My saturn has had problems with the A/C unit the dial has gotten to were it won't work and the defrost doesn't work. It has been like that for about 7 yrs. My has car has cut off on me twice. Once this year and last year. Now the most recent one was on april 25 2014. It was around 3:30 pm. Here in richmond va it was a really bad thunder and lighting storm. I started to smell a burning smell, the brakes were acting strange I was able to stop at stop light and while I was a red light I heard a high pitched beeping sound and the warning lights came on. My car was towed. And the henrico county beat aaa to pull it to royal chevy. The cops had my placed at impound lot. And I finally did it towed to royal chevy on april 26 2014. Royal chevy has agreed to pay for my rental. I saw on this website there are 10 recalls on here and gm has only told me about 2 of the recalls not of the other 8.
2004 Saturn Ion: fire, smoke or burning smell
5 of the 898 complaints about the 2004 Saturn Ion describe fire, smoke or burning smell.
- owner complaints
- 5
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- typical mileage
- 46,000
- recalls
- 1
Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year
What owners say
Our car, 2004, saturn ion3, caught on fire in the driveway on it's own about 2 hours after it was driven home on 4 nov 2011. No driver - no key in the vehicle when it caught fire. I submitted an initial request for review to gm claims along with all documentation that we had via emails and our claim was denied.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 saturn ion. The contact was driving 20 MPH when she began to smell burning rubber and plastic. The contact stopped the vehicle and at discovered that the power windows and power locks had become inoperable. The fuse was replaced for the windows and they began to function properly. A personal mechanic advised the contact that the new fuse would need to be removed to ensure that no electrical fires occurred. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 94,500.
The key in the ignition of the saturn ion 2004 will not come out and the car can not be shut off . Just last month the key would not fo into the ignition or start the car. Brought it to the gm dealership had to have a new ignition cylinder put in a month ago. Today I had to have the ignition housing. This is not just my car. 90 % of the 2004 and 2006 have this same problem. This should be a safety issue since if no one knows how to disconnect the battery the car could overheat .and even catch on fire.
Tl*- the contact stated that while driving the 2004 saturn ion at about 30 MPH, another vehicle turned in front of the contact's vehicle and was unable to avoid hitting the other vehicle. She s hit the passenger rear side of the other vehicle with the front of the her vehicle. She stated that the passenger side airbag deployed, but no one was sitting on the passenger side of the bag. The driver side airbag deployed, but didn't deploy fully. The air bag never came in contact with her. There was smoke coming from the steering column with the airbag. The contact removed herself from the vehicle afraid there could have been a fire. She called 911 and the police reported the crash. The contact felt that the driver's side airbag didn't deploy properly. The contact sustained minor injuries. The failure mileage was 25900, and the current mileage was 26000.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Electrical system
- Vehicle Wide Programming (VWP) is a new process to update software on GM Vehicles
- This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Service Programming System (SPS)...
- This bulletin provides information for electrical ground repairs using new General Motors replacement...
- This informational bulletin provides information for the IPC odometer programming method quick reference...
- Electrical system
- This informational bulletin provides information for the GM of Canada OnStar Cellular Communication...
- This bulletin explains the labor operation numbers used for submitting warranty claims for module...
Related recalls
Electrical system: ignition
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2006-2011 Chevrolet HHR, 2007-2010 Pontiac G5, 2006-2010 Pontiac Solstice, 2003-2007 Saturn Ion, and 2007-2010 Saturn Sky vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the key can be removed from the ignition when the ignition is not in the "Off" position.
- Risk
- If the key can be removed from the ignition when the ignition is not in the "off" position, the vehicle could roll away: (a) for an automatic transmission, if the transmission is not in the "Park" position; or (b) for a manual transmission, if the parking brake is not engaged and the transmission is not in the "Reverse" position. This potential for rollaway increases the risk for a crash and occupant or pedestrian injuries.
- Remedy
- General Motors will notify owners, and for vehicles that were built with the defective ignition cylinder and have not previously had the ignition cylinder replaced with the redesigned part, dealers will replace the ignition cylinder and cut and, if necessary, re-learn two ignition/door keys for each vehicle. For vehicles that were built with the redesigned ignition cylinder or had the ignition cylinder replaced with the redesigned part, dealers will cut and, if necessary, re-learn two ignition/door keys for each vehicle. The recall began on April 18, 2014. Chevrolet owners may contact General Motors at 1‑800‑222‑1020, Pontiac owners at 1‑800‑762‑2737, and Saturn owners at 1‑800‑553‑6000. General Motors' number for this recall is 14113 for the ignition lock cylinder and key replacement, and 14133 for only key replacements. Note: Until a vehicle has been remedied, owners and operators are advised that when exiting, to be sure that the vehicle is in "Park," or in the case of a manual transmission, that the vehicle is in the "Reverse" position and the parking brake is engaged.
Recall number 14V171000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2004 Saturn Ion fire or smoke
Is fire, smoke or burning smell a common problem on the 2004 Saturn Ion?
5 of 898 owner complaints about the 2004 Saturn Ion (1%) mention fire, smoke or burning smell. The model year with the most reports is 2006.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2004 Saturn Ion?
There is 1 recall and 107 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2004 Saturn Ion
Won't start 168Power steering loss 116Stalling 41Loss of power 39No deployment 25Wipers 19Fuel leak 18Steering lock-up 17Engine failure 15Fuel smell 15Check engine light 14Fuel pump 9Jerking 9Warning lights 9Grinding brakes 8Transmission failure 8Door locks 7Tire blowout 7Headlights 6Adaptive cruise 5Brake failure 5Hesitation 5Slipping 5
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