2004 SATURN ION Complaints

AFTER DRIVING THROUGH WATER IN THE STREET OR A CAR WASH, THE NEXT TIME I TRY TO TURN THE CAR ON, IT WON'T START. YOU HAVE TO KEEP TRYING TO START IT UNTIL THERE IS NO NOISE AT ALL EXCEPT FROM THE DASH BOARD. LET IT SIT FOR 15 TO 30 MINUTES AND THEN IT WILL START AGAIN, AT LEAST UNTIL ANOTHER RAIN STORM OR CAR WASH. HAVE BEEN STRANDED IN PARKING LOTS, AT HOME BEFORE WORK, AND MANY OTHER TIMES. I JUST HOPE IT NEVER HAPPENS IN AN EMERGENCY. HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THREE OF THE AUTOMATIC WINDOWS NOT OPENING OR CLOSING, INCLUDING THE INCONVENIENCE OF THE DRIVER WINDOW BEING STUCK FOR ABOUT 2 WEEKS. HAD TO GET OUT OF THE CAR AT THE BANK, DRIVE THRUS, AND COULDN'T ROLL THE WINDOWS DOWN TO COOL THE CAR OFF. ALL THREE WINDOWS WERE NOT WORKING ALL AT THE SAME TIME. THEN ABOUT 2 WEEKS LATER, ALL OF A SUDDEN THE WINDOW'S START WORKING AGAIN. THE POWER STEERING WHICH IS POWERED BY AN ELECTRIC MOTOR WENT OUT AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. I WOULD BE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, WOULD HEAR A ?DING,? THE DASH BOARD WOULD READ ?POWER STEERING? AND THEN IT WOULD BECOME VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER THE CAR. COOLANT LIGHT CONSTANTLY COMES ON WHEN YOU GET IN THE CAR, EVEN THOUGH THE TANK IS FULL, THE TEMP IS RIGHT, AND FLOAT IS WORKING. THE DEALER WANTED $350 TO REPLACE THE WHOLE TANK. I SAID FORGET IT AND PUT UP THE CONSTANT ?DING? FROM THE DASH BOARD EVERY TIME I GET IN THE CAR. IF SOMETHING SHOULD EVER REALLY GO WRONG WITH IT, I WOULDN'T KNOW. THERE APPEARS TO BE A HUGE NUMBER OF ELECTRONIC PROBLEMS WITH SATURN IONS. PLEASE INVESTIGATE. DID THEY SET THE COMPUTERS OR ELECTRONIC PATS TO MALFUNCTION ON PURPOSE RIGHT AFTER WARRANTIES HAVE EXPIRED? *TR

POWER STEERING LIGHT AND SOUND POPS UP ON DASH. POWER STEERING GOES OUT. VERY SCARY. AT HIGHWAY SPEED NOT TOO BAD UNLESS YOU ARE TRYING TO EVADE AN ACCIDENT OR SOMETHING IN THE ROAD. AT LOW SPEED VERY, VERY, VERY DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER TURNS OR AROUND OBJECTS IN THE ROAD INCLUDING CHILDREN AND PETS. TURN CAR OFF, TURN BACK ON AND STEERING RETURNS FOR A WHILE AND THEN HAPPEN AGAIN, AND AGAIN. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING WOULD FAIL INTERMITTENTLY WHEN DRIVING AT LEAST 10 MPH, CAUSING LIMITED ABILITY TO MANEUVER THE STEERING WHEEL AND CONTROL THE VEHICLE. WHEN THE CONTACT WOULD SHUT OFF AND RESTART THE VEHICLE, THE POWER STEERING ASSIST WOULD RESET ITSELF AND RESUME NORMAL OPERATION. THE DEALER ADVISE THAT THE STEERING COLUMN WAS DEFECTIVE AND WOULD NEED REPLACING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 175,000.

MY 2004 SATURN ION WILL NOT START ON COLD DAYS. I LIVE IN VERMONT SO THERE ARE PLENTY OF COLD DAYS. IT USUALLY TAKES ME ABOUT 10 MINUTES TO1/2 HOUR TO GET IT STARTED, IF IT STARTS. WHEN IT FINALLY STARTS I HAVE TO LEAVE IT RUNNING SO THE ENGINE WILL WARM UP BECAUSE IF I DON'T I HAVE TO START THE PROCESS OVER AGAIN. THIS IS A HUGE INCONVENIENCE! EVERYONE I'VE BROUGHT IT TO DOESN'T SEEM TO KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. I LOVE MY CAR BUT COULD DEFINITELY DO WITHOUT THIS PROBLEM! *TR

WHILE DRIVING FOR LESS THAN 5 MINUTES, THE CAR DINGED AND THE PWR STR LIGHT CAME ON. I WAS UNABLE TO TURN THE WHEEL WITHOUT CONSIDERABLE EFFORT. DROVE HOME AT ABOUT 30 MILES PER HOUR AND HAD EXTREME DIFFICULTY TURNING THE WHEEL. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS! I COULD BARELY TURN THE WHEEL AT ALL AND WAS CONCERNED FOR MY SAFETY! *TR

