2005 SATURN ION Complaints

MY MOTHER'S 2005 SATURN ION LOOSES POWER STEERING ALL THE TIME. IF YOU STOP THE CAR, TURN IT OFF, AND RESTART THE CAR THEN THE POWER STEERING WORKS AGAIN FOR A WHILE. THIS IS THE SAME PROBLEM REPORTED IN THE 1.3 MILLION CARS GM JUST RECALLED BUT THEY DID NOT INCLUDE THE SATURN ION. WHY? *TR

I CURRENTLY OWN A 2005 SATURN ION-2. I HAVE OWNED THIS CAR SINCE IT HAD 12 MILES ON IT. IN 2007 MY CAR DID NOT START ONE MORNING AND SINCE IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY THE LOCAL SATURN DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE STARTER. STARTING LAST YEAR THIS PROBLEM RETURNED. WHEN I TURN THE STARTER ALL THE LIGHTS COME ON BUT THE STARTER WON'T EVEN TRY TO START. THIS HAPPENS MOSTLY WHEN IT'S COLD, BUT NOT NECESSARILY. IT HAPPENS AT ALL DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE DAY, AND IS VERY RANDOM. I MISSED WORK ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION AND EVEN MISSED A JOB INTERVIEW BECAUSE OF IT. EVERYTHING I HAVE READ ONLINE SAYS YOU HAVE NOT DONE A RECALL BECAUSE IT IS NOT A 'SAFETY ISSUE' BUT LAST WEEKEND AT 1AM, WHEN IS WAS 10 DEGREES OUTSIDE, I WAS STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE BECAUSE MY CAR WOULDN'T START. NOT ONLY IS IT UNSAFE FOR A SINGLE FEMALE BUT THAT TEMPERATURE IS BELOW FREEZING AND IT IS COMPLETELY UNSAFE, BECAUSE I COULD FREEZE TO DEATH WHILE WAITING IN MY CAR FOR IT TO START. I PURCHASED A NEW IGNITION SWITCH AND INSTALLED IT IN THE WAY THE DEALERSHIP INSTRUCTED ME TO, BUT THE CAR WOULDN'T START AT ALL AFTER I DID THAT AND I HAD TO RE-INSTALL THE OLD ONE. THIS WAS $30 I CAN'T GET BACK AND MY CAR STILL WON'T START. *TR

ON OCT. 2009 TO PRESENT MY SATURN ION (2005) POWER STEERING FAILURE. THIS HAPPENS EVERYTIME WHEN I DRIVE THE CAR. IN ORDER FOR THE PROBLEM TO GO AWAY, I HAVE TO PULL OVER AND TURN OFF ENGINE AND POWER STEERING IS OK FOR FEW MILES, THEN POWER STEERING FAILURE AGAIN AND AGAIN. THE STEERING WHEEL GETS REALLY HARD AND IT'S HARD TO STEER. ALSO I NOTICED MY MILEAGE FROM 60,000 NOW READS 711,300. I CALLED THE DEALER AND EXPLAIN THE SITUATION AND THEY ARE GOING TO CHARGE ME OVER $1200.00. I STILL DRIVE THE SATURN OCCASIONALLY ON SHORT DISTANCE ONLY. PLEASE HELP. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SATURN ION. THE ELECTRICAL POWER STEERING FAILED AS HE WAS DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS. HE HAD TO DRIVE ONTO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, TURN THE ENGINE ON AND OFF SO THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD RESET. THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY WILL REPLACE THE POWER STEERING MOTOR FOR $500. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CALLED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 52,250.

