My brother was killed june 24, 2005, in a single car accident. He was driving a 1998 saturn sl on an interstate in mississippi, the saturn went out of control, his seatbelt (which he always wore) and he was ejected from the car. Since his death, I've found on the federal safety agency's site almost 30 different complaints from 1998 saturn sly owners describing serious failures of that cars stability, brakes, steering, and air bags---all of which resulted in the car going out of control. Fortunately, the drivers in the 30 complaints I've found all stated that the injuries were not fatal. My brother and our family are not so fortunate. The 1998 saturn sl's failures killed my brother. All of these failures were reported to the federal safety agency years ago, so his death could have been avoided. The federal safety agency and the saturn company owe me and my family some answers. And the federal safety agency and saturn must act now before more people are killed by this fatal car.
1998 Saturn SL seat belts problems
17 complaints (10% of all complaints for this car). 4 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 17
- of this car's complaints
- 10%
- crashes
- 4
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Front: anchorage6
- Front: retractor3
- Front3
- Front: buckle assembly2
- Rear/other1
- Front: webbing1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Saturn SL seat belts problems in other years
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
What 1998 Saturn SL owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Frequently when the front seat belts are buckled they appear to be secured, but are not and come undone. This is the onlu car I have ever driven that you are not locked into your seat belt when you think you are.
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. The belt restrained him inside of the vehicle as it stayed connected to the car but my front passenger only stoped as soon as the seatbelt extended as far as it could. I was driving and was pused down into the airbag by my passenger sitting behind me. I sustanined a small fracure that loosened my two front teeth. My back passenger is the only one to sustain damage from the actual seatbelt and it was arouund her stomach, which see was 7 monthes pregnat at the time. The baby is ok and she was released from the hospital the next morning.
1998 saturn sl seat belts are defective.***no answer required***. *mr the drivers seat belt would unlatch while the consumer was driving.
While driving/parking seat belt latch unlocked from the belt buckle. Consumer was unable to wear seat belt correctly. *ak left front seat buckle were replaced on consumer's expense. Dealer wasn't able to explain the main cause of the problem.
I purchased a 1998 saturn sl2 in april of 2002 and discovered after purchase that it had a defective seat belt retractor. When the vehicle was taken to a local saturn dealership I was told that even though this is a very common problem on this model I would be charged for the repair. The dealership was also unable to find the exact part number and wanted to make the repair from a similar but not identical 1996 model. The dealership told me that saturn does not take responsibility for defective safety items such as the retractor because so many of their vehicles have this problem and it has not been officially recalled.
No summary. Dt
Driver's side seat belt twist to where it won't recall and is diffecult to buckle. I received a safty recall in 2000 and took it to the dealer in lafayette, in to have it replaced. It wooked ok for about a year and then it acts up again. Dt
When seat belt comes through slider to connect across chest belt it is cut. .*ak the belt must be cutting when it is pulled down to be fastened, the cuts are not noticeable because they are obscured by the slider when the belt is retracted and out of sight when the belt is fastened, the consumer retained the damaged part. Nlm
Consumer states horn failed.
Questions about the 1998 Saturn SL seat belts
Does the 1998 Saturn SL have seat belts problems?
Owners have filed 17 complaints about the seat belts of the 1998 Saturn SL, 10% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 1998 Saturn SL seat belts problems start?
Not enough complaints include the mileage to tell.
Was there a recall on the 1998 Saturn SL seat belts?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Saturn SL have the most seat belts problems?
The Saturn SL model years with the most seat belts complaints are 1994 (49 complaints), 1992 (29 complaints) and 1997 (25 complaints).
Other 1998 Saturn SL problems
Transmission 32Engine 28Brakes 20Visibility 17Electrical 16Tires 12Body 9Airbags 8Acceleration 7Lights 7Seats 7Fuel system 6Steering 4Suspension 4Locks 1Wheels 1
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