"How reliable is the 1997 Saturn Sc?"

"Based on 44 NHTSA complaints, the 1997 Saturn Sc has a median complaint mileage of 103000 miles. The most common issue is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM."

"What are common problems with the 1997 Saturn Sc?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1997 Saturn Sc is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, accounting for a significant portion of the 44 total complaints filed."

1997 Saturn Sc: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 44 complaints

Total Complaints

103,000mi

Median Mileage

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

80,000 25th Percentile

103,000 Median Mileage

171,411 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

TIRES

SEAT BELTS

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR

SEAT BELTS:FRONT

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"SUSPENSION ON THE REAR, WHEN APPLYING BRAKES, THE REAR MAKES A LOUD NOISE, IN FOR REPAIRS, THEY FOUND NO PROBLEM , FUEL SHIFTING ON HALF FULL TANK, WILL PROVIDE THE DEALERSHIP RECORDS. *AK"

"AXLE SHAFT SEAL LEAKS."

"DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BELT HAS BEEN REPLACED FOUR TIMES AND IS NOW LOCKING UP."

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

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