SATURN Complaints

I DROVE MY CAR TO WORK AND WHEN I GOT THERE REALIZED I COULD NOT TURN MY VEHICLE OFF OR TURN THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AT ALL. I DROVE TO THE NEAREST GM DEALERSHIP AND THE SERVICE EMPLOYEE IMMEDIATELY KNEW THE PROBLEM WHEN I TOLD HIM THE SYMPTOMS. HE ALSO INFORMED ME THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM HE SAW "AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK". THEY ORDERED THE PARTS AND TOLD ME IT COULD COST $300-$600 TO REPLACE THE IGNITION LOCK CYLINDER AND THE HOUSING COMPONENT, IF IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. AFTER HEARING HOW MUCH IT WOULD COST I STARTED RESEARCHING AND FOUND SEVERAL OTHER SATURN OWNERS HAVING THIS SAME PROBLEM. I CALLED THE SERVICE EMPLOYEE AND HE REDIRECTED ME TO GM'S CORPORATE OFFICE. I SAW ON THE PHONE FOR AN HOUR, MOSTLY ON HOLD, WHILE THE EMPLOYEES NEGOTIATED AND THEY CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THEY COULD NOT HELP ME BECAUSE IT WAS A SATURN VEHICLE, NOT GM; THE CAR'S WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED; THE DEALERSHIP WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH MY VEHICLE; AND GM DID NOT WANT TO PAY OUT OF THEIR POCKET FOR THE PART AND LABOR. THEY ARE STILL GOING TO REPLACE THE PARTS BECAUSE I NEED TO HAVE MY VEHICLE IN ORDER TO COMMUTE TO SCHOOL AND WORK. I'M GOING TO PAY THE $300-$600 FOR THE REPAIRS AS WELL AS THE $50/DAY FOR THE RENTAL CAR. GM IS UNWILLING TO DO ANYTHING, OTHER THAN FIX THE PROBLEM AND CHARGE SATURN OWNERS THE FULL AMOUNT, UNLESS THERE'S A RECALL ISSUED FOR THE PART. *TR

MY POWER STEERING UNIT ON MY 2005 SATURN ION 3 (WITH ONLY 37,345 MILES ON IT) WENT OUT WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY ALMOST CAUSING A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. *TR

I HAVE A 2008 SATURN OUTLOOK AND THE RIGHT LOW BEAM WENT OUT AND I FOUND THAT THE CONNECTOR HAD MELTED. THE VERY NEXT DAY IN THE EVENING THE LEFT LOW BEAM WENT OUT AND I WAS WITHOUT LOW BEAM LIGHTS. I HAD BOTH WIRING HARNESSES REPLACED AT A COST OF ALMOST $400 ON 8/27/10 I HOPE THIS FIXES MY PROBLEM. MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE IN MY OPINION. I HAD TO DRIVE WITH HIGH BEAMS AND THAT WAS NOT GOOD FOR OTHER DRIVERS AND THEY WERE ANGRY WITH ME. NEEDS RECALL. *TR

SATURN NOTIFIED ME IN AUGUST OF 2010 THAT THEY ARE EXTENDING THE WARRANTY ON MY 2004 SATURN ION FOR THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING TO 10 YEAR OR 100,000 MILES. MY COMPLAINT IS THAT THE PART WENT OUT A FEW YEARS AGO AND THOUSANDS OF MILES AGO. MY CAR IS NOW OVER 100,000 MILES. HAD I BEEN INFORMED BEFORE THE INTITIAL WARRANTY RAN OUT, I WOULD'VE HAD IT FIXED. NOW THEY TELL ME THEY WILL NOT COVER THE DEFECTIVE PART. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SATURN OUTLOOK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER SIDE HEADLAMP FAILED. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO CHANGE THE LIGHT BULB AND DISCOVERED THAT THE WIRING HARNESS HAD OVERHEATED AND BURNED. THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE COULD BE REPAIRED BUT AT THE CONTACTS EXPENSE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 70,458. UPDATED 12/01/10. *LJ UPDATED 12/14/10

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 65 MPH WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME EXTREMELY TIGHT. THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED FOLLOWED BY THE SOUNDING OF THE POWER STEERING WARNING ALARM. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE TO HIS RESIDENCE USING EXTREME BODILY FORCE TO MANEUVER THE WHEEL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE FAILURE BECAME PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT'S KEYS WOULD CONTINUOUSLY BECOME LODGED WITHIN THE IGNITION SWITCH. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED FOR THE EXACT SAME FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT FURTHER REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 50,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 92,000.

