2004 SATURN ION Electrical System Problems

I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY AT 65 MPH WHEN THE INDICATOR LIGHT FOR THE STEERING LIT UP AND MY POWER STEERING WENT OUT. I STOPPED AND RESTARTED MY CAR AND THE POWER STEERING WORKED FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES. THE INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND THE STEERING FAILED. THE FOLLOWING DAY MY VEHICLE WAS CHECKED OUT BY A MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THE ISSUE AS A FAILED EPS (ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING). THE ESTIMATED COST OF JUST THE PART IS $1200. I DID NOT ASK ABOUT THE COST OF LABOR. I HAVE STARTED THE VEHICLE SEVERAL TIMES SINCE THE INITIAL INCIDENT AND SOMETIMES THE INDICATOR LIGHT IS NOT ON AND THE POWER STEERING WORKS FOR A FEW MINUTES. ULTIMATELY THE LIGHT COMES ON AND THE STEERING FAILS AGAIN WITHIN 5 MINUTES. AT OTHER TIMES I HAVE STARTED THE VEHICLE AND THE INDICATOR LIGHT IS ON AND THERE IS NO POWER STEERING.AS I...

THE POWER STEERING IS FAILING NEARLY EVERY TIME THE CAR IS USED. IT FAILS WITHIN MINUTES AFTER THE CAR IS STARTED. MAKING TURNS REQUIRES A LOT OF EFFORT IN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL. THE CAR CAN STILL BE DRIVEN WITHOUT THE POWER STEERING, BUT ONE WOULD HARDLY CALL IT SAFE. *TR

THE LITANY OF PROBLEMS WITH THIS UNSAFE AND UNRELIABLE VEHICLE IS LONG AND VARIED. MULTIPLE TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS, ELECTRICAL ISSUES, LOSING POWER WHILE DRIVING, ETC.. GM AND SATURN KNEW OF THESE ISSUES, ESPECIALLY THE ONES CONCERNING THE VTI TRANSMISSION, YET THEY CHOSE TO CONTINUE TO PUT THE PUBLIC AT RISK BY DENYING THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES TO CORRECT THESE PROBLEMS. THE ONLY REAL WAY, IN MY OPINION, TO MAKE THIS RIGHT IS TO FULLY RECALL AND REPLACE THESE VEHICLES. THIS CAR HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT A NIGHTMARE SINCE I BOUGHT IT BRAND NEW IN LATE 2003 AND CONTINUES TO BE A HAZARD. PLEASE FORCE GM TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND GET THESE CARS OFF THE ROAD BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED. *TT

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. THE VEHICLE WAS CAREFULLY MANEUVERED TO THE SHOULDER AND SHUT OFF. UPON RESTART, THE VEHICLE OPERATED AS NORMAL. THE FAILURE HAD SINCE RECURRED ON AN INTERMITTENT BASIS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO HAVE THE FAILURE DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD INTERMITTENTLY EXPERIENCE A FAILURE IN WHICH IT WOULD NOT START. WHENEVER THE FAILURE OCCURRED, THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE TO WAIT APPROXIMATELY TEN MINUTES BEFORE THE VEHICLE WOULD SUCCESSFULLY START. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 145,000.

KEY STUCK IN THE IGNITION. CAR WOULD NOT START. A NEW KEY HAD TO BE CUT. *TR

THE KEY OF MY SATURN ION WILL NOT COME OUT WHEN THE VEHICLE IS SHUT DOWN. WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STOPPED AND IN PARK, THE KEY TURNS BACK TO OFF BUT WILL NOT COME OUT. THIS IS THE SECOND IGNITION SWITCH WE'VE HAD PUT IN THIS CAR, AND THERE ARE LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE THAT THIS IS HAPPENING TO. *TR

I HAVE HAD SAME PROBLEM WITH 2004 SATURN SINCE DAY WHEN I BOUGHT IT. TAKE TO DEALER AND THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. BOUGHT NEW BATTERY CAUSE THAT IS WHAT A MECH SAID TO DO NEED LARGER SIZE. LAST MONTH EVERY TIME NEVER FAILED YOU GET IN VEHICLE TURN KEY ON . SOUNDS LIKE IT WANTS TO START, BUT NO YOU HAVE TO WAIT 10 MIN THEN TURN KEY AND IT STARTS. COLD OR WARM WEATHER DIDN'T SEEM TO MATTER. I WAS TOLD MAYBE STARTER! SO I TOOK IT TO A NEW MECHANIC THAT I HAD A DEALING WITH ON ANOTHER ISSUE DIFFERENT VEHICLE. HE DID TESTING AND REPLACED THE PASS LOCK KEY . SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE ALARMING SYSTEM. SO KNOCK ON WOOD.. THIS LAST WEEK STARTS EVERYTIME ITS WORKING. TOTAL COST FOR PART IS 250.00 PLUS YOU NEED TO HAVE NEW KEY MADE AND CODED....

