NHTSA Complaint #10327142 — 2004 SATURN ION

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