SATURN Complaints

FRONT AIR BAG IP LAMP IS INTERMITTENT AND WILL OFTEN SHOW OFF EVENT THOUGH THERE IS A 190 LB. PASSENGER IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. RECYCLING THE KEY, HAVING PASSENGER ENTER/EXIT VEHICLE RESULTS IN RANDOM STATE. I.E. SOMETIMES THE LIGHT IS ON AND WILL GO OFF AT RANDOM TIMES AND OTHER TIMES IS WILL SIMPLY REMAIN OFF EVEN WITH SOMEONE IN THE SEAT. DEALER FINDS NOTHING WRONG SINCE THERE IS NO DTC SET BUT THE VEHICLE IS UNSAFE AS YOU NEVER KNOW IF THE FRONT AIR BAG WILL REALLY DEPLOY IN AN ACCIDENT. *TR

THE DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT WILL WORK FOR AWHILE BUT THEN IT WILL APPEAR TO BE "BURNT OUT". THE SAME THING HAS HAPPENED TO THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT SEVERAL TIMES. THE LIGHTS WILL START WORKING AGAIN (AT LEAST TEMPORARILY) WHEN I SWITCH FROM THE "AUTO" LIGHT SETTING TO "MANUAL" AND BACK AGAIN. I HAVE READ ON SEVERAL DIFFERENT WEBSITES THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE CAUSE BEING THE WIRING HARNESS FOR THE LIGHTS. THIS APPEARS TO BE A DEFECT IN THE PARTS/MATERIALS USED AND SHOULD HAVE A RECALL ON IT. I CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY WHAT THE DEALERSHIP IS ASKING TO REPAIR IT, SO FOR NOW I CAN'T DO ANY NIGHT TIME DRIVING WITHOUT GETTING A TRAFFIC CITATION/TICKET. *TR

THE POWER STEERING GOES OUT AS THE CAR IS DRIVING UNTIL STOPPED AND STARTED AGAIN. *TR

WHEN ENTERING A HIGHWAY AND GATHERING SPEED, I REMOVED MY FOOT FROM THE GAS PEDAL AND THE CAR CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. I APPLIED THE BRAKES BUT THE CAR REACHED 85MPH. I HIT THE GAS PEDAL AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO DECELERATE. I PULLED OFF THE ROAD AND TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE. I RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND DROVE HOME (10 MILES) WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. *TR

DRIVERS SEAT SLIDES BACKWARDS WITHOUT USING THE "ADJUSTMENT LEVER". SOMETIMES JUST BACKING UP AT 3-5 MPH, ALSO AT HWY SPEEDS. ALSO SLIDES BACKWARDS AFTER BEING ADJUSTED BY THE DRIVER-ALWAYS ADJUSTED WHILE PARKED, NEVER MOVING. ALSO, SEATBELTS WORKED FINE UNTIL RECALL NOTICE (99-2000/"REPAIRED" BY JIM BUTLER SOUTH COUNTY SATURN, ST LOUIS, MO) THEN WOULD NOT RETRACT, MUST FEED BELTS BACK INTO SLOT; WILL NOT RETURN TO DEALER, AS TOO MANY BAD EXPERIENCES W/THIS DEALERSHIP. APPROX 2002-03 (APPROX 80-100K MILES) STARTED USING 2 QTS OIL PER MONTH, NOW USES 3+ QTS PER MONTH MINIMUM. APPROX 2009 STARTED USING ENIGINE COOLANT EXCESSIVELY; MUST CARRY EXTRA QTS OIL, 1 GALLON ENGINE COOLANT IN CAR AT ALL TIMES, CHECKING AT EVERY FUEL FILL-UP OR BEFORE LEAVING HOME. BATTERY DEAD OCT 2011, REPLACED-STILL LOSES CHARGE OVERNIGHT;CHANGED SPARK PLUGS, FUSES, IGNITION-COULD REMOVE KEY WHILE CAR STILL RUNNING WHILE STOPPED. STILL SITTING IN DRIVEWAY AS CANNOT FIGURE OUT ELEC PROBLEM. 206K MI. PURCH 10-96 WITH 13 MI ON IT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SATURN ION. WHILE PARKED, THE CONTACT NOTICED A STRONG FUEL SMELL EMITTING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC. THE MECHANIC STATED THERE WAS A LEAK IN THE FUEL PUMP AND IT WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THERE WAS A RECALL UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 09V419000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP) BUT THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED BY THE MANUFACTURER THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000.

SPECIFICALLY, THE PERFORMANCE OF THE TRANSMISSION MY SATURN 2008 OUTLOOK HAS NEVER BEEN SATISFACTORY. ALTOGETHER IT'S INCREDIBLY SLUGGISH, GIVING A JERKY, PULLING FEEL AND TAKES 45-60 SECONDS TO SPEED THE CAR UP PAST 50 MPH. THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WHEN I CAME DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO BEING HIT BY ONCOMING TRAFFIC. ADDITIONALLY, THE STABILITRAK LIGHT WARNING COMES ON WHEN IT SHOULDN'T. THIS LIGHT IS GENERALLY FOLLOWED BY A WARNING THE TRACTION CONTROL IS OFF WHEN IT ISN'T. I HAVE COMPLAINED TO 2 OF GM'S DEALERS (SATURN AND CHEVROLET) FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS ABOUT THE TRANSMISSION. THEY HAVE ALL TOLD ME THAT THERE NOTHING WRONG WITH THE TRANSMISSION--UNTIL THINGS GOT BAD ENOUGH THAT THE TRANSMISSION STOPPED WORKING ALTOGETHER, AND I WAS STUCK ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. RALEIGH'S DOWNTOWN GM DEALER FINALLY HAD NO OTHER CHOICE THAN TO TAKE THE TRANSMISSION APART AND DISCOVERED THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM. SO THEY THOUGHT. EVER SINCE I PICKED UP THE CAR FROM THIS REPAIR, I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEMS. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE GM DEALERSHIP. AGAIN, THEY PURPORTED THEY COULD NOT "SIMULATE" THE PROBLEM; THEREFORE, IN THEIR MIND, THERE WAS NO PROBLEM. I'M REMINDED AT THIS POINT THAT THIS IS THE SAME THING GM'S DEALERS HAD SAID BEFORE THE TRANSMISSION FINALLY GAVE WAY. THROUGH THE INTERNET, I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE MANY OTHERS WHO REPORT PROBLEMS WITH GM'S TRANSMISSION ON THE OUTLOOK. LIKE MY COUNTERPARTS, I WOULD APPRECIATE A RESOLUTION THAT INCLUDES GM'S OWNING UP TO THIS PROBLEM AND RESOLVING TO FIX IT ONCE AND FOR ALL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE WAS UNABLE TO SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF OR REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THEY DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY TO SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF. APPROXIMATELY SIX MONTHS LATER, THE VEHICLE WAS SHUT OFF AND THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000.

MY KEY KEEPS GETTING STUCK IN THE IGNITION, MY HUSBAND HAS TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY TO GET IT OUT, I HAVE TOLD GM ABOUT THE PROBLEM THEY SAY THAT THEY ARE NOT AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT WHEN I GO ONLINE I SEE HUNDREDS OF POSTS ABOUT THEIR VEHICLES HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. I'M SURE THAT THEY DO KNOW ABOUT IT. THE VEHICLE IS NOT IN A SAFE POSITION (PARK) WHEN THE KEY GETS STUCK IN THE IGNITION. I THINK THAT GM NEEDS TO BE HELD LIABLE AND THE ISSUE NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. *TR

WHILE WE WERE DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AT 75 MPH, THE POWER STEERING IN OUR 2004 SATURN ION SUDDENLY FAILED. AS WE WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE BEEN DRIVING DOWN A STRAIGHT STRETCH OF ROAD, WE WERE ABLE TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT THAT LIKELY COULD HAVE OCCURED IF WE HAD BEEN TURNING. UPON RETURNING HOME, I PROCEEDED TO CHECK THE 3 FUSES ASSOCIATED WITH THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM ONLY TO DISCOVER THAT ALL WERE FINE. IT APPERAS TO BE THE ELECTRONIC MOTOR ITSELF THAT FAILED. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. AT THE TIME OUR STEERING FAILED, MY 3 MONTH OLD DAUGHTER WAS IN THE CAR. DOES SOMEONE NEED TO DIE BEFORE GM IS HELD ACCOUNTABLE? PLEASE ISSUE A RECALL SO THIS SERIOUS PROBLEM CAN BE FIXED. IT MAY BE A "NUMBERS" GAME TO SOME, BUT TO THE REST OF US IT IS OUR SAFETY! *TR