2005 SATURN ION Complaints

View complaints related to 2005 SATURN ION. The complaints found here are submitted by actual consumers with first hand experience. There are more than 550 complaints submitted for the 2005 SATURN ION. You can submit your own complaint to the NHTSA or call the Hotline, Monday-Friday 8am to 8pm at (888) 327-4236, TTY: (800) 424-9153.

  • 2005 SATURN ION
    - HAMPSHIRE, IL

    TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT VEHICLE COULD NOT BE STARTED DURING COLDER WEATHER DUE TO THE ANTI-THEFT SENSOR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD HAVE TO SIT AT LEAST TWENTY MINUTES AFTER STARTING IN ORDER FOR THE VEHICLE TO RESET. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED WHEN THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED WHO STATED THAT THE DEALER COULD NOT REPAIR THE VEHICLE UNTIL PROPERLY DIAGNOSED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 83,000.

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE
  • 2005 SATURN ION
    - SALEM, OR

    TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED AND BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST AND THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING MOTOR WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THERE WAS AN OPEN INVESTIGATION UNDER NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: EA11014 (STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM), THAT MAY BE RELATED TO THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 48,000.

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE
  • 2005 SATURN ION
    - BELMONT, CA

    THE FIRST TIME IT WENT OFF WAS WHEN WE WERE ENTERING A HIGHWAY. THE ELECTRIC ALARM WENT OFF AND THEN I FOUND THE STEERING WAS NOT WORKING. IT WAS DANGEROUS AND VERY HARD TO PULL OVER WHEN CARS BEHIND ARE ACCELERATING TO GET INTO THE HIGHWAY TRAFFIC. AFTER A RESTART, EVERYTHING SEEMED OKAY. THEN ON OUR WAY BACK HOME THE SAME THING HAPPENED FOR 4 OR 5 TIMES. WE HAD TO DRIVE IN THE RIGHT LANE AT A LOW SPEED TO GIVE OURSELVES ENOUGH SPACE FOR SAFTY. *TR

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2005 SATURN ION
    - NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV

    MY 2005 SATURN ION WILL NOT START WHEN IT'S COLD, I REPLACED THE STARTER, I REPLACED THE NEUTRAL SAFETY SWITCH, I REPLACED THE IGNITION SWITCH, I WAS EXTREMELY FRUSTRATED. I CUT THE WHITE WIRE AFTER ROLL STARTING AS MY CAR IS A MANUAL AND TAPED OFF WIRES, CAR NOW STARTS ANYTIME I NEED IT TO, GM / SATURN NEED TO RECALL THIS ISSUE AND QUIT BEING CHEAP AND FIX THERE MISTAKES. *TR

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2005 SATURN ION
    - CLAYTON, NC

    THE POWER STEERING ON THIS CAR REPEATEDLY FAILS. AS SOON AS YOU START THE CAR THE POWER STEERING LIGHT COMES ON MAKING IT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER THE CAR. *KB

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2005 SATURN ION
    - CHARLESTON, SC

    I HAD BEEN DRIVING APPROX. 2 HOURS OF A 11 HOUR TRIP WHEN I SAW A MESSAGE REPLACE THE ODOMETER ABOUT THE POWER STEERING. I LEFT I95 USING EXIT 98 AND PULLED OVER IN A GAS STATION. THE MANUAL STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING WAS ELECTRIC, SO NO STEERING FLUID TO CHECK. I RESTARTED THE CAR AND MAGICALLY THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED AND MY TRIP ODOMETER WAS MAGICALLY SET TO ZERO. I DROVE AROUND THE FRONTAGE ROAD AND EVERYTHING SEEMED FINE SO I CONTINUED ON MY WAY. 22 MILES LATER THE SAME THING HAPPENED. I TOOK THE NEXT EXIT, SHUT THE CAR OFF, RESTARTED IT AND MAGICALLY AGAIN IT WAS FIXED WITH NO RESET OF THE TRIP ODOMETER. AGAIN I CONTINUED ON MY TRIP ONLY TO HAVE IT HAPPEN AGAIN 23 MILES LATER, AT WHICH POINT I REPEATED THE STOPPING/RESTARTING PROCEDURE AND TURNED AROUND HEADED FOR HOME. WHILE DRIVING HOME IT HAPPENED TWO MORE TIMES, THEN ONCE MORE IN THE DRIVEWAY WHEN I WAS BACKING UP. SO A TOTAL OF 6 TIMES WITHIN A 5 HOUR PERIOD AND NO PRIOR HISTORY (SINCE I'VE OWNED IT) OF THIS PROBLEM. I PURCHASED THIS CAR USED FROM A DEALER MAY 28 2011 WITH APPROX. 46500 MILES. THE ONLY OTHER PROBLEM I'VE HAD IS THE KEY NOT WANTING TO COME OUT OF THE IGNITION AFTER I'VE TURNED THE CAR OFF; AFTER I PUT THE GEAR SHIFT INTO REVERSE THEN BACK INTO PARK, THE KEY WILL COME OUT; SOMETIMES I CAN HEAR A CLICKING SOUND WHEN THE IGNITION SWITCH FIXES ITSELF AND THEN THE KEY WILL COME OUT, ALSO. *TR

