Saturn Ion Complaints

4,344 consumer complaints on file.

#10323075March 31, 2010
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
WHEN TURNING IGNITION OFF SOMETIMES THE SWITCH STICKS AND DOES NOT GO INTO THE LOCK POSITION. THE ENGINE DOES STOP. ALSO THE ELECTRONIC DOOR LOCKS DO NOT RELEASE AND I HAVE TO MANUALLY PRESS THE UNLOCK SWITCH ON THE DOOR TO RELEASE THEM. SOME THINGS THAT I HAVE TRIED ARE RESTARTING THE ENGINE, CHANGING TRANSMISSION FROM "PARK" TO "DRIVE" AND BACK TO "PARK". THIS WORKS SOMETIMES AND THEN IF NOT I WAIT FOR SOME PERIOD OF TIME AND WAIT TO HEAR THE DOORS UNLOCK ON THEIR ON AT WHICH TIME I AM ABLE TO PLACE THE SWITCH IN THE "LOCK" POSITION AND REMOVE THE KEY. THIS TIME IS FROM A FEW SECONDS TO A FEW MINUTES AND THERE IS NO CONSISTENCY. THE DEALER HAS REPLACED THE IGNITION SWITCH FOR ~$660.00 AND IT APPEARED TO HELP FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS BUT NEVER RESOLVED THE ISSUE. THIS CAR HAS LESS THAN 9000 MILES ON IT AND THIS PROBLEM STARTED AROUND 6000 MILES. I BELIEVE THAT THIS PROBLEM SHOULD BE CLASSIFIED AS A "RECALL" AS OWNERS ARE UNABLE TO SAFELY LOCK THEIR CARS. YOUR PROMPT RESPONSE TO THIS PROBLEM WILL BE MOST WELCOME. THANK YOU
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10323221March 31, 2010
STEERING
WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT 60 MPH, MY 2004 SATURN ION III LOST ITS POWER STEERING. THE CAR CHIMED AT ME AND DISPLAYED A "PWR STR" MESSAGE. THE CAR INSTANTLY BECAME MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO CONTROL, ESPECIALLY IN TURNS AND AT LOWER SPEEDS. I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT TO WORK. WHEN I RESTARTED MY CAR LATER IN THE DAY, THE POWER STEERING WAS WORKING AGAIN. BASED ON A BRIEF ONLINE SEARCH, THIS PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE COMMON WITH THE SATURN IONS. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE ION HAS THE SAME POWER STEERING MOTOR/MODULE AS THE CHEVY COBALT. A RECALL HAS RECENTLY BEEN ANNOUNCED FOR THE COBALT'S POWER STEERING ISSUE.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10323253March 31, 2010
STEERING
1. DRIVING CAR NORMALLY - DROVE ABOUT 1/2 MILE 2. POWER STEERING WENT OUT -- RECEIVED MESSAGE PWR STR SIMILAR TO RECALL CHEVY COBALT RECALL ID#10V073000 3. THE FAILURE DID NOT CORRECT
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10322794March 30, 2010
STEERING
DRIVING AUTOMOBILE, ALARM CHIMED, POWER STEERING WARNING CAME ON, LOST POWER STEERING. WHEN CAR IS RESTARTED POWER STRG WORKS APPROX. A COUPLE MINUTES THEN LOOSE POWER STEERING. GM AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM, HAS NOT INCLUDED SATURNS IN THIS RECALL.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10322805March 30, 2010
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I HAVE A 2004 SATURN ION AND ON YESTERDAY MY CAR WOULD NOT TURN OFF. ALTHOUGH I COULD STILL REMOVE THE KEYS FROM THE IGNITION, THE CAR WOULD STILL NOT TURN OFF. IN 2009, I RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER INFORMING ME ABOUT THE RECALL ON MY ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION. I DONT KNOW IF THIS IGNITION SWITCH HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH THAT ISSUE, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO FIND OUT. WHEN I CALLED CHASE CHEVROLET HERE IN STOCKTON, CA, ON MARCH 30, 2010 AT 7:10 AM, THE REPAIR MAN TOLD ME THAT IT HAS BEEN A LOT OF SATURN CARS THAT HAD TO REPAIR THIS SAME TYPE OF PROBLEM. AND THAT EITHER THE CAR WOULD NOT TURN OFF OR TURN ON AND IN MY CASE, THE CAR WOULDNT TURN OFF. THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED YESTERDAY AT EXACTLY 6:00 PM WHEN ALL DEALERSHIPS WERE CLOSED. I WAS IN SACRAMENTO, CA AND HAD TO DRIVE ALL THE WAY TO STOCKTON, CA JUST SO I COULD TURN MY CAR OFF BY THE IGNITION SWITCH THAT TOOK A FAMILY MEMBER TWO HOURS TO FIGURE OUT. NOW I HAVE TO PAY OVER $300.00 FOR THE REPAIR, BUT IF THIS IS HAPPENING TO A LOT OF SATURNS, I FEEL ITS AN ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. THANK YOU FOR YOU TIME AND YOUR GRATITUDE TOWARD OUR SAFETY.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10322823March 30, 2010
STEERING
I WAS DRIVING MY 2007 SATURN ION WHEN THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING WENT OUT. THERE WAS NO WARNING - THE INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON AND THE POWER STEERING WAS GONE. I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO MANEUVER THE CAR OFF THE HIGHWAY, WHERE I PUT IN PARK, TURNED IT OFF AND WAITED A FEW MINUTES BEFORE TURNING IT BACK ON. REMARKABLY, AS QUICKLY AS THE PROBLEM APPEARED, IT WENT AWAY AND I WAS ABLE TO GET BACK ON THE HIGHWAY WITH NOT FURTHER PROBLEMS BUT WHEN I STARTED RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM ONLINE I FOUND MANY OTHER COMPLAINS OF THE SAME EXACT NATURE. SATURN OF COURSE WILL REPLACE THE STEERING COLUMN FOR ABOUT $900. THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER COMPLAINTS RELATED TO THIS SAME PROBLEM. THIS IS UNSAFE AND SCARY AS HELL. YOU CAN'T BE DRIVING A CAR WHEN THE STEERING GOES OUT WITHOUT WARNING! CHECK THE INTERNET, THERE ARE TONS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE. HERE'S A GOOD PLACE TO START....HTTP://WWW.ARFC.ORG/COMPLAINTS/2006/SATURN/ION/?Q=&PAGE=6
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10322885March 30, 2010
STEERING
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 30 MPH, THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY A LOSS OF POWER STEERING CONTROL. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER THE VEHICLE OFF OF THE ROAD. THE ENGINE WAS SHUT OFF AND RESTATED. THE POWER STEERING RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION. THE DRIVER STATED THAT THE FAILURE WOULD OCCUR INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 68,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10322895March 30, 2010
STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING FAILED SPORADICALLY. THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE FAILURE. THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE HAD TO SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF AND RESTART IT IN ORDER TO RESET THE POWER STEERING ASSIST. PRIOR TO THE RECENT FAILURE, A YEAR AGO; THE POWER STEERING COLUMN WAS REPLACED. THERE WERE NO FURTHER REPAIRS MADE TO THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 84,000. UPDATED 05/11/10. *LJ UPDATED 6/1/10 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN SHE PUT THE GEAR IN DRIVE, THE POWER STEERING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE STEERING COLUMN WOULD BECOME STIFF AS IF IT WAS LOCKED. THE VEHICLE HAS ELECTRIC POWER STEERING. THE STEERING MOTOR WAS REPLACED. UPDATED 06/24/10.*JB
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10322490March 27, 2010
STEERING
POWER STEERING GOES OUT WHILE DRIVING THEN COMES BACK ON WHEN I RESTART CAR IF I DONT USE CAR FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS THEN THE POWER STEERING WILL WORK FOR A WEEK THEN IT STARTS GOING OUT RANDOMLY AGAIN
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10322252March 26, 2010
STEERING
I HAVE A 2003 SATURN ION3. THE POWER STEERING STOPS WORKING IN WARMER WEATHER. WHEN THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE GETS ABOVE FREEZING MY POWER STEERING STARTS ACTING UP. IT WILL GO OUT 3-4 TIMES A WEEK, WHICH IS ALL THE DRIVING I DO IN A WEEK. THE CAR HAS 88,000 KM ON IT. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10322288March 26, 2010
STEERING
2007 SATURN ION. APPROX 54000 MILES. DRIVING ON THE EXPRESS WAY AND THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT WITHOUT WARNING. HEARD SEVERAL DINGS FROM THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. I COULD STEER THE VEHICLE WITH MUCH EFFORT. HAPPENED AGAIN AT A SLOWER SPEED, VEHICLE WAS MUCH HARDER TO STEER! GOOD THING IT WASN'T A MILE OR TWO EARLIER WHEN IT WENT OUT, AS I WAS IN A HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION AREA WITH NO EMERGENCY LANES! I COULD NOT PULL OVER SAFELY IF I NEEDED TO. I HAD TO WAIT UNTIL I COULD PULL OVER AND TURNED THE CAR OFF, LOOKED TO SEE IF I COULD SEE A PROBLEM, BUT THIS CAR HAS ELECTRIC STEERING. STARTED THE CAR BACK UP AND THE PROBLEM WENT AWAY UNTIL THE NEXT DAY.THIS VEHICLE WAS INTENDED FOR MY 18 YR. OLD DAUGHTER TO DRIVE, BUT I DOUBT SHE WOULD HAVE TO STRENGTH TO MUSCLE THE STEERING WHEEL IF IT HAPPENS WHILE SHE IS DRIVING. THIS TO ME WOULD BE A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN, AS IT HAPPENS WITHOUT WARNING.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10322296March 26, 2010
STEERING
2007 SATURN ION. POWER STEERING INTERMITTANTLY CUT OUT WITH A CHIME AND MESSAGE OF PWR STR ON THE DASH BOARD. TURNING OFF THE POWER AND RESTARTING THE VEHICLE WOULD ALLOW THE POWER STEERING TO RESET. DEALERSHIP REPLACED POWER STEERING POWER ASSIST MOTOR TO FIX ISSUE
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10322387March 26, 2010
STEERING
