I purchased a 2004 saturn ion. No real problems until winter. My car won't start in the cold. I have been at stores and came out and it won't start. I give it 10 minutes exactly not a minute sooner not a minute later, it then starts. This is a safety issue. If for some reason I am out late and my car won't start and its subzero temp I can die from it. I am afraid that one day it won't start at all. This problem is becoming a big deal to me and other owners. Please fix the issue, put out a recall!!
2004 Saturn Ion electrical complaints
Page 7 of 12: complaints 161 to 190 of 331, newest first, as owners wrote them.
On cold days my car will not start. It will roll over a few times and then the service vehicle light will appear. The car takes anywhere from 15-30 minutes to start leaving me stranded with no heat in the middle of no where. This occurs on a daily basis on cold days in the spring, winter and fall..
I have a 2004 saturn ion that will not start when the weather is cold. This problem happens only in the winter. I have read many reviews about other customers having the same problem with their ions and most of them say it has something to do with the ignition switch. I think I will probably have it replaced.
I have the same issue as many others with the anti-theft/electric system of my 2004 saturn ion. The manufacturer has refused to remedy the problem without me paying for their shoddy work. I am about to get a lawyer and see if he can get my car issue resolved with gm. When it is cold/wet the car will not start. It will crank 1 time and then nothing for 10 minutes. After waiting inside the car on a very cold morning I can attempt to try my car yet again. It may or may not work and the cycle may need to be repeated. I am very unsatisfied and have offered to gm an opportunity to correct the situation and was met with utter indifference. They want me to pay to replace their bad work and I will not.
I pulled into a restaurant and the car was fine, when I went to leave the car would not start. I had aaa come out, they told me that I need to have the car looked at. The steering wheel will turn, but the key will not. The battery is not dead as all the lights work for the car but the key is not working. This problem happened once before but after waiting a few minutes the car simply started. Now my car has to be towed to a garage, to be fixed. I looked online and have seen many other 2004 saturn ion owners have the same problem turning their car on in the cold.
I recently purchased a saturn ion 2004 car. After 2 months, one day it just didn't turn on when I started it. I thought it was the battery. I had it checked and the battery was fine. I, however, replaced the battery with a new one, since it was the original battery. Since then, the problem of "not starting" has happened 4 times....I went on the saturn website and to my amazement, there are pages and pages of the same complaint with the same car, saturn ion 2004, 2005, 2003. This is a real inconvenience not knowing if when I turn my car off it will start or not. I urge you to consider how many people are complaining about this same thing. Saturn tells us when we call to take it to the service station. We then get a bill for their service, and they can't find anything wrong. We are wasting money. I believe saturn should step up to the plate and investigate this problem instead of just ignoring it.
I bought a used 2004 saturn ion 6 months ago. I have had no real problems until it started getting cold. Now, most mornings I have the common ignition problem that everybody else has. I turn the key, everything lights up, the engine cranks once, then nothing. I have to keep turning the key all the way off, wait 10 seconds, and try again. Eventually, after 10-30 minutes of doing this repeatedly, the car starts. Every once in a while, the car does start after only a few tries. I have read about this problem on many different forums, and I am angered and dismayed that gm will do nothing about this. Good thing my employer is understanding, and has not fired me yet for being late every time this happens.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 saturn ion. When the pass lock/ anti-theft warning light illuminates on the instrument control panel , he cannot start the vehicle. Usually he has to wait 12 minutes to start the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the technician replaced the cd player and adjusted the cruise control switch. The repairs did not remedy the failure. The manufacturer was notified, and he was referred back to the dealer. The failure mileage was 2,000. The current mileage was 136,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 saturn ion. When the pass lock of the anti-theft system warning light illuminates on the instrument control panel, the vehicle will not start. He usually has to wait for 12 minutes to start the vehicle. A technician from the dealer replaced the cd player and adjusted the cruise control switch. The repairs did not remedy the failure. The manufacturer was notified, and he was referred back to the dealer. The failure mileage was 2,000. The current mileage was 136,000.
Car won't start in cold weather. Battery and alternator fine. Had remote starter removed, as suggested by service center ; now have no running lights or keyless entry. Have had the saturn ion 2004 since oct. 5th, 2009. Have had to have the car jump started 5 times since. Since this is under warranty it is going back to the dealers for good. I hope no one else decides to buy it until saturn owns up and fixes this defect. Unsatisfied customer. 11-21-09.
I couldn't start my car. I had it jumped and the problem went away. I got a new battery thinking this would fix everything, which it did not. I came to learn it was not the battery, but the passlock system. It is a safety issue for the following reason: when this happens I'm required to sit for ten minutes to wait for it to clear out the passlock system. This happened the other night at midnight, which is a very dangerous situation to be in a parking lot with no one else around. After a little research I find that many people have experienced this. Seems unfair that saturn is aware of this costly issue and is not being held responsible for the cost of fixing it. Especially since I've read that some people have the same issue after they've spent $300+ to get it fixed.
