2003 SATURN ION Complaints

I HAVE A 2003 SATURN ION AND THE PROBLEM STARTED YESTERDAY. I JUST BOUGHT THIS CAR ON JANUARY 31, 2009. I WENT TO START THE CAR AND IT WOULD NOT TURN OVER AT ALL. IT JUST SAID SERVICE VEHICLE ON THE MESSAGE CENTER SCREEN. I DRIVE 120 MILES PER DAY SOMETIMES AND I HAVE DONE ONLINE RESEARCH AND HAVE FOUND HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ON THIS CAR. IT NOT ONLY HAPPENS WITH THIS YEAR AND MAKE BUT WITH OTHER MAKES TOO! THIS IS RIDICULOUS AND DANGEROUS. THE WEATHER WHERE I LIVE GETS DOWN TO 30 BELOW ZERO SOMETIMES AND I CANNOT AFFORD TO NOT BE ABLE TO START MY CAR. I AM A FULL-TIME STUDENT WITH 3 CHILDREN AND A HUSBAND THAT WORKS OUT OF TOWN. I CANNOT AFFORD THE NUMEROUS CAR REPAIRS THAT PEOPLE ARE REPORTING THAT THEY HAD TO HAVE DONE ON THIS TYPE OF CAR. WHY HASN'T THEIR BEEN A RECALL?!!! *TR

DURING THE WINTER MONTHS WHEN TEMPERATURE IS 30 OR BELOW MY 2003 SATURN ION IS UNABLE TO START. I MUST WAIT 20 MINUTES AND THEN TRY AGAIN. THERE SEEM TO BE A FAULTY IGNITION SWITCH. WHICH CAN BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS IN INCLEMENT WEATHER.*TR

CAR WON'T START WHEN IT GETS COLD OUT.(UNDER 50) IGNITION TURNS AND THEN ENGINE STALLS OUT. AFTER A FEW ATTEMPTS AND WAITING A HALF HOUR OR SO, IT STARTS. (USUALLY WITH A FUEL SMELL AND A BACKFIRE)APPARENTLY THIS IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM AND I AM CONCERNED AS THIS MODEL HAS ALREADY HAD FUEL FILTER ASSEMBLY RECALL..MECHANICS SAY ITS THE STARTER BUT WHEN REPLACED, PROBLEM CONTINUES.. I HAVE NOT HAD MINE REPLACED YET BECAUSE I'M NOT SURE I WANT TO GO TO THAT EXPENSE WHEN IT DOESN'T SEEM TO FIX THE PROBLEM FOR OTHERS. THE FACT THAT I SMELL GAS WHEN IT DOES START UP CONCERNS ME AND I AM FRANKLY CONCERNED FOR MY SAFETY. *TR

ON JULY 5, 2008 I PURCHASED A 2003 SATURN ION FROM CARMAX FOR THE COST OF $10,998. IT APPARENTLY PASSED THE RIGOROUS CARMAX CERTIFIED QUALITY INSPECTION. IN NOVEMBER 2008 (4 MONTHS LATER) THE SATURN WOULD NOT START DUE TO THE COLD WEATHER. I TOOK THIS INTO CARMAX AND THEY REPLACED MY BATTERY AT MY COST. AGAIN IN JANUARY 2009 (1 MONTH LATER) IT STILL WOULD NOT START IN THE MORNING. THEY PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC TEST AND COULD NOT DUPLICATE. THIS MORNING NOW FEBRUARY 2009 IT DID NOT START AGAIN IN THE MORNING RESULTING IN A PROBLEM GETTING MY DAUGHTER TO SCHOOL. IT IS UNDOUBTEDLY AN ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY SATURN. AFTER READING ALL THESE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE CAR NOT STARTING UNDER COLD WEATHER CONDITIONS I AM PERPLEXED AS TO WHY SATURN IS NOT DOING ANYTHING ABOUT THIS. THIS IS MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH A SATURN AND MOST LIKELY MY LAST. *TR

I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHY SATURN HAS NOT BEEN FORCED TO DO A RECALL WITH ALL OF THE PROBLEMS WITH THE IGNITION ON IONS NOT WORKING AT CERTAIN TIMES. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS ON THE INTERNET AND IT IS CLEARLY A DESIGN ISSUE. I AM OFTEN STRANDED BECAUSE THE CAR WILL NOT START. *TR

STARTING THIS FALL, MY 2003 SATURN ION HAS HAD A PROBLEM WITH NOT STARTING SOMETIMES. IT STARTS FINE IN THE MORNING NO MATTER HOW COLD, BUT SOMETIMES AFTER I DRIVE A LITTLE WHILE AND ENGINE IS WARMER, IT WILL NOT START BACK UP IF I RUN INTO THE STORE OR WHATEVER FOR A FEW MINUTES. IT TURNS OVER A FEW STROKES AND DIES COMPLETELY. IF I TRY IMMEDIATELY AFTER THAT ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HAPPENS. I WILL NORMALLY WAIT 15 MINUTES (OR SO) AND IT STARTS PERFECTLY FINE WITH PLENTY OF POWER. *TR

