1997 Saturn Sw: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 35 complaints
35
Total Complaints
115,500mi
Median Mileage
Automatic Transmission
Top Issue
1
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

82,375 25th Percentile
115,500 Median Mileage
139,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Automatic Transmission
3
Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip
2
Anchorage
2
Fuel Pump
2
Tread/Belt
2
Electrical System
2
Disc
1
Interior Lighting
1
Brake Lights
1
Manual Transmission
1

Severity Assessment

1
Crashes
2
Fires
3
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"TRANSMISSION SLIPPED, CAUSING ACCIDENT."
"FRONT AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING AND FOR NO APPARENT REASON."
"CONSTANT CYCLICAL VIBRATION WHILE IN 5TH GEAR AND TRAVELLING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 5 VA: 3 IN: 3 MO: 3 NY: 2 NJ: 2 NE: 2 WA: 2 PA: 2 TX: 1

Who Files Complaints?

51.4%
Original Owners
48.6%
Second+ Owners

Saturn Sw — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

YearComplaintsCrashes
1993351
19944113
1995529
1996311
1998314
1999236

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28