Problems · NHTSA complaints
1998 Saturn SC problems
Owners filed 13 complaints about the 1998 Saturn SC with NHTSA between Feb 1999 and Jun 2016. The most-cited component is power train (4).
Complaints
13
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Power train4
- Engine and engine cooling3
- Steering1
- Electrical system1
- Tires1
- Service brakes1
- Latches/locks/linkages1
- Vehicle speed control1
- Air bags1
- Service brakes, hydraulic1
- Equipment1
- Other / unknown1
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 30, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
1
1
0
1
1
3
2
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
1
0
1
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 1 |
| 2000 | 1 |
| 2001 | 0 |
| 2002 | 1 |
| 2003 | 1 |
| 2004 | 3 |
| 2005 | 2 |
| 2006 | 0 |
| 2007 | 0 |
| 2008 | 0 |
| 2009 | 1 |
| 2010 | 0 |
| 2011 | 0 |
| 2012 | 0 |
| 2013 | 1 |
| 2014 | 1 |
| 2015 | 0 |
| 2016 | 1 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Power train
4 reports
“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”
Engine and engine cooling
3 reports
“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”
Steering
1 report
“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.”
Electrical system
1 report
Tires
1 report
“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”
Service brakes
1 report
“BUTTON POPPED OFF EMERGENCY BRAKE HANDLE, RENDERING EMERGENCY BRAKE INOPERABLE. *TR”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 30, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.