2003 SATURN ION Complaints

FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS ANY TIME THERE IS COLD WEATHER, WHICH HAS BEEN EVERY DAY BECAUSE IT'S THE WINTER, MY 2003 SATURN ION 2 WON'T START FOR ABOUT 20-30 MINUTES. I TOOK IT TO A LOCAL SHOP AND HAD SOME WORK DONE; FUEL INJECTION CLEANING, SPARK PLUGS REPLACED, ETC. THE PROBLEM STILL CONTINUED AND I TOOK IT BACK. THE CAR STARTED FINE AND FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS WHILE WE WERE HAVING MILD WEATHER I HAD NO PROBLEMS. AS SOON AS THE WEATHER HIT 30 DEGREES IT STARTED AGAIN. WHEN I GO TO START THE CAR IT TURNS OVER BUT THEN DIES. 5 OR SO MORE TIMES AND IT AGAIN TRIES TO TURN OVER BUT NOTHING. EVENTUALLY AFTER 20 MINUTES OR SO THE CAR WILL START. THE BATTERY HAS BEEN REPLACED BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE FIRST THOUGHT WAS THE PROBLEM EVEN THOUGH IT DID NOT NEED TO BE REPLACED. WE'RE NOW OUT $100 FOR THAT PLUS THE WORK I'VE HAD DONE THAT DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. I CALLED SATURN AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THIS, THAT THIS HAS NOT BEEN ISSUED INTO A RECALL AND THAT THEY WOULD NEED TO HOOK MY CAR UP TO THE COMPUTER FOR $100 JUST TO TELL ME WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. I SEARCHED ONLINE FOR THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM AND FOUND THOUSANDS OF POSTS AND THAT THE PROBLEM IS THE "IGNITION SWITCH", BUT SOME PEOPLE WILL STILL HAVING PROBLEMS EVEN AFTER THAT WAS REPLACED. JUST THIS WEEKEND I WENT TO WORK AND CAME OUT TO START MY CAR AT 9:20 AND BY 10:00 THE CAR STILL WOULD NOT START AND I HAD TO FIND A RIDE HOME. I HAVE TWO YOUNG CHILDREN AND AM SCARED TO LEAVE THE HOUSE WITH THEM IN FEAR THAT MY CAR WON'T START WHEN I GET TO OR NEED TO LEAVE MY DESTINATION. I FEEL THAT THIS PROBLEM NEEDS TO BE ISSUED AS A RECALL OR LIKE MANY OTHERS "I WILL NOT BE BUYING ANOTHER SATURN". *JB

MY CAR WAS HAVING PROBLEMS STARTING IN THE COLD WEATHER, IT WOULD ALMOST START THEN NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN. IT WOULD TAKE ABOUT 15 MINUTES OF TRYING BEFORE IT WOULD START UP. ALSO THE SERVICE VEHICLE MESSAGE WOULD FLASH AND VARIOUS LIGHTS ON THE DASH WOULD FLASH ALSO. I TOOK IT IN FOR SERVICING AT THE SATURN DEALER WHERE THEY CHARGED ME 200 DOLLARS TO DIAGNOSE AND FIX THE PROBLEM WHICH ENDED UP BEING THE IGNITION SWITCH. *NM

I HAVE A 2003 SATURN ION 2, AND IT HAS HAD INTERMITTENT STARTING PROBLEMS SINCE 2004. I ALWAYS THOUGHT IT WAS THE BATTERY, BUT I WOULD CHANGE THE BATTERY AND TEST THE OLD ONE, AND IT ALWAYS TESTED FINE. ONCE THE WEATHER GOT COLD THIS WINTER, IT STARTED HAVING MORE FREQUENT STARTING PROBLEMS. SOMETIMES IT WOULD START AFTER WAITING 20-30 MINUTES. LAST WKEND, I WAS UNABLE TO START IT AT ALL AND HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED. I WAS LUCKY TO HAVE IT AT A FRIEND'S HOUSE WHEN THIS HAPPENED. THE IGNITION SWITCH IS BEING REPLACED, SINCE THE DEALER SAYS THIS IS A VERY FREQUENT PROBLEM. PLEASE RECALL THESE IGNITION SWITCHES! SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THEM - CHECK THE INTERNET! JUST TYPE IN '2003 SATURN ION STARTING PROBLEMS' IN GOOGLE AND YOU'LL SEE MANY SITES COME UP WITH PEOPLE IN THE LAST MONTH ALONE HAVING THE SAME ISSUES. COSTS ABOUT 200 BUCKS TO FIX, AND THAT'S RIDICULOUS IF SATURN KNOWS THERE'S AN ISSUE. *NM

IN COLD TEMPERATURES MY 2003 SATURN ION 2 WOULD NOT START. ALL OF MY LIGHTS WOULD COME ON BUT WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO START THE CAR THE SECURITY LIGHT WOULD COME ON AND I WOULD BE LOCKED OUT OF STARTING MY CAR FOR THE NEXT 8-10 MINUTES DUE TO A FAULTY IGNITION SWITCH. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP THAT I PURCHASED IT FROM AND CODES B2930 B3033 WERE FOUND IN THE SYSTEM. THE IGNITION SWITCH SN 10392423 WAS REPLACED. THE OLD PART WAS KEPT BY SATURN. *JB

FREQUENT INABILITY TO START VEHICLE DUE TO IGNITION CYLINDER WEAR. SATURN CLAIMS SECURITY SYSTEM IS ACTIVATED DUE TO INTERNAL IGNITION SWITCH NOT BEING ABLE TO "READ" CHIP IN SATURN VEHICLE KEY. FAILURE OF SUCH PROCESS RESULTS IN OPERATOR OF VEHICLE HAVING TO WAIT UNTIL SECURITY SYSTEM "RESETS" (10-15 MINS.) SATURN WILL NOT HONOR THE FACT THAT THIS MAY BE A DESIGN FLAW, AND HOLDS OWNER RESPONSIBLE FOR $200 REPAIR. THIS OWNER IS JUST GLAD THE STEERING WHEEL HASN'T FALLEN OFF THE DASHBOARD YET. GOOD CAR ! *JB

INTERMITTENTLY, CAR WILL NOT START IN COLD WEATHER. NO CRANK OR START. AFTER 10 MINUTES, CAR SOMETIMES STARTS WITH ANOTHER KEY. CAR EVENTUALLY STARTS, BUT REQUIRES 10 MINUTE PAUSE BETWEEN EACH ATTEMPT FOR SECURITY LOCK-OUT TO BE BYPASSED. *NM

1. TEMPERATURES BELOW FREEZING 2. GREASE IN IGNITION SWITCH THICKENS AND CAR WILL NOT START. IT NORMALLY TAKES 10 - 15 MINUTES TO WARM THE IGNITION ENOUGH FOR THE CAR TO START. 3. NOTHING WAS DONE TO CORRECT THE FAILURE. THE SERVICE MANAGER AGREED TO REPAIR THE CAR AND BILL THE MANUFACTURER BUT THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN. I WAS TOLD THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THEY WOULDN'T REPAIR IT. 4. THE MANUFACTURER IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM WITH THIS PARTICULAR YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL. *JB

SATURN ION COLD START PROBLEM**CC THE CONSUMER STATED THE IGNITION SWITCH CLICKED AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE SECURITY SYSTEM WILL ACTIVATE, AND A SECURITY LIGHT WOULD BLINK AND THE ODOMETER SCREENS WOULD READ SERVICE ENGINE SOON. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RE-START FOR 8-10 MINUTES AS THE SECURITY SYSTEM RESETS. THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THE GREASE IN THE IGNITION SWITCH IS FREEZING AND/OR HARDENING SO THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH CAN NOT ENGAGE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE IGNITION SWITCH AND GREASE SHOULD BE RECALLED. *JB

TL* - THE CONTACT CALLED REGARDING A 2003 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE WOULD NOT TURN OVER IN COLD TEMPERATURES. THIS HAPPENED INTERMITTENTLY, 36 TIMES. THE CONTACT DID NOT LOSE POWER . THE VEHICLE WILL EVENTUALLY START. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE, BUT SHE WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WINDSHIELD WASHERS DID NOT WORK. THE WEATHERWAS NOT A FACTOR.*AK

MY 2003 SATURN ION FAILS TO START IN COLD WEATHER BECAUSE THE IGNITION SWITCH DOES NOT PROPERLY READ THE KEY AND THE PASSLOCK SYSTEM LOCKS OUT THE IGNITION. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE AND IN MARCH 2006 GM ISSUED A TECHNICAL BULLETIN IDENTIFYING THE IGNITION SWITCH AS THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM. SATURN HOWEVER REFUSES TO CORRECT THIS DEFECT WITH MY VEHICLE. AS THIS FAILURE ONLY OCCURS IN COLD WEATHER IT IS A SAFETY CONCERN OF MINE AS I WORK LATE HOURS AND I RELY ON MY VEHICLE STARTING SO THAT I CAN TURN ON THE HEAT. SITTING IN THE FREEZING COLD IN A VEHICLE THAT HAS AN IDENTIFIED DEFECTIVE PART THAT WILL NOT START IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE. THE SATURN DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT THEY WOULD DO NOTHING FOR ME BECAUSE A RECALL HAS NOT BEEN ORDERED. AS SATURN WILL NOT STEP UP AND TAKE CARE OF ITS CUSTOMERS I ASK THAT A SAFETY RECALL BE ISSUED TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. *NM