1996 Saturn SW Engine cooling Problems
- Complaints
- 6about this part
- Share
- 30%of 20 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 94,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 6 complaints about the engine cooling of the 1996 Saturn SW, 30% of the 20 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 94,000 miles.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“The saturnsw2 gasket cover warped year after year;they redesigned it;it should be covered under a recall; many thousands of these covers have put people in danger of a fire with the oil leaks;the expense of changing out the engine is horrific, for a cheap piece of plastic they no longer make from plastic; it is now aluminum or some form of metal. Small leaks are one thing;these major leaks are another.”
NHTSA complaint #10255221, filed 2009-01, 161,000 miles“The vehicle stalled without warning. The consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The mechanic informed the owner that the engine's head gasket had failed.”
NHTSA complaint #10054109, filed 2004-01, 27,000 miles“With the gasket failure, the oil and coolant mixed within the engine, the dealer had the engine flushed out and I had it back in 1 week, 2 months later while driving to work , it wouldn't shift into 2rd gear,. Had to drive it down to the dealer's 2.5 hours from home . Got it back 1 week later. Ever since the engine was worked on we've had an oil leak, the dealership said the leakage was in normal range . We use 1-3 qts every month .”
NHTSA complaint #746521, filed 2001-06Related service bulletins
- 10246631Sep 1, 2013Expanded Availability for Remanufacture and Return (R&R) Electronic Control Modules
Engine cooling: other model years
Other parts of the 1996 Saturn SW
5 complaintsBrakes
4 complaintsFuel system
2 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
2 complaintsExterior lighting
1 complaintsSeats
1 complaintsSteering
1 complaintsSuspension
1 complaintsVehicle speed control
1 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
1 complaintsWheels
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1996 Saturn SW
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology