Model year record
1998 Saturn Sc recalls & problems
The 1998 Saturn Sc has no safety recalls on file with NHTSA, and 13 owner complaints. The most-reported problem area is power train (4 complaints).
Safety recalls
No safety recalls have been filed for the 1998 Saturn Sc.
Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.
Fuel economy
SC
| City / highway | 24 / 36 mpg |
|---|---|
| Fuel | Regular Gasoline |
1.9 L · 4 cyl · Manual 5-spd · Front-Wheel Drive · about $2,400/year to fuel
SC
| City / highway | 23 / 34 mpg |
|---|---|
| Fuel | Regular Gasoline |
1.9 L · 4 cyl · Automatic 4-spd · Front-Wheel Drive · about $2,500/year to fuel
SC
| City / highway | 23 / 33 mpg |
|---|---|
| Fuel | Regular Gasoline |
1.9 L · 4 cyl · Manual 5-spd · Front-Wheel Drive · about $2,600/year to fuel
SC
| City / highway | 21 / 31 mpg |
|---|---|
| Fuel | Regular Gasoline |
1.9 L · 4 cyl · Automatic 4-spd · Front-Wheel Drive · about $2,700/year to fuel
EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov for each engine and transmission sold. Annual cost is the EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current fuel and electricity price assumptions. Your results will vary.
What owners report
| Problem area | Complaints | Typical mileage* |
|---|---|---|
| Power trainAutomatic transmission › Cooling unit and lines; Manual transmission › Floor shift assembly | 4 | — |
| Engine and engine coolingEngine | 3 | — |
| Equipment | 1 | — |
| Service brakes, hydraulicFoundation components | 1 | — |
| Air bags | 1 | — |
| Vehicle speed controlAccelerator pedal | 1 | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | — |
| Service brakes | 1 | — |
| Tires | 1 | — |
| Electrical system | 1 | — |
| Steering | 1 | — |
| Unknown or other | 1 | — |
*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.
Recent owner complaints
- Electrical system
CAR KEY LOCKS UP IN IGNITION, WONT TURN OR COME OUT. CABLE TO PARK MECHANISM WONT DISENGAGE. HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES, TODAY IT TOOK 40 MINUTES OF JIGGLING STEERING WHEEL,KEY, BRAKE SHIFTER TO DISENGAGE TO GET THE CAR STARTED.
- Tires
THE TIRE THAT I BELIEVE IS FAULTY, RAN LOW ON AIR FOR A LITTLE WHILE, THEN I AIRED IT UP - EVERYTHING WAS FINE UNTIL I TRIED TO GO INTO TOWN ONE EVENING AND IT FELT LIKE I WAS RIDING ON MY RIM. IT SOUNDED AWFUL. ONCE I WAS STOPPED AT A STREET LIGHT, I OPENED MY CAR DOOR AND THERE WERE PIECES OF TIRE JUST SITTING UNDERNEATH MY CAR AND UNDER THE TIRE. SO I FINALLY PULLED INTO A GAS STATION, SURE ENOUGH, I WAS RIDING MY RIM. I CAME TO CONCLUSION THAT MY TIRE WAS DEBEADING, AND I WAS SOLD A POSSIBLE FAULTY TIRE. *TR
- Service brakes
BUTTON POPPED OFF EMERGENCY BRAKE HANDLE, RENDERING EMERGENCY BRAKE INOPERABLE. *TR
- Power train › Manual transmission
AS I'M PULLING AWAY FROM A STOP SIGN, I GO TO SHIFT INTO 2ND GEAR & IT'S AS IF MY MANUAL GEAR SHIFTER IS NOT ATTACHED TO ANYTHING. I AM NOW NOT IN ANY GEAR , UNABLE TO SHIFT INTO GEAR, & LEFT COASTING ACROSS A 4 LANE, 2 WAY STREET. ALSO, BOTH FRONT SEAT SEATBELTS ONLY RETRACT ABOUT HALF WAY, AND IT HAS BEEN THAT WAY FROM AT LEAST 17000 MILES. *TR
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine
CAR OVERHEATED ON 4 LANE HIGHWAY. HAD TO PULL OVER WHILE CARS WERE DRIVING BY. REPLACEMENT OF HEAD GASKET AT 101,000 MILES. CAR IS STILL NOT WORKING PROPERLY AS HEAD WAS REPLACED AND NOW A PING HAD DEVELOPED. 8JB
- Vehicle speed control › Accelerator pedal
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE ACCELERATED UNCONTROLLABLY. DRIVER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, AND DROVE IT TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. HOWEVER, MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK
- Engine and engine cooling
WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED CONSUMER NOTICED FLUID LEAKING FROM UNDERNEATH. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE CYLINDER HEAD NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO CRACK INSIDE OF THE ENGINE. *AK
- Power train › Manual transmission › Floor shift assembly
MANUEL SHIFT HANDLE DISENGAGED FROM TRANSMISSION CABLE ON FLOOR WHEN SHIFTING. CAR WAS UNABLE TO BE SHIFTED TO LOWER GEAR TO CROSS HIGHWAY SAFELY .
Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.