2003 Saturn Ion: transmission slipping

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 May 6, 2008 · Transmission · 90,025 miles · MO

While driving my 2003 saturn ion 3 the motor will stall out and loose power while driving it seems like the transmission slips and a new one was put in and it still does the same thing. While driving on highway it does this.

Filed Mar 3, 2008 · Electrical, Transmission · 2,000 miles · FL

2003 saturn ion iii disengages in the middle of traffic as if gears have slipped into neutral at speeds from between 20 and 60 MPH, so that there is no forward movement suddenly and then re-engages. Almost rear-ended several times also car will not start if turned off for a short time and key locks in ignition. Gears were re-calibrated and ignition replaced, but problems continue.

Filed Sep 15, 2006 · Transmission · IN

Since we purchased this vehicle brand new in 2003, the transmission has slipped occasionally upon normal acceleration. We brought this to the attention of the dealership at our regular maintenance appointments, and they told us that this was the normal functioning of the transmission. Fast-foward 3 yrs, 40,000 miles, and the problem has become a threat to the safety of those driving in and around the vehicle. When attempting to make a turn out of a parking lot onto a major road, the car rolled down the hill into the road, but it would not move any farther once on a flat surface. I am lucky that no one was coming too close or fast behind me, or my vehicle would have been a sudden, unavoidable roadblock for sure. This also happened while I was attempting to make a left hand turn with heavy oncoming traffic. People were somehow able to avoid my car, although it was a major hazard to safety. These were terrifying experiences, and I immediately dropped my car off at the dealership that night (I happened to be down the road from the dealer when these events occurred). According to the dealership, the transmission fluid was very dark, fluid pump severely damaged, and the 2nd gear clutch and coast assembly "burned up". The transmission, pump, gears, clutches, and torque converter were replaced at a cost of $1250, which they claimed was a great deal for us, as this was claimed to be a $5500 job. I appreciate their efforts and attempt to rectify the situation, however I am still disappointed in the lack of quality control, and the apparent lack of research and development in the engineering of this vehicle. No one expects to need to replace a transmission in a car with 40,000 miles. My life was put at risk because of a manufacturing error in this vehicle, and I hope that the the federal safety agency takes the necessary actions to prevent more lives from being put at risk or lost due to this error.

Filed Jan 4, 2005 · Transmission · 18,000 miles · WA

While on local interstate highway, the saturn ion 3 quad coupe automatic transmission began to slip. The rpms reached about 6,000 while trying to maintain the speed and pull over to the right. After a brief full stop (while in drive), the transmission engaged properly and did not slip. Upon taking the next exit, the car was placed into park and was idling. Exiting the vehicle, there was a strong burning smell which was quite similar to a clutch slipping in a manual transmission. No fluids were seen dripping and there was no cosmetic damage. The car would not return to drive. Despite pressing the brake as required, the car was 'locked' into park. A strange click was heard from the area near the trunk release button. This was different from the normal click that is heard when the brake is depressed in park. He vehicle was shut off and then restarted. The car would properly enter drive and the abnormal click was not present.the local saturn dealer replaced the "input" and "output" filters in the transmission per direction of saturn corporation. Transmission has not slipped again since this repair.

Filed Dec 12, 2003 · Transmission · 1,000 miles · MI

My saturn ion quad coupe is experiencing a transmission problem. Without warning and for no apparent reason, the transmission will slip, shake violently, and at times completely disengage, resulting in a complete loss of acceleration. This has manifested itself on several occasions, most notably when turning into traffic last week. I pulled into traffic and the transmission engaged, then subsequently disengaged for about 2 seconds. I was nearly hit by several vehicles, which had to take unsafe evasive actions to avoid plowing into me. I am very concerned that this presents a significant safety hazard to the vehicle occupants. I have noticed that I am not the only individual that has experienced this problem, and that being said, sincerely urge you to open a defect investigation to solve this problem before someone gets hurt or worse. Also, this may not be related, but the transmission makes a grinding noise between 1100 and 1300 RPM during deceleration , a metal grinding noise.

Filed Sep 23, 2003 · Body, Transmission · 3 miles · TN

I purchased my 2003 saturn ion quad 3 on 6-12-2003. I've had nothing but problems with it since the beginning. The transmission slips constantly. A tech from spring hill says this is normal for this type of transmission. Trying to turn left in front of oncoming traffic is a nightmare. This car is in the shop as we speak. The rear quarter panel is cracked and being replaced. The rear bumper is being painted because of scratches from the trunk rubbing. The front bumper is being painted because of runs in the paint. None of the body panels seem to match up. They're attempting to fix a popping noise in the front end. They're replacing the dr side glass because it is severely scratched. It sometimes runs rough at first crank.

Filed Aug 4, 2003 · Transmission · NY

My 2003 saturn ion, was delivered on december 3,2002. This was my second saturn. After about a 1000 miles the transmission started to slip. I took it to the dealer and they replaced that transmission. Another 1000 miles and the transmission started to slip again. I have been back and forth 4 times since then and they still have not fixed it.