During every cold season since the purchase of 2003 saturn ion, there is a problem with starting the vehicle in cold weather (usually when below 25 deg f). This seems to be an intermittent problem. How the problem manifests is as follows: in cold weather, when trying to start the vehicle, engine frequently (at least 25% of the time) will not "catch" and run- just turns over. If immediately trying to start it again after a first failed start, engine turns over slowly and dies (similar to dead battery symptom, however battery has been checked and found to be ok). After letting the car sit for 5 minutes after a failed attempt, trying again may result in a moment of what appears to be fuel getting to the engine, and more engine turning, however engine stalls. After repeated waiting and start re-attempts (often 5- 10 times, and an elapsed period of time of 30- 60 minutes of re-attempts, the engine will frequently start and remain started. However the inconvenience of a 30-60 minute delay is disconcerting, and on some cold mornings, repeated failed attempts causes battery to drain and need for "jump starting" the car, at owner expense and inconvenience. An internet search on 2003 saturn ion cold starting problem indicates a pervasive and systematic problem in ignition switch design, however saturn has not yet acknowledged this design flaw in a formal recall. Today, repairs have to be made at owner expense ($200-300 replacement ignition switch seems to be the feedback). See website http://www.carsurvey.org/viewcomments_review_97727.html my request of the federal safety agency is that you urge saturn to issue a formal recall for this problem immediately. Please respond with your inputs and intended approach on this situation. Also, if you are aware of other agencies that I should contact about this problem, I would greatly appreciate.
2003 Saturn Ion engine complaints
Page 3 of 4: complaints 41 to 70 of 79, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start in cold weather. It takes approximately 30 minutes or less for the vehicle to start. The vehicle was taken in for inspection, but they could not find any failures. The manufacturer stated that no recalls were available. The failure and current mileages were 72,000. Updated 020209 *bf updated 02/03/09.
Oil started leaking on saturday, took to shop on sunday, they thought cracked head gasket. Went to saturn dealer on monday, they could not id leak, directed me to bring back in a couple days. Today they identified cracked cylinder head. Car has only 67,000 miles and has never overheated to the best of my knowledge. Block is cast iron, cyl head is aluminum. Quoted cost to repair: $2600, not under warranty and not covered by dealer.
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.
I had the car in march 2008 from a certified dealership, and needed a head gasket in less than a year. If the car was certified how the car can have a major problem so much. I haven't had any accident, or any other problems with the car. Then the light blew out in the dash board.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. When the heater is operated, the vehicle would idle extremely high. The failure has been occurring since fall of 2006. The contact stopped at a traffic light and the failure recurred. Suddenly, the vehicle accelerated without the accelerator pedal being depressed. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failures. The manufacturer stated that if the dealer could not duplicate the failures, then nothing could be done. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 33,000 and current mileage was 74,300.
Engine is overheating, I have replaced thermostat, water pump, and it seems that it is related to the timing belt on the vehicle.
The timing chain broke on the vehicle. All I did was go to start it up and it wouldn't start. I had to have it towed to a goodyear but they couldn't fix it. So right now it is being looked at by a mechanic. He said that the timing chain is broken and because of the breakage I now have to have the valves replaced as well as the thermostat, the fuel pump and the head gasket. All of these were damaged by the chain. This is now costing me approximately $3000. All of which is caused by a faulty belt that saturn installed on their vehicles.
The timing belt broke on my 2003 saturn ion on 11-28-07. The car only has 67,000 miles on it. Unfortunately with the belt breaking it messed up the valves, head gasket and fuel pump. Which is costing me almost $3000. The belt shouldn't have broken with that few of miles on it. Now I am down to one car and it has become a huge hassle. I am never going to buy a saturn again. In my opinion the warranty is awful and the customer service is non-existent. The warranty is only on the first 30,000 miles and or 3 years. The customer service can not help me in the situation.
2003 saturn ion with cracked cylinder head customer states that the problem comes from a defective casting of cylinder head**cc the consumer stated she experienced a cracked cylinder head in may of 2007 but the corporation denies any responsibility in the matter. The consumer stated saturn states not want to take responsibility for the insurance warranty nor the defect of the vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The windshield wiper linkage failed while driving 50 MPH in the rain. The windshield wiper came off the driver's side window shield and would not return to its normal position. The failure mileage was 42,990. The dealer informed the contact that they were repairing the linkage. The contact was aware that of investigation# pe 07011 on the same year, make and model vehicle for the duplicate failure. Also, the dealer informed the contact that the timing chain should be repaired, it was related to investigation #dp 05008. The current mileage was 43,000.
Tl* - the contact called regarding a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated that the engine would not turn over in cold temperatures. This happened intermittently, 36 times. The contact did not lose power . The vehicle will eventually start. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer for diagnosis. The dealer diagnosed the failure, but she would have to pay for the repair. The contact stated that the windshield washers did not work. The weatherwas not a factor.
Vehicle will not crank or start after car is turned off after driving a short or long time. Service light comes on when you try to start the vehicle. After letting it set for about 20 mins the vehicle then starts and shutoff again and it takes about five tries to get it started again.
My saturn ion 3 had 4 occurrences of service vehicle's message in the last 24 hours since dec 29, 2006. When I turn the key, the engine doesn't turn over. The message windows shows "service vehicle" and the "security"/pass lock symbol on the dash keeps flashing. I kept trying turning the ignition, nothing happnened. The after approx. 10 minutes, the car started and ran great as if nothing happened.
Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle had problems starting in cold weather. The engine would start after a few attempts or not start at all on different occasions. The non service dealer could not duplicate the issue to fix it.
I have a 2003 saturn ion-3 and it will not start below 40 degrees, this is a ridiculous problem. There is a thread about this problem at : http://www.autosite.com/content/research/forums/index.cfm/action/posts/fid/5610 there are many people with this problem and so far nothing has been done, I am just hoping I can sell this car asap because it has been quite a problem.
I have been having some issues with clunking and grinding noises when going over bumps or potholes or while making turns. I took my 2003 ion 2 to have this checked and I found out that the problems was both of my control arm bushings. My car is 2 months out of warranty and has only 38,000 miles on it, so at first I thought that this could be untrue. But, after internet research it seems that many 2003 ion drivers have had this problem. I called my saturn dealer and they acted like they had never heard of this problem and could do nothing to help me or fix it. My other problem with the car, which also seems to be a common problem, is that the service engine soon light comes on intermittently. One day it will be on, and the next it will be fine.
2003 ion has had blower fan, clutch switch, cylinder cable hood latch, brake light bulb, wiper module all replaced with in months apart from each other. *ts the rotors were warped and the tail lamp failed.
Driving under normal conditions on the highway, check engine light came on and within seconds smoke began billowing out both ends of the vehicle. The engine has been confirmed to have a hole in the block, rendering the vehicle inoperable until it is replaced. The vehicle is in the dealership shop and is awaiting an adjuster from the car company to inspect it before they will begin to repair it.
My 2003 saturn ion consistently idles at between 1200 and 2000 RPM. Car drives itself when I take my foot off the brake. Car will drive 5-10 MPH with foot off the case. I have complained at each service but the dealer states there is nothing wrong. The idle is determined by software. Etc.
2003 saturn ion-3, purchased june 2003. Repeated problems with engine revving, car almost drives itself; I have almost created an accident because I was unable to stop. More serious problems with car stalling out and turning off in the middle of driving, both at lower speeds on surface streets and higher speeds on interstates. Extremely unsafe, I have almost gotten into accidents several times because of vehicle malfunctions. Have taken to several dealers and repair shops throughout georgia and michigan. No one is able to determine the correct problem, saturn service stated, because the vehicle is not showing problems at this time, we are unable to correct the issue at hand.
Ongoing problem 7/2004 - 7/2005 vehicle suddenly stalls while driving at highway speeds causing following traffic to react to stopped vehicle. (latest 7/15/05) returned to dealer on several occations. (latest 7/18/05) computer has never shown codes and they've not been able to resolve the problem.
The vehicle stalled while driving on the freeway and going down a hill. The vehicle accelerated up to 5,000 RPM's and would not go down until the vehicle was on a flat surface. Provide further details.
The area in my trunk above the muffler has started getting extremely hot. Items stored in the trunk are hot to the touch and the metal in the trunk is too hot to lay a hand on. I took the car to the dealership and was told this is normal. I have never dropped items while removing them from the trunk because they were too hot to touch and I've had the car since february 2003. I have had constant problems with this car and it is in the shop every month to month and a half being repaired. I have had problems with the driver's side turn signal (4 times), radio, interior fan, transmission, gear shift, brakes, tires, hood latch, windshield, etc.
When a turn was made, the vehicle stalled. Please provide more information.
While driving vehicle stalled. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.
Drove through water about 5 to 6 inches deep during rain, car stopped would not restart, engine had to be replaced due to water damage, the car was just one year old.
Our 2003 saturn ion ii has stalled on numerous occasions. This problem started occuring a month after we purchased the vehicle and have continued since. We have taken our car in for service for this particular problem on these dates: 10/3/03, 11/5/03, 5/24/04. We are also taking it in 6/28/04 for service for the same reason. The saturn has stalled while slowing down at a stoplight, while turning through an intersection, while driving, while accelerating from a stop sign, and while entering a toll station. We were very close to being struck by other vehicles in several of these occasions, but fortunately were not. With my wife expecting our first child, we are very hesitant to drive this vehicle. We do not feel safety for ourselves and for others when in this car. 10/3/03 - saturn service dept. Checked the battery and it checked out ok 11/5/03 - saturn service dept. Checked for codes and found p1599 stall code in history. Checked wiring and connectors and found junction block loose under hood. They tightened under hood junction block connector screws. 2/19/04 - saturn service dept. Replaced fuel filter (recall - 03068) 5/24/04 - saturn service dept. Test drove car and could not duplicate the concern. Looked for codes in system or tsb's, but none were found. We feel nothing has been done to resolve this issue we are continuously having, and are extremely dissatisfied with the service we have received. We would like the problem to be solved or some action to be taken.
There's a strong sulfur odor on the inside and outside of the vehicle. Consumer feels the smell maybe caused by a failure in the catalytic converter. The smell could make occupants ill especially anyone with respiratory conditions. *ak
I bought a 2003 saturn ion 3 march 17, 2003. Within 2 weeks the car had a cracked cylinder with coolant leaking into the engine. Saturn corp. Recalled the car. The purchase of [xxx] was canceled 4/17/03 and I purchased a 2nd 2003 saturn ion 3, [xxx], on 4/17/03. The 2nd car from the beginning had transmission problems shifting between gears, jerking up and down from 30 MPH to 70 MPH, kicks when started, rattles loudly in reverse, and steering problems coming out of turns. The car has been in service 4 times (bumper to bumper warranty. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
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