Like many others I also had the problem with the ignition and it was repaired this past winter while my car is under warranty. At the same time they attempted to repair a strange grinding noise coming from my heater it has been replaced twice with no success in solving the issue and I was told by the dealer hey would not replace the item again. Also I had recently replace the right head light socket since it was overheating and melting, (which could have caused a fire) while the lights were on. I am also having issues with my power steering turning off and on while driving. Most of these issues I have found on here I hope someone is really looking into them cause saturn certainly made it clear that they didn't care.
2004 Saturn Ion electrical complaints
Page 10 of 12: complaints 251 to 280 of 331, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Apparently I am not the only frustrated gm owner out there. This is regarding my 2004 saturn ion which is maintained on a regular basis... When turning the key to start nothing happens. No crank, nothing. After viewing several hundreds of complaints regarding the same problem other saturn owners have been having, I quickly knew it was my ignition. One would think that living in california the weather wouldn't have caused the problem, but almost every day now for the last month my car will not turn on immediately. Sometimes I would wait a couple minutes and it would turn over, sometimes I would wait over 10 minutes for it to turn over as well. I have been late numerous times to work and have had my car towed twice to a mechanic who ultimately cost me hundreds of dollars on parts that had nothing to do with this problem. I am in law enforcement; with that responsibility it is imperative that I be cordial and on time always. I have been reprimanded several times for being late and I've pretty much had it with this car. If saturn supposedly knew about this problem they could have at least notified their owners and offered some sort of retribution or reconciliation for costs.
It seems that with the saturn ions, the ignition switch has a defect wherein about every two years it will fail to start when the temperature drops below freezing (due to the "connection" between it and the cars safety feature). Not a problem if you have a heated garage, or even a garage period, or live somewhere warm. But god forbid you live in an area where there is cold weather. The last estimate I got from the dealer to replace the ignition for this problem was over $200.
Whenever the temperature is at 30 degrees f or below my 2004 saturn ion will not start due to the passlock system. This is a known problem and could lead to a very dangerous stranded situation.
Car often will not start. Seems to be ignition switch, and/ or related circuits. Leaves motorist stranded, usually in bad weather. Replaced battery at 18 mos., which was not problem. Required 'rescue' from other family members many times, in lieu of tow service.
On several occassion while it has been cold out, my vehicle would not start. As a matter of fact the vehicle would not even attempt to roll over. The only way I could seem to resolve the situation was by "jump starting" my saturn with another vehicle. This has happened so many times in the winter that I finally got sick of it and parked the saturn and drove a different vehicle. I am so sick of my car that I am ready to sell it. I recently found out about this site. After reading the first 20 some results and seen that everyone was having the same issue I was. I can not believe that there is not a recall on this part. I read other complaints too and am glad that I have not ran into their problem yet. If saturn does not fix this problem really soon, I will sell my car and I will never buy a saturn again. They are really making a bad product that they will eventually never sell again. After all these complaints, why has nothing been done to recall the problem. To anyone who reads this, never buy a saturn. It is not just the ion. I have heard several other issues with other vehicles.
On several different occasions, there have been times where my vehicle would not start. It is usually when it is cold outside. The vehicle will not even attempt to roll over. It will act like the battery is completely dead. I have attempted replacing the battery and the same incidents occur when it gets cold out. I have talked to other people who have had similar incidents and they stated that it was something to do with the ignition switch. From what the mechanics told them, and that it was around a $500 part to replace.
Car will randomly not start and will only start again with new spark plugs.
Car will not start in cold weather. Must wait between 5 and 10 minutes after each start attempt. Posted bulletins relate the problem to a faulty passlock switch/ignition switch.
My 2004 saturn ion2 will not start in very cold weather (sub-zero air temperatures). After several attempts are made - with approx. 10-15 minutes between each attempt - the car starts right up. The ignition will not crank the car, causing it to not roll over. When this happens, the display on the dash reads "service vehicle". After doing some research, I've learned this is an on-going problem with these vehicles. I am told I must replace the ignition switch to remedy the problem, but also that this may not even be a permanent fix. I am appalled by such faulty workmanship in an american-made car.
Car began failing to turn over before warranty expired. Continuing to try would eventually succeed. Shortly after warranty expired (excessive mileage) the failure required service. Dealer replaced ignition switch which was 'sticking' and causing a security lockout.
On numerous occasions this year, my 2004 ion would not start despite the fact that the battery was charged. My own mechanic told me to have it serviced by a saturn dealership because the problem was related to the anti theft controller and could only be worked on by the dealership. He had seen this problem numerous times before. The problem was confirmed and repaired (for $214.00).the parts were only $40.00.as your own website(and others)confirm,this is an inherent problem that many ion owners eventually will encounter. Despite this "defect", general motors takes no responsibility doesn't seem to be a logical strategy to hold on to an already dwindling number of loyal customers.
Several times, after pulling into my driveway, I turned the ignition switch to the off position and the car continues to run! After trying several different things to turn the engine off it finally quits. I am afraid that some day I will not be able to turn the engine off. I understand now that this is happening to others.
2004 saturn ion I'm having starting problems. On cold days the car won't start sometimes, but if you wait a few minutes it will start right up. Sometimes it takes so long that I have to leave it and get a ride.
I have a 2004 saturn ion which was recently purchased. One morning I went to start the car. All the interior lights came on, the electrical system worked fine, but the engine would not turn over (nothing happened at all). When I returned home that evening, the car started immediately, ruling out a dead battery. This failure re-occurs mostly on cold mornings. I discovered on the web that saturn has a problem with the ignition switch pass lock system when it is cold. Saturn is aware of the problem but refuses to do anything about it. I took the car to a local mechanic and asked him to replace the switch. He made a special trip to the saturn dealer (30+ miles) to get a new switch, however he discovered that the switch needs to be programmed and only a saturn dealer can do that. The saturn dealership failed to mention this to him when he bought the part. Now, I have to pay to have the car towed to the saturn dealer to have the switch programmed, as well as for nearly a week of wasted time, money, and convenience.
This is the third time I've had to push this saturn into the street to get our other drivers off to work. The first time it was only a few months old and was towed to the dealer. They said my floormats were too thick and not genuine saturn parts and caused it not to start(no kidding, they said this). A few weeks later it once again failed to turn over. Another tow to the dealer and this time they re-coded the key and ignition switch. Several times over the past few years it has failed to start. If I wait 20 minutes, the anti theft module re-sets and it will start. This morning I slipped on ice while pushing it into the street and fell. My back is killing me right now and I'm very angry. This is an obvious problem that saturn is ignoring. No self respecting thief would steal a saturn in the first place. I see no need for an anti-theft device on this awful car.
Car will not start when the temp. Is very cold. This has caused me to miss work and to have parts replaced that were in working condition. Research has LED me to a problem with the switch. After following instructions the car started.
Saturn 1on 2004 bad ignition switch...
My 2004 ion won't start. The problem started in november with cold weather, but has occurred when it was not cold out and has gotten progressively worse until I can't start it at all and its because of the passlock security system. I have read probably more than a hundred complaints from others about this problem. Saturn obviously doesn't care about people's safety. What is the point of a car payment when you can't drive the car or leave in an emergency? I used to be able to wait ten minutes for the passlock to deactivate, although it might take several tries of doing this before I ever got anywhere, but now nothing. The car is ok otherwise. Mechanics don't know what to do.
Car does not start when it is cold outside because of faulty ignition switch. I was stuck out in sub zero temperatures for about 20 minutes until ignition switch warmed up enough to start. I will have the ignition switch fixed, but I am waiting to see if it will be covered under my warranty.
My car will not crank when the key is turned to start. It has complete power. The battery is well within the normal limits. The instances when this occur all seem to be when the car has been outside and not running for at least 2 hours in temperatures in the 20 degrees fahrenheit range or colder. All the dash lights are on, and all the accessories work when the key is turned to start, but the starter does not even attempt to turn. The "service engine" message flashes. I pulled all the electrical relays in the fuse box and the engine will now start with no problem. It is a recurring problem when the weather is cold. The same fix works each time. There is most likely a fault in the ignition switch or the passlock system. Should be recalled.
He saturn ion will not start in cold weather. After 10 minutes the car will start again when the security system has reset. Problem is in the grease in the ignition system of 2004 saturn ion. Car runs fine until it gets cold out and then the problem returns. Very dangerous -- can strand driver in frigid temperatures. Saturn has been aware of the issue for 4+ years but continues to risk the lives of drivers.
