1999 Saturn SC1 problems & reliability
21 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1999 Saturn SC1. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
6 complaints report injuries (8 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1999 Saturn SC1 vehicles were involved in 1 fatal crash with 0 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Seat Belts | 4 | 19% |
| Seats | 4 | 19% |
| Air Bags | 3 | 14% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 3 | 14% |
| Electrical System | 2 | 10% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 10% |
| Tires | 2 | 10% |
| Equipment | 1 | 5% |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 5% |
| Power Train | 1 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Consumer complaint concerning the 1999 saturn sc2 shifter assembly design defect. *ts 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…”
Power Train · filed Sep 5, 2006
“Rear sway bar link on 99' sc2 coupe gone dry at 85,000 miles. Making loud annoying creaking noise. These units are sealed and not ment for periodic lubrication. When call was placed to saturn parts department to price replacement part, parts clerk knew right away off the top of his head that it was $80.00 per link…”
Suspension · filed Feb 19, 2004
“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.*ak”
Seats · filed Jan 20, 2004
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1999 Saturn SC1 in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1999 Saturn SC1?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.