2003 Saturn Ion transmission problems

Filed Aug 2, 2020 · Electrical, Transmission · 139,000 miles · LA

My key switch doesn't allow me to remove my key when I'm in parked and my transmission strands at times and my car doesn't start all the time when I try to start it I have to sit and wait awhile before it starts again I could be sitting in the drive thru on parked waiting to travel again on th he main roadway

Filed Aug 20, 2016 · Transmission · 104,065 miles · CA

I was driving and my transmission I bought from gm only 14 months ago went out. It was remanufactured and the part cost me 5,513.63 dollars. I only drove approximately 9,000 miles and they said it was 12 mo. Or 1 year so they can't help me. I would expect a remanufactured transmission to last more than 9000 miles and asked if I was the first to have failure at so low mileage and he replied yes. I feel I've been cheated as a consumer. Gm parts told me that part is covered 3 years or 36,000 miles however customer service said that's wrong. I was only at 14 months when it went out and at 9000 miles it is so unfair because it is suppose to be like a brand new transmission. All gm is about is making money and not about the satisfaction of their customers. Car was in motion when it went out.

Filed Aug 8, 2016 · Transmission · 215,000 miles · TX

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion equipped with a manual transmission. While stopped at a traffic light, the transmission failed. The contact was unable to shift the vehicle into gear. The contact stated that the clutch pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to shift into gear. The failure was intermittent. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 215,000.

Filed May 13, 2016 · Transmission · 158,990 miles · FL

When I am driving, my car will suddenly seem to slip out of gear, the RPM's will continue to rise while the car starts to slow down and can no longer accelerate. I then have to pull over and turn the car off and restart to "reset" the car and it seems to drive normal again. This usually happens at higher speeds, like while I'm driving on the interstate, but can and has happened at lower speeds as well. I have two children and am expecting another child in july and no longer feel safe driving this vehicle. I feel that this should be a safety recall given the large amount of people who have had the same or similar problems with the transmission in these cars. This happened earlier today, but has happened on a regular basis for over a year.

Filed Nov 4, 2015 · Electrical, Transmission · GA · crash

My car feels like a death trap. To start off with only one of my windshield wiper motors work . When I first bought the car from a single individual the passenger side wiper appeared to shake a little more than the driver side. As if it was working a little harder to keep up with the other wiper.. And then less than a month after purchasing vehicle it stopped working all together. Now I only have the driver side wiper that I use. Also when I go to turn on the blinker, go over a railroad track, make a turn iorn vehicle, or sometimes just sitting still. The wiper will start working without me having turnned it on. At first it would just come on for 3 or 4 swipes and then automatically stop again. But now its doing it more frequently and sometimes it will not stop swipping whichis very aggravating causing scratches on my windshield and wearing my one wiper down faster than it should be. Along with these problems my car has also been idleing extremly high upon cranking and while changing gears it acts as if it gets stuck between 1rst 2cd and 3rd. Also when I try to increase speed for passing or to make turns it sometimes just causes it to bog down more instead of increasing my speed it sounds as if its gonna blow up the engine.

Filed Jan 14, 2015 · Acceleration, Steering · 136,000 miles · MI

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.

Filed Dec 29, 2014 · Electrical, Transmission · 157,280 miles · NY

I received a letter from saturn today 12/29/2014 with the letter stating december 2014. In the letter it states the following " this letter is intended to make you aware that your vehicle's transmission shifter may not properly transmit an electrical signal that allows the ignition key to be turned counter clockwise past the accessory mode to the "lock" position after the vehicle has been shifted into park. If this occurs, the ignition key cannot be removed from the ignition cylinder without depressing the manual release plunger located on the underside of the steering column as described in the owners manual. A key left in the accessory position for an extended period of time may result in severe battery drain and a possible no start condition.

Filed Oct 20, 2014 · Transmission · 33,000 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated that the key failed to turn to the on position and the transmission failed to shift into park from reverse or drive. The contact had to make several attempts to get the vehicle to shift into park and remove the key. The contact had to wiggle the key back and forth, apply force to the shifter and turn the wheel back and forth to remove the key. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer. The technician diagnosed that the shifter and cable needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 33,000.

Filed Sep 9, 2014 · Electrical, Transmission · 114,341 miles · WA

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into park. The contact mentioned that due to the failure the key became lodged in the ignition switch causing the battery to drain. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a diagnostic testing. The technician diagnosed that the bitsi cable failed and as a result, the shifter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. However, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 114,341. Updated 12/9/14*cn the consumer was informed the part was not available. Updated 03/03/15

Filed Jul 29, 2014 · Transmission · 70,000 miles · NM

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the transmission failed and was unable to shift gears. In addition, all of the warning lights illuminated. The failure occurred numerous times. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.