NHTSA Complaint #10152158 — 2003 SATURN ION

THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE IN EXACTLY THIRTEEN MONTHS THE FIRST TIME WAS ON FEBRUARY 3, 2005. I ADJUSTED MY POWER DRIVERS SIDE MIRROR WHILE DRIVING HOME AT NIGHT ON HIGHWAY 61 AND HEARD A POP AND ALL MY LIGHTS INCLUDING HEADLIGHTS AND DASH LIGHTS WENT OUT . MY FOUR WAY SAFETY FLASHERS ALSO WOULD NOT WORK I WAS DRIVING IN COMPLETE DARKNESS WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 67 MPH THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED ALMOST IDENTICALLY LAST YEAR WHILE DRIVING IN TOWN APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH ADJUSTED MIRROR HEARD A POP AND ALL LIGHTS WENT OUT. LUCKILY IN BOTH INCIDENTS NO ONE HIT ME FROM BEHIND DUE TO THE FACT THEY COULDN'T SEE ME UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE. NO ONE WAS KILLED OR INJURED BUT THAT WAS JUST PURE LUCK .. LAST YEARS INCIDENT I HAD MY CAR TOWED TO SATURN AND THEY DETERMINED THAT THE BCM FUSE WAS BAD THEY REPLACED FUSE. OBVIOUSLY THEY DID NOT GET TO THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM YOU WOULD THINK YOU CAN ADJUST YOUR POWER MIRROR WITHOUT HAVING ALL LIGHTS SHUT OFF INCLUDING DASH LIGHTS .. ONCE YOU PUT THE VEHICLE INTO PARK YOU CANNOT TURN IT OFF COMPLETELY THE KEY WILL ONLY GO AS FAR AS THE ACCESSORY POSITION AND CANNOT BE REMOVED. THE ENGINE WILL RUN YOU JUST CAN'T MOVE THE VEHICLE. SOMEHOW I DO NOT THINK THEY CORRECTED THE PROBLEM ENTIRELY WHEN THEY REPLACED THE FUSE. IT SEEMS TO ME YOU SHOULD NOT BLOW A BCM FUSE EVERY THIRTEEN MONTHS EXACTLY TO THE DAY. IT IS SUCH A POTENTIALLY FATAL PROBLEM THE CONSEQUENCES ARE TERRIFYING. MY 2003 SATURN ION-3 CAN NOT BE THE ONLY CAR OUT THERE WITH THIS HAPPENING ESPECIALLY TWICE IN THIRTEEN MONTHS. *JB