Tl* the contact owns a 2004 saturn ion. The contact stated that while traveling various speeds, the power steering assist failed and the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.
2004 Saturn Ion steering complaints
Page 4 of 13: complaints 71 to 100 of 345, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Having trouble with steering, sometimes want steer. It is parked fear of driving it!!
I was driving along and suddenly, the power steering stopped working. Was in the passing lane moving back into the travel lane when without warning there was no power steering. No alarms went of warning me something was not working properly. I was able to get off the highway but had a harder time making turns on the side streets. I have never before heard of the problems that are suddenly affecting my car.
Shortly after starting on a very cold winter day, at low speed and with the battery likely low from starting the car the power steering warning chimed and the car became very difficult to control. The problem has not recurred since then (even a few hours later with the car warmed up and battery fully charged), but the temperature has been significantly higher and I replaced the battery with a better one. The battery had tested good at the last oil change/service/inspection, but was near the end of its life expectancy.
I was driving on dry roads during the daytime below the speed limit, when the power steering light came on. The wheel locked, and I was unable to steer the car. I pulled to the side of the road and turned the car off and back on. It restarted without incident. 3 years later, the same event occurred without causing an accident.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 saturn ion. The contact stated that while turning at approximately 15 MPH, the vehicle became difficult to steer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number 14v153000 (steering). The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.
About three years ago is when I had my first problem with speed acceleration with my saturn. I left work and turned on my car and started to drive an hour to go home all the sudden my car began to accelerate and I wasn't pressing the gas. My vehicle continued to accelerate and I had to keep my foot on the brake to slow the vehicle down and it was still accelerating. I had to pull over on the side of the road and pop my car into neutral going approximately 70mph. I somehow managed to get home but my car continued to accelerate without me pressing on the gas. When I would turn the vehicle on while it was still in park the RPM's would go crazy as if I had my foot on the gas pedal. I immediately contacted my auto shop who indicated that they could not find anything wrong with my vehicle. I have had several incidents since then and ended up crashing earlier this year. My vehicle sped up on a snowy road and I lost complete steering for my vehicle, I nearly rolled my car and crashed head on into a snow bank. My air bags never deployed, after I contacted my insurance company they were surprised with the amount of front end damage I had on my vehicle that my airbags should have deployed but they did not. I know others are having the same issues with the vehicle accelerating with no application of the gas petal and the brake pedal does little or nothing to stop or slow the vehicle down.
2004 saturn ion. Consumer writes in regards to ignition switch recall notice issues, air bag malfunction and several other vehicle problems. *smd the consumer stated her daughter was involved in 3 accidents. Her daughter lost power and the vehicle stalled. When her daughter hit the other vehicle, the air bags did not deploy. Her daughter was injured. Also, the consumer had difficulty steering the vehicle.
While driving my car on multiple occasions I have lost the ability to control the steering wheel. Also, I have experienced my car turning off while driving which thankfully has a recall on it but I want the power steering to be recalled as well because it has caused an accident and multiple near misses.
My husband was driving our 2004 saturn ion down a hill and the power steering went out on the car. He could not stop and had extreme difficult steering the vehicle. We crashed into a telephone pole. I fractured my c-2 and my shoulder and also dislocated my shoulder.
While driving my saturn ion 2004 my power steering kept turning off periodically, my car is standard so I actually turned off the car while driving pressing my clutch in and restarted my car. I drove like this for about 5 miles. I took my car to the dealership where I was told that due to the fact I was over 150000 miles it voided my warranty for the defect to my steering motor. I spent over 500 dollars to repair my vehicle, now knowing that it was an existing defect known by the manufacturer.
Power steering temporarily locked in right turn position, during right hand turn, but was able to force back in time before hitting other car. Steering is still acting up during normal driving conditions (especially cold), when trying to return wheel back to straight position, wheel tightens up and needs to be forced back.
The power steering assist suddenly failed while driving the vehicle, making the effort of steering the vehicle increase greatly. Upon turning the vehicle off, the problem temporarily went away, but has continued to happen at an ever-increasing frequency until this date. For the past year, the power steering has failed within driving the first 200 feet every single time I have operated the vehicle. I know this has been a common occurrence with saturn ions and related gm vehicles, causing several accidents, and that gm is well aware of the issue. I believe a recall is in order due to the extreme physical exertion required to steer these vehicles after the power steering assist fails.
