2004 SATURN ION Complaints

IN DEC. 2011, THE CAR WOULD NOT TURN ON AND I PAID $280 FOR A REPLACEMENT IGNITION SWITCH. I HAVE NO IDEA IF THEY USED ANOTHER FAULTY SWITCH THAT IS NOW THE SUBJECT OF THE CURRENT RECALL. IN CONCERN FOR MY SAFETY, I AM USING A SINGLE KEY, AS GM INSTRUCTED, AND WAITING FOR THE DEALER TO GET THE PART TO REPLACE THE IGNITION SWITCH. SUPPOSEDLY, IT WILL HAPPEN THIS MONTH - APRIL. ALSO IN 2011 (OR MAYBE THE BEGINNING OF 2012) I EXPERIENCED THE INTERMITTENT LOSS OF THE POWER STEERING. THAT WAS PAID FOR BY GM BUT, AGAIN, NOW I HAVE NO IDEA IF THEY PUT IN ANOTHER FAULTY POWER STEERING COLUMN THAT IS THE SUBJECT OF TODAY'S RECALL. WHEN I CALLED GM TODAY, THEY SAID THAT LAST POWER STEERING REPLACEMENT WAS NOT A RECALL, IT WAS A SPECIAL SAFETY ISSUE #10187. I ASKED IF THE INCENTIVE TO TRADE IN THE CAR WOULD BE EXTENDED DUE TO ANOTHER RECALL AND THEY COULD NOT ANSWER THE QUESTION BECAUSE THAT IS A SALES ISSUE, NOT A REPAIR ISSUE. I THINK IT'S TIME TO REPLACE THIS CAR, MAYBE WITH A FORD! *TR

MY CAR STARTED NOT STARTING UP AT ALL. IT WOULD TAKE ABOUT 20 MINUTES TO START MY CAR AND THE IGNITION WOULD BE HARD TO TURN, AND A JUMP WOULD NOT WORK. I WOULD HAVE TO GO OUT AND START MY CAR 30 MINUTES BEFORE I HAD TO LEAVE FOR WORK AND LET IT RUN. I TOOK MY CAR TO A MECHANIC TO CHANGE MY OIL AND IT WOULD NOT START. THEY TRIED TO GIVE ME A JUMP AND I TOLD THEM THAT DO NOT WORK AND EXPLAIN WHAT IT DOES ALL THE TIME AND THE OWNER CHECK HIS COMPUTER UNDER THE SAFETY RECALLS AND HE TOLD ME THAT IT WAS A RECALL ON MY IGNITION, SO I TOOK MY CAR TO A SATURN DEALER "THIS WAS IN 2010" AND I TOLD THEM WHAT WAS TOLD TO ME AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS NOT ANY RECALLS FOR MY CAR. I WROTE A LETTER ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND NEVER GOT A RESPONSE. NOW IN 2013 MY CAR CUT OFF WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE STREET FOR NO REASON. I WAS JUST GOING TO GET MY IGNITION FIXED WHEN I GOT THIS LETTER ABOUT THE RECALL. THIS CAR WAS GIVEN TO MY SON FOR A GRADUATION PRESENT AND I WOULD LIKE IT TO BE FIXED SOON. *TR

POWER STEERING TEMPORARILY LOCKED IN RIGHT TURN POSITION, DURING RIGHT HAND TURN, BUT WAS ABLE TO FORCE BACK IN TIME BEFORE HITTING OTHER CAR. STEERING IS STILL ACTING UP DURING NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS (ESPECIALLY COLD), WHEN TRYING TO RETURN WHEEL BACK TO STRAIGHT POSITION, WHEEL TIGHTENS UP AND NEEDS TO BE FORCED BACK. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 ION SATURN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE NOTICED GASOLINE FUEL HAD SPILLED ON THE GROUND WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED. THE CONTACT'S PERSONAL MECHANIC INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND FOUND THAT ONE OF THE FUEL LINES WAS CORRODED AND LEAKING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 172,000.

