Ran out of gas. Inspection indicates that fuel is leaking from rusted fuel line in front of left (driver's side) rear tire. Further inspection shows heavy/extensive rust on the fuel lines along the entire length of the undercarriage. Problem appears identical to another incident previously reported as #10668929.
2003 Saturn Ion fuel system complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 34 of 34, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Fuel system - fuel line rusted out under carriage - just in front of left rear tire. Causing gasoline to leak out thru hole in fuel line while engine is running. Entire fuel line must be replaced , cannot just replace section rusted causing hole for fuel to leak out. The cost for this repair is in excess of $600 ( parts & labor). This problem has been reported happening to numerous other vehicle owners, with no solution issued by gm; nor reimbursement to owners.
The fuel lines between the gas tank and engine have rusted out. They are rusted due to the brackets holding them to the frame as well as a water soaked insulating blanket that had been put around the fuel lines to protect them from the exhaust pipes heat. This only sped up the rusting process. They are rusted to the point that the gas is spraying on the exhaust pipes causing a possible fire or explosion. The leak is only within a foot from the gas tank making it even more dangerous. Upon my research I have found that saturn has addressed this same problem with their 2004 models but not the 2003 model. (gm recall no. 04053) the difference in the model years has not made this any less of a hazard. In a call to saturn they told me that nothing can be done with my 2003 but if I owned a 2004 this would be covered on a safety recall. This reasoning sounds rather foolish to me and the hazard should be fixed regardless of the year vehicle. A fire or explosion doesn't know what the model year it is. Why did saturn not make these fuel lines out of stainless steel, a material that would not have rusted and become a safety hazard? I would appreciate any updates on this matter. Thank you
Vehicle was in for recall on ignition switch, at the dealership changed oil and conducted multipoint inspection of vehicle. Eight weeks later vehicle was returned for service for smell of gas, dealership reported all gas lines corroded and leaking gas and need to be replaced, dealership states not releated to fuel filter corrosion recall (nthsa 04v003000) even though recall service not performed. Corroded, leaking gas lines make vehicle unsafe to operate and have the potential for fire. Believe this should be a recall as operating the vehicle with leaking gas lines put me and my family in danger. Not mention the $1000 plus repairs vehicle.
The federal safety agency campaign number: 04v003000 fuel system, gasoline vehicle was repaired due to several recalls. Shortly after the vehicles fuel filter system was replaced: may, 2014, there is a hole in the fuel line and is leaking fuel.
2003 saturn ion. Consumer writes in regards to reimbursement for faulty ignition recall repairs. *smd the consumer stated upon returning to her vehicle, she discovered she was unable to use the remote, so she used the key, instead. She attempted to place the key inside the ignition and discovered the slot was not in the off position. The vehicle would not start due to the ignition not being in the off position and enabling her to pull the key out, as the battery was dead. It wasn't until january 7, 2014, she began experiencing problems again with the ignition, and the battery died again. After the vehicle was jump started, the consumer smelled gas. It was determined the rear fuel line had corroded, which formed holes and gas was pouring out the holes on both sides.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated after driving the vehicle for a few miles there was a fuel odor throughout the vehicle. The contact stated that after the vehicle was parked, the fuel odor increased. The failure recurred on a regular basis. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage and current mileage was 165,000.
Key came out, but car was still running. Put key back in managed to get turn off engine, however key would not release for over 15min! This keeps happening to me. Scheduled appointment with chapman chevrolet tempe, az to repair according to recall instructions that I submitted to their customer service dept. They say they will notify me when the parts come in, but it has been approximately one month or more already. I believe my family and my self are in danger of a fatal accident or something; sometimes the car will not surrender the ignition key for in hour. Already had new key made at chapman chevrolet which makes starting somewhat easier, before, it would take, often times, 10min or more just to get the key to turn. Please help chapman chevrolet get the parts they need or stop ignoring my request for the honoring of the recall work I requested of them. Im afraid this will not hold up much longer as is.
Smelled gas fumes. Noticed leaking gas on ground. Upon further inspection, noticed the fuel lines are completely rusted out, causing gas to leak out onto the ground. There is no other area on the car with rust. Researching this issue, I came across many others experiencing the same problem with fuel lines rusting out. The fuel lines that were put in were wrapped with a heat resistant covering which caused water to stay and moisture to build up, eventually resulting in corrosion. Furthermore, the gasoline leakage occurred within close proximity of the exhaust system, which could cause fire or explosion. The fuel lines are inadequate, and dangerous. Potential fire hazard. This issue needs to be addressed immediately as it is very dangerous left unattended. Could cause serious bodily harm or death.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated that a fuel leak was present from the driver's side rear wheel area. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the fuel supply line was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 178,000.
While driving noticed increase of speed. Checked accelerator pedal, not stuck. Tapped accelerator with no change. Depressed the brake and slowed down and stopped. Shut vehicle off and verified the throttle body was in idle position. Restarted car and vehicle RPM went up to 4000 and starved for air and surged up and down at that level. Shut vehicle off again and contacted gm. Same vehicle also has passlock problems.