AFTER DRIVING THROUGH WATER IN THE STREET OR A CAR WASH, THE NEXT TIME I TRY TO TURN THE CAR ON, IT WON'T START. YOU HAVE TO KEEP TRYING TO START IT UNTIL THERE IS NO NOISE AT ALL EXCEPT FROM THE DASH BOARD. LET IT SIT FOR 15 TO 30 MINUTES AND THEN IT WILL START AGAIN, AT LEAST UNTIL ANOTHER RAIN STORM OR CAR WASH. HAVE BEEN STRANDED IN PARKING LOTS, AT HOME BEFORE WORK, AND MANY OTHER TIMES. I JUST HOPE IT NEVER HAPPENS IN AN EMERGENCY. HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THREE OF THE AUTOMATIC WINDOWS NOT OPENING OR CLOSING, INCLUDING THE INCONVENIENCE OF THE DRIVER WINDOW BEING STUCK FOR ABOUT 2 WEEKS. HAD TO GET OUT OF THE CAR AT THE BANK, DRIVE THRUS, AND COULDN'T ROLL THE WINDOWS DOWN TO COOL THE CAR OFF. ALL THREE WINDOWS WERE NOT WORKING ALL AT THE SAME TIME. THEN ABOUT 2 WEEKS LATER, ALL OF A SUDDEN THE WINDOW'S START WORKING AGAIN. THE POWER STEERING WHICH IS POWERED BY AN ELECTRIC MOTOR WENT OUT AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. I WOULD BE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, WOULD HEAR A ?DING,? THE DASH BOARD WOULD READ ?POWER STEERING? AND THEN IT WOULD BECOME VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER THE CAR. COOLANT LIGHT CONSTANTLY COMES ON WHEN YOU GET IN THE CAR, EVEN THOUGH THE TANK IS FULL, THE TEMP IS RIGHT, AND FLOAT IS WORKING. THE DEALER WANTED $350 TO REPLACE THE WHOLE TANK. I SAID FORGET IT AND PUT UP THE CONSTANT ?DING? FROM THE DASH BOARD EVERY TIME I GET IN THE CAR. IF SOMETHING SHOULD EVER REALLY GO WRONG WITH IT, I WOULDN'T KNOW. THERE APPEARS TO BE A HUGE NUMBER OF ELECTRONIC PROBLEMS WITH SATURN IONS. PLEASE INVESTIGATE. DID THEY SET THE COMPUTERS OR ELECTRONIC PATS TO MALFUNCTION ON PURPOSE RIGHT AFTER WARRANTIES HAVE EXPIRED? *TR

POWER STEERING LIGHT AND SOUND POPS UP ON DASH. POWER STEERING GOES OUT. VERY SCARY. AT HIGHWAY SPEED NOT TOO BAD UNLESS YOU ARE TRYING TO EVADE AN ACCIDENT OR SOMETHING IN THE ROAD. AT LOW SPEED VERY, VERY, VERY DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER TURNS OR AROUND OBJECTS IN THE ROAD INCLUDING CHILDREN AND PETS. TURN CAR OFF, TURN BACK ON AND STEERING RETURNS FOR A WHILE AND THEN HAPPEN AGAIN, AND AGAIN. *TR

KEY STUCK IN IGNITION. CAR STUCK RUNNING. WHAT AN UNSAFE SITUATION, IN HIGH 90 DEGREE WEATHER. THANK GOODNESS MY ELDERLY GRANDMOTHER WAS NOT IN THE CAR WITH ME! ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE HAD TO COME AND TURN IT OFF BY TAKING OFF A FUSE IN THE HOOD, BEFORE TOWING IT TO THE DEALER. I BURNED MY HAND TRYING TO DISENGAGE THE FUSE, BEFORE ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE GOT THERE, BECAUSE I WAS FEELING SICK STANDING OUTSIDE IN THE 99 DEGREE WEATHER WAITING. THE DEALER HAD TO REPLACE THE IGNITION LOCK CYLINDER AND HOUSING, AND I HAD TO GET A NEW KEY MADE AT THE SATURN DEALER. I GOOGLED THIS PROBLEM, AND FOUND OVER 48 PAGES OF COMPLAINTS. I SURE HOPE THAT THERE IS A RECALL ON THIS ISSUE, AS THIS PRESENTS AN OBVIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM. HOPEFULLY SATURN DRIVERS WILL NOT GET STRANDED IN EXTREME HOT, COLD, OR DANGEROUS CONDITIONS, WITH THEIR KEY STUCK IN THE IGNITION. THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM HAPPENED WITH MY TWIN SISTER 1 WEEK BEFORE IT HAPPENED TO ME. BOTH OF US BOUGHT OUR 2007 SATURN IONS NEW, ON THE SAME DATE. THIS IS MORE THAN "A COINCIDENCE." WE FEEL AS THOUGH THIS PART OF THE CAR MUST HAVE BEEN DEFECTIVE. IT IS NOT A "TYPICAL, ROUTINE MAINTENANCE" TYPE THING THAT SHOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED ON A CAR THAT IS ONLY 4 YEARS OLD. IT PRESENTS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE, DEPENDING ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF WHEN IT OCCURS. *TR

MY 2007 SATURN ION WAS STUCK RUNNING WITH THE KEY STUCK IN THE IGNITION. I COULD NOT TURN OFF MY CAR AND THE KEY WAS STUCK. THE SATURN DEALER REPLACED THE IGNITION LOCK CYLINDER AND HOUSING AND CUT NEW KEYS. *TR