While driving at highway speeds steering would suddenly stop working display a power steering system failure on dashboard and enter manual steering mode. I would put car in neutral turn vehicle off and on to reset computer and steering to bring it back to a normal condition. As time progressed the fault would appear more frequently before getting it repaired at local saturn authorized repair gm facility. Paid close to $1,000 for the repair and parts. Now that vehicle has lifetime warranty all pervious repairs should be refunded to consumers.
2003 Saturn Ion steering complaints
Page 4 of 6: complaints 71 to 100 of 139, newest first, as owners wrote them.
While driving, complete electrical failure. All dash lights out. Gauges zero. Steering difficult. This continues to happen.
I received a letter from gm about the ignition switch recall either last week or the week before. It stated to drive my vehicle with the ignition key only, not even with the key fob. I was also told that the part is no longer made for my vehicle. The letter also stated that there is no risk of ignition failure as long as the driver uses the key only. I have faithfully followed that since receiving my letter. I am telling you that information is false. As I was driving home tonight, I noticed the engine sounded different. The steering became difficult to control, the battery light illuminated on the dash, and my brakes only responded to very heavy pressure. Basically I had little control of my vehicle. I was less than a mile away from home. I turned into a parking lot with great difficulty, turned off my vehicle and then back on. It was as if nothing happened. I am panicked now. Thank goodness this happened after I exited the highway and it was after rush hour. I'm not sure I would have been able to turn into that parking lot without incident if there was heavier traffic. I immediately called gm when I returned home and told them the car wasn't safe to drive, even with the ignition key only. Customer service didn't seem to understand the danger. We'll see if they follow up. I hope you follow up as well.
In early january my mother was involved in a serious car accident while driving a 2003 saturn iron. "I had no control over the car and it all happened so fast" my mother said. She hit a telephone pool then proceeded to roll down over a small hill and flipped, coming to a rest on a concrete divider. When responders arrived her ignition was off and the air bags did not deploy. She was hanging upside down for almost an hour until they were able to cut her out of the car. I have contacted gm and they confirmed that her car is part of the recent ignition switch recall. Please take the recall serious, it could save your l life, and others!
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the steering wheel became inoperable. The contact lost control of the vehicle and the vehicle flipped upside down. The air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact sustained injuries to the head and left leg, and a police report was filed of the incident. The vehicle was towed to a salvage yard. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 136,000.
Power steering cuts out suddenly.
We purchased this 2003 saturn ion used and had the power steering assist motor fail when driving. A quick internet search revealed that this is a widespread problem. Gm has acknowledged the problem and has been fixing cars with this issue (2004-2007). This car has the same defective part that is in the later models and should be included with the "special coverage adjustment" issued by gm. It is a very dangerous issue and I hope they consider the 2003 for coverage as well.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 MPH and attempting a right turn, the steering wheel seized without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. The mechanic stated that the steering motor would have to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 126,597.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated while traveling 10 MPH, the power steering assist suddenly failed. The vehicle was moved to the shoulder of the road where it was shut down then restarted. The vehicle resumed normal function. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified about the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Steering locks or becomes extremely hard to turn steering wheel when car is in reverse for parking and thereafter in drive for minutes at a time. Becoming progressively more and more worse. Have had the steering column sensor replaced, the electric motor replaced and problem becomes more noticeable. Beginning to effect driving and the ability to maneuver the car while it is in motion. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
The electric power steering went out luckily in a parking lot at a shopping center in october 2012 the motors were replaced previously before saturn went defunct back in approximately 2006 and at approximately 40,000 miles. These are exactly the same motors that a recall was proposed on the chevy cruz and gm says they are not covered or no covered under the saturn program. Now over the past 6 months the ignition switch which gm knows has problems has shut the engine off while driving and now it's to the point where it locks intermittently not allowing the disengaging of the engine transmission when attempting to turn off and park. Again gm says there is no recall but they have recalls on other gm vehicles. I have spent upwards of $700 dollars for repairs and batteries and enough is enough. I've read of the many nightmare on the internet and wonder if your bureau can do anything to remedy the situations. Thanks.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated while driving, the power steering failed causing the vehicle to be more difficult to drive. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and they stated the power steering needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and stated there were no recalls. The failure mileage was 102,987.
