SATURN Complaints

WAS DRIVING ON INTERSTATE AND POWER STEERING WARNING CAME ON CAR AND STEERING WHEEL LOCK UP. IT JUST HAPPENED OUT OF NO WHERE. IT NOW HAPPENS EVERYTIME THE VEHICLE IS ON THE ROAD. IT IS A 2007 SATURN ION. *TR

QUITE OFTEN, WITHOUT WARNING, THE POWER STEERING FAILS ON MY WIFE'S 2004 SATURN ION. SURPRISED AT FIRST BY THIS FAILURE, SHE HAS LEARNED NOT TO PANIC AND TO KEEP CONTROL OF THE CAR. INTERNET RESEARCH HAS TOLD US THAT GM IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND ISSUED RECALLS ON OTHER MODELS WITH THE SAME SYSTEM. IT IS APPARENTLY AN EXPENSIVE FIX. *TR

MY 2005 SATURN ION WILL REFUSE TO START. I KNOW IT IS NOT THE BATTERY OR ALTERNATOR. ALL I HAVE TO DO IS LET IT SIT FOR A MINIMUM OF 15 MINUTES AND VIOLA IT WILL START. I BELIEVE IT HAS TO WITH THE PASS CODE IN THE KEY IGNITION. *TR

I SMELLED GASOLINE AFTER I WOULD EXIT THE VEHICLE SINCE I BOUGHT IT IN SEPT. OF 2009. INVESTIGATED THE CAUSE AND FOUND GASOLINE COMING DOWN THE SIDE OF THE GAS TANK. REMOVED GAS TANK, AND FOUND THAT THE PLASTIC SUPPLY OR RETURN PORT ON THE MODULAR RESERVOIR ASSEMBLY WAS CRACKED AND LEAKING FUEL. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT IN OCT. OF 2009 THERE WAS A RECALL FOR CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006 CHEVROLET COBALT AND SATURN ION VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF ARIZONA AND NEVADA; AND MODEL YEAR 2007 CHEVROLET COBALT, PONTIAC G5 AND SATURN ION VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF ARIZONA CALIFORNIA, FLORIDA, NEVADA AND TEXAS. MY CAR IS A 2006 BUT THE CAR WAS ORIGINALLY SOLD IN THE STATE OF FL AND I PURCHASED THE CAR FROM A SATURN DEALER IN NC BUT THEY HAD PURCHASED IT AT AN AUCTION IN FL EARLIER IN THE 2009 YEAR. BY BUILD DATE MY CAR WAS VERY CLOSE TO BEING A 2007. I CONTACTED GM AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT MY CAR WAS NOT COVERED BY THIS RECALL. AN OEM FUEL PUMP ASSEMBLY WAS PURCHASED AND INSTALLED BY MYSELF. *TR

2004 SATURN ION1 WILL NOT START DUE DO PASSLOCK THEFT DETERRENT PROBLEM. THE POSSIBLE COMPONENTS CAUSING THIS ARE THE IGNITION SWITCH AND/OR THE BCM. THE BATTERY WAS TESTED AS GOOD. THIS PROBLEM STARTED IN JANUARY 2008 DURING A WINTER STORM AND HAS HAPPENED DOZENS AND DOZENS OF TIMES SINCE, WITH THE LAST OCCURRENCE TODAY AND IT IS NEARLY 90 DEGREES OUTSIDE. IT HAS PREVIOUSLY ONLY DONE THIS IN COLD AND WET CONDITIONS. THE CAR WILL CRANK ONCE OR TWICE WHEN THE IGNITION SWITCH IS ENGAGED BUT THEN IT WILL DO NOTHING, THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT ALONG WITH THE PASSLOCK ICON ILLUMINATES. AFTER WAITING 10 MINUTES THE LIGHTS GO OFF AND IT WILL START. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS AND THE REPAIRS ARE COSTLY AND NOT ALWAYS EFFECTIVE ACCORDING TO WHAT OTHERS ARE INDICATING ONLINE. THIS COULD EASILY PUT SOMEBODY IN HARMS WAY GIVEN AN UNSAFE OR HARSH ENVIRONMENT. *TR

WHILE MAKING A TURN, THE POWER STEERING ON MY 2006 SATURN ION SUDDENLY WENT OUT. AS A RESULT, I HAD TO STEER THE CAR WITHOUT POWER STEERING TO A PARKING LOT AND TURNED OFF THE IGNITION TO CHECK UNDER THE HOOD. TURNING THE CAR OFF TEMPORARILY RESOLVED THE ISSUE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE STREET GOING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, A MESSAGE CAME ON IN THE DASHBOARD SAYING PWR STEER, AND THEN IT FELT LIKE MY STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP AND I COULDN'T TURN IT LEFT OR RIGHT. I HAD TO STOP AT A GAS STATION AND ASK FOR HELP. WHEN I TURNED MY CAR BACK ON, THE POWER STEERING WAS WORKING AGAIN. THIS HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES SINCE THEN. *TR

2007 SATURN OUTLOOK, PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT WIRING HARNESS. BULBS BURN OUT EVERY 4-6 MONTHS. HARNESS MELTED THE INSULATION OFF THE WIRES MAKING IT A FIRE HAZARD. DEALER WOULD NOT REPLACE, AS WE BOUGHT THE CAR USED IN 2008. THE HARNESS NEEDS TO BE UPGRADED TO HANDLE THE LOAD OF THE HEADLIGHT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SATURN VUE. WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOP, THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED TROUBLE MOVING FORWARD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FELT LIKE IT WAS LOSING POWER AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN INSPECTED AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 108,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SATURN ION. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD AND THE STEERING WHEEL IMMEDIATELY BECAME STIFF. THE CONTACT SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE AND WHEN RESTARTING, THE STEERING FUNCTIONED AS NORMAL. THE FAILURE OCCURRED 8 ADDITIONAL TIMES AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER ADVISED REPLACING THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 83,561.