SATURN Complaints

DURING A RAINSTORM, AFTER DARK, AND ON-THE-ROAD, I REPLACED MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS WITH RAIN*X WEATHERBEATER WIPER BLADES TO IMPROVE VISIBILITY. THE BLADES WERE PURCHASED AT A TARGET (UPC 79118 00419) AND INSTALLED IN THE RAIN IN THEIR PARKING LOT. WITHIN 20 MILES OF HIGHWAY DRIVING LATER, ONE BLADE (DRIVER'S SIDE) BECAME DETACHED FROM THE WIPER ARM. THIS CAUSED SUDDEN LOSS OF VISIBILITY IN THE DARK AND IN THE HEAVY RAIN. I PULLED OVER THE SHOULDER, AND REINSTALLED THE WIPER BLADE. NEEDLESS TO SAY, I DOUBLE CHECKED THAT IT WAS INSTALLED TIGHTLY, AND ACCORDING TO DIRECTIONS. A FEW MILES LATER, IT DETACHED AGAIN. THIS TIME, I SWAPPED THE TWO BLADES, HOPING THAT ANOTHER FAILURE, IF IT OCCURRED, WOULD BE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. A FEW MILES LATER, FOR A THIRD TIME, THE DRIVER'S SIDE WIPER BLADE DETACHED FROM THE WIPER ARM. AT THIS POINT I REINSTALLED THE OLD AND BADLY FUNCTIONING BLADES. I SUBSEQUENTLY INSPECTED THE WIPER ARMS AND FOUND NO DEFECTS OR DEFORMITIES THAT MIGHT HAVE CAUSED THE FAILURES. THE WIPER ARMS WERE THE "J-HOOK" TYPE ON A 2001 SATURN L SERIES VEHICLE. *TR

I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY AT 65 MPH WHEN THE INDICATOR LIGHT FOR THE STEERING LIT UP AND MY POWER STEERING WENT OUT. I STOPPED AND RESTARTED MY CAR AND THE POWER STEERING WORKED FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES. THE INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND THE STEERING FAILED. THE FOLLOWING DAY MY VEHICLE WAS CHECKED OUT BY A MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THE ISSUE AS A FAILED EPS (ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING). THE ESTIMATED COST OF JUST THE PART IS $1200. I DID NOT ASK ABOUT THE COST OF LABOR. I HAVE STARTED THE VEHICLE SEVERAL TIMES SINCE THE INITIAL INCIDENT AND SOMETIMES THE INDICATOR LIGHT IS NOT ON AND THE POWER STEERING WORKS FOR A FEW MINUTES. ULTIMATELY THE LIGHT COMES ON AND THE STEERING FAILS AGAIN WITHIN 5 MINUTES. AT OTHER TIMES I HAVE STARTED THE VEHICLE AND THE INDICATOR LIGHT IS ON AND THERE IS NO POWER STEERING.AS I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE, THIS IS VERY UPSETTING. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED AND BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST AND THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING MOTOR WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THERE WAS AN OPEN INVESTIGATION UNDER NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: EA11014 (STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM), THAT MAY BE RELATED TO THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 48,000.

ON 12/06/11, I WAS BACKING INTO MY DRIVEWAY WHEN MY SHIFT CABLE BROKE. IT MOVED MY TRANSMISSION FROM REVERSE INTO DRIVE SENDING MY CAR FORWARD ACROSS THE STREET. I AM THANKFUL IT HAPPENED THERE AND NOT IN A BUSY PARKING LOT SOMEWHERE. I HAD TO GET THE CAR TOWED TO A REPAIR STATION SINCE SATURN DOES NOT EXIST ANYMORE. I PICKED AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR STATION. IT TOOK TWO DAYS TO GET THE PARTS DUE TO A NEWLY DESIGNED BRACKET WHICH IS DIFFERENT FROM THE ONE ORIGINALLY INSTALLED. THIS MAKES ME BELIEVE THAT SATURN / GENERAL MOTORS IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM. SHIFT CABLE & A SHIFT BRACKET WERE REPLACED. PARTS, LABOR AND TAXES CAME TO $322.68. *TR