ON 3 OCCASIONS THIS WINTER, MY 2003 SATURN ION HAS FAILED TO START. AFTER THE FIRST 2, THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED. I NOW DOUBT THE BATTERY WAS FAULTY, BECAUSE THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE INTERMITTENT AND THE ENGINE WOULD ROLL OVER, BUT NOT START. THIS MORNING (ABOUT 35 DEGREES), I ATTEMPTED TO START THE CAR AND IT WAS VERY SLUGGISH AND WOULD NOT START. I ATTEMPTED TO CHARGE IT AND ENDED UP WALKING MY DAUGHTER 5 BLOCKS TO DAYCARE AND CALLING A RIDE TO WORK. WHEN I RETURNED HOME 3 HOURS LATER, IT STILL DID NOT WANT TO START AND THEN RAN SLUGGISH. ONLINE SEARCHES INDICATE HUNDREDS OF REPORTS OF A FAULTY IGNITION MODULE. THAT WILL BE MY NEXT REPAIR/REPLACEMENT. THE CAR HAS 98000 MILES. WE PREVIOUSLY OWNED A 1995 SATURN SC2 FOR 10 YEARS WITH 150000 MILES AND NO TROUBLE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DUCT PORT, WHERE AIR TRAVELS THROUGH THE VEHICLE, FAILS TO TRANSPORT CORRECTLY AND BECOMES STUCK. THE INSULATION BETWEEN THE VENT LOOSENS AND STOPS SWITCHING BETWEEN HEAT AND DEFROST. THE FAILURE BEGAN AT 36,000 MILES. THE FAILURE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CONTACT FEELS THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE THE WINDOWS COULD FOG UP AND REDUCE VISIBILITY. THE FAILURE OCCURS IN RAINY WEATHER CONDITIONS. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 80,000.

CAR FAILS TO START INTERMITTENTLY. WAIT 10 MIN, CAR TURNS OVER THEN DIES. WAIT 5 MIN CAR WILL START (HIGH RPM'S AT FIRST) W/O PROBLEM. *TR

I PURCHASED A USED 2003 SATURN ION LEVEL 1 IN APRIL OF 2006. BEGINNING THIS WINTER (APPROXIMATELY EARLY DECEMBER 2008), MY CAR DID NOT START. INITIALLY, IT WOULD SIMPLY CLICK, BUT ALL ELECTRICAL WAS WORKING PROPERLY, AND THERE WAS NO DRAIN OF POWER UPON ATTEMPTING TO START THE CAR. A FEW HOURS LATER, MY HUSBAND TRIED TO START IT, AND IT TURNED OVER AS IF THERE WAS NO PROBLEM PRESENT. SINCE THEN, IT HAS VERY RANDOMLY DONE THE SAME THING - FIRST TRY, NOTHING BUT ELECTRICAL COMES ON, BUT AFTER WAITING ANYWHERE FROM 5 - 30 MINUTES, THE CAR WILL START ONLY TO DIE IMMEDIATELY, AND THEN FINALLY, THE ENGINE WILL TURN OVER, AND THE CAR WILL RUN PERFECTLY. THIS WINTER HAS BEEN BRUTALLY COLD, AND I HAVE A YOUNG SON. LUCKILY, HE HAS NEVER BEEN WITH ME WHEN I HAVE ENCOUNTERED THIS ISSUE WHILE AWAY FROM HOME - SITTING IN A NON-RUNNING VEHICLE FOR UP TO HALF AN HOUR IN BELOW-ZERO TEMPERATURES IS NOT ONLY DANGEROUS TO ME, BUT *EXTREMELY* DANGEROUS FOR HIM. I HAVE EVEN HAD OCCURRENCES OF THIS WHEN STOPPING AT THE STORE FOR A MERE 10 MINUTES (AFTER MY CAR STARTED PERFECTLY TO GET THERE), ONLY TO COME OUT AND FIND MY CAR COMPLETELY USELESS. THIS PARTICULAR NIGHT THE TEMPERATURE WAS LITERALLY 10-BELOW-ZERO), AND IT TOOK ME A SOLID HALF HOUR TO GET IT STARTED AGAIN. I HAVE DISCOVERED COUNTLESS COMPLAINTS REGARDING DUPLICATE SITUATIONS ONLINE FROM MANY, MANY ION OWNERS, AS WELL AS OTHER MODELS OF SATURNS. THE FACT THAT SATURN HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL FOR WHAT IS APPARENTLY REMEDIED BY REPLACING THE IGNITION ASSEMBLY AND HOUSING APPALL ME, EVEN THOUGH THEY ADDRESS IT AS "NOT BEING A SAFETY ISSUE." WHEN TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THAT I, AS WELL AS THOUSANDS OF OTHER ION OWNERS, COULD BE LEFT STRANDED FAR FROM ANY HELP OR MEANS TO ATTAIN ASSISTANCE, AT ANY RANDOM TIME OF DAY OR LOCATION, IN EVEN THE ABSOLUTE WORST OF WEATHER CONDITIONS MAKES ME DISAGREE COMPLETELY WITH THE ASSUMPTION THAT IT DOES NOT IMPACT THE SAFETY OF SATURN OWNERS AND THEIR FAMILIES. IT DESERVES A RECALL. *TR