2003 SATURN ION Complaints

WHEN IT IS COLD I NOTICED THAT MY CAR WILL IDLE UP TO 4 AND WHEN I PUT IT IN DRIVE IT WILL GO REAL FAST EVEN WITH MY FOOT OFF THE GAS. WHEN I TRY TO BRAKE IT IS HARD TO STOP BECAUSE IT JUST WANTS TO GO. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START IMMEDIATELY AND IT TOOK APPROXIMATELY FIVE ATTEMPTS TO START THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC BUT THERE WERE NO DIAGNOSTIC CODES DISPLAYED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER WHO OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 70,165. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 69,500.

THE ISSUE IS IN CONNECTION WITH A 2003 SATURN ION. RECENTLY, WHILE DRIVING, THERE APPEARS TO BE A CLICK COMING FROM THE FRONT LEFT SIDE OF THE CAR, MOST LIKELY COMING FROM THE FUSE BOX. IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE CLICK, THERE IS THREE DINGS FOLLOWED BY A MESSAGE ON THE DASH "PWR STR". AFTER THIS HAS OCCURRED, THE VEHICLE LOSES ITS POWER STEERING ABILITIES, CAUSING SIGNIFICANT MORE FORCE TO BE USED WHEN OPERATING THE VEHICLE. TYPICALLY THIS IS FINE WHEN ON A STRAIGHT ROAD BUT OFTEN THIS IS NOT THE CASE AS I DRIVE ON ROADS WITH SHARP CURVES LEADING TO THE RISK OF SIGNIFICANT DANGER IF I WAS TO LOSE POWER STEERING WHILE TAKING ONE OF THESE TURNS. IF THE CAR IS TURNED OFF WHILE IN MOTION AND THEN TURNED ON AGAIN THE POWER STEERING DOES BEGIN TO WORK AGAIN ALTHOUGH OFTEN THE EVENTS OCCUR AGAIN AND THE CAR LOSES POWER STEERING. *TR

I WILL BE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE (60 MPH OR MORE) AND THE POWER STEERING MESSAGE WILL COME ON THE DASHBOARD AND THE POWER STEERING WILL FAIL. IF YOU SWITCH OFF THE CAR IT WILL COME BACK ON. THIS HAPPENED ONCE OR TWICE 2 YEARS AGO BUT THIS WEEK (MARCH 14-MARCH 17 - SO FAR) IT HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST TWICE A DAY, EVERY DAY. LUCKILY SO FAR, I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PULL OF THE ROAD AND RESTART THE CAR. I HOPE THAT I WILL NOT BE INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT AND WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO STEER THE VEHICLE. I HAVE CALLED SATURN (SERVICE REQ # [XXX]) BUT THEY SAID THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO ABOUT IT. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SATURN ION. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5-10 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD NOISE OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE FOLLOWED BY A LOSS OF POWER STEERING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THEY INFORMED HER THAT THE STEERING RACK HAD FRACTURED DUE TO INTERNAL DAMAGES. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 83,950.

2003 SATURN ION-3 PURCHASED NEW BEGAN NOT STARTING IN 2009. AFTER WAITING APPROXIMATELY 10-15 MINUTES THE CAR STARTS UP. TOOK THE CAR TO A REPAIR SHOP WHERE A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WAS DONE AND THEY COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM AND COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE CAR NOT STARTING. WENT ON-LINE AND DISCOVERED NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER SATURN ION OWNERS REGARDING THIS EXACT PROBLEM. WROTE A LETTER AND SENT COPIES OF THESE SAME COMPLAINTS TO GM IN JANUARY 2009. A SERVICE REP. CALLED ME SAYING THEY HAD NO RECALLS FOR THIS PROBLEM AND NOTHING COULD BE DONE ABOUT IT BY GM. STARTING HAVING MANY MORE INCIDENTS OF THE CAR NOT STARTING IN 2010, BUT WAITING THE 10-15 MINUTES AND THE CAR THEN STARTING. SENT AN E-MAIL TO GM REGARDING THIS ISSUE. AGAIN A SERVICE REP. CALLED AND SAID DUE TO THE AGE OF THE CAR I SHOULD TAKE IT TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THE REPAIR, IF THEY COULD FIND IT, WAS MY RESPONSIBILITY. THIS ISSUE CAN BE QUITE SERIOUS SINCE YOU CANNOT START YOUR VEHICLE AND ARE LEFT SITTING THERE IN CONDITIONS THAT COULD BE DANGEROUS (VERY COLD WEATHER, LATE AT NIGHT, ETC.) LATELY THIS SITUATION HAS HAPPENED 6-8 TIMES IN TWO WEEKS. IT WOULD CERTAINLY HELP IF GM KNOWS ABOUT THIS SITUATION AND WOULD ISSUE A RECALL. *TR

