Tl*the contact owns a 2004 saturn ion. The contact stated that the power steering failed intermittently; the power steering light also illuminated. When the light turned off, the power steering returned. The dealer stated that the power steering pump needed to be replaced. The VIN was unavailable. The current and failure mileages were approximately 77,000.
2004 Saturn Ion steering complaints
Page 8 of 13: complaints 191 to 220 of 345, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I was driving my 2004 saturn ion VIN# [xxx]. And the powersteering gave out 2 years ago a couple times but I didn't think it was a big deal cause it didn't happen again until a couple days ago and it is now it does intermittently . I know the power steering for the ion is all electric so I looked online and noticed there are thousands of complaints for the same problem. The dealer wants to charge 1000 dollars to repair it and in my opinion a defect. If you could please have someone check into this issue. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Tl* the contact owns 2004 saturn ion. The contact stated the power steering would fail sporadically without warning. The contact would have to turn the vehicle off to allow the power steering assist to reset independently. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage unknown and the current mileage was 138,000.
I have a 2004 saturn ion and the power steering keeps going off in my car. The car will ding and a message will flash then all the sudden you cant turn the wheel. This happens repeatedly.
Power steering in 2004 saturn ion intermittently goes out unexpectedly and stays off until car is turned off and turned back on. This happens almost every time I drive the car. I am a small person, I cannot drive the car safely when the power steering goes out. This causes me to have to pull over on the side of roads to restart car, or I will even restart the car at a stoplight if I have the opportunity. This is the only transportation I have and I cannot afford the costly repairs I have been researching to fix this problem. In my research I have also found that many many others are having this exact problem with their saturn ion power steering.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 saturn ion. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the power steering light flashed on the instrument panel followed by a power steering malfunction which made the vehicle difficult to steer. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently. The contact received a letter regarding a special warranty coverage up to 100,000 miles for the power steering but the vehicle's mileage was over 100,000. The vehicle had not been inspected or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.
Car has 70000 miles, power steering goes on and off, intermittently, sometimes shuts off completely. Fuses were replaced, the motor seems to be bad, as hundreds of other saturn customers are complaining about the same issue.
I was driving with my daughter in my 2004 saturn ion and the power steering light came appeared. I lost power steering immediately. It took all my strength to turn my vehicle around and make it home safely. I immediately researched the problem and found numerous complaints online. I contacted customer service and they said that there was a special policy in place for the problem to be repaired but because my vehicle was over 100,000 miles (118,000) it would be an out of pocket expense.
My engine light was on for about 2 weeks. It would come on and go off. I was on my way to the lake one day and was driving down a curvy road an my power steering went out! It took all that I had to manually turn the wheel so I would not go off the road and down the hills side! The power steering will go out after a lot of turning. I have found that if you shut the car off that it will reset it's self, but this is still very dangerous and needs something done about it. A week ago I received a letter in the mail saying that if I had this problem that it could be fixed at any gm dealer, but when I made my appointment they said that they couldn't fix it because my car is prior salvaged and this is not a recall! I can not afford to replace this it will cost $600 to $1000 to fix the problem. The economy is bad enough we can't afford to pay or need to be paying for gm's mistakes. This is a very dangerous problem an it needs to be taking care of!
While driving on a straight road the power steering light came on and heard a chime sound. This was around 80,000 miles on the vehicle. Turned car off and back on. Everything seemed to work fine after that. Now I have about 123,000 miles on my car and there is a service bulletin for my saturn ion but no recall. So nothing has been done to fix the problem. Chevy cobalts have the same part , but they have an active recall on that vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 saturn ion. The contact was driving approximately 15 MPH when she began to smell smoke and the vehicle became hard to steer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the power steering motor and column would need replacing. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileage was 45,020.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 saturn ion. While driving approximately 65 MPH he heard a chiming noise in the dashboard and the power steering light illuminated on the dashboard. He lost all power steering and stated that he continue to drive with difficulty to his destination. Four hours later he returned to the vehicle and the power steering worked as normal. The failure occurred twice. He took the vehicle to a local mechanic and the electronic power steering module was replaced. He had to replace it because he was not able to handle the vehicle traveling through the mountains on the way home. The contact stated that he received a letter from the manufacturer stating that they have had the identical failure with other 2004 ions. The failure mileage was 119,000 and the current mileage was 123,000.
