NHTSA Complaint #10352156 — 2004 SATURN ION

AFTER DRIVING THROUGH WATER IN THE STREET OR A CAR WASH, THE NEXT TIME I TRY TO TURN THE CAR ON, IT WON'T START. YOU HAVE TO KEEP TRYING TO START IT UNTIL THERE IS NO NOISE AT ALL EXCEPT FROM THE DASH BOARD. LET IT SIT FOR 15 TO 30 MINUTES AND THEN IT WILL START AGAIN, AT LEAST UNTIL ANOTHER RAIN STORM OR CAR WASH. HAVE BEEN STRANDED IN PARKING LOTS, AT HOME BEFORE WORK, AND MANY OTHER TIMES. I JUST HOPE IT NEVER HAPPENS IN AN EMERGENCY. HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THREE OF THE AUTOMATIC WINDOWS NOT OPENING OR CLOSING, INCLUDING THE INCONVENIENCE OF THE DRIVER WINDOW BEING STUCK FOR ABOUT 2 WEEKS. HAD TO GET OUT OF THE CAR AT THE BANK, DRIVE THRUS, AND COULDN'T ROLL THE WINDOWS DOWN TO COOL THE CAR OFF. ALL THREE WINDOWS WERE NOT WORKING ALL AT THE SAME TIME. THEN ABOUT 2 WEEKS LATER, ALL OF A SUDDEN THE WINDOW'S START WORKING AGAIN. THE POWER STEERING WHICH IS POWERED BY AN ELECTRIC MOTOR WENT OUT AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. I WOULD BE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, WOULD HEAR A ?DING,? THE DASH BOARD WOULD READ ?POWER STEERING? AND THEN IT WOULD BECOME VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER THE CAR. COOLANT LIGHT CONSTANTLY COMES ON WHEN YOU GET IN THE CAR, EVEN THOUGH THE TANK IS FULL, THE TEMP IS RIGHT, AND FLOAT IS WORKING. THE DEALER WANTED $350 TO REPLACE THE WHOLE TANK. I SAID FORGET IT AND PUT UP THE CONSTANT ?DING? FROM THE DASH BOARD EVERY TIME I GET IN THE CAR. IF SOMETHING SHOULD EVER REALLY GO WRONG WITH IT, I WOULDN'T KNOW. THERE APPEARS TO BE A HUGE NUMBER OF ELECTRONIC PROBLEMS WITH SATURN IONS. PLEASE INVESTIGATE. DID THEY SET THE COMPUTERS OR ELECTRONIC PATS TO MALFUNCTION ON PURPOSE RIGHT AFTER WARRANTIES HAVE EXPIRED? *TR