My saturn ion 3, 2004 will not start when it is cold. You have to wait 10 minutes and then try again to try to get the car to start. The car eventually starts. I called saturn to inquire about this and they said that it is an ignition switch problem with their passlock system. They fix about 10 of them every week, b ut saturn has yet to recall the switch. This problem happens almost everyday in the cold and has been happening to my car for over a year now.
We purchased our saturn ion (used- from a dealership) and within a few weeks it began not starting on the first try we would have to wait for 15-20 minutes to start it. Then when the morning weather turned cold it would not start. At all. In the afternoons when it would warm up some it would start again. We thought it was the battery so replaced the battery. Next morning it wouldn't start. I went online to see if there was a recall. There was none. But, I did find hundreds of posts about the same thing. I even found videos posted to youtube.com on how it might be fixed. Scary!! Also I found posts where people went to the dealerships for fixes and the dealerships fixed the problem only for it to crop up again within a short time. Please can you help? I found you by accident others would make complaints but they don't know you exist to help. Our car is basically useless because we cannot count on it to start when we need it. The date I gave you was a guesstimate of the first time it happened. We have not taken our car to the dealership because of the numerous post where folks took their cars in, had repairs , only to have the trend start over again.
2004 saturn ion- ignition fails to release the key, cannot remove the key from ignition without struggling. Have researched the consumer affairs website and there are so many complaints about this occurring, that is unreal. Fortunately we have not had to leave the car running yet... As so many other customers and some have had to remove a fuse to get the car to turn off. Saturn needs to do a voluntary recall on this and replace all of the ignition switches before a tragedy occurs.
Saturn ion 2004 will not start in cold weather. The symptoms is sporadic and unpredictable and linked to faulty security module (anti-theft) which disables the car in cold weather. This is a well known problem documented in various forums as well as well known to saturn dealers. Yet gm did not make a recall on this issue for more than 5 years. I have had this problem since 2005 and advised the dealers and saturn customer service several times with no success.
I am the owner of a 2004 saturn ion2 sedan. As of the past winter with unseasonable cold temps I began having an issue with the ignition of my car. The car would not turn over at all sometimes for hours at a time. The ignition has been replaced and did not fix the problem. I live in western ny where we do see cold temps during the winter months. I have a child I must get to school before I go to work every day. I have been a true advocate of saturns vehicles up until the purchase of this one. I have been researching the problem and found several others with the exact same problem and no resolution. I really hope that thee have been enough complaints about this problem for gm to actually step up and issue a recall. I really do not want to sell my car or be forever slighted by saturns because of this problem. Please as a struggling single mom help take care of your consumers.
The 2004 saturn ion fails to start in cold weather, after getting it checked it is the ignition switch. After reading reviews it seems this is very common on this year and make. This occurs at least once a week sometimes more. It has made me late for work and even miss classes. If this is so common why isn't this part being recalled!? Apparently a "security measure" has the car not starting for 10 mins, sometimes 20. Please help!
Ignition lock cylinder broke which made it impossible to start the car. The lock assembly should be fairly easy to remove but the procedure requires that the key be turned to the run position. With a broken lock that cannot be done. I was only able to get the lock out be using brute force and completely breaking the lock mechanism. I am happy that this happened at a store close to home and we able to get a ride home. I guess I should be thankful we were not one of the poor souls who got stuck in an ion that couldn't be turned off.
On colder days my car will not start. It will roll over a few times and then service vehicle light will appear. The car takes anywhere from 15-30 mins to start leaving me and my family stranded in the winter with no heat in the middle of no where. This occurs on a daily basis in the winter and in the fall 3 times a week. I haven't figured out what the problem is yet, they think it is the ignition switch. There should be a recall on these vehicles there is another person I know with the same car saturn ion hers is 2005 mine a 2004 and hers did the same thing hers was the ignition switch.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 saturn ion. On april 14, 2009, while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle shut off without warning and the door lock system failed. The vehicle previously experienced electrical failures and trunk failure. The dealer replaced the trunk stopper. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop for a diagnosis. The current and failure mileages were 50,000.
My car has problems starting when the temp. Gets below 30 degrees. I have had this "fixed" twice, and I was told this was because I needed a new ignition switch. I have found several sites where others have had the same issue. I have concluded that there is something wrong with the sensor in the passlock part of the ignition switch that causes it to not work properly when temp. Gets below 30 degrees. Saturn is well aware of this I believe and they have yet to do anything about it. It is very dangerous because it can cause someone to be stranded somewhere in the cold weather. It has also caused me to be late for work several times and has almost cost me my job.