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SATURN ICON. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE CONTACT STATED THE POWER STEERING FAILED AND THE POWER STEERING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. HE PULLED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND INSPECTED UNDER THE HOOD. HE DID NOT SEE ANYTHING THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THE FAILURE SO HE RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND THE POWER STEERING FUNCTIONED CORRECTLY. HOWEVER, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING MALFUNCTIONED AGAIN IN MARCH 2010. HE CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD CALL THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT FOR THE VEHICLE TO BE INSPECTED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 59,282. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 59,242. UPDATED 5/12/10 *CN UPDATED 05/14/10
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10322170March 25, 2010
STEERING
POWER STEERING ON 2004 SATURN ION GOES OUT 2-3 TIMES PER WEEK WHILE DRIVING SINCE DEC 09. I MUST PULL THE CAR OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, STOP, AND RESTART THE ENGINE IN ORDER FOR THE POWER STEERING TO RESET. I HAVE VERIFIED THAT THE FUZES CONTROLLING THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING MOTOR ARE SERVICEABLE - THEY HAVE NEVER BLOWN OR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I AM CONCERNED AN ACCIDENT WILL OCCUR WHILE DRIVING DUE TO LOSS OF POWER STEERING.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10322200March 25, 2010
STEERING
SATURN ION 2007. LOSES POWER STEERING AND YOU HAVE TO TURN THE MOTOR OFF AND RESTART TO REGAIN POWER. THIS WAS RARE AT THE BEGINNING BUT HAPPENS FREQUENTLY NOW.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10322220March 25, 2010
STEERING
POWER STEERING BECOMES INTERMITTENT WITH NO WARNING STOPS WORKING AT ANYTIME. I GOT TO DOING SOME READING AND FOUND OUT THAT IT IS VERY COMMON WITH THIS CAR AND UPON FURTHER RESEARCH FOUND THAT THE POWER STEERING MOTOR IS THE SAME ONSATURN ION AS ON THE COLBOLT AND G5 THAT GM HAS ALREADY RECALLED
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10321754March 24, 2010
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SATURN ION. WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 40 MPH, THE BRAKE LIGHTS FAILED. THE CONTACT WAS STOPPED BY A POLICE OFFICER DUE TO THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE WOULD OCCUR INTERMITTENTLY. THE CONTACT BELIEVED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 05V245000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING: BRAKE LIGHTS) CONTRIBUTED TO THE FAILURE OF THE VEHICLE. A COMPLAINT WAS FILED WITH THE MANUFACTURER AND THERE WERE NO REPAIRS MADE TO THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 80,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10321794March 24, 2010
STEERING
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 SATURN ION. WHILE TRAVELING AT SPEEDS OF 45 MPH, THE POWER STEERING LIGHT ILLUMINATED, ON THE WARNING PANEL IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL. THE DEALER REPLACED THE POWER STEERING MOTOR. THE FAILURE HAS NOT RECURRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 64,000 AND THE CURRENT WAS 64,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10321848March 24, 2010
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
INTERMITTENT ISSUES WITH VEHICLE NOT STARTING. INSERT KEY INTO IGNITION, TURN AND NOTHING. VEHICLE DASH LIGHTS COME ON, BUT NOTHING TURNS OVER. WELL-KNOWN ISSUE AS NOTICED ON SEVERAL MESSAGE BOARDS. PER SATURN AND OTHERS WITH THIS ISSUE, THE IGNITION SWITCH AND/OR THE WIRING HARNESS NEED TO BE REPLACED - WHICH COST A LOT OF MONEY. THE SYSTEM IS SUPPOSED TO "RESET" ITSELF AFTER 10 MINUTES - HOWEVER UP TO 24 HOURS PASSES WITHOUT THE SYSTEM RESETTING ITSELF.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10321544March 23, 2010
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
SATURN ION 2006 BRAND NEW HAD THREE DAYS WHEN CRUISE CONTROL WOULD NOT ENGAGE.PHONED DEALER WAS TOLD TO STOP AND RESTART TO FIX PROBLEM.DID NOT CHANGE.STEERING WHEEL BEGAN TO LOB SIDE TO SIDE.TOOK TO DEALERSHIP WAS TOLD AFTER DIAGNOSIS IT WAS BODY MOUNT.POWER STEERING PROMPT APPEARED AFTER REPAIR WWHILE DRIVING EXPRESSWAY POWER STEERING CEASED WORKING CAUSING ME TO ALMOST WRECK.WILL NOT START UNTIL 10 MINUTE DELAY.CANNOT DRIVE ANYWAY WITH MANUAL STEERING.THIS PROBLEM IS ELECTRICAL.DOOR LOCKS WILL NOT OPEN OR LOCK PROPERLY.CAR IS VERY DANGEROUS AND WILL NOT ALLOW ANYONE TO DRIVE IT.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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