2003 SATURN ION Complaints

2003 ION WHEN THE WEATHER GETS COLD, MY CAR WILL NOT START, I WILL TRY IT AGAIN AND AGAIN. I WILL WAIT ABOUT 15 MINUTES AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT WILL START LIKE NOTHING IS WRONG. THE BATTERY HAS BEEN TESTED AND IS COMPLETELY FINE. IT WILL TURN ON ALL ELECTRONICS, TELL ME TO SERVICE ENGINE, THEN IT WON'T TURN OVER. NEXT I WAIT ABOUT 15 MINUTES AND IT STARTS. AND RUNS FINE. THIS HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST 20 TIMES. *TR

WHEN IT IS TOO COLD, MY IGNITION SWITCH LOCKS MY SECURITY SYSTEM AND I HAVE TO WAIT A LONG TIME BEFORE MY CAR STARTS. SATURN HAS ISSUED A TECHNICAL ADVISORY (# 04-08-45-005D) ABOUT THIS ISSUE BUT WILL NOT ISSUE A RECALL (EVEN THOUGH IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THIS IS A DEFECT IN THEIR PRODUCT). MANY OTHERS HAVE SIMILAR PROBLEMS: HTTP://WWW.CARSURVEY.ORG/VIEWCOMMENTS_REVIEW_97727.HTML *TR

CAR WON'T START WHEN IT IS COLD. HAVE TO WAIT 15 MINUTES. SATURN REPAIRED THE PROBLEM BACK IN 10/05. IT DID IT AGAIN IN 2006 AND NOW IT IS HAPPENING AGAIN IN 2007. THE CAR THINKS THAT IT IS BEING STOLEN AND CUTS THE FUEL LINE TO THE CAR. *TR

RECENTLY BOUGHT A NEWER CAR(O3 ION COUP) WAS TOLD THE TIRES WERE NEW AFTER DRIVING ABOUT 5,793 MILES I AM TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THE TIRE HAVE CHOPP. I AS WELL NOW SEE THEIR IS A RECALL ON THE TIRE LINE NHTSA ID # 01T006000. THEY ARE FIRESTONE TIRES FIRE HAWK GTA-02 205-55R16. THE DEALER TOLD ME THEIR WAS NO HAZARD BUT NOW IM VERY CONCERNED.THE CAR IS NOT RIDING RIGHT. THE DEALER AT THIS POINT IS ONLY WILLING TO REPLACE ONE TIRE. I AS WELL HAVE FILED A CLAIM WITH MY WARRANTY ROAD HAZARD AT 1-800346-6469 CLAIM # 21833283 AS OF 11/07/2007. I HAVE CONTACTED THE DEALER TO TRY AND GET THEM REPLACED UNDER THEIR WARRANTY. I ONLY HAVE DRIVEN 5,793 MILES ON THE TIRES. I FEEL THAT THEIR IS A PROBLEM WITH THE TIRE. AND AM UNSURE OF WHERE TO GO WITH THIS NOW.... *TR

I AM WRITING TO NOTE THAT MY 2003 SATURN ION 3 DOES NOT START UP IN THE COLD, EVEN THOUGH THE BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR ARE IN GOOD CONDITION. IT HAPPENED ONCE IN 2005, AND THEN I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH FOR THE REST OF THAT WINTER AND THE NEXT. AT THE TIME, I WAS TOLD BY A SATURN MECHANIC IN 2005 OVER THE PHONE THAT THIS PROBLEM DOES OCCUR WITH IONS IN COLD WEATHER. THE PROBLEM RECURRED THIS PAST MONDAY AND THIS MORNING. THIS AFTERNOON I WENT ONLINE TO SEEK OUT GUIDANCE IN TAKING CARE OF THE PROBLEM. I CAME ACROSS THE FOLLOWING ONLINE RESOURCE: HTTP://WWW.CARSURVEY.ORG/VIEWCOMMENTS_REVIEW_97727.HTML. THE ISSUE IS OBVIOUSLY A RECURRENT ONE THAT SATURN HAS CHOSEN NOT TO ADDRESS. THIS SEEMS LIKE A CLEAR-CUT CASE FOR A COMPONENT RECALL, BUT SATURN WILL NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. I ASK THAT THE NHTSA DIRECT ITS RESOURCES TOWARD SATURN TO SEEK A DETERMINATION ABOUT THE NEED FOR A RECALL FOR THIS DEFECTIVE VEHICLE.* *I HAVE FORWARDED A COPY OF THIS EXPLANATION TO MY MEMBER OF CONGRESS, REPRESENTATIVE JIM MORAN. *TR

CAR WILL NOT START WHEN FIRST ATTEMPTING TO START IS IN COLD WEATHER. AFTER ABOUT 10 TO 15 MINUTES IT WILL FINALLY START WHEN ATTEMPTING AGAIN. FROM RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET IT SOUNDS SIMILAR TO NUMEROUS OTHER COMPLAINTS PEOPLE HAVE ABOUT A FAULTY IGNITION SWITCH THAT SATURN HAS KNOWN ABOUT FOR SOME TIME. *TR

VEHICLE WON'T START - NO CRANK, NO START. IT IS ONLY 3 YEARS OLD AND HAS LOW USAGE AND MILEAGE. *TR

CAR IS VERY DIFFICULT TO START IN COLD WEATHER. MUST PLAY WITH IGNITION SWITCH MANY TIMES TO GET IT STARTED. *TR

WHENEVER IT IS DAMP OR COLD OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE WILL REFUSE TO START. ONCE THE VEHICLE HAS REFUSED TO START I MUST WAIT A MINIMUM OF 10 MINS BEFORE STARTING THE VEHICLE. ON CERTAIN OCCASIONS THIS PROCESS REPEATS AND I MAY HAVE TO WAIT UPWARDS OF 20 MINS TO START MY VEHICLE AND DRIVE. THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN TRACED BACK TO A FAULTY IGNITION SWITCH AND IMPLEMENTATION OF GMS PASSLOCK VEHICLE PROTECTION SYSTEM. THE MANUFACTURER REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE FAULT AND REPLACE THE IGNITION SWITCH WITHOUT THE CONSUMER INCURRING SUBSTANTIAL COSTS. *TR

THE 2003 SATURN ION-3 POWER STEERING GOES OUT WHILE DRIVING. IT WILL WORK AGAIN, FOR A WHILE, AFTER THE CAR HAS BEEN RESTARTED. THIS CAR HAS THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING UNIT ENCLOSED IN THE STEERING COLUMN. SATURN HAS ADVISED ME THIS IS A $1000.00 REPAIR ON A FOUR YEAR OLD CAR WITH 55,000 MILES. I SEE THAT THERE IS AN INVESTIGATION ON PONTIAC G6 AUTOS FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM. I WOULD RECOMMEND EXPANDING THAT INVESTIGATION TO INCLUDE ALL GM CARS WITH THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING. *TR