Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. While driving 65 MPH, the steering seized and the steering wheel could not be turned at all. The contact pulled the vehicle over and waited for awhile. Afterward, the steering returned to normal. There were no warning indicators illuminated. An independent mechanic was contacted, but could not repair the vehicle because they did not have the equipment to repair electric vehicles. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer and dealer were not notified. The failure mileage was 152,000.
2003 Saturn Ion steering complaints
Page 2 of 6: complaints 11 to 40 of 139, newest first, as owners wrote them.
2003 saturn ion. Consumer writes in regards to ignition switch and power steering recall notices issues. *smd
Power steering goes in and out when driving
Car just recently popped up power steering only happens when its sits over night and when I start it up in the morning it's very stiff to turn but if I drive it like that for a little and shut the car off the steering is fine. The dash lights flicker off and on and when doing so causes heat or A/C to cut out after driving it for alittle bit. The key locks in the ignition switch when I go to shut off the car and I have to press the plunger for it to release. Keeps saying coolant when going down the road even though the coolant is where it needs to be.
Several times these last few months my vehicle pwr str light has come on. The steering wheel is hard to turn left or right. The first time this happened I turned the car off and went in the house and got my husband. When he turned it on and put it in reverse nothing happened, it was ok. The next time I was backing into a parking spot, it locked up and was hard to turn. I turned the ignition off and restarted it, then it worked again. Then again in the drive position. This has happened several times. My daughter was driving the car not long ago on a city street and had to stop in the middle of the street, turn the car off and on again, then it was ok. Today I was driving on the road (a city street) and the steering wheel locked. I fought with the wheel to get over. Turned the car off and on again but the steering wheel was still hard to turn and the pwr str light remained on. I did this several times to no avail.the wheel stayed hard to turn. I fought with the wheel, turning corners, praying no one would be in my way as I had to make wide turns because of the hard steering wheel. When I got to my driveway I had to turn and backup several times to get into my driveway. I turned the car off and on again several times and the light has not gone out. I will not be able to drive my car in this condition.
Several times when I have gone to turn off my car the ignition switch will not release the key. When this happens I have to place my foot back on the brake and run through the gears with my gear stick. The ignition switch that is currently in my car is one that was used to replace the factory one when the ignition switch recall was issued. Also, recently my car has been showing problems with the power steering. It has gone out multiple times on my son while he was driving resulting in him having to fight the car to get it to turn. I have never had a problem before and I hear that there are recalls for both. These problems have happened multiple times and I do not have exact dates.
The power steering went out on my car twice so far, both times I was driving the car at the time it went out. This happened one week apart and both times the power steering cam back after the ignition was turned off and then restarted. The first time it went out I was driving on an interstate highway and the second in the city.
Driving on staight on the highway hit a bump in the road my car started spinning out of control steering wheel locked up which made my driver side crash into a cement wall, my airbags did not deploy even thought the car hit the wall so hard that it cracked my radiator, my car then shut off then turned back on
In june of 2016 at a speed of approx. 70 MPH my 2003 saturn ion lost power steering on the e-way. I had to pull off e-way. Park and restart. After restart power steering was back but only for short periods of time. Has been an off and on reoccuring problem since.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. While driving at various speeds, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact had to apply force to the steering wheel in order to steer the vehicle. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and repaired per a recall. After the repairs, while driving at various speeds, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to accelerate. The air bag and check engine warning lights illuminated. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The recall specifics were unknown. The failure mileage was 141,000. Updated 10/19/16*lj
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. While driving approximately 20 MPH, there was a compete loss of power steering without warning. The steering wheel became extremely difficult to maneuver and required excessive force. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 107,939.
Power steering stopped working want to see if it is covered by a recall before I pay out-of-pocket.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. While the vehicle was driven at a low speed, the power steering failed and the power steering warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the power steering motor malfunctioned and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact referenced the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v153000 (steering); however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 49,500. The VIN was not provided. Updated 08/03/16
I had to replace steering shaft twice so far in 9 years. I think gm should replace this free of charge. You make a turn & the wheel does not want to come back to go straight until I turn the wheel my self. This happens when in motion.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated that the gear was stuck in the park position and she was unable to move the vehicle. The power steering light illuminated on the instrument panel. An independent mechanic checked the vehicle and suggested that the failure could be electrical. The technician advised the contact to take the vehicle to a local dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not diagnosed and the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 129,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated that while driving at approximately at 50 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver as the power steering warning light illuminated. The contact mentioned that the failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 182,655.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. After turning on the vehicle and attempting to drive, the steering wheel became very difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed where it was confirmed that the steering shaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000. Updated 11/20/15*lj, updated 03/22/18
On 2/12/2015, I received a letter from gm: "this letter is intended to make you aware that some 2003 model year saturn ion vehicles equipped with power steering assist may experience a sudden loss of power steering assist that could occur at any time while driving. ... If this condition occurs on your 2003 saturn ion, the condition will be repaired for you at no charge." however for saturn ions model years 2004-2007, gm issued a recall for this power steering defect. Why is this defect worthy of a recall for all model years except 2003? The sudden loss of power steering is no less alarming and no less hazardous for saturn ion 2003 cars. Similarly in may 2015, ford announced a recali of nearly 423,000 cars and suvs in north america for the same defect: the power-assisted steering can fail while they're being driven. The federal safety agency has acknowledged the safety hazard that a sudden loss of power steering could present. I am disabled. If I was to experience a sudden loss of power steering, I am sure that I would not have the physical ability to steer my car. I urge you to call for a recall of the 2003 saturn ions for the same power steering defect that has precipitated gm to recall saturn ion 2004-2007 models and ford cars and suvs.
