2003 SATURN ION Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WHILE THE DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO CROSS AN INTERSECTION. THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO SHIFT THE GEAR INTO NEUTRAL, MOVE ONTO THE ROAD SHOULDER AND RELEASE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL THAT WAS STUCK TO THE FLOOR BOARD. THE VEHICLE RETURNED TO NORMAL FUNCTION AFTER RESTARTING BUT ONLY FOR A BRIEF MOMENT. THE FAILURE WAS EXPERIENCED SEVERAL TIMES. THE CONTACT'S MECHANIC CLEANED THE THROTTLE HOWEVER, THE FAILURE WAS NOT CORRECTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER TO HAVE A DIAGNOSTIC PERFORMED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

KEY GETS STUCK IN IGNITION AND VEHICLE WILL NOT SHUT OFF. HAVE HAD TO REPLACE IGNITION SWITCH TWICE FIRST IN 2005 WITH APPROX 12,000 MILES AND AGAIN IN 2010 WITH APPROX 52,000 MILES. NOW VEHICLE HAS 73,000 MILES AND IS HAVING SAME ISSUE,WHICH DRAINS DOWN BATTERY. NO OTHER KEYS ARE ON KEY RING. THIS NEEDS TO BE FIXED IMMEDIATELY AND INCLUDED IN GM RECALL AS MY VIN IS NOT SHOWING AS AFFECTED, AND THIS SHOULD NOT BE AN OUT OF POCKET EXPENSE TO ME AGAIN AS IT IS A KNOWN ISSUE. *TR

ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS OVER THE LAST 2-3YRS, THE CAR WAS TURNED ON AND THE ENGINE REVVED UP TO 3,500RPM WITHOUT PRESSING ON THE GAS PEDAL. IF I PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE WHILE THIS WAS HAPPENING, THE CAR WOULD ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN (UP TO 25MPH). I'VE HAD MULTIPLE AUTO SHOPS INSPECT AND TRY TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM BUT NONE CAN TELL ME WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. *TR

ON 4 SEPARATE OCCASIONS (DIFFERENT DATES, MOST RECENT WERE 1-26-2014 & 2-19-2014) ENGINE REVVED AND CAR ACCELERATED BY ITSELF WITHOUT GAS PEDAL DEPRESSED. MOST SERIOUS OCCURRENCE, CAR ACCELERATED, BRAKES HAD NO EFFECT (PUSHED TO THE FLOOR), RAN RED LIGHT, WENT OFF ROAD, SLAMMED TRANSMISSION INTO PARK TO STOP. SHUT OFF CAR, THEN STARTED IT AGAIN, AND IT RAN NORMAL. TOOK CAR TO MECHANIC. NO COMPUTER CODES. NOTHING MECHANICAL WAS FOUND TO BE WRONG. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE DUE TO THE INEVITABILITY OF A COLLISION WITH SOMETHING OR SOMEONE. *TR

THE GAS PEDAL GETS STUCK WHEN PRESSED MORE THAN ROUGHLY 50% OF THROTTLE (~I.E. ACCELERATING TO MERGE OR PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE). WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, WHEN I RELEASED THE GAS PEDAL, I NOTICED THE CAR DID NOT SLOW DOWN. I USED THE BRAKE AND STILL COULD NOT SLOW THE CAR DOWN. THEN I PROCEEDED TO REACH WITH MY HAND TO PULL UP THE GAS PEDAL, BUT I COULD NOT. AT THIS POINT, FACING AN IMMINENT CRASH INCIDENT, I QUICKLY TURNED ON MY HAZARD LIGHTS, SHIFTED THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL, AND LET THE CAR ROLL TO A STOP. I THEN PROCEEDED TO ATTEMPT TO PULL THE GAS PEDAL UP BY HAND AND IT DID NOT WORK. RPMS WERE STILL RUNNING HIGH UNTIL FINALLY AFTER WAITING ABOUT 30 SECONDS, I HEARD A 'POP' AND THE GAS PEDAL CAME OUT. I WAS THEN ABLE TO DRIVE NORMALLY, AS LONG AS I DON'T PRESS THE PEDAL DOWN TOO FAR. *TR

