2003 saturn ion. The car runs perfectly fine however I have been left stranded on several occasions due to a malfunction involving the ignition switch. Most of the time involves me being late for work but twice I was left in potentially dangerous situations. Once trying to leave a sporting event late night in downtown cleveland the car wouldn't start, turned the key and nothing. Tried several times finally after 20 minutes of that the car started right up. Another time with my 85 year old mom (who has alzheimer's) after buying gas the same thing and it terrified my mom. I have since learned that saturn is aware of this defect and that problems similar to mine are very common and very frustrating to saturn owners who are forced to pay nearly $300.00 for a new ignition switch only to have the problem reoccur a few moths later. Saturn admits that the problem is worse in cold weather. If people are stranded in frigid weather unable to start the engine and have heat, especially if there is an elderly person or child in the car, serious injuries could definitely occur.
2003 Saturn Ion electrical complaints
Page 8 of 14: complaints 191 to 220 of 383, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The car just seemed to accelerate by itself and then quit; amazingly enough the speedometer got screwed up and was showing 10mph over what it was really going; only way I could tell was by what the rpms normally run was way too slow compared to the speed.
Car intermittently starts. This has been a sporadic event since december 2007. It happens perhaps once or twice a month in the colder weather. Car will start fine at one stop, then try to start it again and nothing happens. Come back 10-20 minutes later and it starts right up. Originally thought it was the old battery, but that has been replace and the problem is recurring.
The ignition switch does not work. During "cold days" my car does not start. I have to wait between 10 to 20 minutes to start the car. This is a problem that ion 2003-2007 have, saturn knows about it. However, they have not done anything about fixing the problem. Thousands of complains about the ignition switch, they need to do something.
2003 saturn ion with 58,000 miles had been running fine. After a brief stop for shopping, the car would not start. It made only a clicking sound when the key was turned. This had never happened before. After about 10 minutes, it would turn over once and then nothing. After about 40 minutes, the car started. It was a cool day, but this had never happened before on even colder days. One dealer checked the battery and the starter and found nothing wrong. Another location identified the battery as low. It was replaced. But the real cause of this event is still a mystery. From other complaints, I see this is not an uncommon event in a 2003 ion. I am very concerned, now, that it will happen again and still there will be no remedy. Are there no recalls because no one can figure out what is the cause of the problem or how to remedy it?
While there have, been no adverse deaths or injuries there is a problem that has happened multiple times that could lead to deaths. I have a 2003 saturn ion and have had to replace the ignition 2 times. The ignition locks up and the car will continue running even if I remove the key.
Our 2003 saturn ion fails to start at times. Typically when this happens it is a cold morning. We replaced the battery and starter. The problem persists. Hundreds of people have cited the very same problem on car discussion sites.
There are no events leading up to the failure. From everything I've read from other saturn ion owners this is a frequent and seemingly random problem. At any given time if it is cold outside the car won't start. Everything lights up, the engine turns over and catches, only to stall. Upon repeated attempts to start the car there will be no response whatsoever. The engine does not turn over. After waiting several minutes it will eventually start. This problem has occurred 4 times in the last month; twice causing me to be late for particularly important engagements. Upon reporting the problem to the saturn dealership where I bought the car I was told that they have many complaints of the same problem, but that their staff haven't been able to resolve it. This has been their general attitude towards several issues I've had with my car. I took it to another garage and they can't find a thing wrong with it. Saturn seems to be turning a blind eye to a problem that is clearly the result of a poor design somewhere on their part. I have also had to replace control arm bushings when I was at about 80 000 km, and now need to replace struts. I am hesitant to do this though, as the general consensus among saturn ion owners is that bushings and struts are in perpetual need of replacement on these cars. After replacing the parts most people find that they have to make the same repairs again within 2 years. Further problems I have with my car are: trunk will not open with key, replaced wires on both front turn signals and one headlight, key would not release from ignition, erratic transmission behavior (I was told that this is a common problem and that I just have to deal with it), seat belt guides broken (front, both sides), rear seat belt "female" component falls into crevice in seat, paint peeling from front bumper without being chipped prior, and a faulty cruise control switch. Every single one of these problems has turned up again and again in the ion owners community.
