Air Bags › Frontal
Filed Apr 21, 1998CA
THE DESIGN OF PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAG IS DEFECTIVE. WHEN DEPLOYED IT CAN KILL YOUNG CHILDREN AND SMALL ADULTS. CONCERN ABOUT AIR BAG SAFETY (OTHER THAN SHORT PERSON). ADDED ON 09-07-1999. *AK
Page 2 of 2 · complaints 51–61 of 61
1997 Saturn SC1 complaints
Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 1997 record →
Seat Belts › Front › Retractor
Filed Feb 21, 1998PA
WHEN PULLING OUT THE SEAT BELT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE IT WOULD JAM IN THE RETRACTOR, BUT WOULD RELEASE AFTER 48 HOURS. THE WHOLE SEAT BELT WAS REPLACED ON NOVEMBER 28TH BY DEALERSHIP. THE SEAT BELT JAMMED AGAIN AND DID NOT RELEASE AT ALL. THE BELT WAS REPLACED AGAIN ON DECEMBER 23, 1997. THE SEAT BELT JAMMED AGAIN AND WAS REPLACED ON JAN 20, 1998 FOR THE THIRD TIME. *AK
Seat Belts › Front › Retractor
Filed Feb 3, 1998TX
DRIVER'S SEAT BELT DOES NOT RELEASE FROM THE RETRACTOR, CAUSE UNKNOWN. DEALERS HAVE REPLACED PARTS IN THE SEAT BELT MECHANISM ON FOUR OCCASIONS WHICH DID NOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
Seat Belts › Front
Filed Jan 25, 1998PA
DRIVER'S SAFETY BELT HAS BEEN REPLACED THREE TIMES.
Visibility › Glass, Side/Rear
Filed Jan 20, 1998CA
REAR WINDOW EXTERIOR CLIPS, LOCATED AT THE BASE OF THE GLASS, SOUNDS LIKE A SQUEAKY MATTRESS.
Visibility › Glass, Side/Rear
Filed Jan 20, 1998CA
REAR WINDOW EXTERIOR CLIPS, LOCATED AT THE BASE OF THE GLASS, SOUNDS LIKE A SQUEAKY MATTRESS.
Visibility › Windshield
Filed Dec 15, 1997TN
WINDSHIELD GLASS CREATES FLUFFY SPOTS WHEN HUMIDITY IS HIGH, IMPAIRING DRIVER'S VISION. SPOTS FAILED TO BE REMOVED EVEN WITH WINDSHIELD WIPERS. MANUFACTURER DOESN'T FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY FACTOR, NO REMEDY TO CONSIDER. *AK
Power Train
Filed Jul 10, 1997PA
SPEEDOMETER INDICATES FALSE SPEED DUE TO POOR DESIGN.
Seat Belts › Front › Anchorage
Filed Apr 10, 1997CA
SEAT BELT TIGHTENS ON ANY TYPE OF SUDDEN MOVEMENT.
Vehicle Speed Control
Filed Apr 4, 1997CA
UPON INITIAL START UP, AT RELEASE OF FOOT FROM ACCELERATOR PEDAL, VEHICLE STALLED OUT INTERMITTENTLY, ALSO, WHILE DRIVING AT APPROX. 35MPH AND WHEN ATTEMPTING TO SLOW/STOP VEHICLE ENGINE SHUTS DOWN, RENDERING INOPERATIVE POWER ASSIST, DEALERS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE FAILURE. *AK
Electrical System › Horn
Filed Mar 11, 1997AL
BECAUSE OF THE SMALL SIZE AND RECESS NATURE OF THE HORN BUTTONS, THE DRIVER MUST LOOK DOWN AND FIND THE BUTTON PRIOR TO HONKING THE HORN. DRIVER ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT. *AK
Reading these
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 1997 Saturn SC1 → · Every SC1 year → · How the figures are calculated →