AI Damage1999 Saturn SC1: common problems
Owners of the 1999 Saturn SC1 filed 21 complaints with NHTSA, most often about seat belts and seats. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 21
- involving a crash
- 8
What fails most often
- 1 Seat belts 19% of all complaints
- 2 Seats 19% of all complaints
- 3 Air bags 14% of all complaints
- 4 Service brakes 14% of all complaints
- 5 Electrical system 10% of all complaints
- 6 Engine and cooling 10% of all complaints
- 7 Tires 10% of all complaints
- 8 Equipment 5% of all complaints
- Seat belts: 4 complaints (19% of all).
- Seats: 4 complaints (19% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 3 complaints (14% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 3 complaints (14% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 2 complaints (10% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 21 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seat belts | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Air bags | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
I was rear-ended at 65mph on 12-19. My seat back completely reclined and pinned my 9 year old son. He was unconcious for several seconds and suffered a concussion and neck pain. I suffered neck and back injuries.
Driver's seat completely reclined during rear end collision, resulting in neck and back injuries.
Consumer called complaining about her air bags not deploying. Also stated that she was involved on a frontal collision. Manufacture was not contacted.
Consumer requests the defects endured be investigated, consumer looked at the bottom of the vehicle and observed that the right rear wheel had de-beaded and had no air, this is what caused the vehicle to fishtail, tire is a firestone lemans hr tublps 195/60r15, in the accident, the airbag failed to deploy.
While driving the vehicle; lost control and flip over and neither the air bag deploy. Dealer has been notified. The brake failed to stop the vehicle.
Despite impact, air bags did not deploy. Driver suffered concussion, body lacerations, cervical fracture.bumper travel.
While traveling noticed another vehicle about to hit consumer's vehicle. Consumer could not locate horn buttons because they were to small on sterring wheel as aresult, vehicle was in an accident . Please provide further information.
Consumer complaint concerning the 1999 saturn sc2 shifter assembly design defect. The consumer was pulling out of a parking lot when he lost the ability to shift gears. Upon inspection, the failure was attributed to a bushing that connects the lower of the stick shift to the cables attached to the transmission.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 8,077 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 22% most complained about).
On average one model year of the SC1 has 38 complaints (11 years in the data). This year has 21, below average.
What to check before buying
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Seats. Occupant sensor, power adjustment, seat mounts.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1999 Saturn SC1?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: seat belts, seats, air bags. Total complaints: 21. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (19%), airbags did not deploy (10%), brake failure (5%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1999 Saturn SC1?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1999 Saturn SC1 from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1999 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.