2003 SATURN ION IGNITION SWITCH BROKE; BECAME INOPERATIVE & COST $600.00 TO REPAIR & COULD HAVE BEEN ACCIDENT CAUSAL. *TR

I NEED HELP, I HAVE A 2003 SATURN ION, THE FRONT END IS BROKE. IT SWERVES ALL OVER THE ROAD. THEY RECALLED MANY AND KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. MINE THEY WILL NOT FIX AND I CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY FOR IT. IT'S VERY UNSAFE AND THEY RECALLED SEVERAL MODELS FOR THE SAME PROBLEM AND WON'T FIX MINE. THE WARRANTY JUST EXPIRED AND I GET NO RESPONSE FROM ANY AGENCY. I JUST BOUGHT THIS CAR A FEW YEARS AGO AND THEY KNOW ITS A FACTORY PROBLEM AND THEY WON'T FIX MY CAR. PLEASE HELP, I'M JUST A HARD WORKING GUY TRYING TO SUPPORT HIS FAMILY. MY WIFE IS DISABLED AND I STRUGGLE TO GET BY AND I CAN'T GET ANY HELP FROM THE CAR COMPANY. UPDATED 01/28/11

I WAS DRIVING ON HWY AT 60 MPH FOR APPROX 2 HOURS. WHEN FOOT WAS OFF GAS, CAR WOULD MAINTAIN SPEEDS OF 55-60 MPH. EXITED ONTO EXIT RAMP ON RIGHT. EXIT RAMP WAS APPROX 0.4 MILES LONG, SNOW COVERED, AND UPHILL. APPLIED THE BRAKE ON & OFF WHILE APPROACHING THE STOP SIGN AT THE END OF THE EXIT RAMP, CAR SLOWED TO APPROX 20 MPH WITH BRAKE FULLY PRESSED. RPM'S WERE APPROX 4,000 WITH BRAKE FULLY PRESSED. CAR CONTINUED ACCELERATING WITH BRAKE FULLY PRESSED. COULDN'T STOP, BUT WAS ABLE TO TURN LEFT AND CROSS BRIDGE OVER HIGHWAY. TRIED PUTTING FOOT UNDER GAS PEDAL TO SEE IF IT WAS STUCK DOWN, BUT IT WAS NOT DOWN. CONTINUOUSLY TRIED TO BRAKE, BUT COULD NOT SLOW THE CAR TO BELOW 20 MPH EVEN WITH BRAKE FULLY PRESSED. ROADS WERE SNOW COVERED. WENT APPROXIMATELY 0.5 MILES ON PRAIRIEVIEW RD. NO CARS WERE STOPPED AT RED LIGHT ON PRAIRIEVIEW AS I APPROACHED. FULLY PRESSED AND HELD DOWN BRAKE RIGHT BEFORE COMING TO RED STOPLIGHT ON PRAIRIEVIEW RD & OAK ST/US-150. CAR WOULD STILL NOT GO BELOW 15-20MPH. TURNED RIGHT TO AVOID CROSSING INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR AND BEGAN SPINNING ON THE SNOW. BRAKE WAS STILL FULLY PRESSED DOWN BUT ACCELERATING AT 3,000 RPM. CAR DID TWO 360'S ON OAK ST/US-150 CROSSING INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC AND WENT INTO DITCH ON LEFT SIDE OF THE ROAD. CAR WAS STILL ACCELERATING, CAME OUT OF THE DITCH AND BACK INTO ANOTHER 360 ON OAK ST/US-150. THEN CAR WENT INTO THE DITCH ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD. FRONT RIGHT PASSENGER DOOR HIT WOODEN SIGN IN GROUND IN DITCH, KNOCKED IT DOWN, AND RAN IT OVER. CAR DROVE ANOTHER 20-30 FEET IN DITCH AND GOT STUCK IN BOTTOM OF DITCH. BREAK WAS FULLY PRESSED THE ENTIRE TIME CAR WAS OUT OF CONTROL, BUT CAR WAS STILL ACCELERATING. WHEN CAR BECAME STUCK IN DITCH, RPMS WERE STILL AT 3,000. WITH CAR IN PARK IT CONTINUED ACCELERATING AT 3,000 RPMS. TURNED CAR OFF. 5 HOURS LATER BEFORE CAR WAS TOWED, TURNED CAR BACK ON AND RPMS WERE STILL HOLDING ABOVE 2,000 - HAVE VIDEO EVIDENCE OF THIS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SATURN ION. WHEN THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE IT FAILED TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIANS STATED THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE FAILURE HAPPENED INTERMITTENTLY AND DOES NOT ALLOW THE CONTACT TO TURN THE VEHICLE ON FOR APPROXIMATELY FORTY FIVE MINUTES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,000.