I have 2 2003 saturn ion's which have starter problems which both have had starters replace because of this problem that gm/saturn continue to ignore. When you get a temperature change the cars sometimes start and sometimes don't. Saturn should recall.
2003 Saturn Ion electrical complaints
Page 9 of 14: complaints 221 to 250 of 383, newest first, as owners wrote them.
My car will not start when it is cold. It is due to the faulty design of the ignition switch/passlock error. It happens at least three or four times a week, end every morning it is below 34 degrees. I have had a new battery, fuel filter and starter replaced in the past week. After ten to fifteen minutes it starts, but today after forty five minutes it still did not start. I went online and found that thousands of other saturn owners have the same problem. This part needs to be recalled.
We have a 2003 saturn ion that wont start in cold weather due to ignition switch problems. Saturn dealer wants $100 just to diagnose it on a computer but many forums have information stating that the dealer already knows that the ignition switch is faulty.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. In cold weather conditions, the vehicle would not start. Usually after repeated attempts of turning the key in the ignition, the vehicle will start. The vehicle has not been taken to the dealer for inspection to determine the cause of the failure. The failure mileage was 36,000 and current mileage was 48,000.
I drive a 2003 saturn ion 3 - and every winter I go through the same issue. The car will randomly not start. After about 10-20 minutes of attempting to start the vehicle will finally turn over and start just fine. I began to research this issue last winter and found this: http://www.carsurvey.org/viewmorecomments_review_97727_6.html this website has pages and pages of people owning the same car and having the same problem. The problem happens only when it's cold out and it started off happening once in a great while...up until this winter. I live in wisconsin and it's cold for a good 4 or 5 months. This week my car has not started 5 times resulting in me being late for work and late for scheduled events....5 times. I work for a highly respected company and am an office manager. I am expected to be on time to open the office and get things going in the morning. I'm hoping that with the millions of saturn customers who are not satisfied that a recall will be issued and I can have this problem fixed. I can not justify paying for a problem that a multi million dollar car company is aware of and is choosing to do nothing about.
Only when it's cold outside, my car won't start. I've replaced the starter and found out that it was not the problem. After researching my issue on the internet, I found that thousands of other people have the exact same problem as me. Since the problem is the ignition switch, and everyone that replaces it says the problem persists, I'm not going to waste money on an issue that can't be resolved unless your organization puts a recall on that part. I'm sure you've received numerous of emails regarding this problem, so the only solution would be to recall that item. Since we have given you business by purchasing your vehicles, the only thing to do is to help out your loyal customers.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact was able to remove the key from the ignition while the vehicle was in any gear, including drive or reverse. She took the vehicle to the dealer at least twice and each time they stated that there was a different failure. The dealer wants to replace the steering column all the way through the engine to determine the cause of the failure. The key would not turn all the way back to the acc position unless the vehicle had been idling for at least 3-5 minutes. The contact found the federal safety agency campaign id number 97v055000 (electrical system:ignition:switch) for the same make, but a different model and the previous year. The contact feels that the recall should be expanded for her year, make, and model vehicle. She found hundreds of complaints online regarding this failure. The failure began within a week of purchasing the vehicle. The failure mileage was 40,000 and current mileage was 41,000.
My saturn 2003 ion continues to have intermittent starting problems(not related to the battery), and problems with the key getting stuck in the ignition cylinder, even after the ignition cylinder was replaced. They cannot detect a problem yet it still keeps happening!
2003 saturn ion has problems starting in the cold. Multiple websites document dozens of cases of people with the exact same issue all relating to a faulty ignition switch system. Problem occurred sporadically the first couple years but has become more and more common. Saturn is willing to replace the ignition switch but at my expense for something that is an obvious defect of the car.
Car will not start in temperatures near 32 degrees or less. Ignition switch and battery have already been replaced. Car starts to crank then stalls out and service light comes on. Must wait 10-15 minutes to try again. If lucky it will start on 2nd try, otherwise 3rd. This has been going on for past 3 weeks when temps dropped.
Bought vehicle in apr. 05, dec 06 problem starting car in cold weather late for work, dealer replaced passlock2 system dec 06, vehicle fine until dec 07, problem came about again, jan 08 called dealer said to bring in for diagnostic, did so dealer said it's the body control module (bcm for short), prior to finding that out replaced starter and battery to try and fix problem. Called saturn customer support jan or feb, they said the electronic failing was my fault and I had to fix problem. Sitting in the cold waiting to start my car has resulted in lose of dexterity and feeling in finger tips due to prolonged exposure to sub-zero temps trying to start car. Saturn has a bulletin #1787659 saying that if owners come in referring to their car not starting in cold weather "no crank, no start with complete power". Saturn knows of the problem and wont fix it cause they deem it "a non-safety issue".
