Car will not start when below freezing.....
2003 Saturn Ion electrical complaints
Page 11 of 14: complaints 281 to 310 of 383, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I have been having a problem with my car not starting. The first issue began when I started my car and the passlock symbol was flashing all the way home from the store. When I got home and turned the car off and tried restarting it, it wouldn't start. After looking at my owners manual and reading about passlock I went outside and tried starting it and it started right up. A little less than a week later I was out running an errand and made a quick stop for maybe 5 minutes, when I got back to the car it would not start. I tried a few more times and was starting to panic when it started again. I took it to a mechanic and he couldn't get the car to replicate the problem but recommended finding my other key for the car and start using that. The car was fine for another week and while I was picking up my kids from school the passlock light came on again and blinked all the way home. Once again, I tried to start after we got home and nothing, I went out about 10 minutes later and it was fine. Yesterday I needed to run an errand and sure enough I went outside to leave and the stupid car wouldn't start again. I went inside and waited 10 minutes, came back outside and it started right up. I am a mother with 3 kids and I have a husband who does not drive. I have only one car and I cannot have it be unreliable. I get nervous every time I have to go somewhere. This is unacceptable and it seems like there are many saturn owners who are just as frustrated as me and something needs to be done about it, at no cost to the owners. This is not wear and tear!!!
I bought a 2003 saturn ion about 6 months ago, and as soon as it became cold here in colorado my car started having a problem starting. I was stranded in the middle of no where with no cell phone coverage in the freezing cold. I have now come to find out that this is a problem with all 2003 saturns and that they refuse to recall them and fix the problem because it is not a safety issue. The ignition switch and the grease needs to be replaced. This is a safety issue! I was stranded in the middle of no where in the freezing cold with my young daughter. I want this problem to be addressed and fixed by saturn. There is no reason for them to not recall this problem.
During cold weather, my 2003 saturn ion will not start. Replaced the battery 12/07, and a diagnostic check of the starter and alternator was fine. It appears to be an ignition switch item from reading similar complaints online.
Horn is very difficult to actuate, requiring hard pressing one of two specific small horn logos on the steering wheel air bag cover. These are hard to find in an emergency, and impossible to quickly find when driving at night. This has resulted in a few near misses, because the horn could not be activated quickly enough to alert another driver that they were leaving their lane. I had to swerve evasively to prevent the accident. Saturn dealer in past has said that horn works normally. This is the only vehicle that my wife or I have driven in thirty years that has this problem. It appears to be a poor design, and something should be done to rectify it. The horn is useless in a suddenly developing emergency situation. Date is not specific; as form would not allow submission without a date. I have not had an accident yet, but this should be rectified before someone has a serious accident.
My 2003 saturn ion would not start after being out in cold weather. This has happened before and I am tired of it. Based on research I have done on the net, it appears saturn is aware of this and doesn't seem to care.
Wont start in sub freezing weather for at least 15 minutes.
2003 saturn ion. This car will not start in the cold weather. If the temperature is below 32 degrees f for an extended period of time, the car will stall. This will be a recall item once we get together and sue saturn for this obvious negligent behavior. This problem is well known and is continual. Perhaps when some unfortunate soul is stranded in the wilderness and dies, then the manufacturer will pay attention to this cold weather start problem. The public is well aware of the problem and so is saturn. It would be well worth it for the corporate office to crunch the numbers and decide to recall the vehicle for this problem. I have read that the difficultly may have to do with a type of lubricant on the starter, which hardens in the cold weather. The car stalls as a result, and then the pass-lock kicks in. After 8 minutes, the car may start, or one may have to wait an additional 8 minutes (or more) for the ignition switch to loosen up enough to start the engine. However, the car may stall yet again---and set off the passlock system yet again. Saturn is negligent at the very least--and criminally negligent if they know of this problem---the potential dangers of it---and do nothing. Service bulletin:040845005 the federal safety agency item number:10007431 mfg bulletin date: 20060301 component: electrical system:ignition:switch bulletin summary: no crank, no start when ambient temperatures is cold - diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) b2960 and or b3033 are set.