POWER STEERING WENT OUT IN 2004 SATURN ION AFTER THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED (2008). TOOK IT TO DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID IT WOULD BE $1000. COULD NOT AFFORD IT AND BEGAN LOOKING ONLINE FOR OTHER ALTERNATIVE. FOUND MANY OTHERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. CONTACTED SATURN BY PHONE, MAIL, SIGNED PETITIONS. NOTHING WAS EVER DONE. RECENTLY FOUND OUT GM RECALLED THE SAME PART FOR THE CHEVY COBALT, BUT NOT SATURN. FINALLY SEEN WHERE YOU COULD TAKE THE SATURN IN AND THEY WOULD FIX IT FOR FREE. I FOUND OUT ONLINE, SATURN NEVER SENT ME NOTIFICATION. WHEN I TOOK IT IN THEY SAID I HAD 2,000 MILES OVER WHAT THE "SPECIAL WARRANTY" WOULD COVER. CONTACTED THEY SATURN CUSTOMER SERVICE, THEY OPENED AN INVESTIGATION AND CALLED ME BACK TO SAY THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO DUE TO THE 2,000 MILES AND WHEN I ASKED FOR SOMEONE HIGHER I WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOWHERE HIGHER THIS WAS GM'S FINAL DECISION BUT I SHOULD PAY FOR THE REPAIRS BECAUSE THIS WAS A HAZARD. I ASKED AGAIN FOR A SUPERVISOR OR ANYONE ELSE HIGHER THAN HER SHE AGAIN SAID THERE WAS NO ONE HIGHER AND THIS WAS GM'S FINAL DECISION AND REMAINED ON THE LINE SILENT THEN FINALLY DISCONNECTED THE CALL. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW THEY CAN REFUSE TO LET ME TALK TO SOMEONE HIGHER AND FURTHERMORE REFUSE TO COVER A MANUFACTURERS DEFECTIVE PART. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN ION. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25-30 MPH THE VEHICLE LOST POWER STEERING. SHE STATED THAT THE VEHICLE BECAME VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER AND SHE HAD TO HOLD ON TO THE SHIFTER AND THE STEERING WHEEL IN ORDER TO GAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS MANUAL. THE CONTACT HAD TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THREE LOCAL MECHANICS AND THEY ADVISED HER THAT THE STEERING COLUMN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND HAS REFERRED HER TO THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR THIS FAILURE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS INTERMITTENT AT FIRST BUT SHE NO LONGER HAS POWER STEERING. WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE ALSO LOCKED IN GEAR AND SHE COULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF GEAR. THE CONTACT STATED THE FAILURE HAPPENED AT 9,000 MILES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER THIRTY SEVEN TIMES FOR THIS FAILURE AND THEY HAVE REPLACED THE WIRES BUT THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. THE DEALER HAS NEVER DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE BECAUSE THE CONTACT WOULD NOT PAY $500.00 FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 21,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 83,000.

THE KEY IN THE IGNITION OF THE SATURN ION 2004 WILL NOT COME OUT AND THE CAR CAN NOT BE SHUT OFF . JUST LAST MONTH THE KEY WOULD NOT FO INTO THE IGNITION OR START THE CAR. BROUGHT IT TO THE GM DEALERSHIP HAD TO HAVE A NEW IGNITION CYLINDER PUT IN A MONTH AGO. TODAY I HAD TO HAVE THE IGNITION HOUSING. THIS IS NOT JUST MY CAR. 90 % OF THE 2004 AND 2006 HAVE THIS SAME PROBLEM. THIS SHOULD BE A SAFETY ISSUE SINCE IF NO ONE KNOWS HOW TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY THE CAR COULD OVERHEAT .AND EVEN CATCH ON FIRE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN ION . WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH THE POWER STEERING CHIME SOUND ALERTED HER THAT THE POWER STEERING MALFUNCTIONED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A GARAGE IN ORDER TO HAVE THE FAILURE DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED WITH A USED STEERING COLUMN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HER SON WAS DRIVING AT 20 MPH WHEN THE CHIME ALERTED HIM AND THE STEERING WHEEL WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER CAUSING HIM TO CRASH INTO A POLE. THERE WERE FRONT END DAMAGES AND NO INJURIES. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 67000.

THE POWER STEERING RANDOMLY STOPS WHILE DRIVING. INTERMITTENTLY, SOMETIMES IT'LL STOP 5 SECONDS AFTER DRIVING, SOMETIMES IT'LL WORK FOR A FULL HOUR DRIVE. I ALMOST GOT INTO A COUPLE BAD INCIDENTS BECAUSE OF THIS SUPPOSEDLY KNOWN ISSUE. *TR