The biggest issue is that on cold days (and sometimes not so cold) my car will just click and not start, or will start and die out. But if I keep trying to start it and let it sit for awhile and come back, it will start right up. When it does this, they check engine light usually comes on when trying to start it, but when I get it started it immediately goes off. I've had the battery, alternator and starter checked and they are fine. It only happens usually in the mornings or late at night when it's been cold.
2003 Saturn Ion electrical complaints
Page 10 of 14: complaints 251 to 280 of 383, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. Sporadically, while driving various speeds, the vehicle would stall without warning. The contact would also experience a no start condition. He took the vehicle to the dealer and they replaced the ignition switch at the cost of several hundred dollars. Two years later, the failure recurred, but the dealer would not assume any responsibility. Lastly, the windshield wipers would repeatedly hop around the windshield. On one occasion, the wiper fractured and had to be replaced. The failure mileage was 54,000 and current mileage was 99,000.
The biggest issue is that on cold days (and sometimes not so cold) my car will just click and not start, or will start and die out, resulting in my having to wait 9-10 minutes for the passlock to reset and hopefully allow my car to start on a second attempt. On some rare occasions I will have to wait through this 9-10 minute cycle 2 or 3 times before it will start properly so I can drive. The key sticks in the ignition. While I am able to turn the engine off, I can't turn the car off completely. I have to resolve this on an almost daily basis by using a screwdriver in the small panel hole in my steering column and moving a small switch to release the key. Since purchasing the vehicle in 2003 I have had more trouble with this car than any used car I possessed. My hood latch would not catch and was repaired 4 times. The heating control knob was replaced 7 times before it finally functioned properly without problem.
Car does not want to start in cold weather & recently has not wanted to start a few times in warm weather. I have only had the car since january & on average it does this 5-10 times a month. If you put the key in to start the car, it will either make a clicking noise & wont start or it will start then the ignition dies immediately. Service engine soon scroll light will come on. It usually takes 10-30 minutes to eventually get the car started. One time in extremely cold weather it would not start for 4 days. Took car to dealership where purchased & it failed to act up while they had it. They said there was nothing they could do about it.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated that the vehicle would not start in cold weather. The vehicle takes over one hour to start and the dealer could not duplicate the failure. The vehicle has not been repaired. The manufacturer stated that her VIN was not included in the gmc ignition module recall (number 03033-03c-06). The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 56,000 and current mileage was 98,000.
Car would not turn over until several attempts were made key would not come out of lock until after several attempts were made occurs weekly for several months I needed to get a new ignition switch and a new ignition cylinder this is the 2nd ignition cylinder I have had to get since purchasing my vehicle, obviously something is wrong with their parts once my car ran with out the key in the ignition!!!
1) try to start saturn ion 2) it failed to start 3) waited 10 min. It starts.
Purchased an 03 saturn ion may 17, 2008. May 28 ignition locked up and would not turn past the accessory setting. In researching the problem have seen hundreds of postings for this problem. It appears anti theft system is defective and suddenly locks up preventing the start of the car. Cannot locate any information on how to fix the problem, people seem to just be replacing the ignition lock every couple of months. Saturn has not issued a recall to correct the problem. This is an issue that is well known to anyone associated with saturn and I feel should have been disclosed on carfax or verbally by the saturn dealer who sold me the car. I would not have purchased a car with a chronic defect that will leave my child and myself stranded on a regular basis.
I have a saturn ion 2003 and spent the whole of last winter having to go out and turn my key in the ignition 10 minutes before I needed to leave anywhere so it would start. It actually started in 2006 and the car did not start a couple of times during the winter. Georgia had a mild winter that year. Unfortunately, 2007 was much colder and my car constantly would not start. I am a single parent whose family are 3000 miles away on a different continent and I cannot afford for my car to not work when I have an hour commute and have to pick my child up by a certain time each day. I have looked at many websites and blogs and realize that this is a serious problem with all saturn ions. Saturn knows about it and refuses to do anything about it. I took it to the saturn dealership and they couldn't figure anything out except I needed a new ($80) battery that did not solve the problem. I think that it is a huge problem and am not surprised that people don't like to buy american cars when this is the type of response that you get from them when their product does not work correctly. Are we sure that it's not just a scheme for them to make money from people?