I HAVE A 2004 SATURN ION. I BOUGHT IN THE WINTER OF 2007. IT IMMEDIATELY PRESENTED WITH THE PROBLEM OF NOT STARTING IN REALLY COLD WEATHER. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP IT WAS BOUGHT FROM AND THEY TOLD ME THEY COULDN'T FIND A PROBLEM. I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY ANOTHER MECHANIC THAT HE COULDN'T FIND THE PROBLEM EITHER. I SOMETIMES HAVE TO WAIT UP TO 30 MINUTES FOR MY CAR TO START IN FREEZING COLD WEATHER. ABOUT 6 OR 8 MONTHS AGO THE KEY WOULDN'T TURN WHEN IT WAS INSERTED INTO THE IGNITION. I HAVE TO JIGGLE IT BACK AND FORTH, SOMETIMES THE KEY ALMOST COMING OUT TOTALLY BEFORE IT WILL TURN OVER. TODAY IT TOOK 15 MINUTES TO FINALLY GET IT UNLOCKED AND TURNED OVER TO START. *KB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT DURING COLD WEATHER THE VEHICLE INTERMITTENTLY FAILED TO START. DURING THE FAILURE, THE ENGINE RPMS WOULD MOMENTARILY INCREASE AND THE SECURITY WARNING LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SECURITY LIGHT INDICATED THAT THE VEHICLE DID NOT RECOGNIZE THE KEY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS TOLD THAT THE FAILURE MAY BE DUE TO A WIRING ISSUE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 88,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AND THE KEY BECAME WEDGED IN THE IGNITION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND ADVISED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS ON THE VEHICLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 55,000.

I JUST BROUGHT A 2004 SATURN ION 2 A COUPLE DAYS AGO. TODAY I GOT UP AND READY FOR WORK AND MY CAR WOULDN'T START. I TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO START THE CAR AND STILL NOTHING BUT THE LIGHTS AND RADIO ETC COME ON. I WAS LOOKIN FOR A RELIABLE CAR TO GET ME AND MY SON BACK AND FORTH BEING AS THOUGH WE HAVE NO FAMILY THAT LIVES CLOSE BY;;; TURNS OUT I THINK I MIGHT HAVE MADE A WRONG DECISION. I HAVE HAD THIS CAR LESS THAN 2 WEEKS NOW AND IT ALREADY IS TURNING INTO A NIGHTMARE. I AM HESITANT ON PUTTING MY SON IN THIS CAR BECAUSE IF I DO GET IT TO TURN ON AND THIS HAPPENS AGAIN WHAT ARE WE TO DO? IT IS FREEZING OUTSIDE! *TR

MY CAR WILL NOT START WHEN THE WEATHER TURNS COLD. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THIS CAR AND KEEP UP ON THE MAINTENANCE. AFTER RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM, I HAVE READ NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON LINE ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM FROM OTHER SATURN ION OWNERS AND HAVE CONCLUDED THAT THE PASSLOCK SYSTEM IS MISINTERPRETING A THEFT AND LOCKING UP THE FUEL . I READ THAT CHANGING THE GREASE IN THE IGNITION SWITCH WILL CORRECT THIS PROBLEM AND THAT SATURN (GM) HAS KNOWN OF THIS COMPLAINT FOR SOME TIME NOW. THEY HAVE A NEW IMPROVED PART TO REPLACE THIS BAD ONE BUT I DON'T FEEL IT IS WORTH $400.00+ TO PAY FOR REPLACEMENT WHEN IT IS A QUICK FIX AND IT IS THEIR FAULT TO START WITH. PLEASE ISSUE A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE BEEN STRANDED IN THE COLD WAITING AND PRAYING FOR THE CAR TO START SO THAT I...