As I was driving on a straight-away, all of the sudden I heard 3 dings in my car - so I checked the dashboard (I was expecting to see fuel or maybe oil life), it read pwr str. Then I noticed that it was extremely difficult to steer my car...I had lost my power steering completely. The amount of strength it took just to turn the wheel was immense. This took more effort than driving an older car that does not have power steering. Luckily, I was just arriving at my destination. Also luckily, the issue goes away once I turn the car off and re-start it. This has happened 3 times since the first time - once while on a highway, once while parking my car, and another while driving through town.
The car would not turn over, I called road side in hopes that the battery just needed a jump, but when they arrived I found out that the car was not turning over because of another reason. My friends came over and we popped the clutch and drove it to a car repair shop to have them take a look, I was thinking either the starter or the alternator. He called me last night to tell me to contact gm about the recall on the ignition. The ignition is bad and will not turn the car over.
Power steering shuts off without warning. Once it happens you cannot turn the vehicle. Must power down the car and turn it back on to get the power steering to work. It can happen 2-3 times in a 5 miles stretch, inconsistent. Warning - happens when turning the vehicle - I almost crashed. Had to stop auto in the middle of a busy intersection - very dangerous.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 saturn ion. The contact stated that the vehicle had multiple failures. The steering was rough and the transmission was causing the vehicle to make loud noises when the wheels were turned left or right. The contact was included in the federal safety agency campaign id number:14v047000 (air bags, electrical system) however the dealer stated that the parts would become available mid april. The manufacturer was also contacted and could not provide an estimated date for when the contact's vehicle would receive the recall repairs. An authorized dealer will inspect the transmission and steering failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 175. The mileage of 175 was reaffirmed by the contact. Updated 05/28/14 ma the consumer stated the vehicle began having issues 2 weeks after it was purchased. The vehicle wouldnt start, it had high idling problems, and most recently the steering column failure. The battery and throttle were both replaced. Updated 05/29/2014* js
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 saturn ion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, there was an unexpected loss of power steering with the illumination of the warning indicator. The contact continued to drive with force being applied to the steering wheel. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 49,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 saturn ion. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the power steering light illuminated and the steering failed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and they stated that the power steering motor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 180,000.
As I was driving home on the freeway on a clear day. I noticed that the steering wheel was hard to turn when I try to change lane. I then decided to pull over at the first exit. When I slowed the vehicle down, it was clear that I had no power steering. There was no warning on the dash console and no audio alarm. Finally, I turned off the engine and restarted the car. The power steering came back and I managed to drive the car home.
We were driving on the highway at 70mph when the car stalled out and we lost power steering ability. We started the car again while it was in motion and it caught but it happened again a few more miles down the road. Since our saturn dealership was no longer in business, we had a trusted mechanic take care of it not knowing there were issues. I researched three recall notifications from saturn. One involved the left turn signal which we had to have fixed twice with a harness and bulb replacement in on 2/5/05 and again on 10/24/05. Another was a faulty ignition switch replacement also on 10/24/05. And then the third was the faulty electric power steering which as you know we had repaired on 10/4/12. I contacted gm about a reimbursement and they said no because we were past 10 years or 100,000 miles, and that the reimbursement form must be received by 8/31/11. My question to gm is, how can you put a limit on something that was faulty from the beginning? The new ignition and injectors in march 2010 ($758.94) and the new starter in august 2011 ($324) after having related problems/repairs due to the recall in oct 2005 show that something just wasn't right in the manufacturing of this model. And the power steering motor replacement ($177) in oct 2012 should also be reimbursed because gm already admitted it was a problem with the model year so regardless of whether we had 10,000 miles or 160,000 miles, it was faulty. Now we learn that they knew these were problems all along and did not take ownership of them. What really bothers me is that I inquired about all of this with them in december 2012 - this is supposed to be "a new gm" different from the company back in 2001? If they were different why did they refuse to reimburse me the $2,177 we spent in repairs, or admit that there was a recall? Is it because we did not die in an accident?
