SATURN Complaints

POWER STEERING FAILURE ON SATURN ION 2 SEDAN (4 DOOR). CAR PURCHASED 12/06/04. CURRENT MILEAGE IS 116,000. TWO FAILURES HAVE OCCURRED DURING THE LAST MONTH WHEN CAR WAS IDLING AT AN INTERSECTION AFTER BEING DRIVEN A SHORT TIME. POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATES AND POWER STEERING FAILS. CAR MUST BE STOPPED AND IGNITION SWITCHED OFF AND RESTARTED AFTER WHICH POWER STEERING WORKS. OCCURRENCE IS UNPREDICTABLE AND WE ARE REALLY WORRIED! OUR MECHANIC REPLACED THE POWER STEERING MOTOR FUSE THE FIRST TIME BUT THE PROBLEM HAS RECURRED AGAIN. *TR

MY 2006 SATURN ION POWER STEERING CUTS OUT WHILE DRIVING. THIS OCCURS MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY. TODAY IT HAPPENED 9 TIMES. THIS IS A GREAT INCONVENIENCE BEING THAT I KNOW GM HAS PUT OUT RECALLS FOR BOTH THE CHEVY COBALT AND SOME PONTIAC G SERIES VEHICLES WITH THE SAME POWER STEERING MOTOR. THERE ARE MANY SITINGS OF THIS CONDITION ALL OVER THE INTERNET. THIS CONDITION HAS EXISTED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS AND IS GETTING WORSE OVER TIME. *TR

SATURN L200, 2002, I PURCHASED FEB. 6, 2007. SUMMER I NOTICED THE AIR CONDITIONING NOT WORKING. I TOOK IN BACK TO THE SATURN DEALERSHIP WHERE I BOUGHT IT. THEY FIXED THE AIR CONDITIONING, BUT IN WINTER THE HEATING WAS NOT WORKING. NEW BLOWER MOTOR INSTALLED DEC 5, 2008. THE CAR DID NOT HEAT UP, DID NOT HAVE TIME TO RE-EXAMINE THE HEATING SYSTEM AND I HAD TO WAIT FOUR MORE DAYS FOR AN APPOINTMENT TIME WITH THEM. WHEN I ARRIVED ON MY APPOINTMENT TIME EARLY IN THE MORNING THEY SAID, LONG RIDE TO DEALERSHIP SO NOW CAR IS WARM, CAN YOU LEAVE IT, BECAUSE WE DO NOT HAVE TIME TO LOOK AT IT. I ASKED THEM WHY IS THERE NO TIME TO RE-EXAMINE THE HEATING SYSTEM WHEN I HAD AN APPOINTMENT. WE HAVE NO TIME, NO COURTESY CAR. I DROVE MY CAR HOME.THEY ALSO DID NOT BOOK ME FOR ANOTHER APPOINTMENT. THOUGH I ASKED FOR ONE. THEY SAID, THEY WERE BOOKED UP. I WAS DRIVING NORTH HEADING FOR THE LINK. I NOTICED THE WINDOW FOGGING A LITTLE AND TURNED ON THE DEFOGGER. THE WINDOW IN THE FRONT COMPLETELY FOGGED OVER AND DID THE DRIVERS WINDOW AND THE PASSENGER WINDOW BESIDE THE DRIVERS WINDOW FOG OVER. I COULD NOT SEE AHEAD OF ME AND GENTLY APPLIED THE BRAKES NOT KNOWING A SNOW PLOW WAS PARKED IN THE LANE IN FRONT OF ME. I HIT IT. MY CAR AIRBAGS WENT OFF. THE WHOLE ENGINE WAS CRUNCHED, HOOD UP, AND A CAR FIRE WAS STARTING. I PHONED 911 POLICE N FIRE MEN CAME. I WENT TO HOSPITAL IN AMBULANCE. MY CAR WAS TOWED TO POLICE IMPOUND. INSURANCE NOT PAID ENOUGH. DEALERSHIP TOLD ME IT WAS MY DRIVING. HIRED MECHANIC $200 HE FOUND SAME COMPLAINT. HIRED X-POLICE TO REPRESENT ME $630. CHARGES DROPPED. INSURANCE KEEPING ACCIDENT AT MY FAULT. INSURANCE COST TOO MUCH NOW. NO CAR, WALKING. LOSS OF WORK WITHOUT CAR. LOSS OF TIME WAITING FOR BUS. CAN'T TAKE MY DOG ON BUS, STRESS LEAVING HIM ALL DAY. CAR RENTAL COMPANY USED DAY OF ACCIDENT FAULTY MY SON ALMOST DROVE IT OVER A SIDE OF MOUNTAIN DEC. 24, 08. I MISSED CHRISTMAS GATHERINGS, MASS, PAIN, AND WORK. BACK AND NECK PAIN, HANDS PAIN. *TR

MY 2007 SATURN ION ONLY HAS $19,000.00 MILES ON IT THE POWER STEERING KEEPS GOING OUT, I SAW MANY OTHERS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM, PLEASE RECALL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 65 MPH, THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY A LOSS OF POWER STEERING ASSIST. THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME EXTREMELY HARD AND THE CONTACT HAD EXTREME DIFFICULTY IN MAINTAINING CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. SHE WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROADWAY WITHOUT INCIDENT AND SHUT OFF THE ENGINE. WHEN RESTARTING, THE VEHICLE WAS STILL WITHOUT POWER STEERING ASSIST. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR MANUFACTURER HAD YET BEEN CONTACTED. THIS WAS THE FIRST INCIDENT OF THE FAILURE IN THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 92,890.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 SATURN VUE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 25 MPH, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL INDICATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS RUNNING HOT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP. THE MECHANIC ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE HAD NOT RUN HOT AND INSTEAD, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL HAD MALFUNCTIONED AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE DEALER CONFIRMED THE FAILURE. THERE WERE NO RECALLS AND ANY REPAIRS WOULD BE AT THE OWNER'S EXPENSE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 68,163.