Significant rust and stress fractures on fuel line resulting in noticeable fuel leakage with the potential of incendiary incident in the case of collision. After vehicle message board queries this problem seems to occur with unusual frequency in saturn ions spanning 2003-2007. Paid out of pocket to have the fuel line replaced; was told that no recall exists for this problem so I wanted to report it.
Detected smell of gasoline. Checked recalls. There are some recalls for this car but not this VIN. Took to dealership and had rusty gas line replaced. Paid for parts and work done.
Car was parked when strong gasoline odor was noticed. Moved car to hard surface and discovered vehicle was leaking rather large amount of fuel from area behind driver side rear door. Took car to dealer where it was diagnosed as a cracked fuel pump housing. Noticed 2007 model has been recalled for fuel pump issue. Further study should probably be done to determine if this is a widespread problem in the entire ion line. The amount of fuel released after part failure is a significant fire hazard.
Car won't start when it gets cold out.(under 50) ignition turns and then engine stalls out. After a few attempts and waiting a half hour or so, it starts. (usually with a fuel smell and a backfire)apparently this is a widespread problem and I am concerned as this model has already had fuel filter assembly recall..mechanics say its the starter but when replaced, problem continues.. I have not had mine replaced yet because I'm not sure I want to go to that expense when it doesn't seem to fix the problem for others. The fact that I smell gas when it does start up concerns me and I am frankly concerned for my safety.
Failure of gm to notify me of 3 recalls on 2003 saturn ion. It is possible that this work has already been done, but I cannot tell at this time and would like this problem investigated. Recalls are: the federal safety agency campaign id number: 04v547000 the federal safety agency campaign id number: 04v003000
Beginning in the fall of 2006 I began to have a problem with the car revving up when the heat was on. At times this problem would stop after an oil change. I have taken the car to the dealership several times to have them take a look at it, but they can never seem to recreate the incident and have not found any thing with diagnostic testing. Most recently I replaced the fuel pump because the car was having other problems. I am no experiencing a safety issue. When the car is on and has been running for at least 5-10 min. The engine reves up and the car idles very high 3 or 4 rpms. When I stop at a light or stop sign or for whatever reason the car stops fine but continues to idle high. The car has begun to lung forward when the engine idles high. I have had the brakes inspected and this is not the problem. I am not sure where else to go the dealership has not been able to help me and I am afraid that someone will get hurt because of this problem.
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.
Car won't start when it is cold. Have to wait 15 minutes. Saturn repaired the problem back in 10/05. It did it again in 2006 and now it is happening again in 2007. The car thinks that it is being stolen and cuts the fuel line to the car.
I purchased a 2003 saturn ion level 2 brand new for saturn of la crosse. Approximently 25 times since I purchased this vehicle, the car will not start, and I have to wait approximently 10 minutes before the vehicle will start. I have not contacted any dealership at this point, but did find multiple people who are experincing the same problems. I am upset that saturn is not taking this matter more seriously and making a recall notice. Does it have to start on fire or someone die before something is done?
Dt*: the contact stated while driving on the freeway between 50-60 MPH, the vehicle lost all electrical power. There is no warning when this occurs and the steering wheel also locks up. The vehicle is pulled over and restarted. The dealership replaced the ignition switch and fuel pump. The contact has been out of the country since the repair, last year; the vehicle has not been driven since repairs were made.
I have a 2003 saturn ion coupe. When I would drive for a little while and let the car warm up, there are intermittent occasions where I will slow down suddenly, for example, the changing of a stop light, and when I either come to the stop or when I accelerate again, the car would in essence stall out and turn off. However the car would start right back up when I put it back in park. It happened once, maybe twice b4 I had a chance to realize it was a serious problem. On the 12th of january it stalled as I was making a right hang turn at an intersection and because of this, I lost power steering and hit the median and a rock bed on the median. There has been substantial damage to the vehicle and it is currently still in the shop. I do not know at this point in time the exact reason for the stall. Just that I have done nothing but take good care of this car and see no reason for it do this.
Consumer having problems getting two recalls performed on the vehicle. *ph when the consumer tried to make an appointment, the dealership told the consumer he had heard of the recall but was not familiar with what it said, the consumer wanted to make an appointment for the weekend, but was told the most skilled mechanics worked weekdays. The consumer felt the dealership had only been minimally informed of the recall. *jb
March 22, 2003 I purchased an saturn ion 3. Within the 1st the week there was problems starting the car. The car was in for service 2 times in 2 weeks. Finally the engine light started flashing (3rd time). Supposedly the car was fixed. 3 days later the dealer's service department called me at saturn corp.'s request to immediately return the car as the engine could blow up. The engine had a cracked cylinder which caused coolant to leak into the engine with about 650 miles. Also, another saturn ion with 2500 miles was sitting in the dealer's lot with a cracked cylinder in the engine. I was released from the sale on april 17, 2003. I took a 2nd saturn ion 3 on april 17, 2003. This car has jerky steering problems coming out of turns and sever transmission problems. The car kicks when turning on the ignition, engine gets racketing when put into reverse, when changing gears - kicks, slides, and will surge, and bounce through gears between 30 MPH to above 70 MPH. The service manager said, "all the ions drive this way. There's nothing wrong with the car". This car has been in for service 4 times. Each time the car is returned worse than the time before.
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