SATURN Complaints

I AM PURCHASING A 2007 SATURN ION 3. WHEN I DRIVE DOWN THE ROAD SOMETIMES YOU WILL HEAR A DING, PWR STR SHOWS UP WHERE THE ODOMETER IS, AND I LOSE MY POWER STEERING. I STOP AND TURN THE CAR OFF THEN ON AND I HAVE POWER STEERING BACK. I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM SATURN SAYING THAT THIS MIGHT BECOME A PROBLEM AND THEY WOULD REPAIR IT IF THE VEHICLE WAS LESS THAN 10 YEARS OLD AND 100,000 MILES OR LESS. OF COURSE MY SATURN CONVENIENTLY IS OVER 100K MILES. I CALLED SATURN AND ALL THEY WOULD SAY IS THAT I CAN GO HAVE IT DIAGNOSED AND THEY MIGHT HELP ME. GM HAS RECALLED THE COBALT FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. 14 PEOPLE HAVE DIED BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM. WHY ISN'T GM RECALLING SATURN IONS FOR THIS PROBLEM? *TR

DEFECTIVE WHEEL BEARINGS. I HAVE REPLACED THE FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS FOUR TIMES NOW (EACH FRONT WHEEL TWICE) BEGINNING AROUND 40,000 MILES. I CURRENTLY HAVE A LITTLE OVER 70,000 MILES. THEY COULD CAUSE A WHEEL TO SEIZE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN VUE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE AHEAD OF HIM STOPPED ABRUPTLY AND THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACTS AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE UPPER BODY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BUT PROVIDED NO ASSISTANCE OTHER THAN ADVISING THAT THE CRASH WOULD BE ON RECORD. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A COLLISION REPAIR SHOP. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 91,350.

IT STARTED WITH THE KEY STICKING IN THE IGNITION. UNABLE TO REMOVE IT AND HAD TO WAIT FOR A CLICKING NOISE TO KNOW THE KEY RELEASED. NOW, INTERMITTENTLY, THE KEY WILL RELEASE BUT THE ENGINE WILL CONTINUE TO RUN. THE ONLY WAY TO STOP IT IS TO PUT THE KEY BACK IN AND TURN TO ACCESSORY. IT HAD DONE IT 4 TIMES IN THE PAST 5 DAYS. IT IS NOW ALSO HAVING THE POWER STEERING SIGNAL COMING ON THE DASH. THE STICKING KEY STARTED A COUPLE MONTHS AGO, WHILE THE ENGINE CONTINUING TO RUN AND THE POWER STEERING HAS BEEN THE PAST WEEK. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SATURN OUTLOOK. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60-65 MPH, THE DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT FAILED. THE CONTACT THEN SMELLED AN ABNORMAL BURNING ODOR AND HE CONTINUED DRIVING USING THE LOW BEAMS. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO REPLACE THE BULB AND DISCOVERED THAT THE HEADLIGHT WIRING HAD MELTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHERE THE CONTACT WAS REFERRED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THE HEADLIGHT WOULD NEED A REPLACEMENT WIRING HARNESS ASSEMBLY HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED FOR REPAIRS WAS ON BACK ORDER AND NOT READILY AVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 46,605 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 46,635. UPDATED 03/22/11*LJ

I GOT HOME ON FRIDAY JAN 28, AND PUT MY CAR IN PARK, TRIED TO TURN THE KEY INTO THE OFF POSITION AND IT WOULDN'T MOVE. I SAT IN MY DRIVEWAY, FREEZING, WAITING FOR A FRIEND TO COME OVER AND STOP THE MOTOR, UNHOOK THE FUSES, AND UNHOOK THE BATTERY. PAID FOR A NEW KEY CYLINDER, PAID TO HAVE IT REKEYED, AND PAID A LOCKSMITH TO TAKE OUT THE OLD ONE AND REPLACE THE NEW ONE. IT WORKED FOR A FEW HOURS AND THEN IT DID THE SAME THING, ONLY THIS TIME I WENT TO GO START MY CAR, AND THE KEY JUST WONT TURN. THE LOCKSMITH CAME BACK OUT AND SAID HE CAN'T FIX IT, IT IS A MANUFACTURE DEFECT. I HAVE READ ONLINE OF HUNDREDS OF OTHERS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM, AND I CALLED SATURN CUSTOMER SERVICE, AND THEY SAID THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. I ASKED WHY THERE WASN'T A RECALL AND SHE COULDN'T TELL ME, I ASKED WHO WOULD KNOW, AND SHE SAID NO ONE. SHE SAID THERE IS NO ACTUAL PERSON THAT I CAN TALK TO ABOUT THAT. SHE REFUSED TO LET ME SPEAK TO A SUPERVISOR. GOOGLE SATURN ION IGNITION, AND OMG THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WITH THIS SAME DEFECT. I WORRY FOR THE MOM WITH HER BABIES IN THE CAR DRIVING TO THE STORE AND NOT BEING ABLE TO SHUT OFF HER CAR. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS. *TR

MY HUSBAND AND I WENT TO START OUR CAR, AND THE KEY WOULD NOT TURN. THE IGNITION CYLINDER AND HOUSING NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE COST WAS 602.00. THIS HAPPENED ABOUT 6:00 AFTER WE HAD DONE SOME ERRANDS AND STOPPED AT A FAMILY MEMBERS HOUSE. WE NEVER HAD ANY ISSUES WITH OUR IGNITION BEFORE. WE HAVE 2007 SATURN ION 2. IT HAS ABOUT 64,000 MILES ON IT. *TR

POWER STEERING IN 2007 SATURN ION2 CUTS OUT RANDOMLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE DRIVING. TURNING THE ENGINE OFF, AND RESTARTING RESETS THE ISSUE UNTIL IT CUTS OUT AGAIN. SOMETIMES IT GOES WEEKS WITH OUT ISSUE AND OTHER DAYS IT IS A REPEATED AND CONTINUAL PROBLEM. *TR

WHILE DRIVING AT 70MPH THE POWER STEERING LIGHT CAME ON AND I LOST POWER STEERING. I EXITED THE INTERSTATE AND PULLED OFF THE ROAD. I TURNED THE ENGINE OFF THEN COUNTED TO 10 AND STARTED IT UP,THE LIGHT WENT OUT AND THE POWER STEERING WAS BACK. THE NEXT TIME I WAS IN CITY TRAFFIC WHEN THE POWER STEERING LIGHT CAN ON AND THE POWER STEERING DIED. AGAIN I PULLED OVER AND RESTARTED THE ENGINE AND IT WAS OK. THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT AND UNPREDICTABLE. I WENT ONLINE WITH SATURN AND THEY RECOMMEND A SATURN SERVICE CENTER. I ALSO READ BLOGS THAT THE REPAIR WILL BE OVER $1000 AND NOT COVERED BY A RECALL OR WARRANTY. I HAVE PARKED MY SATURN ION IN THE DRIVEWAY AND MAY HAVE TO TOW IT TO A DEALER. *TR

HAVE A 2008 SATURN OUTLOOK WHERE BOTH SIDES OF THE LOW BEAM HEADLAMP WIRING HARNESSES ARE FAULTY AND CONTINUE TO MALFUNCTION. I REPLACED THE BULB ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE AND IT WAS BLOWN AGAIN IN A FEW DAYS. I SEARCHED THE INTERNET AND FOUND THAT IT WAS A WIRING HARNESS ISSUE DUE TO FAULTY DESIGN. *TR