Car key locks up in ignition, wont turn or come out. Cable to park mechanism wont disengage. Has happened multiple times, today it took 40 minutes of jiggling steering wheel,key, brake shifter to disengage to get the car started.
Vehicle safety record
1998 Saturn SC Problems, complaints & recalls
Owners have filed 13 complaints about the 1998 Saturn SC with NHTSA, most often about the transmission & drivetrain (4) and the engine & cooling (3). Those complaints describe 1 crash. There are no recalls for it. For comparison, the 1997 has 33 and the 1999 has 24.
NHTSA data checked
AFar fewer problems than a typical SC year, for its age
#157 most complained-about 1998 vehicle
- Complaints
- 13
- Recalls
- 0
- Crashes
- 1
- Fires
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Deaths
- 0
Most common 1998 Saturn SC problems
Share of all 13 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.
No recalls for the 1998 Saturn SC
NHTSA lists no recalls for the 1998 Saturn SC. Recalls can be announced at any time - this page updates daily.
What owners say
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13 complaints about the 1998 Saturn SC
Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners.
The tire that I believe is faulty, ran low on air for a little while, then I aired it up - everything was fine until I tried to go into town one evening and it felt like I was riding on my rim. It sounded awful. Once I was stopped at a street light, I opened my car door and there were pieces of tire just sitting underneath my car and under the tire. So I finally pulled into a gas station, sure enough, I was riding my rim. I came to conclusion that my tire was debeading, and I was sold a possible faulty tire. *Tr
Button popped off emergency brake handle, rendering emergency brake inoperable. *Tr
As I'm pulling away from a stop sign, I go to shift into 2nd gear & it's as if my manual gear shifter is not attached to anything. I am now not in any gear , unable to shift into gear, & left coasting across a 4 lane, 2 way street. Also, both front seat seatbelts only retract about half way, and it has been that way from at least 17000 miles. *Tr
Car overheated on 4 lane highway. Had to pull over while cars were driving by. Replacement of head gasket at 101,000 miles. Car is still not working properly as head was replaced and now a ping had developed. 8Jb
While driving at any speed vehicle accelerated uncontrollably. Driver was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and drove it to the dealer for inspection. However, mechanic could not duplicate the problem. *Ak
While the vehicle was parked consumer noticed fluid leaking from underneath. Consumer was able to drive the vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the cylinder head needed to be replaced due to crack inside of the engine. *Ak
Manuel shift handle disengaged from transmission cable on floor when shifting. Car was unable to be shifted to lower gear to cross highway safely .
Air conditioning unit stopped cooling.Dealer wanted to trouble shoot@$80.00/Hour. Haynes service manual said to check fuse .Replaced diode @$4.00 And fixed myself. Manual transmission whining in 2nd and 3rd gear. Checked transmission dipstick and transmission fluid was low. Added fluid and anything over 1 quart poured out. Had transmission shop check it out for blown seal and they found internal metal fracture in transaxle inner case caused by shear pin movement. Saturn issued service manual notification in...
Read the full complaint
jan.1998. Dealer and saturn are no help. Vehicle only warranteed 3 years or 36k even though this has been a known problem since 1997. Saturn blames owners for their bad engineering and does not stand behind their crappy vehicles
While driving vehicle was in a frontal collision, but none of the airbags deployed upon impact. Vehicle was totaled. Please provide more details.*Ak
Consumer states that when applying the brakes the brakes will go all the way to the floor. The stopping distance has increased. Contacted dealer and the dealer states that the brakes are prefectly ok. *Mrconsumer does not feel safe in this vehicle. *Jg
TRANSMISSION FAILURE RESULTED IN LEAKAGE. *MJS
VISOR STOPPER FAILED. *YC
Saturn SC: every year compared
All SC years1998 Saturn SC vs rivals
| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 Saturn SC | 13 | 0 | A | |
| 1998 Saturn SL | 183 | 1 | C | Compare |
| 1998 Saturn SC1 | 39 | 0 | C | Compare |
| 1998 Saturn SW | 27 | 0 | C | Compare |
| 1998 Saturn S-Series Wagon | 1 | 0 | - | Compare |
More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.
Questions about the 1998 Saturn SC
Does the 1998 Saturn SC have any recalls?
NHTSA lists no recalls for the 1998 Saturn SC right now. Recalls can be announced at any time, and this page checks NHTSA every day. You can also check your exact vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What are the most common problems with the 1998 Saturn SC?
By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the transmission & drivetrain (4), engine & cooling (3), brakes (2).
How many complaints has the 1998 Saturn SC had?
13 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on February 1, 1999 and the latest on June 30, 2016. Of these, 1 describe a crash and 0 a fire, and together they report 0 injuries and 0 deaths.
Is the 1998 Saturn SC a reliable vehicle?
Its Safety Index is 81 out of 100 (grade A: far fewer problems than a typical Saturn SC year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.
Which Saturn SC years have the most complaints?
1994 (51), 1995 (39), 2002 (38). See every Saturn SC year compared.
What should I do if my 1998 Saturn SC has a problem?
If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data