2003 SATURN ION Complaints

I HAD THE CAR IN MARCH 2008 FROM A CERTIFIED DEALERSHIP, AND NEEDED A HEAD GASKET IN LESS THAN A YEAR. IF THE CAR WAS CERTIFIED HOW THE CAR CAN HAVE A MAJOR PROBLEM SO MUCH. I HAVEN'T HAD ANY ACCIDENT, OR ANY OTHER PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR. THEN THE LIGHT BLEW OUT IN THE DASH BOARD. *TR

WE OWN A 2003 SATURN ION AND THE KEY GETS STUCK IN THE IGNITION. YOU HAVE TO PRESS A RELEASE BUTTON IN THE STEERING COLUMN TO GET THE KEY OUT. IN ADDITION, THIS APPEARS TO CREATE AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE AS SOMETIMES THE CAR WON'T START. WE PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE USED AND TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP WITHIN THE 30 DAY WARRANTY PERIOD. THEY SAID THEY WERE "UNABLE TO REPLICATE" PROBLEM, UNBEKNOWNST TO US THIS WAS AN ONGOING ISSUE WITH SATURN IONS. THE "TEMPORARY FIX" IS EVEN IN THE OWNERS MANUAL. THAT'S JUST WRONG! HOW CAN A COMPANY GET AWAY WITH SELLING SUCH A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT -- AND ESPECIALLY A CAR!!! I FEEL RIPPED OFF AND SATURN SHOULD STAND BEHIND SUCH A DEFECTIVE VEHICLE ISSUE. THIS DOES CREATE A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE SOMETIMES THE CAR WON'T START LEAVING YOU STRANDED. THE DEALERSHIP WON'T EVEN OFFER TO GIVE A "FREE ESTIMATE" -- AND NOW THEY TELL ME THERE ARE VARIOUS POSSIBLE FIXES -- IT DEPENDS ON WHICH PART IS BROKEN. SO I HAVE TO GIVE THEM $85 FOR THEM TO TELL ME HOW MUCH IT WILL COST TO FIX. I AM A SINGLE PARENT, I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE BECAUSE IT WAS AFFORDABLE AND I CERTAINLY DON'T SEE WHY I HAVE TO PAY FOR A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. SATURN NEEDS TO STEP UP AND FIX THE PROBLEM!!! THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF STORIES LIKE MINE ONLINE. I HOPE YOU CAN HELP! *TR

FAILURE OCCURS ONLY WHEN IT IS COLD OUTSIDE. THE CAR STARTS THEN DIES OR SOMETIMES DOESN'T START AT ALL. IT USUALLY TAKES BETWEEN 20 MIN TO SEVERAL HOURS IN THE FREEZING COLD TO GET THE CAR STARTED. SO FAR THIS WEEK IT HAS REFUSED TO START 4 TIMES 2 OF THOSE TIMES WHEN I WAS AWAY FROM HOME OR FRIENDS LEAVING ME STRANDED IN THE COLD. I WAS ONCE FOR 2 DAYS AT A COWORKERS HOUSE BECAUSE I WAS UNABLE TO GET THE CAR TO START IN THE FREEZING COLD LAST WINTER AND I LIVED 30 MILES AWAY. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS AND IT IS AN EXTREMELY COMMON PROBLEM FOR MY CAR THAT SATURN REFUSES TO RECALL. ONE DAY SOMEONE LIKE ME IS GOING TO GET STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE AND POSSIBLY FREEZE IF THEY DON'T HAVE A CELL PHONE. I'VE TAKEN MY CAR SEVERAL DIFFERENT REPAIR PLACES AND THE PROBLEM PERSISTS. *TR

MY 2003 SATURN ION WILL NOT START IN COLD WEATHER. IT JUST MAKES A CLICKING NOISE. I HAVE HAD A NEW IGNITION INSTALLED LAST YEAR FOR A LOT OF MONEY LAST YEAR. THIS FIXED THE PROBLEM FOR THE REST OF THE WINTER, BUT AS SOON AS IT GOT COLD THIS WINTER THE PROBLEM IS BACK. IT WILL OCCUR ABOUT 1/4 OF THE TIMES IT IS PARKED OUTSIDE IN VERY COLD WEATHER (UNDER 25 F). I JUST WAIT 8 MINUTES AND TRY AGAIN. I CAN'T KEEP FIXING THIS WHEN SATURN IS AWARE THAT THIS IS A WIDE SPREAD PROBLEM. AT LEAST THE MONEY I SPENT LAST YEAR SHOULD HAVE FIXED THE ISSUE FOR GOOD. IT'S REALLY FRUSTRATING AND IF CAUGHT IN THE SEVERE COLD COULD RESULT IN A SERIOUS INJURY TO SOMEONE. *TR

I OWN A SATURN ION 2 2003 AND IT TAKES SPELLS WHERE IT WON'T START. TODAY I HAD TROUBLE. WHEN IT WON'T START THE LIGHTS AND RADIO, ETC WORK, A LIGHT COMES ON ON THE MESSAGE CENTER THAT SAYS TO SERVICE VEHICLE BUT IT WON'T TURN OVER. TODAY I LET IT SIT FOR ABOUT 10 TO 15 MIN AND IT STARTED.

