NHTSA Complaint #10344697 — 2006 SATURN ION

ON JULY 21, 2010, WE WERE OPERATING A 2006 SATURN ION DRIVING ON A BUSY HIGHWAY WHEN THE ENGINE SIMPLY DIED AS WE WERE STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT AND ANGLED DOWN TOWARD RAILROAD TRACKS. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO GET INTO THE TURN LANE AND RESTART THE CAR AND AVOIDED ANY INCIDENT. WE WENT TO DINNER AND, AFTER DINNER, STOPPED TO FILL THE GAS TANK. UPON RETURNING HOME, WE PULLED INTO THE GARAGE AND SCARILY, THE KEY WOULD NOT TURN SO THAT WE COULD KILL THE ENGINE! AFTER VARIOUS MANEUVERS AND READING ONLINE ABOUT OVER 400 OTHER INSTANCES OF THIS OCCURRING, I FINALLY REMOVED FUSE #16 AND REMOVED THE NEGATIVE CABLE OFF THE BATTTERY.AFTER READING FURTHER, I NOTED THAT THE ENGINE DYING AT RANDOM COULD EASILY BE RELATED TO THE IGNITION SWITCH. I CONTACTED A LOCKSMITH THIS MORNING WHO WORKED AND WORKED ON TRYING TO REMOVE THE LOCK CYLINDER AND HE COULD NOT. NOW I AM WAITING ON A TOW TRUCK TO COME GET THE CAR AND REPLACE THE LOCK CYLINDER AND POSSIBLY THE IGNITION SWITCH. HAD THIS BEEN MY MOTHER OR ANYONE ELSE'S MOTHER FOR THAT FACT, THEY WOULD HAVE HAD TO HAVE SAT IN THE GARAGE OR DRIVEWAY UNTIL THE CAR RAN OUT OF GAS. THIS IS UTTERLY RIDICULOUS THAT THERE ARE OVER 400 COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET AND GM IS DOING NOTHING ABOUT RECALLING CARS FOR THIS ISSUE. I WAS VERY LUCKY THAT I WAS ABLE TO GET INTO THE TURN LANE AND GET STOPPED AND RESTARTED WITHOUT CAUSING SERIOUS INJURY TO MYSELF OR ANYONE ELSE AND VERY LUCKY TO HAVE THE INTERNET TO BE ABLE TO STOP THE CAR'S ENGINE. PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS AS IT IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM. *TR