While driving this 04 saturn ion I lost power steering while going around a curve. I almost hit the guard rail. If the car is shut off then restarted the problem goes away until it happens again. When this happens the "power steering" warning light appears on the dash. Some times this can happen several times a day and there are times when it does not happen for weeks. It can happen in any weather or temp. It kind of takes you by surprise, one second its working fine then all of a sudden the power steering is gone.
Tl- the contact owns a 2004 saturn ion. The contact stated that the vehicle will not start upon placing the key in the ignition. The vehicle makes a clicking noise, the service engine soon light illuminates and the vehicle shuts off. The contact has to wait a moment to restart the vehicle. The vehicle also stalls without warning on multiple occasions. The vehicle was diagnosed by an authorized dealer and an independent mechanic multiple times and the failures still recurr. The diagnosis was to replace the power steering magnets and replace the power pack. The repairs were made and the vehicle is still not safe to drive. The power steering shorts out at random. The instrument panel shows an error light for the power steering. After the vehicle was repaired multiple times the failures still recurr. The vehicle was taken to independent mechanics and authorized dealers. The power steering failure was not able to be diagnosed. The contact was also included in the federal safety agency campaign id number: 14v047000 (air bags , electrical system) and stated that the parts were not available. The dealer advised that part was not available to complete the required repairs. The manufacturer was contacted and provided an unreasonable estimated date for when the contacts vehiclewould receive the recalled repairs. The vehicle has not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50000 and the current mileage was 63000. Dyd
As I was coming up to a traffic circle, my gears locked up and power steering went out, resulting in a crash into the traffic circle median, totaling the front of my vehicle. Vehicle is still in the shop awaiting maintenance.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 saturn ion. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to move and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. The dealer advised the contact that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v047000 (air bags , electrical system). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 3,000 and the current mileage was 50,000.
2004 saturn ion. Consumer writes in regards to electronic power steering failure. *smd the consumer stated she first started having front suspension problems, which the dealer fixed free of charge. The exhaust was leaking and she paid to have it replaced, along with the catalytic converter. Also, the horn stopped working. The consumer received a letter in july 2012, from gm stating the warranty was being extended because the electric power steering could fail. On december 16, 2013, the power steering failed, as the consumer was leaving a parking lot. She had to use extra force to turn the steering wheel. After a couple of minutes, it was back to normal. A test revealed, there was indeed a failure. When the consumer called gm, she was informed the extended warranty had expired on 11/28/13 the consumer no longer owns the vehicle. Updated 02/5/14
I was driving into parking lot and electric power steering warning with alarm came on the readout on the dash. At that time it had become nearly impossible to turn the steering wheel in any direction. If anyone had been close enough to me there would have been a collision. I turned the ignition off and then on again and the electric steering returned. I am the original owner of the vehicle and this incident put me in a panic mode because I am physically disabled with disabilities that affect my arms and legs. Trying to turn the steering wheel when the electric steering failed caused me great pain. I fear that if this happens again there could be a serious accident with other vehicles or even serious injuries to pedestrians. There was no way I could control that vehicle without a fully functional electric steering. I consider myself lucky that the vehicle was going at a very slow rate of speed and not on the roadway when this happened.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 saturn ion. The contact stated that while starting the ignition, the steering wheel failed to move and the power steering warning indicator was illuminated. The contact proceeded to drive the vehicle without the power steering assist function. The contact stated that the vehicle had been previously repaired under a recall issued by the manufacturer related to the power steering component. The malfunction recurred and the vehicle was not repaired for the most recent failure. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 saturn ion. The contact stated that the steering wheel failed while reversing and sporadically when driving. The steering wheel had to be turned with force. The failure was recurring. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to have a diagnostic performed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 103,000.
Approaching curve in road when steering wheel would not turn to the right. It felt completely locked, not just loss of power steering, to me. I was able to stop on the shoulder on the other side of the road (facing the wrong way) and after a few minutes, the steering worked normally again. Since that time, it has come and gone a few times, sometimes when I start the car, it feels like the mechanical steering lock is still engaged, but after shaking and wiggling for a few minutes, it usually begins to work. Sometimes I can turn one way, but not the other. It seems to be random whether it fails to the left or right. There is possible correlation to low temperatures, but I do not have enough data to be certain of this yet.
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