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1997 Saturn Sc1 Recalls & Complaints

3

open safety recalls on record

Serious

98 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.65 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious97V161000

Seat Belts:Front:Retractor

IN A RAPID DECELERATION OR VEHICLE CRASH, THE OCCUPANT WOULD NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED raises the risk of PERSONAL INJURY.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGER SAFETY BELT RETRACTOR.

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.

Moderate97V162000

Exterior Lighting:Headlights

VEHICLE'S HEADLAMP WOULD NOT BE PROPERLY ADJUSTED CAUSING VISIBILITY PROBLEMS TO ONCOMING VEHICLES.

Remedy & full details

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.

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."

Moderate96V153000

Seats

THIS CONDITION COULD RESULT IN SEAT MOVEMENT WITH A BELTED OCCUPANT DURING A MODERATE TO SEVERE FRONTAL IMPACT.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE PASSENGER SEAT INBOARD FORE/AFT ADJUSTER.

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."

Complaint volume

98 this model-year 8 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

14Crashes
0Fires
9Injuries
0Deaths

Across 98 complaints. Severity Index 0.65.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Seat Belts · Front · Retr…8 · 8%Engine And Engine Cooling…7 · 7%Power Train · Automatic T…5 · 5%Visibility · Windshield4 · 4%Air Bags · Frontal4 · 4%Power Train · Manual Tran…4 · 4%Visibility · Glass, Side/…3 · 3%Service Brakes, Hydraulic…3 · 3%
  1. Seat Belts:Front:Retractor — 8 reports
  2. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine — 7 reports
  3. Power Train:Automatic Transmission — 5 reports
  4. Visibility:Windshield — 4 reports
  5. Air Bags:Frontal — 4 reports
  6. Power Train:Manual Transmission — 4 reports
  7. Visibility:Glass, Side/Rear — 3 reports
  8. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Rotor — 3 reports
  9. Electrical System — 3 reports
  10. Vehicle Speed Control — 2 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1995 (1) · 1996 · 1997 · 1998 · 1999 · 2000 (2) · 2001 (2)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

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