PROBLEM SYNOPSIS: WHILE DRIVING AT FREEWAY SPEEDS (65 MILES PER HOUR) THE VEHICLE LOST POWER, CAUSING THE "REDUCED ENGINE POWER" (REP) AND "SERVICE VEHICLE SOON" (SVS) LIGHTS TO ILLUMINATE. UPON PULLING TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND SHIFTING THE VEHICLE INTO PARK, IT WOULD IDLE ROUGHLY UNTIL SHUTTING THE ENGINE OFF. VEHICLE WOULD START IMMEDIATELY AFTER, WITH HIGH RPM AT IDLE AND HARD SHIFTS INTO GEAR. VEHICLE WOULD ONLY EXHIBIT THESE PROBLEMS WHEN THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WOULD SHIFT GEARS, USUALLY BETWEEN 3RD AND 4TH GEAR. /// REPAIR HISTORY: A REPAIR SHOP DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A FAILED ENGINE CONTROL MODULE, AND A NEW ONE WAS INSTALLED INTO THE VEHICLE. COST OF REPAIR WAS APPROXIMATELY $1,100. THREE MONTHS LATER (OCT. 2011), THE VEHICLE STARTED EXHIBITING THE SAME PROBLEMS. RETURNED TO THE SAME SHOP, AND REPAIRMEN COULD NOT FIND PROBLEM, SIMPLY CLEARING THE OBD-II CODES IN THE COMPUTER. VEHICLE EXHIBITED SAME SYMPTOMS ONCE IN NOVEMBER 2011 AFTER A RAIN STORM; NO ACTION WAS TAKEN AS VEHICLE DID IT ONLY ONCE. IN DECEMBER 2011, VEHICLE EXHIBITED SAME PROBLEMS FOUR TIME DURING A 25-MILE DRIVE. CODES REVEALED P0606, P0700, P1811. VEHICLE TO BE TAKEN FOR A THIRD TIME TO REPAIR SHOP TO GET THIS PROBLEM FIXED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SATURN ION. WHILE PARKED, THE CONTACT SMELLED A STRONG ODOR OF FUEL INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE WHICH CONTINUED TO EMIT WHEN DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO STATED THERE WAS A FUEL LEAKAGE. THERE WAS A RECALL UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 09V419000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP). THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 56,620.

2007 SATURN ION. CONSUMER STATES PROBLEM WITH VEHICLE IGNITION *TGW THE IGNITION LOCK CYLINDER AND HOUSING WERE REPLACED. *JB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT FUEL FUMES WERE EMITTED INTO THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT FUEL WAS LEAKING OUT OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL SHOP WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL PUMP WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 40,000.

I HAVE A 2009 SATURN OUTLOOK WITH FAULTY HEADLIGHTS I HAVE REPLACED THE LIGHTS AND IT SEEMS THE PROBLEM IS IN THE WIRING NOT THE LIGHT ITSELF I SEE WERE MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING ISSUES WITH THIS VEHICLE WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET G.M. TO FIX THIS SAFETY ISSUE? *TR

WHILE DRIVING MY 2006 SATURN ION I HEAR A CLICK AND A WARNING LIGHT COMES ON THE CONSOLE PWR STR. POWER STEERING IS LOST AND VERY HARD TO STEER. ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT WHILE TURNING AT THAT TIME. WHEN YOU TURN CAR OFF THE STEERING IS OKAY, BUT AFTER A WHILE THE WARNING LIGHT COMES BACK ON AND POWER STEERING IS LOST AGAIN. VERY HARD TO TURN AND PARK THE CAR. I HAVE DONE RESEARCH AND THIS IS A SIMILAR SYSTEM USED ON THE CHEVROLET COBALT AND PONTIAC G5 THAT HAD RECALLS ON THEM.