Total Complaints
6 filings
SATURN SC · model year
1991 SATURN SC
6 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1991SATURNSC carries 6 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 3 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1991 SC is seat belts with 2 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline (2) and steering (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 14 investigation files overlapping the 1991 SC. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
6
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
3
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
1 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SEAT BELTS | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 2 |
| STEERING | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20010716SEAT BELTS
AUTOMATIC SEATBELTS FAILS TO OPERATE. *AK
19981129ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR WHEN SMOKE BEGAN TO EMIT AND THE GENERATOR LIGHT WAS ON. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO OUR HOUSE. UPON EXAMINING THE VEHICLE, THE ENGINE BLOCK WAS CRACKED WHERE THE GENERATOR IS SCREWED TO THE ENGINE BLOCK. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO SATURN OF DADELAND ON 05/29/1998. THEY REPLACED CRACKED ENGINE BLOCK, ALL CRANKSHAFT BEARINGS, TIMING CHAIN & GUIDES, PISTON RINGS, VALVE STEM SEALS, & LAPPED ALL VALVES, INSTALLED NEW GENERATOR & BOLTS. TOTAL COST: $3196.67
19970909SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
WHEN OPENING THE DOOR TO GET INTO THE VEHICLE THE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR DOESN'T MOVE. ONCE GETTING IN AND CLOSING THE DOOR, THE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR STILL WILL NOT MOVE. AK CONSUMER ALSO STATED THAT THE ENGINE HAD TO BE REBUILT.*JB
19970909ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
WHEN OPENING THE DOOR TO GET INTO THE VEHICLE THE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR DOESN'T MOVE. ONCE GETTING IN AND CLOSING THE DOOR, THE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR STILL WILL NOT MOVE. AK CONSUMER ALSO STATED THAT THE ENGINE HAD TO BE REBUILT.*JB
19961029CrashSTEERING
STEERING FAILED, CAUSING ACCIDENT.
19951120SEAT BELTS
BOTH FRONT PASSIVE RESTRAINTS FAIL TO OPERATE, W/OWNER NOTIFYING SATURN MANUFACTURER. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT
Compare 1991SATURNSC to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
EA11014Engineering AnalysisClosed
Electric Power Steering Failure
RQ10004Recall QueryClosed
Electric Power Steering Failure
PE09016Preliminary EvaluationClosed
OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLES STICK UNLATCHED
PE08061Preliminary EvaluationClosed
TIMING CHAIN BREAKS, ENGINE STALL
DP08002Defect PetitionClosed
TIMING CHAIN FAILURE-STALL
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1991 SATURN SC have?▼
The 1991 SATURN SC has 6 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 3 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1991 SATURN SC?▼
The most-complained component for the 1991 SATURN SC is SEAT BELTS with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE and STEERING.
Is the 1991 SATURN SC safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.