WITHOUT NOTICE, THE CAR WILL NOT START. THE CAR WILL START AND RUN LIKE IT WAS DESIGNED TOO, BUT AFTER THE CAR HAS BEEN TURNED OFF, THERE HAVE BEEN INSTANTS WHERE THE CAR WILL NOT START AGAIN. THE BATTERY IS NOT DEAD, ALL THE LIGHTS, GAUGES AND HORN WILL WORK, BUT NO POWER GOES TO THE STARTER. AFTER A EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME, TEN MINUTES OR MORE, THE CAR WILL START. THIS IS A RANDOM CONDITION, THERE ARE NO WARNING SIGNS OF WHEN IT WILL NOT START. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THERE IS EITHER A GLITCH IN THE SECURITY PROGRAM OR THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE GREASE IN THE STARTED SWITCH. *TR

MY 2004 SATURN ION 2 WILL NOT START ON MANY COLD MORNINGS. IT STARTED INITIALLY, I DROVE IT TO THE GAS STATION, THEN IT WOULD NOT START AGAIN. THE BATTERY WAS FINE, BUT I REPLACED IT ANYWAY. THIS ISSUE PRESENTS IN TWO DIFFERENT WAYS: TURN KEY AND GET NOTHING, OR TURN KEY AND HEAR AN INITIAL CRANK AND THEN IT SHUTS OFF. LIGHTS AND RADIO STILL WORK. CAR WILL EVENTUALLY CRANK AND TURN OVER AFTER 10-20 MINUTES. *TR

I OWN A 2004 SATURN ION2. AT FIRST, I ONLY HAD A PROBLEM WITH MY CAR RANDOMLY NOT STARTING. IF I WOULD WAIT FOR ANY UNGIVEN LENGTH OF TIME, IT WOULD MAGICALLY START. NOW, MY KEY HAS BEEN STUCK IN THE IGNITION FOR TWO WEEKS. (STILL STUCK) I WENT TO A SATURN DEALER TODAY AND WAS TOLD THAT THE PROBLEM COULD BE THE SOLENOID, THE HOUSING UNIT, OR EVEN BOTH. I WAS TOLD THAT THE KEY MAY HAVE WORN DOWN, OR A PART IN THE HOUSING MAY HAVE SCRATCHED THE INNER SURFACE OF THE HOUSING CAUSING THE KEY TO BE STUCK IN THE IGNITION. I LIVE IN FLORIDA, SO THE "COLD" WEATHER ISN'T A FACTOR HERE. I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE TWO YOUNG KIDS WHO RIDE WITH ME EVERYDAY, AND I FEAR THAT WE WILL GET STRANDED IN GOD ONLY...

I OWN A 2004 SATURN ION. FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS WHEN THE TEMPERATURE IS BELOW 36 DEGREES THE VEHICLE FAILS TO START. THE IGNITION LOCKS ME OUT UNTIL THE ANTI THEFT DEVICE RESETS AND I CAN TRY AGAIN. AFTER READING ABOUT MANY OTHERS EXPENSIVE SOLUTIONS TO THIS ISSUE WITHOUT RESOLVE OR RECALL BY GM, I HAVE BOUGHT A SMALL ELECTRICAL HEATER TO SET ON MY FLOOR BOARD ON THE DRIVERS SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THIS WARMS UP THE IGNITION INSIDE THE CAR AND IT STARTS RIGHT UP. UNTIL I FOUND THIS SOLUTION I WAS LATE TO WORK, LATE FOR APPOINTMENTS AND ONCE STRANDED IN FRIGID TEMPERATURES. *TR

ON MORNINGS WHEN IT IS COLD AND HAS BEEN DURING THE NIGHT AS WELL, MY 2004 SATURN ION WILL NOT START. IT HAS HAPPENED THREE TIMES NOW. I HAVE ALREADY REPLACED THE BATTERY AND NOW I AM GOING TO HAVE TO TAKE MY CAR TO ANOTHER SHOP IN ORDER FOR IT TO DIAGNOSE THE REASON IT IS NOT STARTING. THE FIRST MECHANIC SAID IT IS THE TBS THAT IS OUT ON THE NO CRANK, NO START FOR THE IGNITION. THE OLD PART IS STILL CURRENTLY IN MY CAR. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS 2004 SATURN ION 3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE WEATHER BECAME EXTREMELY COLD SHE WAS UNABLE TO TAKE THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION. SHE STARTED TO NOTICED THE FAILURE WHEN SHE PARKED THE VEHICLE OUTSIDE. SHE ALSO MENTIONED THAT THE ONLY WAY SHE WAS ABLE TO TAKE THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION WAS TO PLACE A HOT TOWEL AROUND THE STEERING COLUMN. THE CONTACT WILL TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 162,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SECURITY SYSTEM WAS RE-DESIGNED AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO NOT BE ABLE TO START. THE DEALER REPLACED THE IGNITION SWITCH BUT THE PROBLEM CONTINUED. THE DEALER THEN STATED THAT THE BODY CONTROL MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER WHO OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,641 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 96,000.

