NHTSA Complaint #10289496 — 2005 SATURN ION

1. EVENTS LEADING UP TO FAILURE I WAS GETTING READY TO LEAVE FOR WORK. THE TIME OF DAY WAS 9AM. THE TEMPERATURE HAD BEEN HOVERING AROUND FREEZING ALL NIGHT. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DRIVEN SINCE THE PREVIOUS DAY AT AROUND 9PM. I UNLOCKED MY VEHICLE USING KEYLESS ENTRY - DRIVER DOOR ONLY. I INSERTED MY KEY IN THE IGNITION, CLOSED THE DOOR, PUSHED THE CLUTCH TO THE FLOOR WHILE FASTENING MY SEATBELT. I THEN TURNED THE KEY TO THE START POSITION. THE ENGINE DID NOT START - THE STARTER DID NOT ENGAGE AT ALL. WHEN I RELEASED THE KEY, THE SECURITY LIGHT (AN AMBER "PADLOCK" ICON) STARTED FLASHING SLOWLY - ONCE PER SECOND. I THEN FOLLOWED THE RESTART PROCEDURE FOR THIS SITUATION ACCORDING TO THE OWNER MANUAL - SIMPLY WAIT UNTIL THE LIGHT STOPS FLASHING, TURN THE KEY TO LOCK, THEN RESTART. TEN MINUTES LATER, THE SECURITY LIGHT STOPPED FLASHING AND REMAINED ILLUMINATED. I THEN TURNED THE KEY TO LOCK, AND THEN RESTARTED ENGINE. 2. THE FAILURE, HOW OFTEN, ITS CONSEQUENCES: THE VEHICLE DID NOT START DUE TO A FAILURE OF, OR A MALFUNCTION OF, SOME COMPONENT OF THE FACTORY VEHICLE SECURITY SYSTEM. IT HAS HAPPENED A TOTAL OF THREE TIMES BETWEEN THE INCIDENT DATE AND MARCH 30, 2009. IT ONLY SEEMS TO OCCUR WHEN THE TEMPERATURE OVERNIGHT HOVERS AROUND FREEZING, OR DROPS BELOW FREEZING. THE CONSEQUENCES OF THIS FAILURE FOR ME HAVE BEEN MINIMAL, BUT I WAS VERY FORTUNATE IN EACH INSTANCE TO BE PARKED IN A SAFE PLACE, WHERE MY PROMPT EGRESS WAS NOT NECESSARY. I AM REPORTING THIS SITUATION TO THE ODI BECAUSE OF THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF THIS FAILURE OCCURRING DURING NORMAL DRIVING - IF I STALL THE ENGINE IN HEAVY TRAFFIC AND AM NOT ABLE TO RESTART FOR TEN MINUTES UNTIL THE SECURITY LIGHT STOPS FLASHING, I WOULD BE IN A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION, AND MY VEHICLE WOULD PRESENT A SIGNIFICANT HAZARD TO OTHER DRIVERS. 3. WHAT WAS DONE TO CORRECT: NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THIS FAILURE, AS MY DEALERSHIP HAS NO CURRENT SOLUTION. *TR