We have a 2003 saturn ion that has experienced ignition problems over the last 2 years. We had the starter replaced by our mechanic when the problem first occurred in 2006 but have experienced the problem 12-15 times since then. We have found out that the car will start if you wait for 15 minutes or so but it is not always convenient to do so. An internet search reveals numerous saturn owners with the same problem which has not been acknowledged by saturn as a design or manufacturing defect. My local dealership is aware of the problem with the passlock ignition system but can only repair it for a fee.
I want to file a complaint about my saturn ion 2003 in hopes that we can recall the car. My car is outside uncovered all night. Right now it is 27.1 degrees outside. My saturn ion 2003 has a hard time starting when it is below 32 degrees. I read on this website http://www.carsurvey.org/viewcomments_review_97727.html that I am not the only one that is having this issue. It seems to be an issue with the ignition switch. This has happened to me 2 times this week, 3 times this year, a total of 6 to 8 times in the 5 years that I've had it. It sounds like the ignition revs, but then it dies and my car has a message "service soon". If I give it a few minutes to sit, then I try it again, sometimes it does the exact same thing, sometimes it gets a little better, but the engine won't turn over completely. Then, when the ignition switch is a little warmer, it will actually start. I usually stay in my car for an average of 15 minutes. Longest I've waited for my car to start was an hour. I have talked to saturn once about this, but they stated that they will have to reproduce the issue before they can find out what is wrong. If I can get my car to saturn, obviously they will not be able to reproduce the issue. This is something that saturn really needs to acknowledge since it is more of a safety issue. We don't want to be stranded in the cold with no phone service waiting for the grease or ignition switch to warm up. It's ridiculous. Thank you for your attention.
2003 saturn ion ignition switch problem. Car won't start, then interlock prevents car from being started for 8-10 minutes. This has occurred approximately a dozen times at various temperatures.
My 2003 saturn ion 2 will not start in the winter when the temperature is below 32 degrees. This can happen at least once a week all winter long. It can take anywhere from 10 minutes to one hour for my car to start again. I took it to a mechanic who could not find what the problem was and charged me $80 for nothing. This has been happening for three winters and has gotten worse each winter. It has caused me to miss work and be late for work several times.
Faulty ignition switch. Car will not start for 10-15 minutes when its cold outside. Battery replaced and it did not help.
2003 saturn ion fails to start. This is leaving my wife and kids stranded in the cold a couple of times a day now. Details can be found at this website as well as many others. This is the perfect description. Http://www.carsurvey.org/viewcomments_review_97727.html.
Faulty design in the ignition switch. The switch leaks lubricant onto the wires of the ignition system. In cold temperatures this lubricant freezes and prevents the electrical signal needed by the passlock anti-theft system from being received by the bcm (body control module). When this signal isn't received the anti-theft system kicks in. It then shuts off the fuel delivery system for a default period of 10 minutes or sometimes longer for up to an hour. This has caused numerous failures with the driver being stranded in cold temperatures. There's numerous documentation in regards to this problem online for several years and saturn is taking no responsibility to try and remedy this problem, except to charge unreasonable prices to fix. In addition, according to many reviews online this problem resurfaces at a later date...
If 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), then when you attempt to start the vehicle, the ignition switch clicks and the car stalls. 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. The vehicle will now not start for about 8-10 minutes as the security system resets. 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. Now, you may attempt to start the vehicle again. .however, if the ignition switch grease has not adequately warmed, then the process will begin again. 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. Remedy:1. The grease in the ignition switch is freezing and/or hardening so that the ignition switch can not engage. The dealer must recall all of these vehicles and replace the ignition switch and grease. They apparently have a redesigned switch, which certainly can be construed as an admission to the faulty design. Of course, this type of remedial measure cannot be used in court, but is certainly helpful to those of us consumers who are the victims of the faulty design. Saturn must openly acknowledge the mistake and fix it, before someone is stranded in the cold, in an area with no cell phone service. 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.
I just bought a 2003 saturn ion 2 about 2 weeks ago. My wife woke up this morning to start her car and it would not start. I tried jumping the car and still no luck. The passlock light came on and said service vehicle. So I told my wife to get in the car and shift it to neutral so we could push it into a different spot so she could take my truck to work. She decided to try and start it one last time and it then started. Frustrated, I went on to the internet and search for ion problems and have found about 200 complaints about the same problem. This is a problem that saturn needs to address and take care!!
