1997 Saturn SC1 Seat belts Problems
- Complaints
- 14about this part
- Share
- 23%of 61 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 87,500miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 14 complaints about the seat belts of the 1997 Saturn SC1, 23% of the 61 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 87,500 miles. 2 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“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.”
NHTSA complaint #10065448, filed 2004-04, 80,000 miles“1) passanger side rear seatbelt locked up and would not realease - making it impossible to use for transporting my infant son in his carseat. Drivers side rear seatbelt will not lock into place - which also makes it impossible to transport my son. Someone tried to fix the seatbelts, but had no luck. 2) placed my son in the passanger side after it was fixed - and his carseat flipped up side down - while I was driving around a curve in the are where we live. 3) had more seatbelts given to me from a junk yard in the area. …”
NHTSA complaint #10114017, filed 2005-03“The contact stated the passenger's seat belt retractor jammed. The vehicle was taken to a dealership and the dealer determined the retractor needed to be replaced. There is a NHTSA recall, # 97v161000 concerning the seat belts: front: retractor. The vehicle is not included in the recall due to the VIN. No repairs were made.”
NHTSA complaint #10152400, filed 2006-03, 95,000 miles“The contact owns a 1997 Saturn sc2. The front passenger seat belt retractor would not retract properly when the front seat was occupied. The seat belt is unable to be used. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that a recall repair had been performed in 1997. The contact stated that no repair was made because she did not receive any paperwork showing that the seat belt was repaired. The dealer stated that they would take 10% off of the repair cost. The failure mileage was 109,000. Updated 3/19/09 updated 03/23/09.”
NHTSA complaint #10258552, filed 2009-02, 109,000 miles“When driver crashed hiead-on into a telephone pole, the seat belt did not lock, causing driver's head to hit windshield. Also the air bags did not deploy until after driver was thrown back into the seat from the impact. Driver's head, knees and wrist were injured in the crash. The vehicle had been totalled. Please provide any further information.”
NHTSA complaint #844441, filed 1999-08Related recalls
- 97V161000Sep 22, 1997Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. If the driver or front passenger safety belt is pulled out much faster than normal, a number of time, the lock-up…Covers: Saturn SC1 1997, SC 1997
Seat belts: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 2 | 8% |
| 2000 | 1 | 13% |
| 1999 | 4 | 19% |
| 1998 | 10 | 26% |
| 1997 | 14 | 23% |
| 1995 | 1 | 2% |
| 1994 | 12 | 15% |
| 1993 | 6 | 10% |
| 1992 | 6 | 40% |
| 1991 | 2 | 33% |
Other parts of the 1997 Saturn SC1
12 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
12 complaintsEngine cooling
11 complaintsBrakes
9 complaintsAir bags
6 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
6 complaintsSteering
4 complaintsEquipment
3 complaintsSeats
3 complaintsBody and structure
3 complaintsOther or unknown
2 complaintsTires
2 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1997 Saturn SC1
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology