SATURN Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 SATURN SC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE KEY WAS PLACED IN THE IGNITION, THE THEFT SYSTEM ACTIVATED AND THE ENGINE FAILED TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 89,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 91,654. UPDATED 04/30/14 MA UPDATED 06/03/14

HAS HAPPENED AT APPROXIMATELY 10 TIMES OVER THE LAST 2 MONTHS WHEN STARTING THE CAR IN COLD WEATHER (APPROX 10 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT OR LESS) THE CAR FAILS TO START WHEN KEY IN IGNITION IS TURNED. ATTEMPTS TO START CAR IMMEDIATELY THEREAFTER FAIL TO START CAR. RADIO, LIGHTS, FAN, ETC, WILL TURN ON BUT CAR DOES NOT ATTEMPT TO START. SECURITY LOCK SYMBOL AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAY ON. IF 10 MINUTES TIME IS ALLOWED TO PASS, CAR WILL START ON FIRST ATTEMPT AND SECURITY LOCK SYMBOL AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DO NOT LIGHT UP. THERE HAVE BEEN 2 INSTANCES WHERE CAR DID NOT START AFTER TRYING FOR AN HOUR WITH WAITING 10 MINUTES BETWEEN STARTING ATTEMPTS. STARTER HAS BEEN REPLACED AS WELL AS IGNITION SWITCH. DOING RESEARCH ON THE WEB, THIS SEEMS TO BE COMMON PROBLEM WITH IONS AND SATURN HAD FAILED TO MAKE ANY RECOGNITION/SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM. IT IS QUITE FRUSTRATING WAITING FOR 10 MINUTES IN YOUR CAR TO TRY TO START IT AGAIN WHEN TEMPS ARE BELOW ZERO DEGREES. *TR

TOOK VEHICLE IN FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE. FRONT ENGINE COVER LEAK DISCOVERED. DAMAGE TO WATER OUTLET SEAL, WATER PUMP GASKET, CRANK SEAL, VALVE COVER GASKETS AND SEALS. *TR

THE VEHICLE BECAME DIFFICULT TO START WITH THE INTERIOR LIGHTS BLINKING WILDLY. WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE WOULD HESITATE AND SURGE. HAD NEW IGNITION SWITCH INSTALLED. AXLE SHAFT SEAL LEAKING TRANSMISSION FLUID. TRANSMISSION FAILED SHORTLY THEREAFTER (NHTSA COMPL #10565714). *TR

#1. KEY. IN 2008 THE KEY STARTED GETTING STUCK IN THE IGNITION WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO TURN THE CAR OFF. THE CAR KEPT RUNNING. IT WOULD TAKE UP TO 10 TRIES BEFORE THE ENGINE STOPPED. EVEN THEN I COULD NOT ALWAYS GET THE KEY TO COME OUT RIGHT AWAY. I COULD NOT GET THE KEY TO TURN WHEN TRYING TO START THE CAR. THE KEY OFTEN WOULD ALSO GET STUCK IN THE IGNITION AND I COULD NOT GET IT OUT AND WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE IT IN. 2014 I COULD NOT GET IT TO COME OUT AT ALL AND AT ONE POINT THE CAR WOULD NOT SHUT OFF. MECHANIC REPLACED (AT MY EXPENSE) THE IGNITION. #2. WHEN I PURCHASED THE CAR AN ADD ON OFFERED WAS A PASSIVE KILL SWITCH CALLED ID SYSTEM. REPEATEDLY THE AIR BAG LIGHT WOULD COME ON, AND THE ON-STAR SYSTEM ALSO NOTIFIED ME. IT WOULD GO BACK OFF. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER IN 2006 AND 2007 WAS TOLD SINCE THE LIGHT WAS NOT ON THEN THAT THEY COULD NOT/WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING. IN 2013 THE LIGHT WAS ALWAYS ON. I WAS ALSO HAVING OTHER ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS (SEE #3). I WENT TO AN AUTO ELECTRICAL SHOP. WHILE DIAGNOSING THE INITIAL PROBLEM THE SHOP FOUND THAT WHEN THE KILL SWITCH WAS PUT IN THE COMPANY HAD TAKEN OUT THE RELAY FOR THE AIR BAG AND PUT THE PUT THE ID SYSTEM RELAY IN IT'S PLACE. THE RESULT WAS THAT NEITHER WORKED. THE SHOP PULLED OUT THE KILL SWITCH RELAY AND REPLACED THE AIR BAG ONE. WHICH I PAID THE BILL FOR. NOW THE AIR BAG LIGHT IS STARTING TO COME BACK ON AT TIMES. I ASSUME THE AIR BAG IS NOT WORKING. #3. IN 2013 THE ALARM ON THE CAR STARTED GOING OFF BY ITS SELF.THAT DAY IT WENT ON AND OFF 5 OR 6 TIMES TILL I REALIZED IT MIGHT BE MY CAR. THE NEIGHBOR SAID THERE WAS NO ONE AROUND IT AT THE TIME. I DON'T TURN ON THE ALARM. I ENDED UP DISCONNECTING THE BATTERY. I TOOK IT TO THE SHOP (SEE #2) BUT SINCE IT WAS NOT DOING IT THEN THEY COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM. #4 I HAVE NEVER BEEN NOTIFIED BY GM THAT OTHERS WERE HAVING THESE PROBLEMS. *TR

