1998 Saturn S-SERIES: complaints, problems and recalls
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
2 owner complaints analyzed
0 distinct recall campaigns
90,000 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 1998 model year. Data updated: . 1 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.
This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.
Most common problems
Visibility:Power Window Devices And Controls is the most frequently named component, appearing in 1 of 2 complaints (50.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Visibility:Power Window Devices And Controls | 1 |
| Visibility:Windshield Wiper/Washer | 1 |
Visibility:Power Window Devices And Controls: 1; Visibility:Windshield Wiper/Washer: 1
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 0 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 0 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 0 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 1 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 0 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 0; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 1; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0
75,000 to 99,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (1). 1 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 1 |
| 2005 | 1 |
2003: 1; 2005: 1
Pattern summary
Visibility:Power Window Devices And Controls leads the component reports. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 10007506 · 2003-02-14 (February 14, 2003)
THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORKED INTERMITTENTLY. *JB
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10007506 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10135882 · 2005-09-08 (September 8, 2005)
BOTH POWER WINDOW REGULATORS FOR THE BACK WINDOWS FAIL TO RAISE AND LOWER THE WINDOWS, LEFT SIDE IN EARLY 2004, AND NOW THE RIGHT SIDE IN LATE SUMMER OF 2005. I DETERMINED THAT THE PLASTIC MOLD INJECTED SLIDER (INSIDE THE METAL TRACK FOR THE WINDOW) IN THE LEFT REAR WINDOW HAS BROKEN, AND I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT IT IS THE CASE WITH THE RIGHT REAR WINDOW ALSO. I AM SIMPLY WAITING FOR THE FRONT PASSENGER WINDOW TO BREAK AS IT IS EXHIBITING SLOWNESS WHILE GOING UP AND DOWN. *NM
Owner-reported narrative. 90,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10135882 at NHTSA ↗
Recall history
0 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
No recall campaigns are recorded in this snapshot.
Vehicle analysis explorer
Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.
Data completeness
2 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.
Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.
Problems by model year
Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.
| Component | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags:Frontal | 133.3%ODI 892436WHILE TRAVELING AT 10 MPH A MOTORCYCLE HIT CONSUMER'S VEHICLE AT 37 MPH AND PUSHED CRASH BAR RIGHT THROUGH FRAME, ALMOST INJURING DRIVER. CONSUMER STATED THAT NONE OF VEHICLES AIR BAGS DEPLOYED.*AK | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 133.3%ODI 10104987 · 85,000 miAFTER BEING INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT AT 60 MPH, STRIKING A MEDAL POLE, THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY.*AK | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Electrical System:Ignition:Switch | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 1100.0%ODI 10104043 · 41,000 miBAD IGNITION SWITCH, THREE TIMES THE CAR ACTED LIKE IT HAD A DEAD BATTERY, THE THIRD IT WENT COMPLETELY DEAD, LIKE THE BATTERY WAS DISCONNECTED. JIGGLED KEY IN SWITCH AND IT CAME BACK TO LIFE. HAD TO HAVE SWITCH REPLACED, KEYS CODED, ETC. *JB | 133.3%ODI 10079137 · 87,000 miJUST ALL OF A SUDDEN ONE DAY MY CARS IGNITION WOULD NOT TURN ON, I HAD TO FIGHT WITH IT FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES BEFORE IT WOULD START, HAVE NOT REPLACED THE PART YET. *NM | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Seat Belts | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 240.0%ODI 10006037WHILE TRAVELING ABOUT 55MPH ON THE HIGHWAY WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE SEAT COLLAPSED. PLEASE FILL IN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION DEALER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. TS | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Seats:Front Assembly:Recliner | 133.3%ODI 567105CONSUMER WAS INJURED WHEN THE SEAT BACK RECLINER MECHANISM FAILED.*JB | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 120.0%ODI 10078340 · 3,500 miHIT IN THE RIGHT REAR, NO ARIBAG ENGAGED BUT ON IMPACT THE SEATBELT RELEASED AND THE SEAT COLLAPSED. *AK | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Air Bags | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 120.0%ODI 10078340 · 3,500 miHIT IN THE RIGHT REAR, NO ARIBAG ENGAGED BUT ON IMPACT THE SEATBELT RELEASED AND THE SEAT COLLAPSED. *AK | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Electrical System:Horn | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 1100.0%ODI 10160130 · 136,000 miHORN STARING BLARING WITHOUT DRIVER PRESSING THE HORN BUTTON. ONLY BY DISCONNECTING FUSE DID HORN STOP. *NM | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Electrical System:Starter Assembly | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 133.3%ODI 10018782 · 44,000 miTRIED TO INSERT THE KEY INTO THE IGNITION TO START BUT THE STEERING COLUMN WAS LOCKED. COULD NOT JIGGLE THE STEERING WHEEL TO UNLOCK. MECHANIC SAID THE IGNITION CYLINDER WAS FAULTY, HOWEVER WHEN HE TRIED TO REMOVE IT TO REPLACE, IT WOULD NOT COME OUT. HAD TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLY. FIRST REPLACEMENT ASSEMBLY ORDERED FROM SATURN WAS FAULTY SO HAD TO ORDER ANOTHER ONE. SATURN MECHANICS SAID THEY HAD SEEN "SEVERAL" OF THE SAME TYPE OF PROBLEM. I'M KEEPING THE ORIGINAL PARTS IN CASE THERE IS A RECALL. THE CAR ONLY HAS 44K MILES ON IT. *NLM | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline | 133.3%ODI 885163DEALER INDICATED ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO OIL PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.
Failure mileage by component
Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.
| Component | Mileage range (25th–75th percentile) | Median | Usable records | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visibility:Power Window Devices And Controls | Too few reports for a range | 90,000 mi | 1 (sparse) | ODI 10135882 · 90,000 miBOTH POWER WINDOW REGULATORS FOR THE BACK WINDOWS FAIL TO RAISE AND LOWER THE WINDOWS, LEFT SIDE IN EARLY 2004, AND NOW THE RIGHT SIDE IN LATE SUMMER OF 2005. I DETERMINED THAT THE PLASTIC MOLD INJECTED SLIDER (INSIDE THE METAL TRACK FOR THE WINDOW) IN THE LEFT REAR WINDOW HAS BROKEN, AND I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT IT IS THE CASE WITH THE RIGHT REAR WINDOW ALSO. I AM SIMPLY WAITING FOR THE FRONT PASSENGER WINDOW TO BREAK AS IT IS EXHIBITING SLOWNESS WHILE GOING UP AND DOWN. *NM |
Complaint and recall timeline
Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.
Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.
Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples
| Month | Complaints | Campaigns announced | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2024-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-10 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-10 (partial) | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
Emerging complaint spikes
Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.
This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.
No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.
Equal-age model-year comparison
Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.
2001: 1 complaints · 2002: 2 complaints
| Model year | Through age 0 | Through age 1 | Through age 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2002 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Date coverage across each selected cohort
| Year | Incident dates used | Filing date fallbacks | Excluded dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 2002 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.
Components reported together
Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.
| Component | Visibility:Power Window Devices And Controls | Visibility:Windshield Wiper/Washer |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility:Power Window Devices And Controls | — | 0 |
| Visibility:Windshield Wiper/Washer | 0 | — |
Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.
Recurring narrative patterns
Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.
0 patterns with matching reports.
No narratives match the published patterns.