1997 SATURN SC Complaints

1) EXCESSIVE OIL USEAGE AFTER 60,000 MILES ON ENGINE. ) NO WARNING INDICATOR LIGHT TO SHOW OIL IS LOW AND NEEDS ADDED; ENGINE SEIZES WHILE DRIVING. COULD HAVE CAUSED ACCIDENT TRYING TO GET OUT OF TRAFFIC WITHOUT POWER.*AK 3) ENGINE WAS REPLACED ONCE AT 65,000 MILE. SAME HAS HAPPENED AGAIN AND ENGINE NEEDS REPLACED. THIS ENGINE HAS APPROX 81,000 MILES. OIL WAS CHANGED LESS THAN 5000 MILES AGO AND HAS BEEN REGULARLY CHANGED BETWEEN 3,000 AND 5,000 MILES. NO PRIOR INDICATION OF PROBLEM. ENGINE JUST SEIZED WHILE DRIVING.

WHEN KEY IS IN IGNITION AND STARTED AND STILL IN PARK THE SHIFT LOCK MECHANISM WILL NOT DISENGAGE WHEN BRAKE IS DEPRESSED. ALSO WHEN I SHUT OFF THE CAR AND TURN KEY TO OFF POSITION THE KEY GETS STUCK IN THE IGNITION LEAVING THE CAR SUSCEPTIBLE TO THEFT.*AK

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH ALL OF A SUDDEN SMOKE CAME FROM UNDER THE HOOD. VEHICLE BECAME SQUARELY. THERE WAS A CRACK IN THE CYLINDER HEAD, SPILLING OIL ALL OVER THE EXHAUST SYSTEM, WHICH CAUSED SMOKE AND GOT OIL ALL OVER THE TIRES. IT BLEW OUT 4 QUARTS OF OIL VERY RAPIDLY, CAUSING THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE TO SWIRL ALL OVER THE ROAD. THE ENTIRE VEHICLE WAS FILLED WITH OIL SMOKE, MAKING VISIBILITY VERY DANGEROUS. THERE WAS A VERTICAL CRACK ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE CYLINDER HEAD THAT WENT ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE MIDDLE OF THE CYLINDER HEAD WHICH HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE COOLING SYSTEM. IT ONLY EFFECTED THE OIL. THIS DEFECT WAS NEXT TO THE AIR CONDITIONING COMPRESSOR. THE CASTING DID NOT LOOK LIKE VERY GOOD QUALITY. IT WAS NOT REINFORCED AS IT SHOULD BE. *AK

WHILE DRIVING 3 MPH, THE FRONTAL AIR BAGS DEPLOYED INADVERTENTLY. THIS CAUSED THE PASSENGER TO SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *JB

VEHICLE TO DATE IS ON IT'S 3RD BATTERY & ALTERNATOR WITH ONLY 36,000 MILES ON IT. DEALER SAID IT WAS A FLAW W/BATTERY/ALTERNATOR. BATTERY/ALTERNATOR 1ST REPLACED JULY - AUG 2002 APPROX 16,000 MILES, SECOND REPLACEMENT OCT 2004 BATTERY & ALTERNATOR 32,000 APPROX MILES. BATTERY PRORATED/REPLACED ALTERNATOR - OWNER MUST PAY FOR FULL REPAIRS. ALSO, IGNITION HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE AND REPAIRED ONCE.*AK

MANUAL TRANSMISSION SHIFT LINKAGE BROKE WHILE DRIVING. THE SHIFTER GOT INTO THE LINKAGE AND THEN BROKE OFF. CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER, AND PURCHASED A NEW SHIFTING LINKAGE AND HAD THE DEFECT REPAIRED BY HIMSELF. *AK

AFTER STOPPING AND PARKING THE VEHICLE THE REVERSE GEAR WOULD NOT WORK. THIS PROBLEM HAS HAPPENED OVER FIFTY TIMES SINCE JULY 2003. ONCE THE VEHICLE COOLED DOWN THE REVERSE GEAR WOULD WORK PROPERLY. THE DEALER EXAMINED THE VEHICLE AND DETERMINED THAT A NEW TRANSMISSION IS NEEDED. *LA *NM

I GOT MY 97 SATURN SC1 A YEAR AGO WITH 56K MILES ON IT. THE COUPLE THAT HAD IT BEFORE ME TOOK VERY GOOD CARE OF IT CONSIDERING THE OBVIOUS LACK OF QUALITY FROM THE FACTORY. I'VE PUT JUST OVER 21K MILES ON IT IN THE LAST YEAR. EVERY 500-1000 MILES IT BURNS A QUART OF OIL. THIS MEANS THAT EVERY 3000 MILES I HAVE TO GIVE IT TWO OIL CHANGES, ONE THE NORMAL WAY, AND ONE EVERY TIME I FILL IT WITH GAS. THE JOKE HAS BECOME "FILL THE OIL AND CHECK THE GAS." *NM

CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT A SEAT BELT RETRACTING PROBLEM. A RECALL WAS ISSUED ON THIS MAKE, MODEL, AND YEAR. HOWEVER, THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO VIN. *AK

WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SWERVE UNCONTROLLABLY, THE CONSUMER LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, HIT THE MEDIAN AND THE VEHICLE FLIPPED OVER. THE CONSUMER SUSTAINED SERIOUS HEAD INJURIES. *AK *JB