WE PURCHASED THIS 2003 SATURN ION USED AND HAD THE POWER STEERING ASSIST MOTOR FAIL WHEN DRIVING. A QUICK INTERNET SEARCH REVEALED THAT THIS IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM. GM HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROBLEM AND HAS BEEN FIXING CARS WITH THIS ISSUE (2004-2007). THIS CAR HAS THE SAME DEFECTIVE PART THAT IS IN THE LATER MODELS AND SHOULD BE INCLUDED WITH THE "SPECIAL COVERAGE ADJUSTMENT" ISSUED BY GM. IT IS A VERY DANGEROUS ISSUE AND I HOPE THEY CONSIDER THE 2003 FOR COVERAGE AS WELL. *TR

WIFE AND CHILDREN RIDING DOWN ROAD WHEN CAR TURNS ITSELF OFF AND LOOSES ALL POWER. SHE WAS LUCKILY ENOUGH TO MERGE ACROSS 2 LANES AT A COAST WITH NO BRAKES OR POWER STEERING TO BRING THE CAR TO A STOP. THEN IT TOOK UP TO 30 MIN OF SITTING ON THE SIDE OF VERY BUSY I-16 TILL THE SECURITY LIGHT STOPPED FLASHING AND SHE COULD CONTINUE HER WAY HOME WITH MY 2 AND 8 YEAR OLD KIDS IN THE CAR. NOW ALL THE CAR WILL DO IS FLASH THAT PASSLOCK LIGHT AFTER I HAVE REPLACED THE IGNITION SWITCH,STARTER,BATTERY,ALTERNATOR AND MANY FUSES ALSO FOLLOWING THE RELEARN PROCEDURE EACH TIME. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START UNTIL AFTER NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS. THE FAILURE WOULD ONLY RECUR DURING COLDER WEATHER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR INSPECTION WHERE THE IGNITION SWITCH ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED AND THE ANTI-THEFT SECURITY SYSTEM WAS RE-WIRED. THE FAILURE CONTINUED AFTER THE REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH AND ATTEMPTING A RIGHT TURN, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE STEERING MOTOR WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 126,597. *TR

I AM NOT SURE IF THE POWER TRAIN IS THE TRANSMISSION, BUT THIS CAR WILL DOWNSHIFT ON ITS OWN, CAUSING IT TO LOOSE SPEED INCREDIBLY FAST ALMOST TO THE POINT OF STOPPING. I FOUND OUT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS TRANSMISSION, BUT GM NOW SAYS THERE WAS NOT. EVEN THOUGH WHEN I FIRST CALLED, THE GENTLEMAN THAT ANSWERED SAID THAT THE SYMPTOMS FIT THE RECALL STATS. WHEN I WAS ABLE TO TALK WITH THE PERSON THAT WAS HANDLING THE CLAIM, SHE SAID IT WAS PAST 8 YEARS, AND THEY COULD NOT FIX THE RECALLED PROBLEM. I HAVE HAD MORE THAN ONE GARAGE, AND TRANSMISSION COMPANY TELL ME THAT THIS TRANSMISSION IS ON A RECALL, JUST BY CHECKING THE VIN #. GM NOW REFUSES TO FIX IT AND DENIES SAYING IT WAS ON RECALL. THE AUTO DEALER I BOUGHT IT FROM SAYS THEY CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT, EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE SOLD OTHER SATURNS, SAME YEAR. I SPOKE WITH THE GIRL THERE THAT "ENTERS THE VINS INTO THE SYSTEM TO SEE IF THERE IS A RECALL ON THE CAR"...AND SHE KNEW NOTHING ABOUT THIS CAR, ALTHOUGH IT HAS 4 OTHER RECALLS LISTED FOR THIS YEAR AND MODEL. OTHER IMPORTANT FACTS, I FIRST CALLED A LOCAL SATURN DEALER, AND THEY BLEW ME OFF SAYING IT WAS JUST "STUCK" (THE TRANSMISSION) I KEPT DRIVING IT THINKING I WAS WRONG IT WAS STUCK LIKE THEY SAID, WHATEVER THAT MEANT. IT GOT WORSE, I ENDED UP CALLING GM AS REFERRED TO BY MANY GARAGES AND AUTO PARTS STORES, AND THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THE RECALL ON TRANNY, THEN FLIPPED IT AROUND . WHILE DRIVING THIS CAR WHETHER IT IS ON THE HIGHWAY OR A STREET, IT WILL SUDDENLY ALMOST STOP WITHOUT HITTING THE BREAKS, AS IT WILL DOWNSHIFT ON ITS OWN. THIS ALMOST CAUSED MORE THAN ONE ACCIDENT. THE CAR CANNOT BE DRIVEN, I WAS NEVER TOLD ABOUT THIS PROBLEM WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR. *TR