Ignition problem - engine won't start, passlock prevents ignition. I live in texas and it's rarely that cold in the mornings, every time this has happened to me it has been a cold wet blustery day but not freezing. Car acts like the battery is dead, but frequent manipulation of the passlock remote will eventually clear the problem. This has left me stranded several times, and if saturn knows about the problem, and hasn't done anything about it in the 5 years that it has been occurring, then they should be held criminally negligent. They should be made to correct the problem with the ignition and the passlock system, and replace or repair the control module at no cost. My door locks no longer work, and in speaking to other owners I can expect a downward spiral of electrical failures in the coming months.
My saturn ion 2003 does not start when the temperature drops and especially when it is coupled with it getting a bit humid. If I have an emergency on a cold, wet morning I will have to call a taxi. Something is clearly wrong in the design of the car itself -- in the security system interfacing with the starter/ignition is a guess. Saturn will not admit to their design flaw and/or shoddy workmanship! My car is not reliable at all!! I have brought it to two mechanics and the dealer. The dealer, after throwing it on the computer, said that there was absolutely nothing wrong with this car and charged me $70 for absolutely no help. Please help. Saturn needs to recall this model and fix their design problem. My first two saturns were gems that drove and drove - needing little care. This one is simply one big design mistake ... And my last saturn. It simply will not start.
When the outside weather is cold, my 2003 saturn ion 2 won't start. This has happened 3 separate occasions over the last 2 months.
Our 2003 saturn ion has a permanent default, in that it will not start in cold weather. And the term "cold" is relative. Saturn told us the ignition switch is faulty. Thus, we paid an excess of $200 to rectify the problem. However, this "solution" lasted only a little over one year. Now, saturn tells us that though we have the updated ignition switch, it still causes the same no-start problem, and we need a $575 (plus tax) body control module. We had to pay $104.54 for saturn to tell us this. Obviously, this is a problem caused by the manufacturer , which is leaving many people stranded morning, noon, and night in various locations around the country. The problem should be immediately rectified through a recall.
Everytime the weather is a bit cold, my saturn ion 2003 will not start. I took it to a local auto mechanic shop and they told me that it was a typical and unfair problem for the saturn ion owners. The also told me they do the same job on these same cars approximately 15 cars/times per week. The explanation they gave was that the ignition switch need it to be replaced. Then I took it to my saturn dealership and they said the exact same thing: "the ignition switch needs to be replaced because it is causing the passlock (security) system to think the car is being stolen and shuts the starter off." he also said it was really common to replace the ignition switches every winter because those kinds of cars have been having that same problem regardless what the year model they are. I also asked them how many cars (per week) they had to fix due to this same problem and they told me it varied, but it was always between 10 and 25 cars per week. Also they said that previous year the weather was so cold and the saturn ions were not starting, that in just a week they had 40-something cars come in to get fix for the same problem. They told they would fix it for me but I would have to pay for everything. I refused to pay because it was not my fault, and I'm assuming people are paying to for something that is not even their fault. I also called saturn and the customer care representative at saturn said that saturn does not have a recommendation for this problem at this time. The last thing I did was a research on the web about this problem and I found many websites, blogs and forums that address the problem as a factory default from saturn. I read people's comments and they all said they had the same problem with their saturn ions and that saturn did want to admit it was a problem of them. It appears as if no one was to take responsibility and the ones paying for this are the customers. This is not fair.
2003 saturn ion iii disengages in the middle of traffic as if gears have slipped into neutral at speeds from between 20 and 60 MPH, so that there is no forward movement suddenly and then re-engages. Almost rear-ended several times also car will not start if turned off for a short time and key locks in ignition. Gears were re-calibrated and ignition replaced, but problems continue.
My daughter has a 2003 saturn ion and won't start when it is cold. I have been on several web sites and other saturn owners have had this problem. Please help what can I do. Will this car get a recall. Some of the owners are saying that it is the lubricate that saturn used on the ignition that it can freeze in cold weather. Is this the case. Help in cold weather.
