Owners have filed 158 complaints on the Saturn SC, covering 1995–2002. The system named most often is Electrical System (28 reports). Worst years by volume: 1995, 2002, 1997; cleanest: 2000, 1998, 2001. 26 reports describe a crash, 4 a fire. On average the car was 6.1 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Saturn SC
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 158 SC complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Electrical System 28 Read
Car has had issues with the starter over the years, requiring countless replacements before the recommended replacement dates. Recently, a starter lasted only 6 months before failing. When a mechanic looked at the starter, he said that there is probably something wrong with the ignition causing the starter to…
While the car was being tested in the shop, a fuse was replaced. A fire started in the electrical system. According to the dodge dealership, this is a common problem with saturns. The dodge dealership checked with a general motors who verified that it is not uncommon for saturns to catch on fire
The spark plug wires are arching and sparking which could potentially cause a fire. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who initially changed the spark plugs. Dealer contacted the division office which told him to put the old spark plugs back on the vehicle. *ak
Engine And Engine Cooling 24 Read
The contact owns a 2002 saturn sc1. While driving at any speed, the contact smelled coolant in the cab of the vehicle and noticed smoke coming from the tailpipe. The dealer has not inspected the vehicle. The failure mileage was 60,000 and current mileage was 90,000. Updated 02-01-08 *bf updated 02/01/08
On 2/1/07 my car started running rough, with no ses light coming on. After a couple of weeks the ses light came on and I took the car to the dealer for repairs. A defective intake manifold gasket had caused the rough idle, and the dealer said that if I left go to long enough it could have caused the engine to seize…
2002 saturn sc1 lost engine--oil in coolant at 80,000 miles. The mechanic that disassembled the engine stated that the camshaft journals were worn so bad that the engine could not be re-built. Replaced engine 5 months ago, last week, auto transmission stopped engaging reverse gear. Discussed with local saturn dealer…
Air Bags 17 Read
My vehicle was moving on the freeway, when I was hit from passenger side, drivers side hit concrete divider, airbag knocked me out, after front of car hit embankment, then I woke up from the smoke, smell of fire coming from airbag
My vehicle was in a head-on crash and none of the four airbags were deployed. My vehicle was a 2002 saturn sc2 ,and is now a total loss. It's VIN number is [xxx]. There were 4 people in the car and all sustained injuries, one serious.*ak information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c.…
The contact stated while driving 40 mph on a dry highway someone pulled out in front of the vehicle and the contact's vehicle was hit head on. The air bags did not deploy. The passenger side obtained the most damage. There were not any lights illuminated on the dashboard prior to the incident. There were injuries and…
Seats 16 Read
On february 11, 2005 I was involved in a motor vehicle accident. I was at a complete stop and rear ended by a person most likely going about 45 miles per hour. I own a saturn sc1 2000. My seat went forward and then completely collapsed into the back seat. This is very significant for the following reasons. My 8 year…
Driver seat recliner failure. Same problem that affected 1994 and 1995 saturns (recalled as well). Gear teeth in recliner mechanism get worn out and no longer hold the seat backrest upright. This poses a safety issue
Both front seats reclined when vehicle was hit from behind. The drivers seat would not remain locked in upright position as a result
Power Train 11 Read
The vehicle's transmission leaked fluid. *nm the consumer had the transmission repaired at a local transmission shop and requested reimbursement from the manufacturer. The manufacturer refused to reimburse the money because the repairs were not made by a saturn dealer
On december 22, 2002, I discovered a leak from my car. I needed someone to look at the car immediately just to have an idea of how serious the leak was. At 7 am the following morning I called highwood auto which is very close to me and someone came and towed the car to the shop. They later called to say it was a…
Today I went to put my 1999 5 speed saturn sc1 into reverse. When I did, I felt a pop and was stuck in reverse. After removing the console, we found that the plastic bushing holding the gearshift rod to the cable had snapped. (luckily I was in a parking lot when this occurred). This could've been a dangerous…
Service Brakes 9 Read
On august 16, 2003 I carried the car to a midas location to have my brakes and alignment checked. Upon leaving they gave me an estimate saying I needed my rotors resurfaced, rear brakes serviced, and my front brakes serviced. Which came to a total of $148.21. So, therefore I called saturn, and had an appointment to…
I tried braking hard and my pedal went completely to the floor before the car stopped and then I hit a car on the side. I could have avoided it if my brakes weren't bad. I had new brake pads on all 4 wheels and it was still low
With ABS brakes; when braking on curve on wet road surface, owner lost control when brakes were applied, resulting in an accident/injury
Steering 9 Read
My daughter katie was driving her car around a curved exit ramp when the steering seemed to fail. The car veered wildly back and forth, and the brakes were unresponsive as well. She made minor corrections to the steering until it finally began to straighten out. Then a fox ran across the road, she jerked reflexively,…
Threads stripped between the inside and outside tie rod on drivers side causing complete loss of steering. Had this happened at speed it would have caused a serious injury or fatality. Dealer is investigating the cause
The contact owns a 2002 saturn sc1. The contact stated that when inserting the key into the ignition, the steering column would suddenly lock. She tried to rock the steering wheel back and forth but it would not unlock. The dealer was contacted and they advised her that the cylinder and the housing would need to be…
Seat Belts 8 Read
Seat belt has become torn and frayed, caused by seat belt retraction device. This problem occurs on the 2001-2002 saturn sc1
While driving, driver's seat belt slips out, and will not hold. *ak
Seat belt recall on other models, but not this owners model. Seat belt broke three times
SC years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Air Bags | 6 | 2 | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | 2 | 1 | |
| 2000 | Electrical System | 1 | — | |
| 1999 | Air Bags | 4 | 1 | |
| 1998 | Engine And Engine Cooling | — | — | |
| 1997 | Air Bags | 4 | — | |
| 1996 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 1995 | Air Bags | 7 | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 130 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.2 |
| Worst single series | 4 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 6.1 years |
A model average of 1.2 hides a worst series at 4. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the SC?
By complaint volume, 1995, 2002, 1997 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which SC years are the cleanest?
2000, 1998, 2001 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Saturn SC have?
158 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1995–2002. Of those, 26 describe a crash and 4 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.