2005 SATURN ION Complaints

I WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONT END COLLISION WHICH RESULTED IN A TOTAL LOSS OF MY VEHICLE. THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. (THE ENGINE WAS PUSHED BACK APPROXIMATELY 4 INCHES.) WHILE I WAS WEARING THE SAFETY BELT, I SUSTAINED INJURIES TO MY HEAD, CHEST, AND KNEES. *JB

9/21/06, MY SON WAS DIVING HIS 2005 SATURN ION REDLINE HOME FROM WORK. CAR HAD 20,000 MILES, BOUGHT NEW. HE SHIFTED INTO 3RD GEAR AND THE CAR MADE A LOUD NOISE AND WAS BARELY DRIVABLE. HE PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT AND DISCOVERED A LARGE FLUID LEAK WITH NO ABILITY TO SHIFT GEARS. CAR TOWED TO SATURN OF DANBURY. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAD LITERALLY "EXPLODED" (THEIR WORDS) AND UPON INVESTIGATION DISCOVERED THE TRANSMISSION CASE BLOWN APART, SUPPOSEDLY CAUSED BY "EXCESSIVE RPM". THE CAR WAS REPAIRED FOR FREE: TRANSAXLE ASSY & MOTOR ASSY, STARTER,2 PLATES, FLYWHEEL, SHAFT ASM I SPOKE TO THE SERVICE REP, WHO TOLD ME THEY COULD NOT PROVE IT WASN'T A DEFECT, AND WOULD THEREFORE COVER IT UNDER A "GOODWILL ADJUSTMENT, BUT NOT UNDER THE WARRANTY. NO ONE COULD EXPLAIN WHY THERE WAS EXCESSIVE RPM- ENOUGH TO BLOW UP THE TRANS CASE. I WAS ASSURED THAT THEY DIDN'T BELIEVE IT WAS ANYTHING MY SON HAD DONE TO CAUSE THIS FAILURE. GRANTED, AT 20 YEARS OLD, I AM CERTAIN HE ISN'T A MODEL DRIVER, BUT HE IS ALSO A VERY RESPONSIBLE KID AND I CAN'T IMAGINE HOW BADLY HE COULD HAVE DRIVEN THE CAR TO CAUSE THIS. THEIR REPAIR TICKET STATES THAT THE "FAILURE APPEARS TO BE FROM AGGRESSIVE DRIVING". COME ON! THE CAR WAS AGAIN TOWED TO SATURN THIS MORNING, DUE TO PROBLEMS WITH STARTING. IT HAS HAPPENED TWICE BEFORE, BUT THIS TIME WE COULDN'T START IT EVEN AFTER REPEATED ATTEMPTS. THE DASH LIGHTS FLASH, THE DIALS BOUNCE BACK AND FORTH, AND THE ERROR READS "POWER START". WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, BUT AFTER READING NUMEROUS THREADS RE THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM, I AM LEARY ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF SOMETHING COMMON THAT PERHAPS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED WITH A RECALL. WILL KEEP YOU POSTED. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED AFTER BEING PARKED A FEW DAYS, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. IT WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO DETERMINED THE VEHICLE NEEDED TO BE STARTED OR DRIVEN MORE OFTEN.

HEADLIGHT ON MY 2005 SATURN ION LEAKS. WATER CONDENSATION FORMS ON THE INSIDE OF THE HEADLIGHT. *NM

CONTINUOUS LOW RPM CAUSING STALL-OUTS WHEN STOPPED IN TRAFFIC. RPM AT LOW IDLE IS NO HIGHER THAN 650 TO 750. ENGINE ALWAYS FEELS LIKE IT WILL STALL. DEALER STATES THAT "THIS ENGINE IDLES AT A LOW RPM" (COMPARED TO MOST CARS THAT IDLE AT 950 RPM). *NM

