"How reliable is the 1996 Saturn Sc?"

"Based on 41 NHTSA complaints, the 1996 Saturn Sc has a median complaint mileage of 80200 miles. The most common issue is Engine And Engine Cooling."

"What are common problems with the 1996 Saturn Sc?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1996 Saturn Sc is Engine And Engine Cooling, accounting for a significant portion of the 41 total complaints filed."

1996 Saturn Sc: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 41 complaints

Total Complaints

80,200mi

Median Mileage

Engine And Engine Cooling

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

33,000 25th Percentile

80,200 Median Mileage

91,831 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Engine And Engine Cooling

Body

Seats

Front

Gasoline

Rear

Disc

Steering Wheel/Handle Bar

Rotor

Air Bags

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE REAR SUSPENSION BROKE. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT"

"VEHICLE HAS POOR STABILITY,PULLING EITHER SIDES DUE TO RIGHT WHEEL BEING BENT CAUSING FRAME TO SHIFT, VEHICLE PURCHASED IN THIS CONDITION ON 01/03/96. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Engine And Engine Cooling 4 complaints

Median: 68,825 mi

Body 3 complaints

Median: 91,831 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 12 FL: 6 NY: 5 PA: 3 MD: 3 CT: 2 AL: 2 KY: 1 CO: 1 OK: 1

Who Files Complaints?

34.1%

Original Owners

65.9%

Second+ Owners

Saturn Sc — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1992	24	-	Seat Belts	0
1993	29	-	Recliner	5
1994	59	-	Recliner	9
1995	50	94,450	Seats	12
1997	44	103,000	Electrical System	4
1999	27	79,446	Engine	6
2001	29	85,000	Frontal	4
2002	45	53,000	Electrical System	7

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28