This is an ongoing problem with my saturn ion 2003. It won't start when it's cold and it has left me stranded on several occasions. By the multiple complaints that I see from other people online, this is a big problem. It has something to do with the passlock security system and the ignition switch. It gets very cold here in colorado and I just don't want to be stranded again. Http://www.carsurvey.org/viewcomments_review_97727.html some of these people have "fixed" the problem and it is still occurring. It would be nice to see some kind of recall on this problem. This is not the only problem I've had with this car. I will not be buying a saturn again.
My car has failed to start several times in the last week. It seems to be related to the ignition switch and the type of lubricant used in it and it's reaction in cold weather. After doing a ton of research, I have found thousands of people that have complained of the exact same issue. This seems to be a recurring problem that needs to be a recall.
I have had several occurrences of ignition trouble with my saturn ion. It seems in cold weather (from 60 degrees f and below) that if the engine does not start right away, the passlock security system switches on and will not allow my car to be started for 8-10 minutes. This has caused me several times to be stuck, in the middle of the night, alone, in <30 deg weather with a car that will not start. This places me in a very dangerous situation.
Saturn ion 2003 problem with starting the car around/below 32`f, this is second cold season I am having occasional problem with start the engine process, after extensive online research I am finding "the big family" of saturn owners with the same problem related to ignition switch/passlock sensor.
On tuesday, december 11, I stopped at a blockbuster to drop off some movies. When I returned to my car, it would not start. The engine would not even try to turn over. I heard a clicking noise, and called a friend to come and give me a jump. I tried to jump it, and that did not work. I immediately called a saturn dealership that is nearby where I live. I told them what was going on so I could bring it in and have it looked at. I said that my car wouldn't start, when I tried to jump it that didn't work, and that my key is now stuck in the ignition and won't come out. His response to me was, "I bet it's the ignition switch. We have been having a lot of trouble with those now that the weather is cold. Did you say you jumped it? You shouldn't have done that. That can cause the battery to have a shortage". Today, I had my car towed to the dealership and they diagnosed my car with an ignition switch problem and a dead battery. I had them replace both, and I also kept both of my old parts.
Saturn ion 2003 fails to start when cold out. Reference the federal safety agency #10007431. Saturn does not admit this is a design flaw. But will charge you and arm and a leg to fix the problem. I went to alldata web site and the show numerous problems with the 2003 saturn ion but gm fails to recognize this is a problem.
Saturn 2003 ion will not start in the winter, when temperature is 32 degree's or lower.
Key sticks forward when trying to start. Car will not start when it gets cold outside. Had it towed in. Replacement part # 10392423 ignition switch.
I have a 2003 saturn ion. My car will not start when it is cold outside. I read through message boards and found many people have the same problem. I also read some peoples car actually stall while driving, which sounds related to me. Loss of power steering and brakes were also popular complaints. These cars are obviously riddled with electrical problems and are rolling death traps. I personally experienced power steering loss once, but it never happened again so I thought it was a fluke until reading others posts. I have taken the car to several mechanics and have found no resolution. I found a tsb stating that a faulty ignition is the cause of the cold starting problem, so I will likely replace it.
My complaint is that my car shuts off while I'm driving it. The first time it happened I was leaving work and had just made a right hand turn and as I was accelerating the car completely turned off, I was going about 30 MPH when it happened. I was able to pull the car to the side of the road without incident. I took the car to the dealership immediately to have the issue fixed. I was told the problem was the body control module, so it was replaced and I picked up my car. Two weeks later I was on my way to work on a busy highway during rush hour traffic and while I was in the left lane going 65 MPH the car completely shut off. I put on my flashers and coasted to a stop, using some brakes, but I couldn't stop too suddenly or I would have been rear-ended. I was in the left lane next to a jersey wall, there was not much of a shoulder so I was partially on it and partially blocking traffic, I am very lucky to not have been hit. It would be a real tragedy for someone to be killed due to this malfunction before notice was taken and these cars recalled completely.
