NHTSA Complaint #10535080 — 2006 SATURN ION

NEITHER THE EXTERNAL OR INTERNAL DOOR HANDLES WILL ALLOW ONE OR MORE DOORS TO OPEN. MY DRIVERS SIDE DOOR JUST STOPPED WORKING FROM THE EXTERNAL/INTERNAL DOOR HANDLES. IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY WHERE I MIGHT NEED TO GET OUT OF MY CAR IN A TIMELY MANNER IT WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE AS I WOULD HAVE TO CLIMB OVER TO THE PASSENGER SIDE TO GET OUT. IF SOMETHING BAD HAPPENED AND BOTH DOORS HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AROUND THE SAME TIME SOMEONE MIGHT HAVE TO CRAWL OUT THE CARS WINDOWS IN ORDER TO GET OUT. IN THE EXTREME SOMETHING HAPPENED TO THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND BOTH DOORS AT THE SAME TIME YOU COULD BE TRAPPED IN YOUR CAR UNTIL RESCUE PERSONAL ARRIVED. SEEMS TO ME THAT THERE SHOULD NOT BE A SINGLE POINT OF FAILURE ON A DOOR HANDLES THAT WOULD CAUSE BOTH THE EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL HANDLES TO NO LONGER FUNCTION AS REQUIRED AND CAUSE THE DOOR TO OPEN. I HAVE DONE WEB SEARCHES FOR THIS AND IT APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM. THE FIX IS YOU HAVE TO TAKE IT TO SOMEONE THAT COULD SPEND UPWARDS OF 4 OR MORE HOURS TO GET THE DOOR OPENED BEFORE THEY CAN EVEN START TO FIX THE PROBLEM. IF GM/SATURN CAN'T CORRECT THE PROBLEM IN AN ACCEPTABLE MANNER THEN SHOULD AT LEAST COVER THE COST OF FIXING THE PROBLEM EVERY TIME IT HAPPENS. *TR