POWER STEERING MOTOR DEFECT CAUSES CAR TO HOW TIGHT STEERING AT TIMES. EVERYTIME I TRY TO GET IT SERVICED I GET THE RUN AROUND AT DEALER. *TR

I CURRENTLY OWN A 2006 SATURN ION, WHICH I BOUGHT BRAND NEW IN 2005 AND HAS 52000 MILES ON IT. ALL WINTER LONG, DURING DAYS WITH TEMPERATURES BELOW 40 DEGREES, MY VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. UPON PLACING THE KEY INTO THE IGNITION AND TURNING, THE "PASSLOCK" THEFT DETERRENT SYSTEM IS ACTIVATED AND LOCKS MY CAR'S STARTER FROM FIRING FOR 10 MINUTES. THE REST OF THE ELECTRICAL DEVICES IN MY CAR WORK, BUT THE STARTER BECOMES LOCKED OUT FOR 10 MINUTES BEFORE I CAN TRY AGAIN. I HAVE READ ONLINE THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH SATURN IONS. APPARENTLY THE GREASE WHICH IS LOCATED WITHIN THE IGNITION SYSTEM FREEZES AT COLDER TEMPERATURES AND THUS THE IGNITION SWITCH DOES NOT RECOGNIZE MY KEY. SINCE IT DOES NOT RECOGNIZE MY KEY, THE ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM LOCKS MY CAR OUT FOR THE 10 MINUTE LOCK OUT PERIOD. SOMETIMES I CAN TRY 6 TIMES OVER THE COURSE OF 1 HOUR AND THE CAR STILL WILL NOT START. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION ON VERY COLD DAYS. I LIVE IN THE NORTHEAST AND THIS PAST WINTER WE HAD RECORD SNOWFALL WITH MANY DAYS DIPPING INTO THE 0'S, 10'S, 20'S AND 30'S. IT WOULD BE VERY UNFORTUNATE IF SOMEONE WERE TO DIE OF EXPOSURE TO THE ELEMENTS SINCE A CAR HAS NO HEAT WITHOUT THE ENGINE RUNNING. SOMEONE COULD DIE FROM BEING STRANDED IN THE COLD DUE TO AN IGNITION SWITCH WHICH GM/ SATURN COULD REPLACE FOR $50. I KNOW I SPENT MANY COLD DAYS (~5-6 PER WEEK) SITTING IN MY FREEZING COLD CAR FOR SOMETIMES OVER AN HOUR JUST PRAYING THAT MY CAR WOULD START SO I COULD GET SOME HEAT. PLEASE MAKE GM/ SATURN FIX THIS PROBLEM SO WE ARE NO LONGER LEFT OUT IN THE COLD!!!! *TR

I CURRENTLY OWN A 2006 SATURN ION, WITH 52,000 MILES ON IT. I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE BRAND NEW IN 2005. IN WARM WEATHER CONDITIONS, MY CAR'S ELECTRIC POWER STEERING UNEXPECTEDLY CUTS OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING. THE ALARM SOUNDS IN THE DASH AND THE CODE "PWR STR" APPEARS IN THE MESSAGE WARNING INDICATOR. THE ONLY WAY TO GET THE POWER STEERING TO RETURN IS TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, TURN THE CAR OFF, AND RESTART IT. THIS HAPPENED ONCE ON THURSDAY AND IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE FREQUENT EACH DAY. IT HAPPENED TWICE FRIDAY, THEN ABOUT 20 TIMES IN THE COURSE OF A 15 MILE DRIVE ON SATURDAY. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS THING TO CUT OUT ON YOU BECAUSE IT JUST HAPPENS RANDOMLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY. ONE OF THE TIMES IT HAPPENED I WAS MAKING A TURN ONTO A RAMP AS I WAS COMING OFF OF THE HIGHWAY. LUCKY FOR ME THE TURN WAS GRADUAL ENOUGH THAT I WAS ABLE TO STEER, BUT HAD THIS HAPPENED ON A SLIGHTLY SHARPER TURN, I MAY HAVE CRASHED INTO THE GUARD RAIL. ADDITIONALLY, IT CANNOT BE SAFE FOR ME TO CONTINUE TO PULL OVER ON THE INTERSTATE (GOING 55 MPH) 10 TIMES IN A 20 MINUTE TIME FRAME JUST TO TURN MY CAR OFF AND ON TO RESET THE POWER STEERING. IT'S QUITE DANGEROUS TO CHANGE LANES JUST TO GET IN AND OUT OF TRAFFIC WHEN YOU HAVE POWER STEERING. IT'S EVEN MORE DANGEROUS TO DO SO WITHOUT POWER STEERING. HOPEFULLY YOU CAN HELP MAKE GM/ SATURN DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS BECAUSE I HAVE READ MANY COMPLAINTS ONLINE ABOUT THIS SAME PROBLEM. PLEASE HELP! *TR

THERE IS A RECALL ON CHEVROLET COBALT'S AND PONTIAC G5'S NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 10V073000 FOR ELECTRIC POWER STEERING LOSS OF POWER. THAT OCCURS ANY TIME AND IS BECOMING MORE FREQUENT ON MY 2007 SATURN ION IT HAS THE SAME POWER STEERING ASSIST. WHY IS MY CAR NOT LISTED WHEN IT IS A GM PRODUCT AS WELL WITH THE SAME COMPONENT. *TR