2004 SATURN ION Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ROOF OF THE VEHICLE EXHIBITED A SEVERE LEAK FROM THE DATE OF PURCHASE. THE DEALER REPLACED THE CEILING ON ONE OCCASION YET THE FAILURE RECURRED. WATER WOULD ENTER THE VEHICLE RAPIDLY DURING HEAVY RAINS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT FURTHER REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 545 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 107,000.

I HAVE A 2004 SATURN ION LEVEL 2. MY VEHICLE'S 'CHECK ENGINE' LIGHT APPEARS QUITE FREQUENTLY. I BROUGHT IT TO A DEALERSHIP TO BE CHECK OUT OVER A YEAR AGO. I WAS TOLD THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH MY VEHICLE. FOR A YEAR, I HAVE BEEN DRIVING WITH A 'CHECK ENGINE' LIGHT RANDOMLY LIGHTING UP. LAST NIGHT, MIDWAY AROUND A BEND, MY VEHICLE'S ELECTRIC POWER STEERING WENT OUT, AND STRAIGHTENED MY WHEEL- PUTTING ME INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I COULD HAVE DIED AND KILLED ANOTHER DRIVER. THIS MORNING, AFTER CALLING AROUND TO DEALERSHIPS AND MECHANICS AND DOING MY OWN RESEARCH, I HAVE FOUND OUT THAT MY VEHICLE'S MAKE AND MODEL IS UNDER EVALUATION FOR A RECALL CONCERNING THE POWER STEERING. THIS "EVALUATION" WAS ONLY RECENTLY STARTED THIS PAST YEAR. THERE HAVE BEEN NO PUBLIC WARNINGS AND GM IS REFUSING TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM EVEN AFTER THE DIAGNOSTIC TESTS HAVE BEEN PERFORMED. MANY DRIVERS ARE DRIVING WITHOUT THE PROBLEM BEING FIXED BECAUSE OF THE PRICE TAG OF THE REPAIR AND THE STATE OF THE ECONOMY. WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE FOR A RECALL REGARDING SATURN IONS?! THE DEATH OF A SATURN DRIVER? THIS IS BECOMING ABSURD AND I BELIEVE WORSE THAN THE TOYOTA ORDEAL. THEY ARE SWEEPING THE ISSUE UNDER A RUG, ALONG WITH OUR MONEY AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE SAFETY OF SATURN DRIVERS' LIVES. I HAVE BEEN CONVERSING WITH OTHER SATURN DRIVERS WHO HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS, WE ARE FURIOUS AND PARANOID THAT AT ANY POINT IN TIME WE MAY DIE. *TR

POWER STEERING JUST STARTED TO GO OUT ON MY SATURN ION 04. THIS PROBLEM STARTED ABOUT 2MOS AGO, APRIL, 2010. IT APPEARS AFTER THE CAR HAS BEEN RUNNING FOR A WHILE. WHEN TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED, POWER STEERING WORKS, BUT THEN MAY GO OUT AFTER DRIVING A WHILE MORE. WHEN CAR WAS FIRST BOUGHT, WITHIN 24 HRS WE HAD AN IGNITION PROBLEM THAT THE DEALERSHIP ENDED UP FIXING FREE OF CHARGE. VERY DISTURBED THAT THE COBALT WAS RECALLED FOR THIS PROBLEM AND NOT THE SATURN. MAKES NO SENSE SINCE THE POWER STEERING IS THE SAME IN BOTH VEHICLES. *TR

ESCONDIDO, CA. -- I AM A LONGTIME OWNER OF SATURNS -- I OWN A 2009 VUE NOW AND HAVE OWNED FOUR OTHER SEDANS -- AND HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT THEY WERE RELIABLE AND SAFE CARS. MY DAUGHTER DROVE AN SL FOR YEARS. NOW I AM NOT SO SURE. I JUST PURCHASED (JULY 5) A 2004 SATURN ION REDLINE, 73,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER, FOR MY SON, THE FIRST DAY HE DROVE IT, THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT WHILE HE WAS MAKING A TURN. HE NEARLY HAD AN ACCIDENT. THERE WAS A CHIME, THE LETTERS PWR STR APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD READOUT, AND THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT IMMEDIATELY, MAKING THE VEHICLE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO STEER. TURNING OFF THE CAR AND STARTING IT AGAIN RESTORED THE POWER STEERING. BUT WITHIN 24 HOURS, THE SAME THING HAPPENED TWICE MORE WITHOUT ANY WARNING, ONCE WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE CAR. I HAVE SINCE DONE A WEB SEARCH AND FOUND HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE ION FOR THIS EXACT PROBLEM. THIS IS NOT JUST A SIMPLE ISSUE OF A PART WEARING OUT. IT IS A WIDESPREAD AND EXTRAORDINARILY DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT IS GOING TO RESULT IN INJURIES OR DEATH, IF IT HASN'T ALREADY. I AM ALSO OUTRAGED THAT GM HAS ISSUED A RECALL FOR THE CHEVY COBALT SS, WHICH HAS THE SAME STEERING SYSTEM AS THE ION REDLINE, BUT NOT FOR THE ION. I HAVE CONTACTED GM, AND A SPOKEWOMAN (MERISSA) ACKNOWLEDGED THE COBALT RECALL, BUT SAID IT DID NOT APPLY TO THE ION FOR REASONS SHE COULD NOT EXPLAIN. ARE THE SAFETY AND LIVES OF SATURN ION OWNERS SOMEHOW LESS VALUABLE THAN OWNERS OF CHEVY COBALTS? GM HAS DIRECTED ME TO A CHEVY DEALER (NOW THAT SATURN IS GONE) TO HAVE THE PROBLEM ASSESSED. IT SAYS IT CANNOT PROMISE ANYTHING BECAUSE THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY. BUT THIS IS CLEARLY A PROBLEM DUE TO A DEFECTIVE STEERING SYSTEM. I IMPLORE NHTSA TO REQUIRE A RECALL FOR SATURN IONS WITH ELECTRIC STEERING. JUST DO A GOOGLE SEARCH FOR "SATURN ION POWER STEERING FAILS" TO SEE ALL THE IDENTICAL COMPLAINTS AND HARROWING REPORTS OF ACCIDENTS AND NEAR ACCIDENTS. DO YOUR JOB, PLEASE, BEFORE SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED. *TR