We own a 2003 saturn ion and the key gets stuck in the ignition. You have to press a release button in the steering column to get the key out. In addition, this appears to create an electrical issue as sometimes the car won't start. We purchased this vehicle used and took it back to the dealership within the 30 day warranty period. They said they were "unable to replicate" problem, unbeknownst to us this was an ongoing issue with saturn ions. The "temporary fix" is even in the owners manual. That's just wrong! How can a company get away with selling such a defective product -- and especially a car!!! I feel ripped off and saturn should stand behind such a defective vehicle issue. This does create a safety issue because sometimes the car won't start leaving you stranded. The dealership won't even offer to give a "free estimate" -- and now they tell me there are various possible fixes -- it depends on which part is broken. So I have to give them $85 for them to tell me how much it will cost to fix. I am a single parent, I purchased this vehicle because it was affordable and I certainly don't see why I have to pay for a manufacturing defect. Saturn needs to step up and fix the problem!!! There are hundreds of stories like mine online. I hope you can help!
Failure occurs only when it is cold outside. The car starts then dies or sometimes doesn't start at all. It usually takes between 20 min to several hours in the freezing cold to get the car started. So far this week it has refused to start 4 times 2 of those times when I was away from home or friends leaving me stranded in the cold. I was once for 2 days at a coworkers house because I was unable to get the car to start in the freezing cold last winter and I lived 30 miles away. I have researched this and it is an extremely common problem for my car that saturn refuses to recall. One day someone like me is going to get stranded in the middle of nowhere and possibly freeze if they don't have a cell phone. I've taken my car several different repair places and the problem persists.
My 2003 saturn ion will not start in cold weather. It just makes a clicking noise. I have had a new ignition installed last year for a lot of money last year. This fixed the problem for the rest of the winter, but as soon as it got cold this winter the problem is back. It will occur about 1/4 of the times it is parked outside in very cold weather (under 25 f). I just wait 8 minutes and try again. I can't keep fixing this when saturn is aware that this is a wide spread problem. At least the money I spent last year should have fixed the issue for good. It's really frustrating and if caught in the severe cold could result in a serious injury to someone.
I own a saturn ion 2 2003 and it takes spells where it won't start. Today I had trouble. When it won't start the lights and radio, etc work, a light comes on on the message center that says to service vehicle but it won't turn over. Today I let it sit for about 10 to 15 min and it started.
My 2003 saturn ion 2 has had nothing but problems. The first thing I have experienced has been a problem with the car not starting on very cold day below 32 degrees. I had the ignition switch replaced last year as recommended by the dealership. Since the weather has gotten cold here in indiana I have begun to have the same problem. The car just will not start on very cold days again below 32 degrees.
My saturn ion 03 will not start up in early morning cold temperature. The ignition sends no signal to the anti-theft system that shuts off fuel to the car. It takes, on average, twenty minutes for the car to actually start. I noticed the problem one year ago during the winter months. At first, I speculated it was the battery, coolant/anti-freeze fluid, low gas but all checked out fine. After researching recalls and saturn ion problems I found that it was the anti-theft system that was triggering the problem.
My 2003 saturn ion has had trouble starting. If it is cold outside, it will not start, but if I wait 10-15 minutes it will start. The saturn dealership refused to do anything stating, "we can't fix it if it is not doing it at the time we are looking at it." now the car will not start at all.
Car will not start, due to pass-lock being initiated.
1. My 2003 saturn ion it would not start again. This is happening more often. I have had it hooked up a scan tool at our repair shop it said it was the safety switch, something about it had been tampered with. Which it had not, because I was right there all the time. If I wait a few minutes it will start I have been going through this for about 2 yrs now, it has worked every time. However it is becoming more often and that is why I was able to get it hooked up to a scan tool. 2. The first 2 yrs it may have happened 4 times. Within the last 3 weeks it has happened 6 times. 3. You just need to wait, when it decides to start it will. It is almost like the computer thinks that someone is breaking into the car, so shorts off the fuel to the carburetor and it will not start. It will turn over, will not start. If your try right away nothing happens, so you need to wait.... Try it again, it turns over, fires up will not start, the engine will not go.
I have a 2003 saturn ion and for the past 2 years my vehicle has had problems starting in the cold. I have heard and read hundred of people having to replace their ignition switch on their ions. It has left me stranded on many occassions in the morning and at night. Saturn has not offered to fix this problem and is just banking in the cash for us to replace their ignition switches and get our computers reprogrammed. Since saturn will not do anything to help its customers then I feel it is someone to investigate this ongoing problem.
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