Vehicle description: certain passenger vehicles, equipped with automatic transaxles, fail to comply with the requirements of fmvss no. 114, "Theft protection." These vehicles were built with an improperly adjusted automatic transaxle park lock cable...
1991-2001 · 11 model years
Saturn SC1 Problems by year
Owners have filed 413 complaints about the Saturn SC1 across 11 model years, and it has 8 recalls. The 1994 has the most complaints once its age is allowed for (82), while 1991, 2000 have far fewer than a typical year. The most reported problem area is the seats & seat belts, followed by the engine & cooling.
- Complaints
- 413
- Recalls
- 8
- Crashes
- 69
- Fires
- 4
- Injuries
- 53
- Deaths
- 1
SC1 complaints by model year
Highlighted: the year with the most complaints for its age. Older vehicles have had more time to collect complaints - the Safety Index grade allows for that.
Most common SC1 problems
Saturn SC1 recalls 8
Vehicle description: certain passenger vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of fmvss no. 301, "Fuel system integrity." These vehicles were built with an inadequate vent valve weld on the top portion of the fuel tank.
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Some front seat back recliner gear teeth may wear excessively through repeated use, and could cause the seat back to slip partially rearward when force is applied.
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The section of the owner's handbook titled "horizontal aim" does not specifically instruct an owner how to adjust the headlamp horizontal aim. This does not comply with requirements of fmvss no. 108, "Lamps...
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. If the driver or front passenger safety belt is pulled out much faster than normal, a number of time, the lock-up feature of the retractor will not work properly.
The front passenger seats have less lock pawl engagement on the inboard fore/aft adjuster than specified. This does not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 207, "Seating systems."
The generator electrical wiring is not protected against excessive current flow which may be caused by an electrical short circuit in the generator.
The positive battery cable terminal at the starter solenoid may be formed incorrectly. Incorrectly formed terminals can contact the starter solenoid housing and cause an electric short circuit.
Latest SC1 complaints
Horn started blowing all by itself, I could not get it to stop , then an electrical smell (burning) . My husband disconnected the horn fuse and battery , inspection of fuse showed it had blown . After waiting a few minutes we reconnected the battery all ok, except horn does not work now. This is the second such incident with horn, dealer repaired last time 2-20-2010. *Tr
In 2007, based on recommendations from service technicians and other owners of my car's model, I purchased new michelin hydroedge tires. Upon recent inspection and rotation at a service center, it was noted that all four of my tires were dry-rotting at the sidewall near the treads. The technician stated that "michelins do that." The tires are 4 1/2 years old, have been driven 23,000 miles with very little tread wear (9/32" left) and are not housed inside a garage where ozone could affect them. I drive 10 miles...
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round trip each work day. I also do not live in an urban area. I researched this issue online and found many similar complaints of dry rot leading to blowouts, often with related accidents. In many instances michelin denied any responsibility and sited everything from environmental reactions to pothole and curb hits by drivers sometimes denying a claim before receiving the customer's documentation. There are too many complaints to ignore anymore. Just because many of us have found the problem before the tires caused an accident doesn't mean this is not serious. How many occurrences does the nhtsa need before it acts proactively to end this safety risk? I hope this complaint speaks for consumers who filed previously, others who have not filed and for those who do not know they are at risk. Please do not wait until a high-profile fiery crash brings light to this issue (as seems too often to be the case in our society.) Michelin has had a few major tire recalls, one just recently, so there is probable cause to investigate the dry rot complaints. Investigate now so we can all benefit from the nhtsa, an entity that is and will continue to be accountable for the safety of all taxpayers. Thank you. *Js
Drivers seat slides backwards without using the "adjustment lever". Sometimes just backing up at 3-5 mph, also at hwy speeds. Also slides backwards after being adjusted by the driver-always adjusted while parked, never moving. Also, seatbelts worked fine until recall notice (99-2000/"repaired" by jim butler south county saturn, st louis, mo) then would not retract, must feed belts back into slot; will not return to dealer, as too many bad experiences w/this dealership. Approx 2002-03 (approx 80-100k miles)...
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started using 2 qts oil per month, now uses 3+ qts per month minimum. Approx 2009 started using enigine coolant excessively; must carry extra qts oil, 1 gallon engine coolant in car at all times, checking at every fuel fill-up or before leaving home. Battery dead oct 2011, replaced-still loses charge overnight;changed spark plugs, fuses, ignition-could remove key while car still running while stopped. Still sitting in driveway as cannot figure out elec problem. 206K mi. Purch 10-96 with 13 mi on it. *Tr
1993 Saturn sc2 front seat back recliner mechanism failed causing seat back to recline suddenly and almost injuring passenger in the car. Seat will no longer stay forward which results in seat going back a soon as you press gas pedal. *Tr
Frame on passenger side failed on second saturn. This caused the car to stop and motor to fail below bottom of the car. Also broke cv joint to transmission. Very common. *Tr
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saturn sc2 equipped with sigma supreme tires. While driving various speeds the vehicle would shake. She did not want to provide an approximate speed because the failure occurred while driving at any speed. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop where she was informed that there was tread separation on the front drivers side tire. The tire was replaced. The failure had not recurred. The failure and current mileages were 67,419. The vin was unavailable.
Questions about the Saturn SC1
Which Saturn SC1 years have the most problems?
Which Saturn SC1 years have the fewest complaints?
What are the most common Saturn SC1 problems?
Across every model year, owners report problems with the seats & seat belts (121), engine & cooling (67), electrical system (50) most often.
How many recalls does the Saturn SC1 have?
NHTSA lists 8 recalls across all Saturn SC1 model years. Each year's page lists the recalls for that year; check your own vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether the repair has been done.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data