What's Wrong with the 2nd Generation SW2?

Front 3/4 view of a Saturn SW2

The 2nd generation SW2 (1997—1999) has 4 owner complaints, mostly about engine problems. Overall it ranks 4th in reliability out of 34 eligible Saturn generations.

Reliability rankings are based on our PainRank™ system. A higher number means you can expect more significant problems. The average score for a Saturn generation is 2.77, while this generation comes in at 0.36.

Compare With Other SW2 Generations

What Owners Complain About

Sometimes it helps just to tally up the complaints and see where the biggest stacks are. Use this information to learn about troublespots or to run for the hills.

Worst Issues

What Breaks

Years to Avoid

2nd Generation SW2 Key Numbers

  1. 2 model years

    Grouping all models by their year can reveal some baddies.

  2. 4 complaints

    Running tally of owner grievances filed to CarComplaints.com.

  3. 4th in reliability

    Overall reliability rank out of 34 eligible generations.