I have so many things wrong with my 2004 saturn of course I have the cold start problem which I have had since I purchased the car(with only 7 miles on it). Anytime I drive my car over 30 miles an hour it shakes had that problem fix 2 years ago and now it is doing it again. My driver side window seal leaks when it rains. New problem don't think I've since this one yet the transmission in the windshield wiper goes out nd guess what for only $275 saturn will replace that for you. This car is such a lemon. Clearly as I read over complaints of the single mothers like myself, the teacher or just someone who want a reliable car. This experience has taught me never by american again and do my research before buying another car. The thing I hate the most is that they seem to have to take no responsibility for this car.
I purchased my car new in 2004 and I have had an ongoing problem with it starting. It happens at random times and generally after 10 minutes to 30 minutes it will start up. I m not sure if the fact that I can remove my keys from the ignition while im driving down the road has something to do with it or not. It does seem like it does it more in cold/rainy weather than other times. There are still several incidents where it has been warm and sunny and it wont start. I am a single mom with two kids and I hate the thought of being stuck in my car w/ my kids and unable to go anywhere. I have been stuck in parking lots late at night after I get off work and one time it wouldn't start on my way to the hospital. No one seems to know how to fix it and everyone pretty much agrees it has something to do w/ the antitheft device put on the car. So how do we fix it and why wont saturn do anything about . Today's economy is to bad to be loosing customers and my children are too important to me to be stuck in a car (at any given time) with no way to move. In the future I will be looking for a more dependable safe car.
The problem began within the first month of the car's purchase. It was cold outside, and the car wouldn't start. After about 30 minutes, it started right up. After visiting several mechanics, I was advised to replace the alternator. Since then, I cannot count the number of times that I go out to the car and it won't start.now, I am told that it 'may be' a faulty ignition switch. I am a teacher, and cannot be late for class. I have 34 students waiting for me every morning. Now, I have to go out to my car, 30 minutes early, and start it. If it starts, I run out 30 minutes worth of gas for fear that it won't start if I turn it off. If it doesn't start, I waste 20 to 25 minutes in the morning getting it to start. This winter, it has not started no less than 15 times. This car is not dependable.
My 2004 saturn ion does not start in cold weather. It has a brand new battery and starter, yet it is still having this problem. It will generally start after waiting about 15 minutes to try again. The consequences are being delayed 15-20 minutes each time I want/need to go somewhere.
Car will not start at times , after letting it sit for about 10 mins after cranking the key a few times, it will start right up. Seems to be a common issue with this year make and model, something to do with a white wire that is part of a plug containing a bunch of wires that plug in underneath the steering column. The problem seems to be more likely to happen when its damp or raining outside. And will always fix itself if you let the car sit for about 10 mins before trying to crank it again. Car has a new battery, seems to be a lot of posts about this issue on bulletin boards on line. Seems like cutting the white wire seems to fix the issue every time.
I am having a consistent problem w/ my 2004 saturn ion 4 door 3.3 engine. The problem being is no crank with power on. After waiting 10 - 15 minutes the car will crank & start. This happens inthe morning trying to get to work, at the gas station trying to leave after a fill up, at the red light if I pump the ignition just so. After reading several ion forums there is a very large problem here. A recall should be issued at least investigated. I am taking the vehicle into saturn monday the 3.23.09 to have oil change & no crank w/ power evaluated. I will keep you informed.
I own a 04 saturn ion. I have been having a constant problem starting the car. When the temperature is below 40 degrees, the car won't start. All the dash lights are illuminated. So I know the battery isn't the problem. I have to wait 20 minutes before the car starts up. After doing some research. It looks like the problem is the starter switch. The grease hardens up in the cold, then the security system locks out the starter switch. I have read hundreds of complaints on message boards regarding this problem. I know gm and saturn know of this problem also. They are saying this isn't a safety problem. I think it is. Many people are having to sit in their cars when it's below freezing, waiting twenty minutes to start their ion's. What about parents with kids? What about if someone is trying to carjack myself? I don't have away to escape by driving off.
My 2004 saturn ion has been giving me trouble for around 2 years now. It's off and on. I'll drive my car to walmart or where ever and go in the store, come out and it won't start. If I give it 15-20 mins it finally starts. My dad thought it might be my battery, but that was new. We are going to try and get an ignition switch now. Hopefully that will fix it!
We have a 2004 saturn ion that when it colds does not start. At first we thought it was the battery, but the battery is fine. Then we noticed that it only happened on cold days. If the temp was below 40 degrees f. And the car sat for several hours (mostly mornings), when you attempted to crank, the car would not start. If seems if you have a dead battery. Most of the time it would start after about 10 to 15 minutes. This is very dangerous, being stranded due to mildly cold weather. Thank god nothing bad has happened while waiting for car to crank. I have talked to several saturn owners, and they to have the same problem. At least I live in florida and it does not stay cold long. Saturn needs to fix this problem. Also, was told by a service person at saturn to take a blow dryer to warm the steering column. This has been happening for a few years now.
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