Attempting to turn left at traffic signal when "power steering" came up on dashboard instrument system and car became extremely difficult to turn. Stopped vehicle and checked owner's manual for meaning of message. When vehicle was restarted, steering resumed working. This happened 3-4 more times over next week or so until I was able to get vehicle into dealership. Diagnosed as electrical steering motor circuit failure. Motor replaced at cost of approximately $300 saturn help line advised no assistance with this repair.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the power steering failed warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The steering wheel became more difficult to control. The vehicle was driven to her residence and was not taken to a dealer for inspection. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was 69,922.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. While parking the vehicle, the contact noticed a creaking sound coming from the steering wheel as the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnostics. The contact was not aware of the diagnostic test results. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 72,567.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated that the steering failed without warning. The failure was experienced numerous times and the steering wheel became hard to turn. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the dealer advised that the power steering electronic motor failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 45,000 and the current mileage was 60,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact was driving 25 MPH when the power steering seized. In addition, the windshield wiper failed and the front windows driver and passenger side windows could not be opened or closed. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection or repairs. The manufacturer was notified who advised the contact that the vehicle should be taken to the dealer and they would decide if they should offer any assistance. The failure mileage was 160,000.
Own a 2003 saturn ion. Approx 2 weeks ago the steering column insode the car started making a clicking noise when turning left or right. It sounds like something came loose and catching on something inside the column. It seems to be worse in colder weather but does not go away in warmer weather either. Since there is no more "saturn" who fixes recalls or factory issues?
- the electronic power steering stopped working while backing the car up - the malfunction indicator showed a "pwr str" message - after several re-starts the power steering continued to be inoperable (pwr str message) - the car was driven approximately 15 miles with no power assisted steering - after another start up 45 minutes later the vehicle electronic power steering resumed normal operation.
The steering wheel will stick, while turning into curvy roads and on off ramp requiring high input to correct and resulting in over correcting and swinging out of my lane. This started happening when the car was moving slow (<5 MPH), but I have had it happen several times driving between 35 and 50 MPH in the case of the off ramp and driving on rochester road between tinken and 32 mile. You will go into a curve and the steering will lock resulting in a loss of steering and you have to force the wheel to get any reaction. Last night was the clincher and I decided enough was enough. I was backing out of a parking spot and the steering locked hard and while trying to gain control, I heard a loud pop and then once I got the car straight, the steering wheel was cocked 90 degrees off normal. This is definatly a problem, as now the car cannot be driven, until I can see if it can be fixed and if it is worth the cost to fix.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated that the steering wheel would intermittently seize while driving 30 MPH and above. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 63,693.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated that the power steering warning light would illuminate followed by the steering wheel seizing. The contact would shut off the vehicle to allow the power steering assist to reset. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who diagnosed that the power steering motor would need to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted, but denied any assistance with repairs to the vehicle. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 47,961 and the current mileage was 89,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated that when making a right turn, the vehicle would not steer back into a straight position. The contact had difficulty maneuvering the vehicle when the failure occurred. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer nor repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 61,600. The VIN was unavailable.
Sometimes the steering wheel becomes tough to turn. During the middle of a turn the power steering seems to completely cut out. It has also cut out and needed to have the car restart for it to come back on. There was a recall on 2004-2007 ions, but not for 2003. I find this ridiculous as it is the same issue described in that recall.
The power steering on my 2003 saturn ion-2 goes out just about everyday, at random, while I am driving my car. There were no events leading up to this as the issue happens at random. The problem with my vehicle has been going on for over one year and I cannot find any information on recalls for the faulty power steering. I have researched this issue on various websites/forums and have observed that I am not the only owner who has this same problem. This is a major safety issue and there should be a recall due to how unsafe it is to drive around and lose control over your steering at random.
Steering locks up in low speed turns.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated that when driving at low speeds and attempting turns, the power steering would lock without warning. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 98,800.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. While driving 30 MPH, the contact stated that the power steering warning light illuminated, then the vehicle suddenly stalled. The dealer nor manufacturer were notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The current and failure mileage was 123,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. While driving approximately 30 MPH the vehicle suddenly stalled. The contact attempted to jump start the vehicle but to no avail. The contact replaced the battery and the vehicle was able to start but the power steering would not function. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics where the technicians stated that two power fuses needed to be replaced to correct the power steering failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that she believed when the battery was replaced it caused an overall computer failure. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.
The power steering on my 2003 saturn ion does not always work. When I start the car the power steering will work for a short time and then stop working. Power steering light message displays on the message screen, but error code can be found. The same issue has been recalled on other gm models, but not the 2003 ion. I have been waiting almost a year for the recall.
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