NHTSA Complaint #10562126 — 2006 SATURN ION

TL* THE CONTACT SUBMITTED AN EMAIL COMPLAINT AND REQUESTED TO HAVE THE COMPLAINT SUBMITTED VERBATIM TO THE EMAIL SUBMISSION.RE: 2006 SATURN ION GENERAL MOTORS CASE NUMBER: 71-1262884818 DEAR MS. DAVIS: I AM WRITING THIS LETTER TO EXPRESS MY EXTREME DISSATISFACTION WITH A RECENT REPAIR THAT WAS DONE ON MY 2006 SATURN ION. ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 2014, MY SON ARRIVED HOME WITH MY CAR AND SAID HE COULD NOT TURN THE CAR OFF. FINDING THIS STRANGE, I WENT OUTSIDE TO TRY, AND COULD NOT REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION OR TURN OFF THE CAR. I CALLED EMERGENCY ROAD ASSISTANCE TO SEE IF THEY COULD ASSIST ME. UPON THEIR ARRIVAL, THEY COULD NOT GET THE KEY OUT, SO I HAD THE TECHNICIAN TO FOLLOW ME TO THE NEAREST AUTO REPAIR SHOP. ONCE THERE, THE EMERGENCY ROAD TECHNICIAN RECEIVED INSTRUCTIONS OVER THE PHONE ON HOW TO AT LEAST TURN THE CAR OFF BY REMOVING A FUSE. I LOCKED MY CAR, WITH THE KEY STILL IN THE IGNITION. BETWEEN THE TIME I DROPPED MY CAR OFF, UNTIL THE SHOP WAS SCHEDULED TO OPEN ON MONDAY, THE TEMPERATURES PLUMMETED TO A RECORD LOW OF AT LEAST 45 DEGREES BELOW ZERO. I WAS INFORMED THAT MY LOCKS WERE FROZEN AND MY CAR WAS NOT ACCESSIBLE. THE EXTREMELY COLD TEMPERATURES DID NOT ALLOW MERLIN ACCESS TO THE INSIDE OF MY CAR. MERLIN?S WAS ABLE TO DETERMINE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS, AND THAT THEY HAD ALREADY VERIFIED IT COULD ONLY BE FIXED BY THE MANUFACTURER OF THE CAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER. THE DEALER TOLD ME THE IGINITION SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACE. NEXT, I CONTACTED THE GENERAL MOTORS CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER TO REPORT WHAT HAD HAPPENED.GM INFORMED ME THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH HAS BEEN REDESIGNED TO AVOID THE NATURE OF REPAIRS SUCH AS MINE, FROM HAPPENING IN THE FUTURE.THE IGNITION SWITCH SHOULD DEFINITELY BE CLASSIFIED AS A RECALL.