I have a 2003 saturn ion and the problem started yesterday. I just bought this car on january 31, 2009. I went to start the car and it would not turn over at all. It just said service vehicle on the message center screen. I drive 120 miles per day sometimes and I have done online research and have found hundreds of complaints on this car. It not only happens with this year and make but with other makes too! This is ridiculous and dangerous. The weather where I live gets down to 30 below zero sometimes and I cannot afford to not be able to start my car. I am a full-time student with 3 children and a husband that works out of town. I cannot afford the numerous car repairs that people are reporting that they had to have done on this type of car. Why hasn't their been a recall?!!!
During the winter months when temperature is 30 or below my 2003 saturn ion is unable to start. I must wait 20 minutes and then try again. There seem to be a faulty ignition switch. Which can be extremely dangerous in inclement weather.
2003 saturn ion will not start due to faulty parts used by manufacturer.
On july 5, 2008 I purchased a 2003 saturn ion from carmax for the cost of $10,998. It apparently passed the rigorous carmax certified quality inspection. In november 2008 (4 months later) the saturn would not start due to the cold weather. I took this into carmax and they replaced my battery at my cost. Again in january 2009 (1 month later) it still would not start in the morning. They performed a diagnostic test and could not duplicate. This morning now february 2009 it did not start again in the morning resulting in a problem getting my daughter to school. It is undoubtedly an issue that needs to be addressed by saturn. After reading all these complaints about the car not starting under cold weather conditions I am perplexed as to why saturn is not doing anything about this. This is my first experience with a saturn and most likely my last.
I would like to know why saturn has not been forced to do a recall with all of the problems with the ignition on ions not working at certain times. I have researched this on the internet and it is clearly a design issue. I am often stranded because the car will not start.
Starting this fall, my 2003 saturn ion has had a problem with not starting sometimes. It starts fine in the morning no matter how cold, but sometimes after I drive a little while and engine is warmer, it will not start back up if I run into the store or whatever for a few minutes. It turns over a few strokes and dies completely. If I try immediately after that absolutely nothing happens. I will normally wait 15 minutes (or so) and it starts perfectly fine with plenty of power.
Car fails to start intermittently. Wait 10 min, car turns over then dies. Wait 5 min car will start (high RPM's at first) w/o problem.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. At temperatures of 30 degrees and below, the vehicle failed to start. The contact had to make several attempts before the engine would turn over. The dealer performed a diagnostic and discovered that the ignition switch was faulty. The ignition switch was replaced under warranty; however, the failures continued to occur. The dealer performed another diagnostic and found that the ignition switch needed to be replaced yet again at the contact's expense. The VIN that was provided was not accepted by the system. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was less than 65,000.
I have a 2003 saturn that will not start when it gets cold, this has happen since I have had the car. This can be very frustrating and costly when I miss hours from work or trying to get my child to school. I have seen several complaints regarding this issue. Is there anyone willing to do anything. Why should we continue to suffer for trusting a product with your name on it for reliable transportation.*tr karen
I have a 2003 saturn ion. I have had it in 3 times to be worked on. Some days it will start some days it will not. I have had a fuse replaced, my started, and a connection to the starter. I know 2 other people who have had the same issue with the same car. Now I read this online blog and a ton of people having the same issue. My car is no longer under warranty so I will have to pay for all of these repairs.
Car will not start in cold weather (approximately 30 degrees or lower). Initial attempt at starting puts car into anti-theft mode, and you must wait about 10 minutes to try again with no guarantee the same thing won't happen again.
I have had numerous incident during the last 14 months regarding my saturn ion iii not wanting to start in cold weather & the ignition switch not allowing me to release the key. This has caused me to take my vehicle to a mechanic to try to diagnose, new battery, towing etc.
This fall I went to start my 2005 saturn ion s2 it would not start. I had the ignition switched replaced. Now in january, I am having the same problems with the car not starting. I have researched and determined that this is not a problem that can be fixed permanently because the part is bad from saturn. I do not want to keep spending $200.00 whenever I have this problem.
