1995 Saturn SC1
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › Saturn › SC1 › 1995
These records cover every 1995 Saturn SC1. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
1 recall names the 1995 Saturn SC1. Newest first.
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.
Risk and remedy
Risk
If this happens while the vehicle IS being driven, it could cause a loss of control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the front seat recliner mechanisms.
Owner complaints
59 complaints10 involved a crash10 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Power train › Automatic transmission
My car sometimes shifts out of gear(automatic) and then the "service engine light" comes on. When put in reverse, pauses for a couple seconds then bangs into gear. This car has an intermittent problem with the trans which leads me to think that the trans IS good but a sensor IS bad. I have spoken to several people with the same problem. *jb
- Electrical system › Ignition › Switch
Key can be removed from ignition when the car IS not in park, which poses the danger of the car to move when the driver IS not inside or prepared.*ak
- Engine and engine cooling
My 1995 saturn SC-2 began evaporating motor oil, at the rate of a full quart every 300 miles. I took it to the dealer and they did a full engine rebuild, which was very expensive. my car performed slightly better afterwards but needed follow-up adjustments of the repaired parts; saturn failed to…
My 1995 saturn SC-2 began evaporating motor oil, at the rate of a full quart every 300 miles. I took it to the dealer and they did a full engine rebuild, which was very expensive. my car performed slightly better afterwards but needed follow-up adjustments of the repaired parts; saturn failed to honor their warranty on these repairs so I declined to have them done. after this hassle I decided to do research to see if this IS a common problem, and there are dozens if not hundreds of reports on the web about saturn owners of models built 1994-1996 that have had engine explosions and fires while driving, many of which have led to crashes and injuries. these are all traced to what appears to be an engine defect that leads to excessive oil consumption-- the same problem my car appeared to have. when I went to saturn with this information, they told me that they would only look at my car after verifying that it was still losing oil themselves, and that to do this I should drive my car for 3,000 miles and then bring it back. by that time, my warranty would be expired anyways. other consumers have told me identical stories. it appears that saturn engines may be defective, and their customer service certainly IS also. *jb
- Seats
Model: 1995 saturn SC2 coupe through normal wear and tear, the driver's seat collapsed backwards, the internal metal IS bent, and so the seat will not return to the normal position. the seat was already partially bent back when the car was recalled for repairs. that recall concerned the…
Model: 1995 saturn SC2 coupe through normal wear and tear, the driver's seat collapsed backwards, the internal metal IS bent, and so the seat will not return to the normal position. the seat was already partially bent back when the car was recalled for repairs. that recall concerned the failure of the seat recliner mechanism. saturn replaced the mechanism, the seat was upright for a time, but then collapsed fully after mild backward pressure. in response to this problem, saturn said that the metal of the seat was bent out of shape, that the seat won't lock into an upright position, and that this problem was unrelated to the recall. therefore I should pay for a replacement seat. I contend that the forces applied to the seat are inter-related to the problems of the recliner mechanism, and that faulty engineering design has led to the problem.
