IllustrationRight front passenger seat belt male mechanism is locked up and will not extend to lock in female mechanism. Unusable.
1997 Saturn Sc
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1997 Saturn Sc do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 23.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Sc years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 12 of 33 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Seat Belts. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
4 crash reports1 fire reports1 injury reports
Seat Belts complaints
6 reportsTL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 SATURN SC1. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LOCK FEATURE OF THE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR WOULD NOT WORK PROPERLY. AS A CONSEQUENCE, HE IS NOT PROPERLY RESTRAINED IN THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 97V161000 (SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR), ALTHOUGH THE FA…
Read full complaint
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 SATURN SC1. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LOCK FEATURE OF THE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR WOULD NOT WORK PROPERLY. AS A CONSEQUENCE, HE IS NOT PROPERLY RESTRAINED IN THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 97V161000 (SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR), ALTHOUGH THE FAILURES WERE IDENTICAL. THE CONTACT PAID $400 TO HAVE THE RETRACTOR REPLACED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED SHORTLY AFTERWARDS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS UNABLE TO ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 104,000.
CONSUMER RECENTLY RECIEVED RECALL LETTER 99V-280 FROM SATURN CONCERNING SEAT BELT FAILURE, CONSUMERS CHILD WAS A PASSENGER AND WAS KILLED IN A VEHICLE COLLISION AND THE CONSUMER FEELS THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THE RECALLED COMPONENT EXPERIENCED FAILURE AND COULD HAVE BEEN THE CAUSE OF DEATH. *ET
SEAT BELT RECALL WORK DENIED DUE TO LACK OF PARTS.
DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BELT HAS BEEN REPLACED FOUR TIMES AND IS NOW LOCKING UP.
SEAT BELT RECALL ON OTHER MODELS, BUT NOT THIS OWNERS MODEL. SEAT BELT BROKE THREE TIMES.
Official recalls
397V161000 · Seat Belts:front:retractor
Sep 22, 1997
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IN A RAPID DECELERATION OR VEHICLE CRASH, THE OCCUPANT WOULD NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGER SAFETY BELT RETRACTOR.
97V162000 · Exterior Lighting:headlights
Sep 22, 1997
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."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A VEHICLE'S HEADLAMP WOULD NOT BE PROPERLY ADJUSTED CAUSING VISIBILITY PROBLEMS TO ONCOMING VEHICLES.
Remedy: 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.
96V153000 · Seats
Aug 23, 1996
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."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS CONDITION COULD RESULT IN SEAT MOVEMENT WITH A BELTED OCCUPANT DURING A MODERATE TO SEVERE FRONTAL IMPACT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE PASSENGER SEAT INBOARD FORE/AFT ADJUSTER.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.