Saturn will not start in cold weather. Starts fine in the warmth of my garage. Barely turns over then dies. Have to wait several minutes or have it jumped. Battery is fully charged and alternator is good. Starter problem or ignition problem. Same as many others: http://www.carsurvey.org/viewcomments_review_97727.html.
Car has problems starting up in cold weather, but it's sporadic - sometimes it will start, sometime it won't. Believe it has something to do with a "white" wire that is in the steering column and connected to the ignition switch.
I have a 2003 saturn ion that I bought used in 2006. When the weather is 32 degrees or lower the vehicle will not start. I thought that it may just be my battery but the battery was fine. After doing a google search I was able to read though about 150 cases where people with this same vehicle had problems starting the vehicle in cold weather. This really concerns me because this is a common problem with this vehicle and there is no recall for this reason. After doing research on this matter I found the problem to be a faulty ignition switch that was installed from the factory. This vehicle should have had a recall for this problem, with so many complaints of the problem. I have a four month old baby and to be out in the cold with a vehicle that wont start because of a manufacture problem is really sad. I think that you should really look into this matter with this vehicle. Every day I cant start my vehicle because of the cold weather. Please help me in this matter. Also google this problem and you will see many cases of this same problem.
Car has starting problems. Intermittent starting in cold weather and now stalls while driving. Dealer installed new ignition switch one week ago for $230, but stalling is once again a problem. This is a safety issue when you are stuck in a car in the middle of traffic!
My 2003 saturn ion refuses to start sporadically on cold mornings. This has been going on since early fall. My car repair shop assures me that the battery in my car is fully charged and capable of starting. They tell me that they have seen 5-6 of these issues with saturn ions in the past month, and that I must take it to the saturn dealership because it is a known ignition switch issue. I live in a fairly small town, the fact that my shop has seen this many issues with saturns is astounding. I have small children and the temps in indiana have been below zero. I fear that I will have them out somewhere and be unable to start my car in sub-zero temperatures, or that I will be unable to pick them up from school because I cannot get my car started. I have read on the web this morning, that I am not alone in my issues with my saturn ion. I realize that no one has died or been injured in my particular situation, but if small children are stranded in my car in sub-zero temps because my car won't start, it seems that, at the very least we have a potential safety issue here.
My saturn ion has been having intermittent problems starting in cooler weather. I have replaced the battery and found out online that the ignition switch either goes bad or the wrong switch was installed at the factory. The problem has to do with a key code and voltage. This has occur at least once a week for a month now.
The problem has existed since I purchased the car. My car does not cold start in temperatures under 30 degrees. Many saturn owners with same problem. Car is no longer under warranty but when it was I brought it in many times for diagnostic tests and service. Dealer replaced ignition switch twice and starter once. Problem has never been fixed. Its worse now then ever before in these cold dayton ohio winters. Now they say they need to replace the mother board for my car after doing another diagnostics test for a total of @ $500.00. I feel saturn is not only giving me the run around but will gladly still take my hard earned money. Please help. Im about to be a father and don't want to be stranded in the cold with my child by a company that just got millions loaned to them by our government. Not fair, please help hold them accountable for their wrongdoings.
Car will not start when all components are good. Faulty anti theft device.
The temperatures in fort wayne have been below freezing lately (wind-chill was -35 today), and my 2003 saturn ion has had a lot of trouble starting. When I turn my key in the ignition, it turns over but won't start. After letting it sit for a minute, I try to start it again, only now it won't even turn over; it just clicks. I thought my battery needed to be replaced, but I haven't had much help today in dealing with it. I searched the internet for advice, and I came across a car review website with several reviews and comments complaining about the same 2003 saturn ion problem I'm having. From the reviews and comments, I figured our problems are one in the same- the cars have faulty ignition switches. I tried to get my car fixed when I first bought it last year, and the dealer told me it was an ignition problem. I'm just now discovering that it's a problem with all 2003 ions- not just mine. As far as I know, saturn is doing nothing to help its customers in their greatest time of need. Thank god my car died in the parking lot at work and not in some location where I would be stranded in the frigid temperatures.
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