I LIVE IN MINNESOTA WHEN THE TEMP DROPS BELOW 30 DEGREES MY 2004 SATURN ION2 WON"T START. THIS JUST STARTED HAPPENING LAST WINTER, I HAD NO PROBLEMS BEFORE THAT. I BOUGHT A NEW BATTERY LAST WINTER. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE SATURN DEALER THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. USUALLY IT TAKES FROM 15MINUTES TO HALF A HOUR FOR CAR TO START. BUT TODAY WAS DIFFERENT WENT OUT TO START MY CAR BECAUSE THE TEMP WAS 28DEGREES THIS MORNING I TRIED TO START MY CAR FOR OVER A HOUR I WAS ALMOST LATE FOR WORK STILL NO START. THEN I TRIED STARTING MY CAR WHEN I GOT OFF WORK STILL NO START. I SPOKE WITH A COWORKER SHE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM SHE REPLACED BATTERY, STARTER, AND ALTERNATOR AND HER DOES NOT START WHEN IT RAINS. WHY IS THERE NOTHING BEING DONE TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM. EVEN THOUGH THE...

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS AND WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED THAT THE INTERIOR LIGHTS WOULD NOT SHUT OFF. NONE OF THE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENTAL PANEL. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE ALARM SHUTS OFF INTERMITTENTLY AT NIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED BY A DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 66,000.

CAN'T REMOVE KEY FROM SWITCH SATURN ION 04 CAR WILL NOT TURN OFF NOR CAN YOU REMOVE THE KEY HAD TO PULL THE FUSE UNDER THE HOOD AND DISCONNECT THE BATTERY IN ORDER TO SHUT CAR OFF. *TR

THE CAR WILL NOT START WHEN IT IS COLD OR MOIST OUT. THIS IS WITH A BRAND NEW BATTERY. BUT, IF YOU WAIT 15 TO 20 MINUTES IT WILL START WITHOUT A PROBLEM. *TR

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....

I DRIVE A 2004 SATURN ION-2 AND MY POWER STEERING GOES OUT AT RANDOM TIMES. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE HAD AN ISSUE WITH MY POWER STEERING. I FEEL IT IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN BECAUSE THIS ISSUE HAPPENS AT RANDOM AND THE CAR BECOMES INCREDIBLY HARD TO STEER. I HAVE DONE SOME RESEARCH ON THIS MATTER AND MANY OTHER SATURN DRIVERS HAVE THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM AS MYSELF AND I HAVE ALSO FOUND THAT THE CHEVY COBALT HAS THE EXACT SAME STEERING COLUMN AS THE SATURN ION AND THERE HAS BEEN A RECALL ON THE COBALT BUT NOT ON THE ION. THIS BAFFLES ME BECAUSE IF THE SAME MECHANISM IS ON BOTH CARS THE BOTH CARS SHOULD BE RECALLED NOT JUST ONE. I FEEL EXTREMELY UNSAFE ON THE ROAD DRIVING MY CAR NOW BECAUSE I HAVE NO INDICATION IF AND WHEN MY POWER STEERING WILL FAIL. THE...

THERE WAS A ERROR MESSAGE ON THE PANEL THAT SAID "POWER STER" , 5 SECONDS LATER THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED ON A BRIDGE. *TR

QUITE OFTEN, WITHOUT WARNING, THE POWER STEERING FAILS ON MY WIFE'S 2004 SATURN ION. SURPRISED AT FIRST BY THIS FAILURE, SHE HAS LEARNED NOT TO PANIC AND TO KEEP CONTROL OF THE CAR. INTERNET RESEARCH HAS TOLD US THAT GM IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND ISSUED RECALLS ON OTHER MODELS WITH THE SAME SYSTEM. IT IS APPARENTLY AN EXPENSIVE FIX. *TR

2004 SATURN ION1 WILL NOT START DUE DO PASSLOCK THEFT DETERRENT PROBLEM. THE POSSIBLE COMPONENTS CAUSING THIS ARE THE IGNITION SWITCH AND/OR THE BCM. THE BATTERY WAS TESTED AS GOOD. THIS PROBLEM STARTED IN JANUARY 2008 DURING A WINTER STORM AND HAS HAPPENED DOZENS AND DOZENS OF TIMES SINCE, WITH THE LAST OCCURRENCE TODAY AND IT IS NEARLY 90 DEGREES OUTSIDE. IT HAS PREVIOUSLY ONLY DONE THIS IN COLD AND WET CONDITIONS. THE CAR WILL CRANK ONCE OR TWICE WHEN THE IGNITION SWITCH IS ENGAGED BUT THEN IT WILL DO NOTHING, THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT ALONG WITH THE PASSLOCK ICON ILLUMINATES. AFTER WAITING 10 MINUTES THE LIGHTS GO OFF AND IT WILL START. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS AND THE REPAIRS ARE COSTLY AND NOT ALWAYS EFFECTIVE ACCORDING TO WHAT OTHERS ARE INDICATING ONLINE. THIS COULD EASILY PUT SOMEBODY IN HARMS WAY GIVEN AN UNSAFE OR...

I BOUGHT MY 2004 SATURN ION USED WITH LESS THAN 60,000 MILES ON IT, I HAD IT LESS THAN A YEAR WHEN ONE DAY IT WOULDN'T START, I THOUGHT IT WAS THE BATTERY OR THE ALTERNATOR, BUT NONE OF THAT FIXED THE PROBLEM. THIS PROBLEM PROGRESSIVELY GOT WORSE AND STARTED HAPPENING VERY FREQUENTLY, MORE OFTEN WHEN IT GOT COLD OUT. AFTER ABOUT 10-15 MINUTES THE CAR WILL START, I HAVE HAD TO WAIT UP TO 45 MINUTES FOR THE CAR TO START SOMETIMES. THIS PROBLEM HAS MADE ME LATE FOR WORK, LEFT MY CHILDREN WAITING FOR ME AND LEFT MYSELF AFTER WORK CLOSING A BAR ONE NIGHT AT 3:00 IN THE MORNING. THE MORE I MENTIONED THIS PROBLEM TO PEOPLE THE MORE I FOUND OUT I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM, IT HAS TO DO WITH THE SECURITY PASS LOCK SYSTEM AND IGNITION. IF THIS IS SUCH...

I OWN A 2004 SATURN ION, THAT ON RANDOM OCCASIONS DOES NOT START. WAIT A FEW MINUTES AND THEN IT DOES. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO US IN BOTH WARM AND COLD DAYS. IT'S BEEN IN FOR SERVICE SEVERAL TIMES AND SERVICE TECH'S CAN'T SEEM TO LOCATE THE PROBLEM. WHEN THIS FIRST STARTED, WITH ONLY ABOUT 10 000 KL, THE CAR DID NOTHING, NO LIGHTS, RADIO ETC., COMPLETELY DEAD. *TR

I OWE A 2004 SATURN ION AND LIKE MANY OTHERS, I HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY IGNITION SWITCH. THE POWER STEERING ALSO GOES OUT WHILE DRIVING. I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE IN 2006 AND STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS 3 MONTHS AFTERWARDS. AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS ONLY MY VEHICLE UNTIL I WAS LOOKING FOR A PART VIA THE INTERNET AND RAN ACROSS OTHER COMPLAINTS. IT'S A SHAME THAT GM HASN'T DONE A RECALL. THERE ARE SEVERAL CONSUMERS AFFECTED BY THIS PROBLEM. *TR

2004 SATURN ION WILL NOT START RANDOMLY NO CRANK NO START ISSUE WHICH IS FROM GM'S FAULTY PASSLOCK SYSTEM ITS NOT JUST COLD WEATHER RELATED IT WAS 50 DEGREES THIS MORNING WHEN IT HAPPENED BUT WHEN I CAME HOME IT STARTED JUST FINE ITS DONE THIS ALOT OVER THE YEARS AND ALWAYS AT THE WORST TIMES I KNOW IM NOT THE ONLY SATURN/ GM OWNER WITH THIS PROBLEM AND THERE ARE EVEN TSB 'S RELATING TO THESE ISSUES WHY ARE WE STUCK DEALING WITH GM'S FAULTY ENGINEERING. *TR

MY 2004 SATURN ION2 RANDOMLY WON'T START. IT'S GENERALLY HAPPENS IN THE MORNING. I INSERT MY KEY, THE INTERIOR/ EXTERIOR LIGHTS COME ON, AND THEN I TURN THE KEY. THE ENGINE WILL NOT CRANK AND WILL NOT MAKE ANY NOISE. I TRY NUMEROUS TIMES TO START IT, BUT IT WON'T CRANK OVER. THEN, BETWEEN 10-30 MINUTES LATER, IT WILL START. MULTIPLE MECHANICS ARE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. I SUSPECT THAT IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE PASSLOCK SYSTEM AND ONE OF THE WIRES MALFUNCTIONING. *TR

2004 SATURN ION THIS CAR HAS PROBLEMS STARTING WHEN IT IS COLD OUTSIDE, I AM LATE FOR WORK ALOT IT MIGHT TAKE 20 MINUTES TO START OR AN HOUR. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID I I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR A DIAGNOSTIC EVALUATION. THIS HAPPENS IN THE COOLER MONTHS I CAN COUNT ON IT. THE MOST CURRENT BEING THIS MORNING YESTERDAY MORNING THE DAY BEFORE THAT. *TR

CAR DOES NOT START WHEN BELOW 35 DEGREES. I HAVE TO WAIT EXACTLY 10 MINUTES THEN IT WILL USUALLY START. POWER STEERING WOULD OCCASIONALLY TURN OFF WHILE DRIVING AROUND 50,000 TO 60,000 MILES AND GRADUALLY WORSENS OVER TIME. MY POWER STEERING IS NOW COMPLETELY NOT WORKING AND HAS ALMOST CAUSED ME SEVERAL MINOR TO MAJOR ACCIDENTS WHEN IT SHUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING EITHER BY MYSELF OR WITH MY CHILDREN. I REPLACED THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING FUSES FIRST TO SEE IF THAT SOLVED THE PROBLEM ONLY TO REALIZE ITS THE POWER STEERING COLUMN WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED COSTING ME $1100. I CAN NO LONGER DRIVE MY CAR BECAUSE I AM NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO TURN THE WHEEL WITH THE CONSTANT FAILING OF THE POWER STEERING. *TR

AFTER ONLY 9 MONTHS OF OWNING MY ION I HAVE EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH SHIFTING THE CAR IN AND OUT OF GEAR. IT IS A RANDOM OCCURRENCE AND CAN HAPPEN 8 TIMES IN A WEEK THEN NOT AT ALL FOR MONTHS. HOWEVER WHEN IT DOES HAPPEN IT IS A LIFE THREATENING EXPERIENCE AS I AM USUALLY DRIVING ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY. THE CAR WILL BE "LOCKED" INTO 4TH FOR EXAMPLE AND WHEN I TRY TO SHIFT TO 5TH I CAN NOT GET IT OUT OF 4TH. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE SATURN DEALERSHIP A MINIMUM OF 20 TIMES FOR THIS PROBLEM, ONLY TO BE TOLD THAT THEY COULD NOT DO ANYTHING. I THEN TOOK IT TO A DIFFERENT DEALERSHIP WHERE THE TECH TOOK THE CAR HOME FOR 1 WEEK, EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM FOR HIMSELF, AND TOLD ME ALL HE COULD DO WAS REPLACE A WIRE AND HOPE IT HELPED...

MY 2004 SATURN ION WONT START IN COLD TEMPERATURES LEAVING ME STRANDED. IF I LIVED IN GUAM THIS WOULD BE NO PROBLEM, BUT I LIVE IN CALGARY ALBERTA CANADA AND ITS GETS TO -40 CELSIUS AND ONLY TAKES MINUTES FOR FROST BITE TO SETTLE IN. *TR

I DRIVE A 2004 SATURN ION AND LAST YEAR, THE WINTER OF 2008 WHENEVER THE TEMPERATURE DROPPED BELOW 40, WHICH WAS ONCE OR TWICE, MY CAR WOULDN'T START. THIS YEAR, 2009, THE TEMPERATURE HAS BEEN BELOW 40 FOR ABOUT 2 WEEKS NOW AND OUT OF THE 5 WORK DAYS OF THIS WEEK MY CAR STARTED ONCE ON THE FIRST TRY. WHEN I TRY TO START IT, THE ENGINE TURNS OVER AND SHUTS OFF IMMEDIATELY. I HAVE TO WAIT AT LEAST 10 MINUTES TO START AGAIN. SOMETIMES IT WILL WORK THE SECOND TIME, USUALLY I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THE THIRD TRY. *TR

IN COLD WEATHER (BELOW 20F), THE CAR REFUSES TO START, OR EVEN TRY TO TURN OVER. *TR

I PURCHASES A 2004 SATURN ION IN 2006. IN OCTOBER OF 2007, MY VEHICLE WOULD NOT START FOR NO APPARENT REASON. AFTER WAITING ABOUT 15 MINUTES, MY VEHICLE STARTED AND RAN NORMALLY. THIS HAPPENED AGAIN ABOUT 3 DAYS LATER WHILE I WAS VISITING RELATIVES 2 HOURS FROM MY HOME WHICH DETAINED ME ON MY TRIP BACK HOME. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE SATURN DEALERSHIP IN HARRISBURG, PA TO HAVE IT CHECKED. I WAS TOLD THAT THE PROBLEM WAS THE IGNITION SWITCH WHICH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED (THEY REPLACED IT). TWO YEARS LATER IN DECEMBER, 2009 THE PROBLEM OCCURRED AGAIN, THIS TIME ON MY WAY TO WORK ON AN EXTREMELY COLD WINTER MORNING. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE SATURN DEALERSHIP AGAIN AND WAS TOLD THAT I WOULD NEED ANOTHER IGNITION SWITCH TO REPLACE THE ONE THEY HAD REPLACED 2 YEARS EARLIER. AFTER READING ABOUT SO MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS AND...

I PURCHASED A 2004 SATURN ION. NO REAL PROBLEMS UNTIL WINTER. MY CAR WON'T START IN THE COLD. I HAVE BEEN AT STORES AND CAME OUT AND IT WON'T START. I GIVE IT 10 MINUTES EXACTLY NOT A MINUTE SOONER NOT A MINUTE LATER, IT THEN STARTS. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. IF FOR SOME REASON I AM OUT LATE AND MY CAR WON'T START AND ITS SUBZERO TEMP I CAN DIE FROM IT. I AM AFRAID THAT ONE DAY IT WON'T START AT ALL. THIS PROBLEM IS BECOMING A BIG DEAL TO ME AND OTHER OWNERS. PLEASE FIX THE ISSUE, PUT OUT A RECALL!! *TR

ON COLD DAYS MY CAR WILL NOT START. IT WILL ROLL OVER A FEW TIMES AND THEN THE SERVICE VEHICLE LIGHT WILL APPEAR. THE CAR TAKES ANYWHERE FROM 15-30 MINUTES TO START LEAVING ME STRANDED WITH NO HEAT IN THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE. THIS OCCURS ON A DAILY BASIS ON COLD DAYS IN THE SPRING, WINTER AND FALL.. *TR

I HAVE THE SAME ISSUE AS MANY OTHERS WITH THE ANTI-THEFT/ELECTRIC SYSTEM OF MY 2004 SATURN ION. THE MANUFACTURER HAS REFUSED TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM WITHOUT ME PAYING FOR THEIR SHODDY WORK. I AM ABOUT TO GET A LAWYER AND SEE IF HE CAN GET MY CAR ISSUE RESOLVED WITH GM. WHEN IT IS COLD/WET THE CAR WILL NOT START. IT WILL CRANK 1 TIME AND THEN NOTHING FOR 10 MINUTES. AFTER WAITING INSIDE THE CAR ON A VERY COLD MORNING I CAN ATTEMPT TO TRY MY CAR YET AGAIN. IT MAY OR MAY NOT WORK AND THE CYCLE MAY NEED TO BE REPEATED. I AM VERY UNSATISFIED AND HAVE OFFERED TO GM AN OPPORTUNITY TO CORRECT THE SITUATION AND WAS MET WITH UTTER INDIFFERENCE. THEY WANT ME TO PAY TO REPLACE THEIR BAD WORK AND I WILL NOT. *TR

I PULLED INTO A RESTAURANT AND THE CAR WAS FINE, WHEN I WENT TO LEAVE THE CAR WOULD NOT START. I HAD AAA COME OUT, THEY TOLD ME THAT I NEED TO HAVE THE CAR LOOKED AT. THE STEERING WHEEL WILL TURN, BUT THE KEY WILL NOT. THE BATTERY IS NOT DEAD AS ALL THE LIGHTS WORK FOR THE CAR BUT THE KEY IS NOT WORKING. THIS PROBLEM HAPPENED ONCE BEFORE BUT AFTER WAITING A FEW MINUTES THE CAR SIMPLY STARTED. NOW MY CAR HAS TO BE TOWED TO A GARAGE, TO BE FIXED. I LOOKED ONLINE AND HAVE SEEN MANY OTHER 2004 SATURN ION OWNERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM TURNING THEIR CAR ON IN THE COLD. *TR

I BOUGHT A USED 2004 SATURN ION 6 MONTHS AGO. I HAVE HAD NO REAL PROBLEMS UNTIL IT STARTED GETTING COLD. NOW, MOST MORNINGS I HAVE THE COMMON IGNITION PROBLEM THAT EVERYBODY ELSE HAS. I TURN THE KEY, EVERYTHING LIGHTS UP, THE ENGINE CRANKS ONCE, THEN NOTHING. I HAVE TO KEEP TURNING THE KEY ALL THE WAY OFF, WAIT 10 SECONDS, AND TRY AGAIN. EVENTUALLY, AFTER 10-30 MINUTES OF DOING THIS REPEATEDLY, THE CAR STARTS. EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, THE CAR DOES START AFTER ONLY A FEW TRIES. I HAVE READ ABOUT THIS PROBLEM ON MANY DIFFERENT FORUMS, AND I AM ANGERED AND DISMAYED THAT GM WILL DO NOTHING ABOUT THIS. GOOD THING MY EMPLOYER IS UNDERSTANDING, AND HAS NOT FIRED ME YET FOR BEING LATE EVERY TIME THIS HAPPENS. *TR

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A SATURN ION 2004 CAR. AFTER 2 MONTHS, ONE DAY IT JUST DIDN'T TURN ON WHEN I STARTED IT. I THOUGHT IT WAS THE BATTERY. I HAD IT CHECKED AND THE BATTERY WAS FINE. I, HOWEVER, REPLACED THE BATTERY WITH A NEW ONE, SINCE IT WAS THE ORIGINAL BATTERY. SINCE THEN, THE PROBLEM OF "NOT STARTING" HAS HAPPENED 4 TIMES....I WENT ON THE SATURN WEBSITE AND TO MY AMAZEMENT, THERE ARE PAGES AND PAGES OF THE SAME COMPLAINT WITH THE SAME CAR, SATURN ION 2004, 2005, 2003. THIS IS A REAL INCONVENIENCE NOT KNOWING IF WHEN I TURN MY CAR OFF IT WILL START OR NOT. I URGE YOU TO CONSIDER HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS SAME THING. SATURN TELLS US WHEN WE CALL TO TAKE IT TO THE SERVICE STATION. WE THEN GET A BILL FOR THEIR SERVICE, AND THEY CAN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG....

CAR WON'T START IN COLD WEATHER. BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR FINE. HAD REMOTE STARTER REMOVED, AS SUGGESTED BY SERVICE CENTER ; NOW HAVE NO RUNNING LIGHTS OR KEYLESS ENTRY. HAVE HAD THE SATURN ION 2004 SINCE OCT. 5TH, 2009. HAVE HAD TO HAVE THE CAR JUMP STARTED 5 TIMES SINCE. SINCE THIS IS UNDER WARRANTY IT IS GOING BACK TO THE DEALERS FOR GOOD. I HOPE NO ONE ELSE DECIDES TO BUY IT UNTIL SATURN OWNS UP AND FIXES THIS DEFECT. UNSATISFIED CUSTOMER. 11-21-09. *TR

MY SATURN ION 3, 2004 WILL NOT START WHEN IT IS COLD. YOU HAVE TO WAIT 10 MINUTES AND THEN TRY AGAIN TO TRY TO GET THE CAR TO START. THE CAR EVENTUALLY STARTS. I CALLED SATURN TO INQUIRE ABOUT THIS AND THEY SAID THAT IT IS AN IGNITION SWITCH PROBLEM WITH THEIR PASSLOCK SYSTEM. THEY FIX ABOUT 10 OF THEM EVERY WEEK, B UT SATURN HAS YET TO RECALL THE SWITCH. THIS PROBLEM HAPPENS ALMOST EVERYDAY IN THE COLD AND HAS BEEN HAPPENING TO MY CAR FOR OVER A YEAR NOW. *TR

WE PURCHASED OUR SATURN ION (USED- FROM A DEALERSHIP) AND WITHIN A FEW WEEKS IT BEGAN NOT STARTING ON THE FIRST TRY WE WOULD HAVE TO WAIT FOR 15-20 MINUTES TO START IT. THEN WHEN THE MORNING WEATHER TURNED COLD IT WOULD NOT START. AT ALL. IN THE AFTERNOONS WHEN IT WOULD WARM UP SOME IT WOULD START AGAIN. WE THOUGHT IT WAS THE BATTERY SO REPLACED THE BATTERY. NEXT MORNING IT WOULDN'T START. I WENT ONLINE TO SEE IF THERE WAS A RECALL. THERE WAS NONE. BUT, I DID FIND HUNDREDS OF POSTS ABOUT THE SAME THING. I EVEN FOUND VIDEOS POSTED TO YOUTUBE.COM ON HOW IT MIGHT BE FIXED. SCARY!! ALSO I FOUND POSTS WHERE PEOPLE WENT TO THE DEALERSHIPS FOR FIXES AND THE DEALERSHIPS FIXED THE PROBLEM ONLY FOR IT TO CROP UP AGAIN WITHIN A SHORT TIME. PLEASE CAN YOU HELP? I FOUND YOU BY ACCIDENT...

SATURN ION 2004 WILL NOT START IN COLD WEATHER. THE SYMPTOMS IS SPORADIC AND UNPREDICTABLE AND LINKED TO FAULTY SECURITY MODULE (ANTI-THEFT) WHICH DISABLES THE CAR IN COLD WEATHER. THIS IS A WELL KNOWN PROBLEM DOCUMENTED IN VARIOUS FORUMS AS WELL AS WELL KNOWN TO SATURN DEALERS. YET GM DID NOT MAKE A RECALL ON THIS ISSUE FOR MORE THAN 5 YEARS. I HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM SINCE 2005 AND ADVISED THE DEALERS AND SATURN CUSTOMER SERVICE SEVERAL TIMES WITH NO SUCCESS. *TR