2001 Saturn SC1 problems
Owners have filed 29 complaints with NHTSA about the 2001 Saturn SC1. Electrical system is the most reported problem area, at 14% of complaints. Next are tires (14%) and transmission (14%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 29 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 14% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 5 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 3 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 67,000 miles 13 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 0 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 3 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 3 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 3 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 2 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 2 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 13 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 67,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 5 complaints mention a crash; 3 injuries reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 83% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2001 ranks 8th most-complained-about out of 8 model years of the Saturn SC1 with enough data (18 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Car was stopped and then was rear ended by large ford SUV. Upon inpact drivers seat back collapsed into back seat. If there had not been a book bag on rear seat keeping it from going flat she would not have seen she was pushed into oncoming traffic and was then able to swerve back into her lane. That could have been a total loss of control. Also while laying flat, if hit again she would have been shot under the seat belt (and air bag) possibly becoming seriously or fataly injured.
Vehicle was in park, engine shut off, emergency brake not applied, and vehicle suddenly went backward and rolled over consumer's right foot, knocking her down. Dealer stated consumer should have used parking brake.
Driving a 2001 saturn sc2 ran front of vehicle into rear bumper of a ford truck, collision speed approx. 35 MPH. I had my seat belt on , the air bags deployed. I hit the windshield with the top of my head and was knocked out. I am 5'7" and was sitting properly in the seat with both hands on the steering wheel at the time of the collision. I sustained neck and back injuries.
While driving in the center lane on a 3-lane highway the vehicle shut off without warning. No lights were visible on the dashboard prior to the engine shutting off. The loss of power steering and power brakes resulted in a loss of control of the vehicle. The car swerved into the right lane striking another motorist and then spun out of control making at least two full revolutions before coming to a rest against the guard rails of the median.
I own a 2001 saturn sc2 with 84000 miles. A gear in the transaxle differential has worn a hole through the inside of the bell housing causing a major leak. I have contacted 5 transmission shops in my local area and all have seen this problem numerous times. I have contacted my local dealer and the customer service center and was told its out of warranty they will not cover the defective parts. I have only worked on this one day and every shop that works on transmissions knows of this problem.