10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
40,953 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 1998 Saturn SL:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #5

Jan 112012

SL

  • miles
I was driving a person ran a stop sign and I hit the vehicle head on the airbag blew up in my face sounded like a bomb I had burns on my face head hands and fore arms my ribs were bruised and some contusions in back and knees.

- Slidell, LA, USA

problem #4

Apr 032012

SL 4-cyl

  • 148,763 miles
I was a passenger in the 1998 Saturn SL1, while approaching an intersection "two cars behind the lead car about to go through intersection" the driver in the on-coming lane decide last minute to make a left hand turn at the intersection in front of the lead car in are lane. Which caused a chain reaction of accidents. While the 1998 Saturn Sl was indeed the last car to hit the "pile up" upon impact I exhaled and tried to relax my body for impact "like I observed on discovery's myth busters" after impact as I was asking my friend "driver" if she was ok. The air bag deployed late!... if this will happen to me a 300pd grown man id hate to see the out come if a person not of my mass had this happen to them. I feel as if they would have gone through the windshield... life threatening injury's would of most certainly occurred.

- Lakeland , FL, USA

problem #3

Mar 012003

SL

  • miles
Involved in two collisions with another vehicle, and none of the side airbags were deployed.

- Tulsa, OK, USA

problem #2

Dec 122003

SL

  • Automatic transmission
  • 56,000 miles
While driving at 65 mph left front tire went flat, consumer lost control, vehicle rolled over, and neither of the air bags deployed. Consumer bought vehicle five days prior to accident, and was not sure if there were air bags in the vehicle.

- Edgerton, WI, USA

problem #1

Jan 212002

SL

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
While driving at 2mph, the airbags deployed without warning, contacted dealer, and the dealer was not willing to do anything.

- Horsham, PA, USA