1997 Saturn SC
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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These records cover every 1997 Saturn SC. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
3 recalls name the 1997 Saturn SC. Newest first.
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.
Risk and remedy
Risk
In a rapid deceleration or vehicle crash, the occupant would not be properly restrained increasing the risk of personal injury.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the driver and front passenger safety belt retractor.
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, reflective devices, and associated equipment."
Risk and remedy
Risk
A vehicle's headlamp would not be properly adjusted causing visibility problems to oncoming vehicles.
Remedy
Owners are being provided with a label with the correct information on headlamp horizontal aim to be placed over the existing text in the owner's handbook. if an owner desires, their dealer can place the sticker in the owner's handbook for them.
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."
Risk and remedy
Risk
This condition could result in seat movement with a belted occupant during a moderate to severe frontal impact.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the passenger seat inboard fore/aft adjuster.
Owner complaints
33 complaints4 involved a crash1 involved a fire1 injuries1 deaths
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Seat belts
Right front passenger seat belt male mechanism is locked up and will not extend to lock in female mechanism. Unusable.
- Electrical system
TL* the contact owns a 1997 saturn sc. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled without warning. The failure occurred when there were numerous keys on the key ring. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 103,000. *Tt *tr
- Electrical system
I have 2 saturns (sc and SL) both are 1997's. both have same electrical problem where battery will not hold charge. something seems to be draining the power but no one can figure out what. both cars start with a jump and run fine if driven often. but if the car sits for more than a day, the battery IS drained.
- Electrical system
Battery kept being drained.
- Electrical system · Tires
I was driving my 1997 sc saturn north bound fl turnpike when the road felt really bumpy and suddenly the engine electrical (cables/wires)components flew & splash against the windshield blocking my view, "oh my god" I immediately edge to the left shoulder, got out of the vehicle to assess the…
I was driving my 1997 sc saturn north bound fl turnpike when the road felt really bumpy and suddenly the engine electrical (cables/wires)components flew & splash against the windshield blocking my view, "oh my god" I immediately edge to the left shoulder, got out of the vehicle to assess the situation, contacted geico road service. I was shocked to see that one of the lemans tire (right passenger side) tread had completely peeled & blown off. apparently, as the tire began to fail the steel belts from the tire destroyed the inner fender, the outer fender and ripped out the main wiring harness that provided power to all electrical components inside the passenger compartment such as door locks, windows etc. it appears that the placement of this wiring harness over the front wheel should have been through the firewall and not over a wheel and with no protection. *tr
- Electrical system · Engine · Tires
I was driving the above mentioned vehicle (saturn SC1 1997) north bound on fl turnpike when the road felt really bumpy and suddenly pieces of debris started flying by the window and a large bundle of wires was flapping on the hood, coming from the front of the car; which I had to eased over to the…
I was driving the above mentioned vehicle (saturn SC1 1997) north bound on fl turnpike when the road felt really bumpy and suddenly pieces of debris started flying by the window and a large bundle of wires was flapping on the hood, coming from the front of the car; which I had to eased over to the left shoulder, got out of the vehicle immediately and contacted geico road service. Apparently, the chain of events that occurred were as follows: the lemans/bridgestone tire (p195-60r15) tread completed peeled off the tire with such force..that it got shredded the fender and ripped out a large bundle of electrical cables that was in the fender. the tire remained inflated, the wire cable ran from the fuse box in the engine compartment over the wheel in the fender, to provide power to virtually every electrical component in the car, and was ripped out of the passenger compartment. a highly hazardous & dangerous incident...the pictures are extremely impressive! be careful!!!! *tr
- Service brakes
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. *tr
- Tires
1997 saturn sc. Consumer writes in follow up to a request for adjustment on his general tires due to premature ware *tgw the consumer warranty claim was denied based on the stated position that the tires were older than the warranty covered; 72 months. The consumer stated he was under the…
1997 saturn sc. Consumer writes in follow up to a request for adjustment on his general tires due to premature ware *tgw the consumer warranty claim was denied based on the stated position that the tires were older than the warranty covered; 72 months. The consumer stated he was under the impression the tires were new when he purchased them on november 18, 2006. He was not informed that the tires had been sitting on the shelf for 3 years. *Jb
- Power train › Automatic transmission
I bought my saturn SC1 series 1997 at 83,000 miles. The service engine light was on. Had it checked at auto zone, second gear to ratio was off, a few thousand miles later, 90,000 I lost reverse. I drove without reverse for 2 years until I could afford to get it fixed. The transmission guy told me…
I bought my saturn SC1 series 1997 at 83,000 miles. The service engine light was on. Had it checked at auto zone, second gear to ratio was off, a few thousand miles later, 90,000 I lost reverse. I drove without reverse for 2 years until I could afford to get it fixed. The transmission guy told me that the nut/bolt that holds the gears twisted off cracked the shell of the transmission. Not good at all, I had to put a full bottle of tranny fluid in it 2-3 times a week for almost 2 years. And had to pay for it myself as it was a defect of the maker, not mine. I will never buy another saturn. Ever. Sad thing IS, I'm still paying on it. *Tr
- Seat belts › Front › Retractor
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 saturn SC1. the contact stated that the lock feature of the seat belt retractor would not work properly. as a consequence, he IS not properly restrained in the vehicle. the dealer stated that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign ID number 97v161000 (seat…
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 saturn SC1. the contact stated that the lock feature of the seat belt retractor would not work properly. as a consequence, he IS not properly restrained in the vehicle. the dealer stated that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign ID number 97v161000 (seat belts:front:retractor), although the failures were identical. the contact paid $400 to have the retractor replaced; however, the failure recurred shortly afterwards. the manufacturer was unable to assist. the failure mileage was 80,000 and current mileage was 104,000.
- Electrical system › Alternator/generator/regulator
When the car was coming to a stop, the engine would start to stall, the interior lights would dim and the electronic dash would go out and the car would completely stall. The car would not start on its own and would have to be jumped off. If this happened when pulling into driveway, you could wait…
When the car was coming to a stop, the engine would start to stall, the interior lights would dim and the electronic dash would go out and the car would completely stall. The car would not start on its own and would have to be jumped off. If this happened when pulling into driveway, you could wait an hour and the car would start as if nothing happened. When you took off again the same things would start up again with the stalling and the no starts. *tr
- Electrical system › Ignition › Anti-theft › Control module
When key IS in ignition and started and still in park the shift lock mechanism will not disengage when brake IS depressed. Also when I shut off the car and turn key to off position the key gets stuck in the ignition leaving the car susceptible to theft.*ak
- Engine and engine cooling › Exhaust system › Emission control › Catalytic convertor
While driving on the freeway at approximately 55 mph all of a sudden smoke came from under the hood. Vehicle became squarely. There was a crack in the cylinder head, spilling oil all over the exhaust system, which caused smoke and got oil all over the tires. It blew out 4 quarts of oil very…
While driving on the freeway at approximately 55 mph all of a sudden smoke came from under the hood. Vehicle became squarely. There was a crack in the cylinder head, spilling oil all over the exhaust system, which caused smoke and got oil all over the tires. It blew out 4 quarts of oil very rapidly, causing the front of the vehicle to swirl all over the road. The entire vehicle was filled with oil smoke, making visibility very dangerous. There was a vertical crack on the right side of the cylinder head that went all the way back to the middle of the cylinder head which had nothing to do with the cooling system. It only effected the oil. This defect was next to the air conditioning compressor. The casting did not look like very good quality. It was not reinforced as it should be. *ak
- Air bags › Frontal
While driving 3 mph, the frontal air bags deployed inadvertently. this caused the passenger to sustained minor injuries. please provide further details. *jb
- Electrical system › 12v/24v/48v battery · Electrical system › Alternator/generator/regulator · Electrical system › Ignition › Module
Vehicle to date IS on it's 3RD battery & alternator with only 36,000 miles on it. dealer said it was a flaw w/battery/alternator. battery/alternator 1ST replaced july - aug 2002 approx 16,000 miles, second replacement oct 2004 battery & alternator 32,000 approx miles. Battery prorated/replaced alternator - owner must pay for full repairs. Also, ignition has been replaced twice and repaired once.*ak
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine
I got my 97 saturn SC1 a year ago with 56K miles on it. the couple that had it before me took very good care of it considering the obvious lack of quality from the factory. I've put just over 21K miles on it in the last year. every 500-1000 miles it burns a quart of oil. this means that every…
I got my 97 saturn SC1 a year ago with 56K miles on it. the couple that had it before me took very good care of it considering the obvious lack of quality from the factory. I've put just over 21K miles on it in the last year. every 500-1000 miles it burns a quart of oil. this means that every 3000 miles I have to give it two oil changes, one the normal way, and one every time I fill it with gas. the joke has become "fill the oil and check the gas." *nm
- Exterior lighting › Tail lights
While driving at 25/30 mph vehicle caught on fire. The fire started from the rear tail light.*ak
- Electrical system › Horn · Exterior lighting › Headlights · Power train › Automatic transmission
Vehicle stalls when downshifting. also, there IS no horn, and headlights will not come on . *ak
- Electrical system › Horn
When consumer pushes horn button (s) there IS no sound. dealership IS aware of problem. *Ak
- Steering › Linkages
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.*ak
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine
Engine cylinder head failure while driving at 45 mph. dealer / manufacturer notified, and informed consumer that warranty expired. please feel free to provide any further detail on this matter. *ak
- Seats
Both front seats reclined when vehicle was hit from behind. the drivers seat would not remain locked in upright position as a result.*ak
- Seat belts
Consumer recently recieved recall letter 99v-280 from saturn concerning seat belt failure, consumers child was a passenger and was killed in a vehicle collision and the consumer feels there IS a possibility that the recalled component experienced failure and could have been the cause of death. *et
- Air bags › Frontal
When driving at 55 mph vehicle was involved in a head-on collision, rear end damage. Vehicle went into an embankment, and neither driver's side nor passenger's side air bag deployed. Vehicle was a total loss. *Ak the vehicle hydroplaned and the driver spun around the front end and the rear end was damaged by hitting the highway center divide. *yh
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Gasoline
No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10248444Vehicle Recalls
- 10246631Expanded Availability for Remanufacture and Return (R&R) Electronic Control Modules
- 10233368This service bulletin revision provides a repair procedure to Remove Debris from Evaporator Case, Disinfect evaporator or Apply Cooling coil coating and install blower motor control module to correct a customer concern of A/C Odor at start-up.
- 10233366This service bulletin revision provides a repair procedure to Remove Debris from Evaporator Case, Disinfect evaporator or Apply Cooling coil coating and install blower motor control module to correct a customer concern of A/C Odor at start-up.
- 10082506This technical bulletin provides a procedure to reprogram the media disc player with the latest calibrations to correct a condition of the rear entertainment system not operating as intended in colder ambient temperature areas due to calibration concerns.
- 614008Some customers may comment about abnormal wear or a cut on the inboard edge of the driver or passenger seat back cover.
Every Saturn SC model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.