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Gasoline
Excessive oil consumption starting near 45,000 miles. Took over 15,000 miles to convince dealer/mnfg of defective engineering. 30,000 saturn oil consumption test 1 dec '96 35,000 saturn oil consumption test 2 36,000 rr cam cover (cc) gasket, rear main seal 45,500 rr cc gasket, harmonic…
Excessive oil consumption starting near 45,000 miles. Took over 15,000 miles to convince dealer/mnfg of defective engineering. 30,000 saturn oil consumption test 1 dec '96 35,000 saturn oil consumption test 2 36,000 rr cam cover (cc) gasket, rear main seal 45,500 rr cc gasket, harmonic balancer, crankshaft seal, oil pan gasket 49,250 rr cc & ccr gasket 60,000 to 68,900 oil consumption ~ 1 qt every 600 miles 66,000 email to angie barrett, saturn customer assistance center, re oil consumption "1 qt every 2,000 IS ok". 68,900 saturn oil consumption test 3 , owner tells saturn to either rebuild or put in new engine. Jan 1999 70,000 email to angie barrett, again they say get an oil consumption test . Friend at ford fuel & lube hq in friendly terms says 1QT every 1K miles IS not normal. 70,817 saturn local tech rep says consumption of 1 qt every 1,000 miles IS within specification! in the meantime it IS sucking 1 qt every 500 to 800 miles. 72,650 saturn oil consumption test 4, rr cc (2ND time) & 4TH gasket 73,800 saturn oil consumption test 5, rr cam cover (3RD time) & 5TH gasket 75,800 saturn finally decides to do a partial rebuild rr: journal & bearings, seals, crankshaft, rings, pistons, cylinder head, clutch owner tries to get warranty extended for 6,900 miles since those miles were put on at saturns desire. owner told to go pound sand. removed/replaced summary for this time frame: crankshaft- 1X motor mount -2X cam cover- 3X battery - 2X generator - 2X harmonic bal - 1X cam cover gasket - 5X oil consumption test - 5X since then: 120,000 or 44,000 miles after rebuild, the oil consumption problem IS back in full force of 1 at every 500 to 600 miles number of failures counted as any time 1 qt of oil oil was needed before 2000 miles were driven during the odometer time frame of 60,00 to 80,000 miles IS : 21 odometer time frame of 140,000 to 160,000 miles IS: 26
- Power train › Automatic transmission
While driving and coming to complete stop automatic transmission doesn't shift properly from neutral to park or from neutral to drive. won't shift, and makes loud noise. dealer notified. *ak
- Unknown or other
I have been told by several mechanics that this IS a common problem with this model year. no safety defect list. *ak *nlm **dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut-over to artemis*734321
- Electrical system › Alternator/generator/regulator
The timing chain was replaced under warranty once and I have had to replace two alternators due to this. Now, my timing chain IS going out again. The car IS a 1995 saturn SC2. Today it only has 66,000 miles on it and IS eight years old. I change the oil every 3,000 miles. But, I also have to put…
The timing chain was replaced under warranty once and I have had to replace two alternators due to this. Now, my timing chain IS going out again. The car IS a 1995 saturn SC2. Today it only has 66,000 miles on it and IS eight years old. I change the oil every 3,000 miles. But, I also have to put oil in it in between changes. Now, my moon roof won't close all the way. It will open all the way but it won;t close. Also, the headlight on the passengers side won't go up and down properly.i had my front seat fixed because it went all the way down when a little pressure was applied when driving. I almost had an accident due to this and it scared me so I took it in to the saturn dealer to have it fixed. I tried to argue with them about it not being my fault that that happened. But they would not listen. Now, 4 years later it IS recalled. If I knew who to complain to before I would have added my two cents in. I do have an appointment for the seats reclining devices to be repaired. Thanks for listening. kathy holley
- Parking brake › Conventional
Button popped out of end of "hand brake". dealer very familar with problem. new button not available except as part of expensive package. dt
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Gasoline
Excessive oil consumption began at approximately 70,000 miles. engine was well maintained but dealer blamed us for poor maintenence. job was performed at 88,684 miles, and dealer covered half of the expense. however, car currently has approximately 105,000 miles, and excessive oil consumpiton…