Saturn notified me in august of 2010 that they are extending the warranty on my 2004 saturn ion for the electric power steering to 10 year or 100,000 miles. My complaint is that the part went out a few years ago and thousands of miles ago. My car is now over 100,000 miles. Had I been informed before the intitial warranty ran out, I would've had it fixed. Now they tell me they will not cover the defective part.
Power steering light and sound pops up on dash. Power steering goes out. Very scary. At highway speed not too bad unless you are trying to evade an accident or something in the road. At low speed very, very, very difficult to maneuver turns or around objects in the road including children and pets. Turn car off, turn back on and steering returns for a while and then happen again, and again.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 saturn ion. The contact stated that the power steering would fail intermittently when driving at least 10 MPH, causing limited ability to maneuver the steering wheel and control the vehicle. When the contact would shut off and restart the vehicle, the power steering assist would reset itself and resume normal operation. The dealer advise that the steering column was defective and would need replacing. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 175,000.
While driving for less than 5 minutes, the car dinged and the pwr str light came on. I was unable to turn the wheel without considerable effort. Drove home at about 30 miles per hour and had extreme difficulty turning the wheel. This is very dangerous! I could barely turn the wheel at all and was concerned for my safety!
Power steering went out in 2004 saturn ion after the warranty had expired (2008). Took it to dealership and they said it would be $1000. Could not afford it and began looking online for other alternative. Found many others with the same problem. Contacted saturn by phone, mail, signed petitions. Nothing was ever done. Recently found out gm recalled the same part for the chevy cobalt, but not saturn. Finally seen where you could take the saturn in and they would fix it for free. I found out online, saturn never sent me notification. When I took it in they said I had 2,000 miles over what the "special warranty" would cover. Contacted they saturn customer service, they opened an investigation and called me back to say there was nothing they could do due to the 2,000 miles and when I asked for someone higher I was told there was nowhere higher this was gm's final decision but I should pay for the repairs because this was a hazard. I asked again for a supervisor or anyone else higher than her she again said there was no one higher and this was gm's final decision and remained on the line silent then finally disconnected the call. I do not understand how they can refuse to let me talk to someone higher and furthermore refuse to cover a manufacturers defective part.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 saturn ion. While driving approximately 25-30 MPH the vehicle lost power steering. She stated that the vehicle became very difficult to steer and she had to hold on to the shifter and the steering wheel in order to gain control of the vehicle. The vehicle was manual. The contact had taken the vehicle to three local mechanics and they advised her that the steering column needed to be replaced and has referred her to the dealer. The vehicle was not taken to an authorized dealer for this failure. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent at first but she no longer has power steering. While driving the vehicle also locked in gear and she could not shift out of gear. The contact stated the failure happened at 9,000 miles. The vehicle was taken to the dealer thirty seven times for this failure and they have replaced the wires but the failure continued to occur. The dealer has never diagnosed the failure because the contact would not pay $500.00 for diagnostic testing. The failure mileage was 21,000 and the current mileage was 83,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 saturn ion . While driving 60 MPH the power steering chime sound alerted her that the power steering malfunctioned. The contact stated that it was very difficult to turn the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to a garage in order to have the failure diagnosed. The vehicle was repaired with a used steering column. The contact stated that her son was driving at 20 MPH when the chime alerted him and the steering wheel was very difficult to steer causing him to crash into a pole. There were front end damages and no injuries. The dealer stated that there were no recalls. The failure mileage was unknown. The current mileage was 67000.
The power steering randomly stops while driving. Intermittently, sometimes it'll stop 5 seconds after driving, sometimes it'll work for a full hour drive. I almost got into a couple bad incidents because of this supposedly known issue.
Power steering failure renders vehicle inoperable and just plain dangerous. My power steering went out while driving on 3 occasions this week and would be back to normal after coming to complete stop and restarting the vehicle. Had the power steering motor replaced to correct the problem.
