1997 Saturn SC1 Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 12about this part
- Share
- 20%of 61 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 75,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 12 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 1997 Saturn SC1, 20% of the 61 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 75,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
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.
“We bought a used Saturn 2 years ago from a dealership. Since the day we got the car home we had transmission problems. Mainly when my wife would drive it to get our small children to day care, and she would go to work. When the transmission warmed up it gave her a hard time getting it into gear. Countless times of sitting in the middle of the intersection waiting to turn the light turned red and the opposite traffic got green and started heading toward her honking, she was franticly trying to get the car into gear. …”
NHTSA complaint #10190983, filed 2007-05, 75,000 miles“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.”
NHTSA complaint #10074435, filed 2004-07, 46,000 miles“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.”
NHTSA complaint #10083254, filed 2004-07, 172,000 miles“While driving our Saturn sc2 at approximately 30mph we heard a loud explosion and the vehicle stopped moving. My husband and I exited the vehicle to see what the problem was. The only sign at that time that something was wrong with the vehicle was that there was fluid leaking from underneath the car. We had the vehicle brought back to the house to see what was wrong. My husband looked underneath the car and found a large hole in the rear of the transmission. We then called Saturn service and asked that the vehicle be towed. …”
NHTSA complaint #700799, filed 1998-11“1997 Saturn sc2 experienced transmission failure when the spider pin broke. While on an expressway an explosion occurred in the engine. The engine emitted steam and the consumer was unable to engage the gear. Under the vehicle was fluid and pieces of broken metal. The consumer was informed that the spider pin had broken and had come from the carrier jamming itself and caused immediate transmission failure.”
NHTSA complaint #10124724, filed 2005-06Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
Other parts of the 1997 Saturn SC1
14 complaintsElectrical system
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 30, 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