NHTSA Complaint #10182743 — 2004 SATURN ION

ON 4 OCCASIONS NOW, WHEN I LEAVE WORK AT AROUND MIDNIGHT IN FRIGID WEATHER, I ATTEMPT TO START MY 2004 SATURN ION (MANUFACTURED IN LATE 2003), AND THE STARTER WILL TURN OVER APPROXIMATELY 1 OR 2 REVOLUTIONS, THEN STOP. IMMEDIATE SUBSEQUENT ATTEMPTS TO START SIMPLY RESULT IN THE "CLICK" OF THE IGNITION SWITCH. IF I WAIT ABOUT 5 TO 10 MINUTES, IT WILL TURN OVER ONCE OR TWICE AGAIN, ONE TIME, THEN I MUST WAIT ANOTHER 5-10 MINUTES BEFORE THE STARTER WILL TURN OVER AGAIN. ACCORDING TO A WEBSITE I WAS READING, THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM, AND IS USUALLY DUE TO A DEFECT IN THE IGNITION PASS LOCK SWITCH, AN ANTITHEFT SYSTEM DESIGNED TO CUT OFF FUEL SUPPLY, AND SOME SORT OF GREASE THAT FREEZES. SO FAR, JUMP-STARTS SEEM TO HELP...BUT ACCORDING TO THAT WEBSITE, SIMPLY ATTEMPTING START, WAITING 10 MINUTES, ATTEMPTING AGAIN, WAITING FOR 10 MINUTES, AND TRYING AGAIN, EVENTUALLY WILL START THE CAR. PERHAPS THE TIME IT TAKES TO CONNECT JUMPER CABLES IS ENOUGH TO "RESET" THIS PASS-LOCK SYSTEM. *NM