, an oily film in the reservoir, or coolant around a spark plug. Complaints report a cracked cylinder head or a crack at a cam journal being found, and one owner says the engine was replaced after oil drained out following the crack. Repair estimates in the complaints run from about $1,000 to $2,400, and some owners say earlier dealer visits for the same symptoms produced no diagnosis. Mostly reported between about 70,000 and 100,000 miles.

   What to check: Open the coolant reservoir and look for an oily film or sludge, then check the dipstick and oil filler cap for milky residue. Ask whether the head gasket or cylinder head has been repaired and whether the cooling system was flushed afterwards.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “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.”

   NHTSA complaint #10016343, filed 2003-04, 72,194 miles

   “Cracked cylinder head on 1998 sl1 Saturn with 70,000 miles. Car was loosing coolant. Cost $2,000 in labor to repair, problem seems to appear with other consumers complaining as well. Manufacturer should consider this a defect and reimburse for cost of reapir.”

   NHTSA complaint #10102855, filed 2004-12, 70,000 miles
4. 4
   Brakes

   Warped front rotors and brake pulsation

   • 16 complaints (10%)
   • typically at 1.9 yrs old
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1998–2004

   Complaints describe a pulsing through the brake pedal and steering wheel when stopping, with warped front rotors found and either resurfaced or replaced, in some cases more than once within a couple of years. Owners also describe rear brakes that did not adjust as expected and made noise or locked up on first use, and one reports a pedal sinking most of the way to the floor with a worn rotor and sticking calipers. In some of these visits the dealer told the owner nothing was wrong. Reported from the first year of ownership onward, with one owner describing rotor work at roughly 41,000, 48,000 and 64,000 miles.

   What to check: Brake firmly from highway speed during the test drive and feel for shudder through the pedal or wheel, then look at the rotor faces for heavy scoring or a pronounced wear lip. Ask for records showing when the pads, rotors and rear brake adjustment were last serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “1998 Saturn 41,635 miles- bakes pulse and shakey steering- machine rotors new pads 48,343 miles-shakey steering-balance wheels replace suspected bad tire. 64,057 miles-shakey steering-machine rotors, pads okay for now. There is something definitely wrong with the brakes and or the rotors. I have owned many vehicles and never had rotor problems. While at the repair shop I overheard two phone calls from customers with similar complaints.”

   NHTSA complaint #10073234, filed 2004-05

   “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. …”

   NHTSA complaint #729959, filed 2000-09
5. 5
   Seat belts

   Seat belt retractors and buckles not holding

   • 9 complaints (5%)
   • median 59,200 mi at 6.4 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1998–2005

   Owners describe front buckles that looked latched but came undone, and belts that did not lock and hold occupants in a collision. Complaints also describe retractors that would not pull the belt back, with one owner told by a dealer that this was a frequent repair on the model and that a part from an earlier model year might be adapted. A rear lap belt that would not lock, causing a child seat to sit loosely, was another report. Reported from near-new up to about 68,000 miles, with no clear pattern by mileage.

   What to check: Buckle each belt and tug it firmly to confirm the latch holds, pull the belt all the way out and let it retract, and check that the rear lap belt locks when pulled. Ask whether any buckle or retractor has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was in an accident that totaled my car. I was only traveling 15-20 MPH when I hit a car with no lights on. I had two passengers in my car. All of us sustained injury because the seatbelts did not lock up and hold us. My back set passenger was on the driver's side and she was rushed to the hospital with facial injuries that left a gash under her left eye and run burn all over her face. My front passenger went flying into the from widshield and his head hit at the top right corner. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10110019, filed 2005-02, 50,000 miles

   “While driving/parking seat belt latch unlocked from the belt buckle. Consumer was unable to wear seat belt correctly. Left front seat buckle were replaced on consumer's expense. Dealer wasn't able to explain the main cause of the problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #10059765, filed 2004-04, 59,200 miles

Buying note. With a car this old, maintenance records carry more weight than mileage: ask specifically what has been done to the transmission, the cooling system and the front brakes. A test drive that includes firm braking from highway speed, shifting through every gear, and a look at tire date codes will expose most of what owners report here.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.