OIL IS LEAKING ON ENGINE CAUSING WHITE SMOKE, SMELL FILTER INSIDE OF VEHICLE, BUT NO OIL ON THE GROUND.(USE CONVENTIONAL OIL) NO ACCIDENT SINCE I PURCHASE THE CAR. SOMETIMES SHIFT HARD WHEN GOING TO NEXT GEAR. MEDAL SEEN IN ENGINE OIL. *TR

THE AIRBAG FOR THE PASSENGER NO LONGER ACTIVATES, THIS SEEMS TO BE AN ISSUE WITH THE PASSENGER PRESENCE SYSTEM AND IT SEEMS TO BE HAPPENING TO A LOT OF SKY OWNERS. *TR

HTTP://WWW-ODI.NHTSA.DOT.GOV/VEHICLECOMPLAINT/INDEX.XHTML 2-26-14 @ 10:36 P.M. THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 26, 2014 I HEARD ON THE NEWS THAT SATURN IONS (2005) HAVE RECALL - DEADLY INCIDENT MAY OCCUR DUE TO IGNITION - I CONTACTED GENERAL MOTORS TO CONFIRM AND GET ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND INQUIRE WHY I WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THEY ADVISED THAT A LETTER WILL BE SENT OUT IN APRIL - MORE THAN 30 DAYS FROM TODAY. WHY MUST SOMEONE WAIT OVER 30 DAYS TO BE ADVISED THERE MAY BE AN INCIDENT WITH YOUR CAR THAT MAY CAUSE YOUR LIFE OR THAT OF SOMEONE ELSE, AND WAIT THAT LONG TO BE GIVEN ANY INFORMATION THAT THE CAR OWNER MAY DO TO POSSIBLY LESSEN THE CHANCES OF AN INCIDENT TO OCCUR. I WOULD THINK THAT THE MONEY OUR GOVERNMENT GAVE THE AUTO INDUSTRY WOULD BE ABLE TO COVER A SIMPLE LETTER OR POST CARD IF THEY ARE SO CASH POOR TO NOTIFY LOYAL CAR OWNERS OF A POSSIBLE PROBLEM AND NOT ROLL THE DICE AND HOPE ONE SURVIVES THE 30+ DAYS OF BEING NOTIFIED. I WOULD THINK THIS IS A CRIME! *TR

MY CAR WOULDN'T SHUT OFF. THE KEY WAS STUCK AND IT WOULD NOT TURN. I TOOK IT TO A LOCAL MECHANIC TO FIX AND THEY HAD TO REPLACE IT. I'VE HAD A TOTAL OF 3 NEW ONES DONE SINCE THEN. I JUST FOUND OUT THAT GM ARE RECALLING SOME CARS BECAUSE OF THE IGNITION PROBLEM. I HAVE NOT HEARD A THING ABOUT IT AND THEY KNEW ABOUT THIS FOR YEARS. I'VE HAD MY CAR FOR 11 YEARS NOW AND HAD TO PAY FOR ALL THE REPAIRS MYSELF, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW HOW DANGEROUS THIS COULD BE SINCE I'VE LEARNED ABOUT 7 PEOPLE HAVE DIED BECAUSE THE AIR BAG DIDN'T DEPLOY BECAUSE OF THIS MALFUNCTION. SO I'M VERY UPSET THAT I HAD THIS CAR FOR ALL THIS TIME AND I DIDN'T KNOW HOW DANGEROUS MY CAR REALLY IS. *TR

ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS THIS VEHICLE HAS ACCELERATED WITHOUT PUSHING THE GAS PEDAL, WITH NO CRUISE CONTROL OPTION, IT'S UNSOLVED BY MULTIPLE MECHANICS. SOMETIMES THE BRAKE WORKS WHILE IT'S HAPPENING, SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T, THE MOST RECENT TIME I PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT WHERE I HAD TO HOLD THE BRAKE DOWN TO SHUT THE CAR OFF, I COULD SMELL THE TRANSMISSION, I TURNED VEHICLE OFF, TURNED IT BACK ON AND IT WENT TO OVER 5 RPM STILL, TURNED BACK OFF, SAT AND WAITED, IT WAS 2AM SO I COULDN'T CALL ANYONE. AFTER 10 MINUTES IT FINALLY WENT BACK TO NORMAL. THAT WAS THE MOST SEVERE, IT'S HAD SLIGHTLY SIMILAR ISSUES AT LEAST 4 TIMES. FIRST MECHANIC SAID IT WAS A CRUISE CONTROL ISSUE, THEN I TOLD HIM I WAS LEAVING SINCE THE VEHICLE DOESN'T HAVE CRUISE CONTROL AT ALL. DON'T WANT HIM WORKING ON IT. 2ND ONE RAN COMPUTER CHECK, NO ISSUE FOUND. HOPEFULLY GM RECALLS THIS BEFORE IT KILLS SOMEONE. THIS CAR HAS HAD MANY ISSUES ME AND MY FATHER COULD FIX, IGNITION SWITCH, WIPER BLADE TRANSMISSION, COOLANT LIGHT BUT THIS ONE ISN'T EASY. *TR