INTERMITTENT POWER STEERING FAILURE ON 2004 SATURN ION. RESTARTING ENGINE "RESETS" POWER STEERING. MAY OCCUR MULTIPLE TIMES IN ONE WEEK. SAME PROBLEMATIC POWER STEERING UNITS USED IN OTHER GM VEHICLES THAT WERE RECALLED (COBALTS AND G5) BUT NO RECALL FOR SATURN IONS HAVING SAME PROBLEM WITH SAME PARTS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH THE POWER STEERING LIGHT CAME ON AND THE STEERING FAILED. THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE SAFELY TO HIS RESIDENCE. THE FOLLOWING DAY, THE POWER STEERING BEGAN TO FUNCTION NORMALLY. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN INSPECTED WHEN THE COMPLAINT WAS FILED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 63918.

ELECTRIC POWER STEERING SYSTEM FAILURE IN MY 2004 SATURN ION. POWER STEERING SYSTEM STOPS WORKING AND STEERING BECOMES VERY HARD AND HEAVY. IT OCCURS DAILY SINCE 6-19-10. CALLED DEALER WHO INFORMED ME THAT NO RECALL HAS BEEN MADE BY SATURN EVEN THOUGH SAME PROBLEM HAS CAUSED A RECALL OF CHEVY COBALT, WHICH USES THE SAME ELECTRIC PART (MOTOR) AND HAS EXPERIENCED SAME PROBLEMS. *TR

I DRIVE A 2004 SATURN ION-2 AND MY POWER STEERING GOES OUT AT RANDOM TIMES. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE HAD AN ISSUE WITH MY POWER STEERING. I FEEL IT IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN BECAUSE THIS ISSUE HAPPENS AT RANDOM AND THE CAR BECOMES INCREDIBLY HARD TO STEER. I HAVE DONE SOME RESEARCH ON THIS MATTER AND MANY OTHER SATURN DRIVERS HAVE THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM AS MYSELF AND I HAVE ALSO FOUND THAT THE CHEVY COBALT HAS THE EXACT SAME STEERING COLUMN AS THE SATURN ION AND THERE HAS BEEN A RECALL ON THE COBALT BUT NOT ON THE ION. THIS BAFFLES ME BECAUSE IF THE SAME MECHANISM IS ON BOTH CARS THE BOTH CARS SHOULD BE RECALLED NOT JUST ONE. I FEEL EXTREMELY UNSAFE ON THE ROAD DRIVING MY CAR NOW BECAUSE I HAVE NO INDICATION IF AND WHEN MY POWER STEERING WILL FAIL. THE ARE NO EVENTS LEADING UP TO THIS HAPPENING AND I REPLACED THE ELECTRICAL POWER STEERING FUSES IN HOPES THAT THE FUSES WERE BLOWN BUT THIS DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. FROM SOME INTERNET RESEARCH THE NEXT STEP WOULD BE HAVING THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN REPLACED BUT I DO NOT FEEL SATURN ION DRIVERS SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR REPLACING A DEFECT ON A CAR THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED YEARS AGO. *TR

2004 SATURN ION COUPE STEERING JUST WENT OUT WITH NO WARNING CAR WOULD NOT STEER. THE DASH LIGHT JUST GOES ON AND STEERING IS GONE HARD TO CONTROL CAR . *TR

I HAVE A 2004 SATURN ION THAT HAS POWER STEERING ISSUES. WHAT HAPPENS IS A TONE WILL SOUND AND A POWER STEERING WARNING WILL APPEAR ON THE MESSAGE WINDOW AND THEN I LOSE THE POWER STEERING. IT THEN BECOMES VERY HARD TO CONTROL THE CAR. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON THE FREEWAY, IN TOWN AND AT STOP LIGHTS. IT IS BUILDING IN FREQUENCY GOING FROM ONCE EVERY FEW MONTHS TO EVERY FEW DAYS. I HAVE HAD TO PUT MY FOUR WAYS ON AND BLOCK TRAFFIC BECAUSE THE ONLY WAY TO GET THE POWER STEERING BACK IS TO TURN THE CAR OFF AND THEN WAIT AT LEAST 30 SECONDS AND TURN THE CAR BACK ON. *TR