Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated while driving at slow speeds, when the vehicle began to stall and another vehicle rear ended her. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained a concussion and back injuries. The contact was taken by an ambulance to seek medical attention and also seek physical therapy. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not drivable. The vehicle was towed to repair shop and was not repaired at that moment. The contact stated the vehicle had the battery was replaced prior to the accident. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
2003 Saturn Ion: airbags did not deploy in a crash
25 of the 758 complaints about the 2003 Saturn Ion describe airbags did not deploy in a crash.
- owner complaints
- 25
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- typical mileage
- 110,000
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below
Airbags did not deploy in a crash by model year
What owners say
Tl* the contact owned a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated that while driving at 10 MPH, another vehicle in the opposite direction drove head first into his vehicle. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. A police report was filed at the scene. The contact and his son were treated for injuries at the scene and were transported to a local hospital. The contact was treated for chest, neck and back injuries. The contact 's son sustained injuries to his neck and his back. The whereabouts of the other driver were unknown. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to an independent tow yard. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 138,000.
Driving on staight on the highway hit a bump in the road my car started spinning out of control steering wheel locked up which made my driver side crash into a cement wall, my airbags did not deploy even thought the car hit the wall so hard that it cracked my radiator, my car then shut off then turned back on
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. While driving approximately 15 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning and crashed into another vehicle. A police report was filed and there were no injuries. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired per an unknown recall for the ignition switch. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000. *tt
My horn stopped working. It never worked well, except from the button on the key holder. I complained to the dealer more than once when saturn was still in business. I was always told that my hands were not strong enough to make the horn work. One service person even told me to try it by wrapping both hands around where the horn is located and pressing as hard as I could. I went to a gm dealer yesterday to find out why the horn quit working altogether and also because there are times when the key will not come out of the ignition. I have replaced the ignition twice - once at my expense and once after the recall. Gm will provide the cost of replacing the gear shift. According to the dealer that is why the key won't release from the ignition. However, they want $1,000 to fix the horn because they said it is part of the airbag so the airbag has to be replaced too. I have done some internet research and find that there are other saturn owners who have the horn problem and some have had accidents and the airbag did not deploy. This does not sound right to me. It sounds like there is more going on with the defects than just a faulty ignition. I am afraid to drive my car. I can't afford another car. I can't really afford the $1,000 but am really concerned about not having a working horn and am more concerned that the airbag might not deploy.
Tl* the contact owned a 2003 saturn ion. While driving 40 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond. The brake failure caused the contact's vehicle to crash into the rear of another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The driver sustained injuries to the knees, which did not require medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact felt that the crash was related to the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v047000 (air bags, electrical system). The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the engine stalled and the vehicle crashed into a curb. The airbags did not deploy however, the contact was not injured. The vehicle was not able to restart. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000. Updated 10/2/14*cn the consumer stated the driver received an injury to the head. The vehicle has not been fully repaired. Updated 3/6/2015
Couple months ago I brought my can to gm because of the ignition switch recall. Last week I got a call from gm that my car was done and ready to be pick up. I noticed that the power of my car wasn't there, the passenger window was going down (when I dropped it off at gm it wouldn't go down), and my car charger wasn't working (when I dropped it off it the car was charging my phone same charger same phone). 2:00am today I hit a deer on my way to my parents house (im okay but don't know about the deer) but the air bags didn't deploy.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated that while traveling at 50 MPH, the vehicle stalled and the contact lost control of the vehicle. The contact crashed and the air bags failed to deploy. The contact was taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that the ignition switch failed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000 and the current mileage was 130,000.
Was driving on wet road approaching an intersection. Before entering the intersection the light turned green and traffic started moving. I slowed down to let the tuck in front of me pick up speed. As I approached a black pickup backed into traffic causing multiple cars to stop in front of me. I pushed on my breaks but could not stop causing me to strike the truck in front o me with the front of my car. Upon impact my air bag did not deploy and my head struck the steering wheel. I recently received the ignition recall notice, but the letter said parts were not available.
In early january my mother was involved in a serious car accident while driving a 2003 saturn iron. "I had no control over the car and it all happened so fast" my mother said. She hit a telephone pool then proceeded to roll down over a small hill and flipped, coming to a rest on a concrete divider. When responders arrived her ignition was off and the air bags did not deploy. She was hanging upside down for almost an hour until they were able to cut her out of the car. I have contacted gm and they confirmed that her car is part of the recent ignition switch recall. Please take the recall serious, it could save your l life, and others!
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated that while driving an unknown speed, she crashed into the rear of another vehicle and the air bags failed to deploy. The crash was so severe that the entire front end of the vehicle was destroyed. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries. The contact was also involved in a second crash in which the air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for repairs and the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000. The current mileage was 132,000.
Related recalls
Air bags
- What is wrong
- This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on February 10, 2014 that they are recalling 619,122 model year 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalt, and 2007 Pontiac G5 vehicles. On February 25, 2014, GM increased the recall to include an additional 748,024 model year 2006-2007 Chevrolet HHR and Pontiac Solstice vehicles and 2003-2007 Saturn Ion vehicles and 2007 Saturn Sky vehicles. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine. On March 27, 2014, GM notified the agency that the defective ignition switches may have been used as service replacement parts on other vehicles, and as a result GM will be recalling certain model year 2008-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, Saturn Sky, and Pontiac G5 and Solstice, and 2008-2011 Chevrolet HHR vehicles. The part numbers for the service parts are 10392423 (a/k/a ACDelco D1461F), 10392737, 15857948, 15854953, 15896640, and 25846762. This expansion represents an additional 823,788 vehicles.
- Risk
- If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition switch, free of charge. An interim notification was issued to owners of 2007 and earlier models on March 10, 2014, informing them of the safety defect. Owners of 2008 and later vehicles will be mailed an interim letter on April 21, 2014. All affected owners will receive another letter once parts are available. The recall began on April 18, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1‑800‑222‑1020, Pontiac at 1‑800‑762‑2737 or Saturn at 1‑800‑553‑6000. GM's number for the initial recall is 13454 and 14063 for the expansion. GMs recall number for the vehicles that may have received the replacement parts is 14092. Note: Until the recall repairs have been performed, it is very important that customers remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the vehicle key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. Always wear your seatbelt.
Recall number 14V047000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2003 Saturn Ion no deployment
Is airbags did not deploy in a crash a common problem on the 2003 Saturn Ion?
25 of 758 owner complaints about the 2003 Saturn Ion (3%) mention airbags did not deploy in a crash. The model year with the most reports is 2003.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Saturn Ion?
There is 1 recall and 0 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Saturn Ion
Won't start 168Stalling 70Power steering loss 46Wipers 27Loss of power 26Check engine light 18Steering lock-up 16Engine failure 12Jerking 11Fuel leak 10Headlights 10Sudden acceleration 9Transmission failure 9Fuel pump 8Fuel smell 8Slipping 8Adaptive cruise 6Door locks 6Battery drain 5Seat belt 5
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