Excessive oil consumption began at approximately 70,000 miles. engine was well maintained but dealer blamed us for poor maintenence. job was performed at 88,684 miles, and dealer covered half of the expense. however, car currently has approximately 105,000 miles, and excessive oil consumpiton has returned. dealer IS currently investigating problem. I have all maintenance records, including oil changes, for vehicle proving car has been properly maintained therefore oil consumption IS a result of either poor design or incompetent work during ring job. car was purchased at a saturn dealer as certified used in 1999. I just obtained an official service bulletin (#94-t-59) alerting all saturn dealers of excessive oil consumption. document was dated december 1994, five years prior to the purchase of the vehicle. at the time of purchase, no information on this problem was relayed to us, and this could have affected our decision to buy the vehicle. furthermore, prior to the ring job on the vehicle, the car was returned to the dealer several times for the oil consumption problem, and no mention of the service bulletin was given, and no compression test was performed on the engine. while under the extended warranty contract. once the contract had expired, a compression test was performed, and of course, we needed a ring job. by paying for half of the original ring job, this dealer IS practically admitting that saturn IS partially at fault for this problem. after browsing the internet, I have found that my problem IS not an isolated incident, but rather, literally thousands of saturn owners are experiencing the same problem and all are receiving the following explanations: 1.) owners are at fault for poor maintenance. 2.) it IS normal for a saturn vehicle to burn 1 quart of oil every 2000 miles. if this many people treat there cars poorly, why don't other vehicle manufacturers experience this level of oil consumption? please investigate. Dt
- Air bags · Service brakes, hydraulic › Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
While approaching a right curve and applying brakes, brake pedal hardened, and brakes failed. Manufacturer was notified. *Ak consumer missed the curve and drove downhill approximately 50 feet, crashing into a tree, the air bags did not deploy, there was one injury. *slc
- Seats
While sitting in drivers side seat, consumer happened to stretch without warning and seat happened to recline on its own. Consumer found recall 9v045000 regarding same problem. contacted dealer, dealer indicated this vehicle was not covered under recall due to vin. *Ak *slc
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Gasoline
No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak
- Tires
On march 20, 2001, I purchased 4 exocet wynstar 205/40z/r16 75W low profile tires from reeve's tire in joplin, missouri. on october 28, 2001, a friend of mine noticed that there was a bubble in the sidewall of the front driver side tire. when I contacted reeve's, they told me that I must have hit…
On march 20, 2001, I purchased 4 exocet wynstar 205/40z/r16 75W low profile tires from reeve's tire in joplin, missouri. on october 28, 2001, a friend of mine noticed that there was a bubble in the sidewall of the front driver side tire. when I contacted reeve's, they told me that I must have hit the curb and caused an impact break. yet, if I had hit any curb in the town where I live, I would have had damage to my wheel, since the tires are low profile. but there was no damage to the wheels, and there were no rub marks on the tire. I then contacted the manufacturer at 1-800-944-8414. the manufacturer agreed to replace the tire under warranty. the tire was replaced on 11/14/01. on 01/02/02, a different friend of mine noticed that there was a bubble and a crack in the sidewall of the front passenger side. I again contacted the manufacturer and they agreed to replace the tire under warranty. on 01/11/01, I went to joplin, missouri, to reeve's tire, to have the tire replaced. when I got back in my car, after the tire had been replaced, I wrote down what the mileage was on the car at that time. it was 82,280.0. I then proceeded to drive back to pittsburg, ks, which IS about 30 miles, I believe. I didn't think that I would have any problems, being as brand new tire was just put on my car. when I was about 10 miles from pittsburg, the sidewall of the brand new tire blew, the one that had just been replaced on the front passenger side. I temporarily lost control of the car, but there was no accident or injury. I didn't know if there was anything that could be done about this, or if I could find out if there have been any other complaints about these tires. so far, I am not happy with the quality of these tires. especially since reeve's was very willing to charge me $125.00 per tire, if I couldn't get them covered by warranty. I would appreciate a quick response of any kind to this. Thank you.*ak
- Seats › Front assembly › Recliner
While driving vehicle and each time that it accelerates passangers seat will collapse backward just like mentioned in recall 99 v 045 000 front seat back recliner. please provide more information. *ak
- Seats › Front assembly › Recliner
Same issue as nhtsa campaign ID 99v045000, except my car was manufactured on 12/94. I believe the existing recall needs to be expanded. *Ak
- Engine and engine cooling › Exhaust system › Emission control › Gas recirculation valve (egr valve)
Egr valve caused my car to stall out without warning and often when I was turning and crossing over traffic. the computer never stored any codes and it was several attempts before the problem could be found. I contacted saturn because there was a technical service bulletin regarding this problem…
Egr valve caused my car to stall out without warning and often when I was turning and crossing over traffic. the computer never stored any codes and it was several attempts before the problem could be found. I contacted saturn because there was a technical service bulletin regarding this problem but my vehicle was over 3 years old but under 36,000 miles, but they refused to honor it under warranty. they claimed the technical service bulletin was no guarantee of service. I also experienced for the first time my car becoming "stuck" at a speed and the rpm surging. after the egr valved was replaced 8/13/1998, I didn't have this problem again until almost a year later. I was entering an interstate highway and my vehicle would not got over 30 miles per hour. The rpm's surge high. no service codes are stored. I have been to a goodyear garage for an overall and they were unable to find the problem. I have been to 2 transmission shops and they cannot find anything wrong. I have been to the engine shop that replaced my egr valve. they cannot find the problem. as long as the computer won't store codes they cannot find the problem. now my vehicle IS also sticking at around 35-40 mph, but it won't slow down when I take my foot of the gas the rpm once again surges high past 4. the only way to stop IS to hit the brakes. I contacted saturn but they said there isn't anything they can do if it doesn't store a code. this IS a problem I have always had with my vehicle not storing codes. it was defective when it was sold to me. I have been through a lot of time and expense with both the egr valve and now this problem. it IS dangerous and I am afraid what will happen if I can't get the vehicle under control especially if it happens at a higher speed. the nearest saturn dealer IS 1 hour 10 minutes from me. any garage should be able to locate the problem if the computer had ever worked correctly. saturn said they would just be guessing with no codes.*ak
- Seats
Consumer was traveling about 35mph on a main street and driver's seat clicks twice, and move back. passenger's seat moves. *Ak
- Seats · Seats › Front assembly › Recliner
Intermittently passenger's seat will recline backwards. a recall has been issued on vehicle's make and mode; however, this vehicle was not included due to vin.*ak recall number IS 99v045, consumer states problem happens often when seat has been adjusted. *slc
- Parking brake › Conventional
The button that holds emergency brake popped out. The brake will no longer stay up.*ak
- Seats · Seats › Front assembly › Recliner
Driver's seatback would recline rearward upon getting into the seat. dealer notified, and informed consumer that vehicle not covered under manufacturer's recall due to vin. *ak recall number IS 99v045, consumer paid for repairs. *slc
- Seats › Front assembly › Recliner
While driving seatback mechanism released, causing seatback to recline backward. Vehicle not included in recall. 99V045000. Please give any further details.*ak
- Seats
I was rear-ended by a large SUV while I was stopped in traffic and was pushed into another vehicle. I was wearing my seat belt. my neck snapped in during the accident and the entire driver seat collapsed and reclined fully during impact.*ak
- Unknown or other
I have been told by several mechanics that this IS a common problem with this model year.
- Air bags › Side/window
When vehicle crashed into the passenger's side of a ford, F150, saturn traveling a little over 35 mph, there was no deployment of the driver's side or passenger's side air bags. Vehicle will be repaired. Please provide any further information.*ak
Defect investigations
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
- Front seat back can recline or collapse
- Cruise control failures
This investigation documented hte functional aberations that have occurred in the performance of the subject cruise control system.most of the malfunctions involved failure of the system to properly regulate vehicle speed when engaged, failure of the system to engage, or self-disengagement of the system. These…
This investigation documented hte functional aberations that have occurred in the performance of the subject cruise control system.most of the malfunctions involved failure of the system to properly regulate vehicle speed when engaged, failure of the system to engage, or self-disengagement of the system. These problems were investigated and steps taken by the manufacturer to remedy their occurrences.service procedures were issued for vehicles in use, and a design modification made for new vehicles.no confirmed allegations of failure of the system to disengage upon command were identified.improved quality control procedures and design modificationsin the system were undertaken to ensure a more consistent level of system performance.the details of these findings and the resulting conclusions are contained inthe subject engineering analysis closing report.a safety-related defect trend was not identified at ehis time and further use of agency resources does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
- Cruise control failure
There is no summary currently available
Every Saturn SC1 model year
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