When it is very cold outside my 2003 saturn ion would not start. I took it to a mechanic which said he couldn't figure it out but would replace the started and solenoid which happened. Again 2 days later, no start, I took it to a different mechanic which ran tests on it and said he couldn't figure it out, but since my battery was 5 years old, maybe I should replace that which I did. Then 4 days later, the care wouldn't start again, again I take it to yet another mechanic which runs a series of different tests on it and says everything is good, no explanation for the no starts. Finally after much frustration I was online doing some research about my car to discover a number of complaints about both the 2003-2004 saturn ion's having this ignition start problem and yet the manufacturer should have recalled it, yet hasn't and so while the ion owner like myself is stranded here and there and missing days of work due to inoperable on one's purchased vehicle, and paying towing costs, repair bills, testing costs, etc...saturn all along knew the problem. When I finally called saturn and told them of the problem, took the car in and with hours, had a new ignition switch and low and behold yep that was the problem to the tune of $179.00. I think if saturn knew this was a problem, it should have been recalled and fixed on saturn's tab, not mine the consumer.
I have a 2003 ion 2 which I bought new in march 2003. Starting in dec 2007, my car would not start up in the morning when it is cold outside. 10-15 min later I would try to start it again and it would start up like nothing was wrong. I had saturn look at it, they stated that they "could not replicate" the problem and found nothing wrong. In january 2008, it started to happen on a daily basis, so I took it to my local mechanic who said the battery was charging fine and could not pin point a problem but suggested putting in a new starter which cost me $300. At first I thought that my problem was solved, but now in feb 2008 ( one month later)it is not starting up in the mornings again on real cold days (0-20 degrees), but 10-15 min later, it starts right up.
I own a 2003 saturn ion. On cold mornings my car will not start. I have replaced the battery and have taken it to several mechanics that have told me that they do not know why it will not start. I have been late for work numerous times and left stranded because of this issue. This is still a on going issue.
When temperature gets low, my 2003 saturn ion won't start. It must sit for 15-20 minutes before it will start up.
I regrettably own a 2003 saturn ion 2 sedan. Several times, when temperatures are below freezing, the car fails to start. After speaking to the service manager at the local dealership and doing extensive online research about the problem I have found that it stems from a faulty design in the ignition switch. The switch leaks lubricant onto the wires in the ignition system. When it is cold enough for the lubricant to freeze, it impedes the signal required to override the passlock security system (standard on my car) and prevents the car from starting. Saturn will replace the ignition switch (at the cost of the owner if the vehicle is not under manufacturer's warranty, about $300 to $400). The new switches will inevitably have the same problem, after they leak the lubricant. Saturn knows of the problem and has published technical service bulletin #040845005. They, however, refuse to admit responsibility and devise a reliable remedy to the problem. Meanwhile, we are all freezing in the cold weather while we wait for our cars to start. I believe saturn is criminally negligent in this respect.
Faulty ignition switch in 2003 saturn ion.
Vehicle will start some days and not start others. Would have to try over and over again several times to get the vehicle to start. Not the battery!
Car will not start when it is cold outside.
Car won't start on mornings when temp is below 50 degrees. Once temp warms up, car starts fine. I can't wait until the afternoon to go to work! I also don't want to be stranded while working (I do home nursing).
On cold mornings (35 and below) my 03 saturn ion will not start. I turn the key and the lights come on but the engine won't turn over. The security light flashes and it tells me to "service vehicle". If I wait about 10-20 minutes the car will start. (which causes me to be late for work) I've replace the battery but cannot afford 200+ to change out the starter and/or other parts. I've read numerous complaints online of other ion owners having the same problem (http://www.carsurvey.org/viewcomments_review_97727.html).
Car will not start in cold weather. (below 32f) this has been a problem the last 2 years on a 2003 saturn ion 3. After reading all the comments here... Http://www.carsurvey.org/viewcomments_review_97727.html it would seem there is a very common problem with the grease freezing around the ignition switch.
I have a 2003 saturn ion that won't start in cold weather here in eastern oregon, had the battery checked, and everything else looked at, but everyone says that my car is okay. So I do some research and find out that alot of people have this problem and yet there is no recall on this problem considering saturn knows about the problem? Also, there is not easy suggestions by saturn?
When it is below freezing outside, my 2003 saturn ion has issues starting up. I have read many posts (http://www.carsurvey.org/viewmorecomments_review_97727_1.html is on such spot) where owners are having the same issues with various results from their dealers. It is apparently a know issue that has not been communicated to the customers, potentially leaving them out in the cold!
When it is cold out, and I go to start my car in the morning, it starts to turn over but then stalls and dies. The lights and radio still work, and the instrument panel blinks "service vehicle". I have to wait at least 10 minutes to even attempt to start my vehicle again because it is something with the security feature of the ignition.
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