RoadVitals

1998 Saturn Sc Owner Complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full

Data refreshed

Complaints on fileComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
13
Latest Jun 30, 2016
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
1
Filed in the last 12 monthsReports filed with NHTSA in the trailing 365 days. Recent volume reflects attention and vehicle age as much as anything else.
0
Reports on file since Feb 1, 1999

What this page shows

Our database holds 13 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1998 Saturn Sc. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Complaints, most recent first

Showing 1–13 of 13

ElectricalSteering
Filed Jun 30, 2016

CAR KEY LOCKS UP IN IGNITION, WONT TURN OR COME OUT. CABLE TO PARK MECHANISM WONT DISENGAGE. HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES, TODAY IT TOOK 40 MINUTES OF JIGGLING STEERING WHEEL,KEY, BRAKE SHIFTER TO DISENGAGE TO GET THE CAR STARTED.

NHTSA ID
10881827
Incident
Jun 30, 2016
Mileage
147,646 mi
Tires & wheels
Filed Mar 13, 2014

THE TIRE THAT I BELIEVE IS FAULTY, RAN LOW ON AIR FOR A LITTLE WHILE, THEN I AIRED IT UP - EVERYTHING WAS FINE UNTIL I TRIED TO GO INTO TOWN ONE EVENING AND IT FELT LIKE I WAS RIDING ON MY RIM. IT SOUNDED AWFUL. ONCE I WAS STOPPED AT A STREET LIGHT, I OPENED MY CAR DOOR AND THERE WERE PIECES OF TIRE JUST SITTING UNDERNEATH MY CAR AND UNDER THE TIRE. SO I FINALLY PULLED INTO A GAS STATION, SURE ENOUGH, I WAS RIDING MY RIM. I CAME TO CONCLUSION THAT MY TIRE WAS DEBEADING, AND I WAS SOLD A POSSIBLE FAULTY TIRE. *TR

NHTSA ID
10569160
Incident
Feb 20, 2014
Brakes
Filed Jul 31, 2013

BUTTON POPPED OFF EMERGENCY BRAKE HANDLE, RENDERING EMERGENCY BRAKE INOPERABLE. *TR

NHTSA ID
10532985
Incident
Jul 1, 2013
Interior & seatsTransmission
Filed May 26, 2009

AS I'M PULLING AWAY FROM A STOP SIGN, I GO TO SHIFT INTO 2ND GEAR & IT'S AS IF MY MANUAL GEAR SHIFTER IS NOT ATTACHED TO ANYTHING. I AM NOW NOT IN ANY GEAR , UNABLE TO SHIFT INTO GEAR, & LEFT COASTING ACROSS A 4 LANE, 2 WAY STREET. ALSO, BOTH FRONT SEAT SEATBELTS ONLY RETRACT ABOUT HALF WAY, AND IT HAS BEEN THAT WAY FROM AT LEAST 17000 MILES. *TR

NHTSA ID
10270017
Incident
May 26, 2009
Mileage
97,112 mi
Engine
Filed Jul 28, 2005

CAR OVERHEATED ON 4 LANE HIGHWAY. HAD TO PULL OVER WHILE CARS WERE DRIVING BY. REPLACEMENT OF HEAD GASKET AT 101,000 MILES. CAR IS STILL NOT WORKING PROPERLY AS HEAD WAS REPLACED AND NOW A PING HAD DEVELOPED. 8JB

NHTSA ID
10130524
Incident
Jun 4, 2005
Mileage
101,000 mi
Driver assistance
Filed Apr 5, 2005

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE ACCELERATED UNCONTROLLABLY. DRIVER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, AND DROVE IT TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. HOWEVER, MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

NHTSA ID
10117488
Incident
Jul 20, 2004
Engine
Filed May 7, 2004

WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED CONSUMER NOTICED FLUID LEAKING FROM UNDERNEATH. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE CYLINDER HEAD NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO CRACK INSIDE OF THE ENGINE. *AK

NHTSA ID
10072273
Incident
May 7, 2004
Transmission
Filed Mar 25, 2004

MANUEL SHIFT HANDLE DISENGAGED FROM TRANSMISSION CABLE ON FLOOR WHEN SHIFTING. CAR WAS UNABLE TO BE SHIFTED TO LOWER GEAR TO CROSS HIGHWAY SAFELY .

NHTSA ID
10063899
Incident
Mar 23, 2004
Mileage
80,085 mi
EnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Jan 15, 2004

AIR CONDITIONING UNIT STOPPED COOLING.DEALER WANTED TO TROUBLE SHOOT@$80.00/HOUR. HAYNES SERVICE MANUAL SAID TO CHECK FUSE .REPLACED DIODE @$4.00 AND FIXED MYSELF. MANUAL TRANSMISSION WHINING IN 2ND AND 3RD GEAR. CHECKED TRANSMISSION DIPSTICK AND TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS LOW. ADDED FLUID AND ANYTHING OVER 1 QUART POURED OUT. HAD TRANSMISSION SHOP CHECK IT OUT FOR BLOWN SEAL AND THEY FOUND INTERNAL METAL FRACTURE IN TRANSAXLE INNER CASE CAUSED BY SHEAR PIN MOVEMENT. SATURN ISSUED SERVICE MANUAL NOTIFICATION IN JAN.1998. DEALER AND SATURN ARE NO HELP. VEHICLE ONLY WARRANTEED 3 YEARS OR 36K EVEN THOUGH THIS HAS BEEN A KNOWN PROBLEM SINCE 1997. SATURN BLAMES OWNERS FOR THEIR BAD ENGINEERING AND DOES NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR CRAPPY VEHICLES

NHTSA ID
10070205
Incident
Oct 15, 2003
Airbags
Filed Jan 27, 2003
Crash reported

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE WAS IN A FRONTAL COLLISION, BUT NONE OF THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED UPON IMPACT. VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE DETAILS.*AK

NHTSA ID
10004732
Incident
Jan 21, 2003
Mileage
64,000 mi
Brakes
Filed Oct 4, 2002

CONSUMER STATES THAT WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES THE BRAKES WILL GO ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. THE STOPPING DISTANCE HAS INCREASED. CONTACTED DEALER AND THE DEALER STATES THAT THE BRAKES ARE PREFECTLY OK. *MRCONSUMER DOES NOT FEEL SAFE IN THIS VEHICLE. *JG

NHTSA ID
8020214
Incident
Jul 2, 2002
Transmission
Filed Apr 10, 2000

TRANSMISSION FAILURE RESULTED IN LEAKAGE. *MJS

NHTSA ID
551807
Other / unspecified
Filed Feb 1, 1999

VISOR STOPPER FAILED. *YC

NHTSA ID
606775
Incident
Oct 1, 1998

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .