Total Complaints
17 filings
SATURN SC · model year
1998 SATURN SC
17 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1998SATURNSC carries 17 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, 0 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 1998 SC is engine and engine cooling with 2 filings, followed by equipment (1) and power train:automatic transmission:cooling unit and lines (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 1998 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.
17
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
0
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 |
|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 2 |
| EQUIPMENT | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:COOLING UNIT AND LINES | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | 1 |
| AIR BAGS | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION:FLOOR SHIFT ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 1 |
| TIRES | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 |
| STEERING | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20160630ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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.
Mileage: 147,646
20160630STEERING
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.
Mileage: 147,646
20160630UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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.
Mileage: 147,646
20140313TIRES
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
20130731SERVICE BRAKES
BUTTON POPPED OFF EMERGENCY BRAKE HANDLE, RENDERING EMERGENCY BRAKE INOPERABLE. *TR
20090526POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
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
Mileage: 97,112
20090526LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
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
Mileage: 97,112
20050728ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
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
Mileage: 101,000
20050405VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
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
20040507ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
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
20040422ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
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
20040422POWER TRAIN
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
20040325POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION:FLOOR SHIFT ASSEMBLY
MANUEL SHIFT HANDLE DISENGAGED FROM TRANSMISSION CABLE ON FLOOR WHEN SHIFTING. CAR WAS UNABLE TO BE SHIFTED TO LOWER GEAR TO CROSS HIGHWAY SAFELY .
Mileage: 80,085
20030127CrashAIR BAGS
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE WAS IN A FRONTAL COLLISION, BUT NONE OF THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED UPON IMPACT. VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE DETAILS.*AK
Mileage: 64,000
20021004SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
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
20000426POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:COOLING UNIT AND LINES
TRANSMISSION FAILURE RESULTED IN LEAKAGE. *MJS
19990730EQUIPMENT
VISOR STOPPER FAILED. *YC
Compare 1998SATURNSC 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 1998 SATURN SC have?▼
The 1998 SATURN SC has 17 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1998 SATURN SC?▼
The most-complained component for the 1998 SATURN SC is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include EQUIPMENT and POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:COOLING UNIT AND LINES.
Is the 1998 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.