THE POWER STEERING UNIT ON MY 2005 SATURN ION HAS FAILED TWICE WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE CAUSING A DANGEROUS CONDITION. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, SATURN OF ELLICOTT CITY AND WAS TOLD THERE IS A "SERVICE BULLETIN" ABOUT THE ISSUE AND THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE AT THIS TIME. MY VEHICLE IS A 2005 WITH LESS THAN 32K MILES. THE STEERING FAILED WHILE ENTERING A HIGHWAY AND AGAIN WHILE ENTERING A PARKING LOT. SATURN ADMITTED THEY KNOW ABOUT THE PROBLEM BUT REFUSED TO REPAIR IT. IT IS ON MANY SATURN VEHICLES, NOT JUST MINE. **NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF FIRST GEAR. THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. IT WAS STARTED AFTER ONE HALF HOUR AND MOVED OFF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER TWICE WHERE AN UNDETERMINED PART WAS REPLACED IN THE TRANSMISSION AND THE IGNITION SWITCH WAS ALSO REPLACED. THE PROBLEM REOCCURRED AND THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER AND THE WRING HARNESS WAS REPLACED. THE PROBLEM HAS NOT REOCCURRED.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN AN IDLE STATE OR PLACED IN REVERSE, THE ENGINE INTERMITTENTLY STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE ENGINE EASILY RESTARTED AFTER STALLING. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER WHO DETERMINED THE EXCESSIVE WEIGHT OF ALL THE KEY CHAINS USED BY THE CONTACT ALLOWED THE IGNITION TO TURN OFF ON ITS OWN. AFTER THE DEALER'S ASSESSMENT, ONLY ONE KEY CHAIN WAS USED WHILE THE KEYS WERE IN THE IGNITION, BUT THE ENGINE STALLING PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED. *AK

THE CAR STARTED EXPERIENCING ELECTRICAL ISSUES. THE ACCESSORY JACK BECAME INOPERABLE, THE RADIO WOULD STOP PUTTING OUT SOUND, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS ON YOU WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO TURN IT OFF THEN THE ABS LIGHT WOULD STAY ON AND THE WARNING BELL WOULD GO OFF. FINALLY THE ANTI-THEFT LIGHT WOULD COME ON AND STAY ON. UPON GOING TO MY CAR AFTER WORK IT WOULD NOT START. I THOUGHT IT WAS A DEAD BATTERY SO WE JUMPED THE CAR AND AFTER ABOUT 15 MINUTES IT STARTED. 1 WEEK LATER THE LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON AGAIN, BUT AFTER RESTARTING THE CAR IT WENT OUT. AGAIN WHEN I WENT OUT ANOTHER DAY TO START BY CAR AFTER MY LUNCH BREAK THE CAR WOULDN'T START. I CALLED SATURN AND REQUESTED ROAD SIDE ASSISTANCE, BUT AFTER 15 MINUTES THE CAR STARTED. I TOOK IT TO THE SATURN DEALERSHIP AND THEY REPLACED THE COMPUTER (CONTROL) BODY SYSTEM. THE NEXT DAY THE ANTI THEFT LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN, I TOOK IT BACK AND THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE SWITCH IN THE IGNITION. IN JUNE THE RADIO AGAIN WAS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. AFTER RESTARTING THE CAR IT WORKED AGAIN. I CALLED SATURN AGAIN TO COMPLAIN AND TOOK IT IN FOR DIAGNOSTIC AT THAT TIME THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY CODES. 1 WEEK LATER THE RADIO AGAIN WOULD NOT WORK, SO I DROVE STRAIGHT TO THE DEALERSHIP WITHOUT RESTARTING THE CAR SO THAT THEY COULD SEE THE PROBLEM IN ACTION. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS THE RADIO ONLY AND THEY WOULD REPLACE IT. A NEW RADIO HAS BEEN ORDERED BUT DURING THIS TIME THE ABS SYSTEM AGAIN CAME ON WITH A WARNING BELL. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON THE SYSTEM RESET ITSELF. 2 DAYS LATER AFTER LEAVING THE STORE THE ABS LIGHT WENT ON AGAIN WITH THE BELL AND THE ANTI-THEFT LIGHT CAME ON. I RESTARTED THE CAR, BUT THE ANTI-THEFT LIGHT STAYED ON THE ENTIRE TRIP HOME. I WAS TOLD THAT IF THE LIGHT WAS ON THE CAR SHOULD NOT RUN, BUT IT DID. I TOOK THE CAR IN TODAY FOR THEM TO "LOOK" AT IT AND THEY SAID THEY ARE GOING TO REPLACE THE RADIO AND RUN A DIAGNOSTIC ON IT. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY DURING A FRONTAL IMPACT WHICH OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH. THERE WAS PRE-IMPACT BRAKING AND THE SEAT BELT WAS WORN. THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT WAS NOT ILLUMINATED PRIOR TO THE CRASH. THE DRIVER DID NOT SUFFER ANY INJURIES.