ON JAN 16 2010 MY 18 YEAR OLD SON WAS DRIVING OUR 2005 SATURN ION AND HE CALLED ME ON MY CELL TO TELL ME THE POWER STEERING SUDDENLY STOPPED WORKING. I TOLD HIM TO PULL OVER, (HE ALREADY DID) TURN THE CAR OFF, AND WAIT A FEW MINUTES. HE DID THAT AND CALLED ME BACK ABOUT 15 MINUTES LATER TO SAY HE DID MAKE IT HOME AND THE PS FAILED AGAIN RIGHT BEFORE HE GOT HOME. HE THEN TOLD ME HE NOTICED THE POWER STEERING LIGHT ON THE DASH WOULD COME ON IF THE RADIO WAS ON SO HE DID NOT HAVE THAT ON FOR THE REST OF THE WAY HOME. IT DID NOT MAKE ANY SENSE AT THE TIME UNTIL I WAS TOLD T THE CAR HAS ELECTRIC STEERING. THE NEXT DAY (SUNDAY), I DROVE THE CAR TO SEARS TO HAVE THE BATTERY TESTED THINKING THAT WAS THE PROBLEM AS I HAVE NEVER CHANGED OUT THE BATTERY SINCE THE PURCHASE OF THE CAR. SEARS SAID THE BATTERY WAS FINE AND THEY SAID MY PROBLEM WITH THE POWER STEERING WAS PROBABLY NOT RELATED TO THE BATTERY AND THEY RECOMMEND I TAKE IT TO THE DEALER. DURING THE DRIVE THAT DAY TO SEARS THE POWER STEERING WAS FINE BECAUSE I DID NOT TURN ON THE RADIO OR HEADLIGHTS (THE PS LIGHT ALSO CAME ON WHEN THE LIGHTS WERE TURNED ON). HOWEVER, ON THE WAY HOME THE PS AGAIN FAILED ANYWAY RIGHT BEFORE WE GOT HOME. THE CAR WAS NOT DRIVEN THE REST OF THE DAY. THE NEXT DAY, MONDAY THE 18TH, I DROVE THE CAR TO THE SATURN DEALER (SATURN OF TUCSON) AND THE STEERING WAS FINE THE WHOLE WAY OVER. THE DEALER REPLACED THE POWER STEERING MOTOR AND THEIR EXPLANATION WAS IT SHORTED OUT. I ASKED IF THIS WAS SOMETHING I CAUSED AND THEY SAID NO. THEY ALSO HAD NO EXPLANATION AS TO WHY THIS HAPPENED GIVEN THE CAR HAD ONLY 61,000 (APPROX) MILES AND IT WAS ONLY 4.5 YEARS OLD. THE REPAIR COST WAS $296.00. *TR

POWERSTEERING WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING CAUSING THE ABILITY ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO MANEUVER THE CAR OFF THE ROAD ,IT HAPPENED AT 60 MILES AN HOUR ON THE FREEWAY ,I PULLED OVER AND TURNED CAR OFF AND STARTED ENGINE AND IT RESET, IT DOES IT ON OCCASION 3 OR 4 TIMES A MONTH. *TR

2005 SATURN ION POWER STEERING FAILURE. WHY NO RECALL? MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS POWER STEERING FAILURE. IT INVOLVES THE WHOLE STEERING COLUMN. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING EVERYDAY AND THIS POWER STEERING FAILS. *TR

WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR 2005 ION 2 SHE TOLD ME THAT THE STEERING WENT OUT WHILE TURNING AT A CORNER. I BLEW IT OFF UNTIL IT HAPPENED TO ME ABOUT 7 DAYS LATER. I HAD TO FIGHT THE STEERING IN A TURN, VERY DIFFICULT, I FOUND OUT. I COULD STOP & RESTART AND STEERING WOULD BE OKAY FOR A WHILE. IT HAS SINCE BEEN CONTINUOUS AND NOT WORTH THE EFFORT FOR A RESTART SINCE IT WILL ONLY LAST FOR A FEW MINUTES. I TOOK IT TO DEALER AND DIAGNOSED AS EPS UNIT SHORTING OUT. THEY DID NOT HAVE REPLACEMENT PART AND ARE WELL AWARE OF CONDITION FROM OTHER OWNERS. IT'S BEEN A WEEK AND STILL NO PART. WHEN THE DASH ALARM GOES OFF (DING,DING,DING) IT MEANS GRAB WHEEL TIGHT! IT WILL ALSO SHOW (PWR STEER) IN CLUSTER. I WOULD CONSIDER THIS AS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CONDITION AND COMPLIMENT THE OTHER DRIVERS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED IT FOR KEEPING THEIR VEHICLES UNDER CONTROL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 55 MPH WHEN CHANGING LANES ,THE POWER STEERING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE POWER STEERING LOCKED UP. HE PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AND THEN ON. THE VEHICLE THEN DROVE NORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE HE PURCHASED IT, AND THEY STATED THAT IT WAS THE STEERING MECHANISM THAT OVER HEATS AND SHUTS OFF. THERE WERE NO REPAIRS DONE TO THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THIS OCCURS EVERY TIME HE DRIVES THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 36000. UPDATED 04/01/10. *LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE POWER STEERING FAILED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. UPDATED 06/10/10*JB

2005 SATURN ION - CAR EXPERIENCES DAILY INTERMITTENT FAILURES TO START AT ANY GIVEN TIME. IN MOST INSTANCES YOU EXIT THE CAR, INSERT KEY 5-10 MINUTES LATER AND THE CAR WILL GENERALLY. EVENTUALLY IT DOES. PROBLEMS POINTS TO SYSTEMIC ISSUE WITH THE IGNITION. RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET SHOWS AN INORDINATE AMOUNT OF SATURNS WITH THIS IGNITION ISSUE. *TR