Hood latch broken, ignition switch sparks and the car doesn't start, loud clanking noise in front end, transmission is quirky while shifting(automatic) do not have any of the parts.
Car wouldn't start, battery and electrical system checked ok. Finally checked with other owners of similar make,model and year of car and the cold weather problem with the started is a known issue. Waited an hour or so to try again and the car started.
When the temperature is 32 degrees or less and the engine is not running I attempt to start my car and it will not start. The ignition switch clicks and then the car stalls. The security system kicks in and the security light comes on and then the odometer screen reads "service vehicle soon". The car will not start for about 8 to 10 minutes. After 8 to 10 minutes the light stops blinking and the service vehicle goes off and then the car starts. This has happened several times since then and it occurs all different times of the days. As I read on the internet there have been several people with the same problems. This is going to cost me approximately $200.00 to fix.
Failure to start in cold weather combined with security system lockout. The problem arises as follows: a.the saturn vehicle is exposed to temperatures at or approaching 32 degrees f for several hours when the engine is not running (usually 6-10 hours.) b.an operator attempts to start the vehicle, the ignition switch clicks and the car stalls. C.the security system kicks in. The security light blinks and the odometer screen reads: ?service engine soon.? Fuel will not be sent to the engine. D.the vehicle will now not start for about 8-10 minutes as the security system resets. E.after 8-10 minutes, the security light will stop blinking and then go out. ?the service engine soon? Scroll light will stop and also go out. F.now the operator may attempt to start the vehicle again. G.however, if the ignition switch grease has not adequately warmed, then the process will begin again. H.a signal that the vehicle will likely start after the present ?lock-out? Will be when the ignition seems to crank a bit more than just a click, before locking out again.
Vehicle will not turn over when outside temperatures get colder then 32 f.
2003 ion when the weather gets cold, my car will not start, I will try it again and again. I will wait about 15 minutes and then all of a sudden it will start like nothing is wrong. The battery has been tested and is completely fine. It will turn on all electronics, tell me to service engine, then it won't turn over. Next I wait about 15 minutes and it starts. And runs fine. This has happened at least 20 times.
When it is too cold, my ignition switch locks my security system and I have to wait a long time before my car starts. Saturn has issued a technical advisory (# 04-08-45-005d) about this issue but will not issue a recall (even though it is obvious that this is a defect in their product). Many others have similar problems: http://www.carsurvey.org/viewcomments_review_97727.html
I am writing to note that my 2003 saturn ion 3 does not start up in the cold, even though the battery and alternator are in good condition. It happened once in 2005, and then I was lucky enough for the rest of that winter and the next. At the time, I was told by a saturn mechanic in 2005 over the phone that this problem does occur with ions in cold weather. The problem recurred this past monday and this morning. This afternoon I went online to seek out guidance in taking care of the problem. I came across the following online resource: http://www.carsurvey.org/viewcomments_review_97727.html. The issue is obviously a recurrent one that saturn has chosen not to address. This seems like a clear-cut case for a component recall, but saturn will not take responsibility. I ask that the federal safety agency direct its resources toward saturn to seek a determination about the need for a recall for this defective vehicle.* *I have forwarded a copy of this explanation to my member of congress, representative jim moran.
Car will not start when first attempting to start is in cold weather. After about 10 to 15 minutes it will finally start when attempting again. From research on the internet it sounds similar to numerous other complaints people have about a faulty ignition switch that saturn has known about for some time.
Vehicle won't start - no crank, no start. It is only 3 years old and has low usage and mileage.
Car is very difficult to start in cold weather. Must play with ignition switch many times to get it started.
Whenever it is damp or cold outside the vehicle will refuse to start. Once the vehicle has refused to start I must wait a minimum of 10 mins before starting the vehicle. On certain occasions this process repeats and I may have to wait upwards of 20 mins to start my vehicle and drive. This issue has been traced back to a faulty ignition switch and implementation of gms passlock vehicle protection system. The manufacturer refuses to acknowledge fault and replace the ignition switch without the consumer incurring substantial costs.
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