"How reliable is the 1996 Saturn Sc1?"

"Based on 43 NHTSA complaints, the 1996 Saturn Sc1 has a median complaint mileage of 80000 miles. The most common issue is VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY."

"What are common problems with the 1996 Saturn Sc1?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1996 Saturn Sc1 is VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY, accounting for a significant portion of the 43 total complaints filed."

1996 Saturn Sc1: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 43 complaints

Total Complaints

80,000mi

Median Mileage

VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

62,500 25th Percentile

80,000 Median Mileage

113,990 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"CONSUMER WAS DRIVING APPLY THE BRAKE THERE WAS NO BRAKE CAUSING AN ACCIDENT HIT ANOTHER CAR . TT"

"STEERING LOCKED UP WHILE BENDING RIGHT WITH THE ROAD. PLEASE DESCRIBE IN MORE DETAILS. *AK"

"CONSUMER LOST CONTROL OF AUTO AND HIT LIGHT POLE, AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK CONSUMER SUSTAINED INJURIES DUE TO ACCIDENT. *SLC"

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 9 NY: 7 PA: 5 NM: 4 IL: 3 TX: 2 OH: 2 NJ: 2 FL: 2 LA: 1

Who Files Complaints?

46.5%

Original Owners

53.5%

Second+ Owners

Saturn Sc1 — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1993	85	138,000	SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER	14
1994	102	-	SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER	12
1995	73	65,673	SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER	12
1997	98	46,000	SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR	14
1998	58	54,500	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE	8
1999	30	-	SEATS	11
2001	29	67,419	VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	5

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