MY 18 YR OLD DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING TO SCHOOL THIS MORNING DURING A HEAVY RAIN DOWNPOUR AND ALMOST HAD A WRECK DUE TO THE SUDDEN MALFUNCTION OF THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDSHIELD WIPER ASSEMBLY. THE WIPER ARM SUDDEN BECAME "POSSESSED" WERE IT WAS MOVING ERRATICALLY CAUSING PRACTICALLY ZERO VISIBILITY ON A BUSY TWO-LANE HIGHWAY. SHE BARELY PULLED OFF THE ROAD AS A SCHOOL BUS ROUNDED THE CURVE. NEEDLESS TO SAY EVERYONE WAS LUCKY. A GOOD SAMARITAN MECHANIC STOPPED AND QUICKLY ASSESSED THAT A PLASTIC SUPPORT HAD BROKEN ON THE WIPER MOTOR ASSEMBLY. WE HAD TO LEAVE THE CAR IN A STRANGER'S DRIVEWAY UNTIL WE CAN MAKE ARRANGEMENTS TO MOVE IT DURING SAFER CONDITIONS. I GOT ON THE COMPUTER AND FOUND WHERE OTHERS HAD SUFFERED THE SAME ISSUE!! I KNOW PARTS WEAR OUT, BUT THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE THAT GIVES NO WARNING. MY DAUGHTER WAS LUCKY NOT HAVE WRECKED OR INJURED THE SCHOOL CHILDREN THAT WERE STANDING ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, AWAITING THE BUS. ANGRY MOTHER *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SATURN ION. WHEN THE HEATER IS OPERATED, THE VEHICLE WOULD IDLE EXTREMELY HIGH. THE FAILURE HAS BEEN OCCURRING SINCE FALL OF 2006. THE CONTACT STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND THE FAILURE RECURRED. SUDDENLY, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WITHOUT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BEING DEPRESSED. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURES. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT IF THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURES, THEN NOTHING COULD BE DONE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 33,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 74,300.

BEGINNING IN THE FALL OF 2006 I BEGAN TO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR REVVING UP WHEN THE HEAT WAS ON. AT TIMES THIS PROBLEM WOULD STOP AFTER AN OIL CHANGE. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP SEVERAL TIMES TO HAVE THEM TAKE A LOOK AT IT, BUT THEY CAN NEVER SEEM TO RECREATE THE INCIDENT AND HAVE NOT FOUND ANY THING WITH DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. MOST RECENTLY I REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP BECAUSE THE CAR WAS HAVING OTHER PROBLEMS. I AM NO EXPERIENCING A SAFETY ISSUE. WHEN THE CAR IS ON AND HAS BEEN RUNNING FOR AT LEAST 5-10 MIN. THE ENGINE REVES UP AND THE CAR IDLES VERY HIGH 3 OR 4 RPMS. WHEN I STOP AT A LIGHT OR STOP SIGN OR FOR WHATEVER REASON THE CAR STOPS FINE BUT CONTINUES TO IDLE HIGH. THE CAR HAS BEGUN TO LUNG FORWARD WHEN THE ENGINE IDLES HIGH. I HAVE HAD THE BRAKES INSPECTED AND THIS IS NOT THE PROBLEM. I AM NOT SURE WHERE ELSE TO GO THE DEALERSHIP HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO HELP ME AND I AM AFRAID THAT SOMEONE WILL GET HURT BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM. *TR

MY 2003 SATURN ION 2 HAS HAD NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS. THE FIRST THING I HAVE EXPERIENCED HAS BEEN A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR NOT STARTING ON VERY COLD DAY BELOW 32 DEGREES. I HAD THE IGNITION SWITCH REPLACED LAST YEAR AS RECOMMENDED BY THE DEALERSHIP. SINCE THE WEATHER HAS GOTTEN COLD HERE IN INDIANA I HAVE BEGUN TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. THE CAR JUST WILL NOT START ON VERY COLD DAYS AGAIN BELOW 32 DEGREES. *TR

MY SATURN ION 03 WILL NOT START UP IN EARLY MORNING COLD TEMPERATURE. THE IGNITION SENDS NO SIGNAL TO THE ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM THAT SHUTS OFF FUEL TO THE CAR. IT TAKES, ON AVERAGE, TWENTY MINUTES FOR THE CAR TO ACTUALLY START. I NOTICED THE PROBLEM ONE YEAR AGO DURING THE WINTER MONTHS. AT FIRST, I SPECULATED IT WAS THE BATTERY, COOLANT/ANTI-FREEZE FLUID, LOW GAS BUT ALL CHECKED OUT FINE. AFTER RESEARCHING RECALLS AND SATURN ION PROBLEMS I FOUND THAT IT WAS THE ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM THAT WAS TRIGGERING THE PROBLEM. *TR