Loss of power steering while driving, very difficult to turn. Can turn engine off and restart. Power steering is then operational for a few miles, however power steering will fail again.
I had the car in on 2/18/15 for the power steering recall but a week later it did the same thing. I brought it in again on 3/2/15 thinking that maybe the part they replaced was defected. Told it was fine.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. While driving at a low speed, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact had to apply excessive force to the steering wheel in order to turn the vehicle. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that the power steering warning was displayed on the message board. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 178,870.
Power steering failure. My daughter was pulling into pizza putt and the power steering failed.this is a 2004 saturn ion, same parts as the 2004 that has been recalled. Gm should fix this problem.
Coming to a stop in heavy traffic alarms and lights went off, the car lost powering and wouldn't go into gear finally when the gear engaged it would only stay in first gear. Luckily we were able to pull off the busy highway and get safely to the side of the road with no accidents or injuries.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. As a result, the vehicle lost power steering. After turning the vehicle off, it failed to start. The contact received notifications for the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v047000 (air bags, electrical system) and the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v171000 (electrical system). The contact stated that the vehicle was remedied by the dealer. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 162,603.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated that while exiting a parking space, the power steering warning light illuminated as the steering wheel seized. The contact had to use extreme force to turn the wheel. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. Also, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start on the first attempt and had to wait several minutes before it started. In addition, the key failed to release from the ignition switch. The independent mechanic replaced the ignition switch twice but the failure persisted. The vehicle was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v047000 (air bags, electrical system) and the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v171000 (electrical system). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unavailable.
Slight shudder at a stoplight.. Lost acceleration and power steering. Made it to shop. Code p0420 catcon was all that came up, battery and alternator(new) tested fine and vehicle started like nothing happened. I had exhaust tested and 4 hours of general diagnostics= "the car seems fine, yes that is weird, just keep an eye on it" it twice more, and consistently felt "rough" before february 2014, (two years) got new suspension, spark plugs, fuel and coolant systems cleaned, etc... My car felt almost new, a little rough so I babied it. After all, it is obsessively well maintained...immediately after recall ignition switch replaced by dealer, one month ago, the "really rough" feeling returned. Shifting hard, vibrating, it almost stalled at intersections intermittently. Dealer checked transmission (along with two other shops that love money)... All say transmission is fine, but to me it felt like it was falling apart. When I had a day off two days ago, I brought it to three transmission shops, two exhaust shops, and two tire shops (who also inspected my suspension, wheel balance and brakes) all said it was fine and that is "normal" to feel that way as I approached 183000 miles. The next day ( last night) when after ten minutes of driving, in the space of thirty seconds, I lost acceleration, power steering, radio was flashing lights, battery light and service engine warning came on along with the airbag light.. My car couldn't make it over the little hump across the intersection and I (5'3 120 lbs) was forced to push my running car across the highway that runs through town. I made it to the frontage road, barely able to turn which put me head on with another car that had to swerve around me. The car wouldn't start. Battery tested fine. Towed home.
Hi: my saturn loses its power steering on start up, but was told it can do it while driving. My wife and I should not drive the car because of the safety issue. The recall starts with the 2004, my saturn was built approx 8 months before the recall. I cant sell the car because of I wont give that safety problem.the car is kept like new and has the service done on it. I had the ignition switch recall done but it made my remote start not work. Had to pay for it myself,gm or the dealership would not pay. It is still messing up.the cost of the fix for the power steering, dealership, about $400.00.
I was driving down the highway and I lost power steering. The bell started sounding and the dash said pwr steering. I have to man handle my car to get pulled over, kill the motor for a couple of minutes and start it back up. Sometimes it does it again right away, other times it will go for a while before recurring.
While driving my car the power steering suddenly went out with no warning, I was lucky not to have an accident. I've been in contact with gm who advised me there is no safety recall on the 2003 ion but there are power steering safety recalls on 2004-2010.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. While driving approximately 60 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver and the vehicle jerked. The contact mentioned that the eps warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart and function normally. The failure occurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
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