No warning about issue to come before it happened. The first cold morning this winter my wife's 2004 saturn ion-2 failed to start. After about 30 minutes or intermittently trying to start it, the car finally started. This has happened every morning where it fell below 40deg the previous night. Have taken the car numerous time to mechanics to diagnose. Original answer was I needed a new battery. Battery was replaced with stronger battery (higher cca rating) and the problem persists. Car has new battery, full tank of gas, and sits outside in the driveway. Car has had regular maintenance and oil changes done and has had absolutely no problems until this winter. My research of this issue had produced numerous other saturn owners with this problem. And no available solutions (I.e. Replacing ignition switch) guarantee the problem with be fixed.
My 04 saturn ion will not start in colder weather. After investigating many web sites, many people have the same problem. The problem seems to be the ignition switch. I read that sometime in 04 they started using a different switch and that solved the problem. I think there should be a recall on the cars having this problem.
During cold weather (around 32 degrees f and below), car will not start for 8-10 minutes. On initial attempt to start car, engine begins to turn over for less than 1 second, then stops. A lock symbol flashes on the dash and the message readout states "service engine". Any addition attemps to start the car will result in absolutely no turnover of the engine. After 8-10 minutes, the car will start right up with no problem. Attemps to jump start the car will are not sucessful until after the 8-10 minute period. The battery has been checked out and found to be fine. I have not attempted a repair yet. This first happened in november of 2005 and has occurred off and on for the past 2 years.
Prior to purchasing my '04 saturn ion I read all the reviews and customer complaints. One of the biggest complaints I came across was that the vehicle would not start in cold weather. I assumed that since I lived in florida and it seemed most of the complaints where from other states where they get freezing temperatures, that I would not have this problem. How wrong I was, I have had this problems several times now when the temperature drops below 40 degrees. I contacted saturn and asked them if there was anything they could do about it and was told that since there wasn't a recall I'd have to pay for any repairs to fix this problem. I have read several complaints where not even them attempting to fix it has resolved it, I guess I'll just live with the headache of trying to get it started on the mornings where it is too cold, thankfully I do live in florida and that's not very often.
My trunk has started to get water in it. This caused my battery to fail on several occasions. Now that it is winter I had to replace my battery because it froze . The entire inside of my trunk is damaged.
My 2004 saturn ion 3 will not start at times on cold mornings, the battery was replaced and still no start..it is in the shop right now after reading other complaints on an online forum I see this is a wide spread and yet saturn does nothing to help, it seems to be in the ignition switch, bcm, and or the passlock system.
I purchase a 2004 saturn ion (6/11/04), brand new. The first sign of cold that year, late november, the car would not start at all. After awhile(10-15 min.) it would start up like nothing was wrong. I brought it in 12/28/04, which they replaced the ignition lock module; saying "that was the problem". I still had issues with the car through the winter, and they didn't know was what wrong. Everytime I brought it in, they would find nothing wrong and send me on my way since they couldn't reproduce the issue. The next winter than same thing happened. I was stuck in the cold a few mornings before work trying to get the car started. Saturn claimed it was too cold outside for my car to start, and told me to wait a bit before bringing it in. (it maybe went below 0 degrees that week twice) fed up I brought it in again on 1/17/05, which they replaced my block assembly, wire harness, starter, battery, and wire connecters. They really weren't sure what was wrong they admitted, but it seems to work now. The car would work for a few weeks, then the same issue arises again. On 4/15/05 saturn had to replace my radio receiver for faulty issues. That same winter, my car would not start in the cold again. It was brought in on 12/20/05, which they replaced my ignition switch saying the usual "this will fix the problem". Now, just under two years later, I am back to having the same issues of my car not starting in the cold. Saturn is now throwing their hands up saying I must purchase another ignition switch, and pay them to put it in for a total of $220. Unacceptable. I may have taken actions sooner, but I wasn't aware there were many more saturn ion drivers with the same issues I had.
The saturn ion will not start in cold weather. Saturn knows of the problem but will not fix many posts on line of this issue. It is a major problem as I need to move at a moments notice for work.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2004 Saturn Ion?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history