SATURN Complaints

THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING WENT OUT ON 4/24/10. AFTER TURNING THE CAR OFF, IT RESET AND THE POWER STEERING WORKED AGAIN. ON 4/25/10, THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT AGAIN, AFTER CUTTING OFF IT WORKS AGAIN. AGAIN ON 4/24/10, IT WENT OUT AGAIN. THE CAR IS VERY HARD TO TURN WITH THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING NOT WORKING. THE CHEVY COBALT WAS RECALLED FOR THE SAME PROBLEM, AND THE POWER STEERING UNIT IS THE SAME IN A 2005 SATURN ION. CANNOT AFFORD TO HAVE IT FIXED AT THIS TIME, WORRY ABOUT MY DAUGHTER DRIVING IT. *TR

THE POWER STEERING ON MY 2005 SATURN ION JUST WENT OUT WHILE I WAS DRIVING, WITH OUT ANY WARNING. AND AFTER TALKING WITH OTHER PEOPLE AND A MECHANIC IT SOUNDS LIKE IT IS A PRETTY BIG PROBLEM. *TR

WHEN DRIVING THE HEADLIGHTS AND ALL GAUGES TURN OFF AND COME BACK ON BUT NOW THE GAUGES DON'T WORK THE HEAD LIGHTS STAY ON WHEN THE CAR IS TURNED OFF AND GO OUT WHILE DRIVING THE DOORS WILL NOT UNLOCK THE SECURITY LIGHT COMES ON AND RESETS THE MILEAGE EVERYTIME THE LIGHTS TURN OFF, AND ALL POWER TURNS OFF. THE ALTERNATOR WAS TESTED AND THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED AS WELL AS THE ELECTRICAL PORTION OF THE IGNITION SWITCH. *TR

2007 SATURN ION POWER UNIT LIGHT COMES ON AND THE STEERING IS HARD TO TURN. CHECKED FUSES AND THERE IS NO PROBLEM. CAR DOES NOT TAKE POWER STEERING FLUID, IT IS AN ELECTRIC POWER STEERING UNIT. *TR

CRACKED BATTERY CASE THUS CAUSING ACID LEAKAGE WHICH CAUSED A BATTERY TERMINAL CABLE BOLT TO CORRODE. THUS SHORTING OUT THE ODOMETER. DO A WEB SEARCH AND YOU WILL FIND OTHER SATURN OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD THIS SAME ISSUE. SEEING THEM MADE ME ENTER THIS COMPLAINT. *TR

SATURN ION 2006 STARTED AROUND 60,000 MILES OR SO STEERING ERROR WOULD APPEAR PERIODICALLY AND WHEN THE KEY CYCLED IT WOULD CLEAR THE CODE. AS THE TEMPERATURE CHANGED IT NOW APPEARS TO HAPPEN IN THE FIRST 3 MINUTES OF START-UP. COBALT HAS A RECALL AND THIS IS THE SAME PART USED ON SATURN. HAS GM JUST WASHED THERE HANDS OF ALL THE SATURN USERS? NO CRASH AT THIS TIME BUT I WILL CONTINUE TO DEAL WITH BECAUSE I CAN'T THROW THAT MUCH MONEY IN A CAR WITH ITS CURRENT RESELL VALUE FOR ONE AND GM SHOULD OWN UP TO THERE ISSUE LIKE TOYOTA FINALLY DID. *TR

DURING MY DRIVE HOME FROM WORK, I WAS SLOWING DOWN FOR A RED LIGHT, AND THE PWR STR ERROR LIGHT CAME ON IN MY CAR IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY MY POWER STEERING GIVING OUT. I COULD HARDLY TURN THE WHEEL, BUT STRUGGLED WITH TWO HANDS TO PULL OFF THE ROAD AND TURN MY CAR OFF. WHEN I RESTARTED IT SEVERAL MINUTES LATER, THE ERROR MESSAGE WAS GONE. I STARTED DRIVING AGAIN AND THE POWER STEERING RETURNED. I MADE IT HOME. THE FOLLOWING MONDAY I TOOK THE CAR TO RETURN TO WORK WHERE I PLANNED TO TAKE IT INTO THE MECHANIC NEAR THERE. AGAIN, AS I WAS COMING TO AN INTERSECTION AND PREPARING TO TURN ONTO A BUSY HIGHWAY, THE ERROR MESSAGE CAME ON AGAIN AND MY POWER STEERING COMPLETELY GAVE OUT. I WAS EXTREMELY SHAKEN UP AND FORCED THE WHEEL TO TURN OFF TO THE SIDE. AGAIN, BY SHUTTING OFF THE ENGINE TEMPORARILY, I WAS ABLE TO GET IT TO WORK WELL ENOUGH TO GET TO WORK. MY MECHANIC OBSERVED THE CAR AND DETERMINED THAT THIS IS AN ELECTRONIC STEERING PROBLEM. TO FIX IT THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THIS HAS AN ESTIMATED COST OF $1,000 AND NEEDS TO BE DONE AT A CERTIFIED SATURN DEALER BECAUSE OF THE SOFTWARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE FIX. THIS PROBLEM IS EXACTLY WHAT WAS REPORTED IN THE GM RECALL OF COMPACT CARS TO FIX THE POWER STEERING. THE STEERING COLUMN PARTS ARE THE SAME IN THE 2004 SATURN ION 3, WHICH IS WHAT I DRIVE. YET, MY CAR WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. WHY? I AM NOT ABLE TO DRIVE MY CAR UNTIL IT IS FIXED. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD, AS I AM BARELY STRONG ENOUGH TO TURN THE WHEEL WITHOUT THE POWER STEERING. I WAS ONLY LUCKY THAT THIS DID NOT HAPPEN WHILE I WAS IN DIFFERENT PLACES OF MY COMMUTE OR THE CONSEQUENCES COULD HAVE BEEN SEVERE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK MY 2006 SATURN ION DISPLAYED THE MESSAGE PWR STR WHICH I IMMEDIATELY KNEW MEANT "POWER STEERING". I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY PULL OVER AND TURN OFF THE ENGINE. I THEN STARTED IT BACK UP AFTER WAITING A FEW MINUTES AND MY POWER STEERING HAD RETURNED TO NORMAL. I CONTINUED DRIVING HOME WHEN THE PWR STR LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND THE POWER STEERING STOPPED FUNCTIONING AGAIN. I TURNED MY CAR OFF AND BACK ON AGAIN AND ONCE AGAIN THE POWER STEERING RETURNED. I HAVE READ OF A RECALL FROM GM WITH CARS THAT ARE USING THE SAME STEERING PARTS USED IN MY ION AND AM CONFUSED AS TO WHY THE SATURN ION WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL SINCE THE SAME PARTS THAT ARE BEING RECALLED ARE FAILING IN MY CAR. NOW I HAVE TO PAY $1,000 TO HAVE IT REPAIRED. *TR

PASSENGER SIDE HEADLAMP WENT OUT. ASSUMED IT WAS JUST A BURNED BULB BUT WHEN TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP WAS ADVISED THAT THE HEADLAMP WIRING HARNESS HAD ACTUALLY MELTED. THE HARNESS AND BULB WERE REPLACED AT A COST OF OVER $300 WHICH NEITHER GM NOR THE DEALERSHIP WERE WILLING TO COVER, DESPITE THE FACT THAT NOT ONLY COULD IT BE A FIRE/SAFETY HAZARD BUT THAT THE COMPANY IS FULLY AWARE OF IT AS THEY ISSUED A TSB IN REGARDS TO THE ISSUE ("TSB #09-08-42-004 "LOW BEAM HEADLAMP REPLACEMENT/DIAGNOSIS (INSPECT FUSE, BULB, HARNESS, REPLACE HARNESS AND FILL CONNECTOR CAVITY FOR LOW BEAM BULB CONNECTOR WITH NYOGEL GREASE) - (MAY 29, 2009). DOCUMENT ID: 2284787. APPLIES TO MODELS 2007-2009 SATURN OUTLOOK) THIS IS CLEARLY A DESIGN FLAW THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED SINCE NUMEROUS CUSTOMERS HAVE POSTED SIMILAR OCCURRENCES ON FORUMS (IE: HTTP://WWW.SATURNOUTLOOKFORUM.NET/INDEX.PHP?TOPIC=818.60). A CUSTOMER'S HEADLIGHTS GOING OUT DURING A NIGHT DRIVE WOULD BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, NOT TO MENTION THE POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD. *TR

ABS SYSTEM LIGHT COMES ON. WE BOUGHT THE 2005 SATURN RELAY USED FROM A SATURN DEALER. DAY AFTER WE GOT IT, THE ABS AND BRAKE LIGHTS CAME ON. DEALER CORRECTED IT. ONE YEAR LATER, BRAKES ARE ALL GOOD BUT SERVICE ABS SYSTEM LIGHT COMES ON. TURN THE VAN OFF AND BACK ON, IT DISAPPEARS. THEN NEXT TIME IT IS ON. THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED IN MANY FORUMS. WHY IS THIS SAFETY ISSUE NOT BEING ELEVATED TO RECALL STATUS. *TR