While driving, anywhere from two minutes to twenty minutes later, the power steering fails and does not correct until the engine is restarted. This happens every day,up to 5 times a day.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 saturn ion. While driving approximately 40 MPH the power steering service light illuminated on the instrument panel and the steering wheel became very stiff. The contact drove the vehicle onto the emergency lane, turned it off and restarted it; however, the vehicle began to function normally and then the failure recurred. The contact stated that the failure had recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to diagnose the failure. The contact replaced the power steering fuses but the failure continued to occur. The failure and current mileages were 69,000. The VIN was unavailable.
My 2004 saturn ion 3 power steering keeps on failing. All I have to do is shut off the car and turn it back on it again and it works again. It appears from the internet this is a common issue with these cars and that the cobalt with the exact same steering column and electric motor was recalled but the ion was not. This is scary when driving and your power steering just goes out. It is happening more and more on me and is going to cause an accident one day.
Saturn ion 2004 2.2ltr l4 with 28k miles. After drving 3 or 4 blocks only, "pwr str" indicator lighted up on the dashboard, and the steering got really hard, almost impossible to steer the car. This had happened like 1 or 2 years before while driving in my parking, but it was gone the next time I started the car.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 saturn ion. While driving at 35 MPH, the power steering locked and became extremely difficult to steer. The contact then depressed the brakes and was able to coast to the side of the road. The vehicle was then towed to a local repair facility. The dealer advised there were no reported failures of power steering loss in his year, make and model. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The failure mileage was 104,000 and the current mileage was 130,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 saturn ion. The contact stated while driving at 70 MPH the power steering light flashed and the power steering malfunctioned. The contact called the manufacturer and they stated to the contact to take the vehicle into the dealer to have a diagnostic test and also have a district specialist look at the vehicle. The contact has not taken the vehicle to the dealer at this time. The contact stated the vehicle will cause someone's death. The failure mileage was 52,000.
I have a 2004 saturn ion (red line). In july of last year, my power steering went out while driving. You have to turn the car off and restart it in order to reset the power steering. The problem occurred twice that month and did not happen again until june of this year. It has happened 5 times since. I have noticed that the problem usually occurs when the weather is hot (over 90 degrees). Other than that, there is no set circumstance. It can just go out at any time. I contacted saturn and they said there was a problem with some part of the steering column that was causing the problem, but the way the car is made, they just can't replace the part, but the entire steering column has to be replaced. This would cost between 700.00 and 800.00 before labor. I have been researching this on the internet and have found dozens of other people who have had the same problem. I feel this is a safety problem on saturns part and the steering column needs to be recalled. I understand you have had similar complaints about this problem. I hope you take these complaints into consideration.
I have a 2004 saturn ion level 2. My vehicle's 'check engine' light appears quite frequently. I brought it to a dealership to be check out over a year ago. I was told that nothing was wrong with my vehicle. For a year, I have been driving with a 'check engine' light randomly lighting up. Last night, midway around a bend, my vehicle's electric power steering went out, and straightened my wheel- putting me into oncoming traffic. I could have died and killed another driver. This morning, after calling around to dealerships and mechanics and doing my own research, I have found out that my vehicle's make and model is under evaluation for a recall concerning the power steering. This "evaluation" was only recently started this past year. There have been no public warnings and gm is refusing to acknowledge the problem even after the diagnostic tests have been performed. Many drivers are driving without the problem being fixed because of the price tag of the repair and the state of the economy. What is it going to take for a recall regarding saturn ions?! The death of a saturn driver? This is becoming absurd and I believe worse than the toyota ordeal. They are sweeping the issue under a rug, along with our money and most importantly, the safety of saturn drivers' lives. I have been conversing with other saturn drivers who have had the same problems, we are furious and paranoid that at any point in time we may die.
Power steering just started to go out on my saturn ion 04. This problem started about 2mos ago, april, 2010. It appears after the car has been running for a while. When turned off and restarted, power steering works, but then may go out after driving a while more. When car was first bought, within 24 hrs we had an ignition problem that the dealership ended up fixing free of charge. Very disturbed that the cobalt was recalled for this problem and not the saturn. Makes no sense since the power steering is the same in both vehicles.
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