NHTSA Complaint #10135712 — 2004 SATURN ION

2004 SATURN ION SUDDENLY STALLED WHILE DRIVING WITH MY FAMILY. THIS HAPPENED ON 8/5/05 AND 8/20/05. EVERYTHING DIED FOR NO APPARENT REASON, WHICH MADE IT DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER THE VEHICLE WITHOUT POWER STEERING IN TRAFFIC. WHEN I CAME TO A SAFE STOP WITH THE STALLED VEHICLE I PULLED OUT THE IGNITION KEY AND RE-ENTERED IT. THE CAR THEN STARTED JUST FINE AND THERE WERE NO STALLING ISSUES SINCE THEN. THE PROBLEM I FORESEE IS THE FACT THAT SOMEONE COULD GET HURT AND GET IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT WHILE TRYING TO CONTROL A VEHICLE WITHOUT POWER IN TRAFFIC. ALSO, AS A REACTION TO THE ENGINE STALL, SOMEONE MIGHT TRY TO REMOVE THE IGNITION KEY WHILE IN MOTION AND ACCIDENTALLY LOCK THE STEERING WHEEL, WHICH COULD BE LETHAL. I ALSO FIND IT IRRITATING THAT YOU WOULD NOT EXPECT A 10 MONTH OLD CAR WITH APPROX. 8000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER TO STALL WITHOUT WARNING (I.E. NO ENGINE NOISE, NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, FULL TANK OF GAS..ETC.) WHILE CRUISING ALONG. I ALSO BELIEVE THE DEALERSHIP/MANUFACTURER WILL HAVE A HARD TIME TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, BECAUSE THE ENGINE STALL HAPPENED FOR NO APPARENT REASON AND THE CAR RUNS FINE OTHERWISE. THIS IS WHY I HAVE NOT YET REPORTED THE INCIDENTS TO THE DEALERSHIP, BECAUSE IT WOULD BE A WASTE OF TIME UNTIL MORE ION OWNERS REPORT THIS ISSUE TO YOU FOLKS. HOWEVER, I JUST WANTED TO GET THE WORD OUT. I LOOKS LIKE MY ION IS NOT THE ONLY SATURN ION WITH THIS KIND OF PROBLEM ACCORDING TO THE ALREADY EXISTING CAR STALLING COMPLAINTS. *JB