THE POWER STEERING ASSIST SUDDENLY FAILED WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, MAKING THE EFFORT OF STEERING THE VEHICLE INCREASE GREATLY. UPON TURNING THE VEHICLE OFF, THE PROBLEM TEMPORARILY WENT AWAY, BUT HAS CONTINUED TO HAPPEN AT AN EVER-INCREASING FREQUENCY UNTIL THIS DATE. FOR THE PAST YEAR, THE POWER STEERING HAS FAILED WITHIN DRIVING THE FIRST 200 FEET EVERY SINGLE TIME I HAVE OPERATED THE VEHICLE. I KNOW THIS HAS BEEN A COMMON OCCURRENCE WITH SATURN IONS AND RELATED GM VEHICLES, CAUSING SEVERAL ACCIDENTS, AND THAT GM IS WELL AWARE OF THE ISSUE. I BELIEVE A RECALL IS IN ORDER DUE TO THE EXTREME PHYSICAL EXERTION REQUIRED TO STEER THESE VEHICLES AFTER THE POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT FUEL WAS LEAKING INTO THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL FILTER WAS CORRODED CAUSING THE LEAK. AS A RESULT, THE FUEL FILTER AND FUEL LINES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE BUT DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE SINCE THE VEHICLE HAD ALREADY BEEN REPAIRED UNDER RECALL NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 04V281000 (FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER). THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

AS I WAS DRIVING ON A STRAIGHT-AWAY, ALL OF THE SUDDEN I HEARD 3 DINGS IN MY CAR - SO I CHECKED THE DASHBOARD (I WAS EXPECTING TO SEE FUEL OR MAYBE OIL LIFE), IT READ PWR STR. THEN I NOTICED THAT IT WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO STEER MY CAR...I HAD LOST MY POWER STEERING COMPLETELY. THE AMOUNT OF STRENGTH IT TOOK JUST TO TURN THE WHEEL WAS IMMENSE. THIS TOOK MORE EFFORT THAN DRIVING AN OLDER CAR THAT DOES NOT HAVE POWER STEERING. LUCKILY, I WAS JUST ARRIVING AT MY DESTINATION. ALSO LUCKILY, THE ISSUE GOES AWAY ONCE I TURN THE CAR OFF AND RE-START IT. THIS HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES SINCE THE FIRST TIME - ONCE WHILE ON A HIGHWAY, ONCE WHILE PARKING MY CAR, AND ANOTHER WHILE DRIVING THROUGH TOWN. *TR

THEY KEY GETS STUCK IN THE IGNITION AND SOMETIMES I CANT PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION. MANY TIMES IF I CAN GET THE KEY IN AND TRY TO START IT THEN IT DOES NOTHING. I HAD THE CAR TOWED HOME AND THAT IS WHERE IT IS STILL SITTING IN MY DRIVEWAY UNABLE TO START?? I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHERE TO TAKE MY CAR FOR THE RECALL REPAIRS, IS TOWING ALSO INCLUDED I DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO KEEP PAYING TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED. *TR

TL-THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT IN THE MORNINGS THE VEHICLE WILL NOT START. THE VEHICLE WILL START AFTER MANY ATTEMPTS. THIS FAILURE HAS OCCURRED EVERY DAY OVER A PERIOD OF FOUR MONTHS. THE CONTACT RECEIVED THE RECALL NOTIFICATION RELATED TO NTHSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 14V047000 (AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM), HOWEVER PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO COULD NOT DIAGNOSED THE VEHICLE. VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 94,127. RG

THE CAR WOULD NOT TURN OVER, I CALLED ROAD SIDE IN HOPES THAT THE BATTERY JUST NEEDED A JUMP, BUT WHEN THEY ARRIVED I FOUND OUT THAT THE CAR WAS NOT TURNING OVER BECAUSE OF ANOTHER REASON. MY FRIENDS CAME OVER AND WE POPPED THE CLUTCH AND DROVE IT TO A CAR REPAIR SHOP TO HAVE THEM TAKE A LOOK, I WAS THINKING EITHER THE STARTER OR THE ALTERNATOR. HE CALLED ME LAST NIGHT TO TELL ME TO CONTACT GM ABOUT THE RECALL ON THE IGNITION. THE IGNITION IS BAD AND WILL NOT TURN THE CAR OVER. *TR