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2005 SATURN ION
    - ENCINO, CA

    TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 35 MPH WHEN THE POWER STEERING FAILED WHILE THE CONTACT WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 130,000.

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE
  • 2005 SATURN ION
    - PHOENIX, AZ

    ON 6/13/11, WHEN I WAS LEAVING FOR WORK I STARTED MY CAR AND IMMEDIATELY MY PWRSTR MESSAGE CAME UP ON THE DASHBOARD AND COULD NOT HARDLY TURN THE WHEEL. CALLED THE DEALERSHIP CAUSE I RECEIVED A BULLETIN LETTER. I BROUGHT THE CAR IN ON 6/14/11, THEY SAID THEY PUT IN A NEW PS MOTOR. ON 11/6/11 THE PWR STR CAME UP AGAIN. I BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TO THEM ON 11/7/11, THEY SAID I NEEDED A NEW STEERING COLUMN AND COST WAS $897.WHICH THEY SAID THEY REPLACED. ON 11/15/11, THE SAME MESSAGE APPEARED AND COULD NOT STEER THE WHEEL. THIS IS AFTER SUPPOSEDLY THEY REPLACED THE PS MOTOR AND STEERING COLUMN. GOING BACK TODAY 11/16/11, TO SEE WHAT CRAP THEY ARE GOING TO TELL ME.WHY DOES THIS KEEP ON HAPPENING?? GM NEEDS TO FIX THE PROBLEM NOT PUT A BAND AID ON IT, BEFORE SOMETHING SERIOUS HAPPENS, AND EVIDENTLY THEY ARE NOT. BY THE WAY HOW DO I KNOW THEY ARE ACTUALLY DOING THE REPAIRS, IF THE PROBLEM KEEPS COMING BACK AND THE SERVICE ADVISOR IS SO MEAN. PLEASE HELP!! THERE IS A VERY BIG PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS AND WE & ARE FAMILIES ARE BEING PUT AT RISK EVERY TIME WE DRIVE THEM. *TR

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2005 SATURN ION
    - HONEY GROVE, TX

    I WAS DRIVING MY 2005 SATURN ION AT 50 MPH ON A HIGHWAY WHEN THE POWER STEERING WARNING ALARM SOUNDED AND THE INSTRUMENT PANEL DISPLAYED POWER STEERING FAILURE. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I TURNED OF THE ENGINE AND RAISED THE HOOD TO CHECK THE FUSES. THE FUSES WERE GOOD, SO I RESTARTED THE CAR AND THE POWER STEERING DISPLAY WAS CLEAR. I DROVE A FEW MORE MILES AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN. AFTER SOME RESEARCH I HAVE DISCOVERED THIS IS A COMMON FAILURE ON SATURN ION AND OTHER GM VEHICLES WITH ELECTRIC POWER STEERING. THIS COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS FOR MANY DRIVERS WHEN THIS HAPPENS WITHOUT WARNING! IT IS HARDER TO STEER THE SLOWER YOU DRIVE. *TR

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2005 SATURN ION
    - READING, PA

    TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH AND AT A STAND STILL, THE POWER STEERING FAILED. THE CONTACT CALLED A MECHANIC WHO REFERRED HER TO NHTSA BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT SURE OF WHAT THE FAILURE WAS. THE DEALER NOR MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 27,484.

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE