Drove less then a mile, stopped at a stop sign saw smoke pouring out from under the hood my husband opened the car door to see what was going on when flames shot in beside his leg we jump out of the car and he got our son out of his car seat. The car is completely totaled. The fire department said that it started order the hood and they believe that it was electrical.
2005 Saturn Ion electrical complaints
Page 5 of 9: complaints 101 to 130 of 227, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 saturn ion. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the key became stuck in the ignition and the vehicle was unable to be started. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that the ignition switch and the anti-theft system needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000 and the current mileage was 80,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 saturn ion. The contact stated that she attempted to remove the key from the ignition but it would not release. The contact had to shake the key until it released. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
I was driving and the power steering light went on as did their check engine light..the car was very hard to drive..I had it in and to a gm dealer--they said by the time I drove it up (40 miles)car didn't do it again..while up there they could not find problem and said because the light wouldn't go on for them--they wanted to charge me $98..I had been in touch with gm in mich.they helped me get the power steering motor replaced.at no charge.I have had the car home for about 1 week--and the same thing happened as I was driving on 10-02-13-power steering light went on..so I had to sign a statement if it happened again they would not be responsible if not there fault..what a safety hazard..I bought the car brand new and never had trouble except for this--which it's like not having a car..in touch with gm again--waiting for a call back..
2005 saturn ion the key won't turn on the car easily and the key gets stuck in the ignition when turning off the car. It can take me up to 10-15 minutes to turn the car on/off. I had this problem when I first bought the car, maybe 2007 and I paid approx, $800 dollars at the saturn dealership to get it fixed (ignition/steering column)only to get paid back the money through a recall. Now, the ignition and the key are acting in the same matter. Problem has been going on for months, with no end in sight. As a matter of fact, it keeps getting worse.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 saturn ion. The contact stated that when the vehicle was parked, he could not power down the vehicle. The contact attempted to remove the key from the ignition but the key remained stuck and none of the electrical components would shut off. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired or diagnosed. The approximate failure mileage was 79,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 saturn ion. The contact stated that while attempting to remove the key from the ignition, the key became stuck. The contact turned the vehicle on and off several times in an attempt to free the key. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis where it was stated that the ignition needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the problem persisted. The manufacturer was notified. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 saturn ion. The contact stated that the ignition failed. When the key was inserted into the ignition, the steering wheel seized and the engine failed to start. The failure was experienced numerous times. The dealer replaced the key code however, the failure was not corrected. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 97,000. Kmj
When the car sits for a day or more it won't crank and needs to be jumped off. The battery and altenator are good and so are the fuses. I have changed ignition relay and no difference. Had car running and would not this morning after sitting for 18 hrs. Batt is totally dead.
After 50k miles key gets stuck in the ignition and takes 5-10 minutes to come out, replaced ignition cylinder still same issue, unable to turn engine off, hazard.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 saturn ion. The contact stated the key became lodged in the ignition switch. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included on any recalls. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 52,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 saturn ion. The contact stated that after shifting the vehicle in park, the vehicle stalled and she was unable to remove the key from the ignition. The vehicle was taken to a local repair shop. The manufacturer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage and current mileage was 72,797.
The key gets stuck in the ignition, this has been a problem for 2 years, often have to leave the car with the key in (this is very unsafe). Today the key was stuck and would not turn, I could not turn the car off --- this is an extremely unsafe situation.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 saturn ion2. The contact stated that after inserting the key in the ignition, it became lodged in the on position and could not be removed. The contact was unable to shut the vehicle off as a result of the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer two days prior to the failure where the ignition cylinder was replaced yet, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not further inspected by a dealer nor repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The failure and current mileages were approximately 70,000. Updated 04/19/12*lj the consumer stated the only way to shut the vehicle was off, was by disconnecting the battery. Updated 04/27/12
The car has issues with lighting malfunction. My passenger side running light/turn signal required many bulb changes, every few weeks or so, since the socket overheated and accordingly received a signal from the body module to shut off. This seems like the same problem that LED to a recall with the 2003 and 2004 ions. I recently was finally able to get this safety-related aspect of the vehicle remedied, for a few hundred dollars.
I have had to replace the ignition switch 3 times because I am unable to turn the car completely off. I am starting to have problems again where I sometimes can not shut it off and I know that these will lead to me having to replace the switch again. The first time it was replaced at no charge and I have had to pay for the other 2 times.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 saturn ion. The contact stated that vehicle could not be started during colder weather due to the anti-theft sensor. The contact stated that the vehicle would have to sit at least twenty minutes after starting in order for the vehicle to reset. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnose the failure. The dealer advised the contact to have the vehicle towed when the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified who stated that the dealer could not repair the vehicle until properly diagnosed. The failure mileage was 83,000.
The first time it went off was when we were entering a highway. The electric alarm went off and then I found the steering was not working. It was dangerous and very hard to pull over when cars behind are accelerating to get into the highway traffic. After a restart, everything seemed okay. Then on our way back home the same thing happened for 4 or 5 times. We had to drive in the right lane at a low speed to give ourselves enough space for safty.
My 2005 saturn ion will not start when it's cold, I replaced the starter, I replaced the neutral safety switch, I replaced the ignition switch, I was extremely frustrated. I cut the white wire after roll starting as my car is a manual and taped off wires, car now starts anytime I need it to, gm / saturn need to recall this issue and quit being cheap and fix there mistakes.
I had been driving approx. 2 hours of a 11 hour trip when I saw a message replace the odometer about the power steering. I left i95 using exit 98 and pulled over in a gas station. The manual stated that the power steering was electric, so no steering fluid to check. I restarted the car and magically the problem was fixed and my trip odometer was magically set to zero. I drove around the frontage road and everything seemed fine so I continued on my way. 22 miles later the same thing happened. I took the next exit, shut the car off, restarted it and magically again it was fixed with no reset of the trip odometer. Again I continued on my trip only to have it happen again 23 miles later, at which point I repeated the stopping/restarting procedure and turned around headed for home. While driving home it happened two more times, then once more in the driveway when I was backing up. So a total of 6 times within a 5 hour period and no prior history (since I've owned it) of this problem. I purchased this car used from a dealer may 28 2011 with approx. 46500 miles. The only other problem I've had is the key not wanting to come out of the ignition after I've turned the car off; after I put the gear shift into reverse then back into park, the key will come out; sometimes I can hear a clicking sound when the ignition switch fixes itself and then the key will come out, also.
I have a saturn ion 05 and have had to replace the power steering once already and now having the same issue again. Also the turn signal on the front drivers side only works when my hazards or head lamps are on have tested all fuses and replaced bulb twice this is a commom complaint why isnt it being fixed?
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 saturn ion. The contact stated the vehicle would not shut off. Two years ago the ignition would not shut off and the vehicle was taken to a mechanic who replaced the ignition switch and reprogramed the computer. The contact had to pay for the repairs. The failure reccurred but the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was contacted, stated there were no recalls and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 50,000.
Key can get stuck in ignition of saturn ion cars. Engine will shut down but key will not eject from ignition. To release key it is required to pop open ignition column and press compression switch to release key. This also causes interior lights to turn on, even if car is off. Triggering the anti-left system. The theft system using the lighting to determine if the doors have opened. Saturn has been aware of this problem on ions from 2003-2007. But have done nothing to fix the 1000's of complaints. Problem has persisted since 2008.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 saturn ion. The contact stated whenever the vehicle was turned off; the key has to be shaken several times in order to release the key. The contact also stated that it was difficult to start the vehicle more often when the weather was cold. The vehicle was not inspected. The failure mileage was 40,000 and the current mileage 46,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 saturn ion. The contact stated that the ignition switch would not completely turn off, which prevented him from removing the key. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who stated that the ignition cylinder was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 43,000 and the current mileage was 56,159.
June 12-my car received complimentary maintenance. At which point, the car would not start. The body control was replaced. After moving over 1800 miles, the car would not start. June 16-had it serviced again and to my knowledge, the car had been damaged during servicing at dealership ( dropped off foot jack and damaged radiator and AC condenser). June 17-after commuting 80 miles and the passing of 9 hours, the car would not start again. Then after 3 hours, it started ( as I was in an unfamiliar location). June 21-its 8 am and I am about to leave for work, the car would not start. Took the car to the dealership after it started 3 hours later, riding in anti-theft mode. Left the car overnight and had to get a rental. June 24- picked up the car and the dealer could not determine the issue and assumed that it had been absolved. June 30- 7 am. The car would not start again for 4 hours. Took the car to the dealership, could not determine the issue. My car has yet to be fixed and I have been stranded in a number of unfamiliar places. Something is very wrong with the ignition because the power of the car comes on, but the engine will not communicate to come on.
Almost 100% of the time I stop my car and try to remove the key, it stays locked in the acc position. Sometimes I can not even turn off the engine. I have to make several attempts to turn ff the engine and remove the key from the switch.
Approximately 1 year ago I started having problems getting the key in the ignition to go back to the 'lock' position when I turned the car off. After jiggling the key it would eventually come out - until this past sunday when the key refused to turn at all and I was unable to shut my car off. I took it to the dealership where I had to remove the ignition fuse to shut off the car. I received a phone call from the dealership monday morning and was quoted a price of $390 plus tax to replace the ignition cylinder. I was told at that time how it would be fixed because they have replaced many ignitions due to the same problem. Based on that information, I did some research on the internet and found a web-site (http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/saturn_ignition_lock.html) with 88 pages of complaints from other saturn owners experiencing the same issue. General motors has known about this for over 5 years (at least) and has not issued a re-call notice. How many consumers does it take to get them to be a responsible company? I contacted gm and voiced my concern. The two individuals I spoke to were rather snippy. They were also less than cordial when they spoke to the dealership - wanting to know why I was given their phone number. I told gm that I have documentation showing this has been an existing problem with the saturn line and they have known about it so my question to them was why haven't you issued a re-call. Their response was 'we can't accept third party documentation as proof of any problem'. It ended up that I only had to pay $100, which I am very grateful about but I would still like the corporation of general motors to be held accountable for an obvious design flaw that could result in a very deadly outcome if someone was not able to turn their car off in an emergency.
It was about 25 f at about 8 am vehicle would not start or crank. The pass lock light came on, which when I researched said that I was starting with the wrong key. Upon much more research I found this to be a common problem with these 2003-2006 ion. After many ignition switches were replaced and even the onboard computer, the same problem would recur. The best solution I found came from an airplane mechanic. Be sure the ignition is off. He said to spray lps electro contact cleaner (any pure alcohol contact cleaner will work) into the ignition. Saturate it. Wait 10 minutes for it to dry then spray sea foam deep creep penetrant and lubricant into ignition switch. This worked for 2 years for me. It happened again this past march of 2011. I repeated this process and have had no problem since. This works by cleaning out the old stiff lubricant gm used during manufacture and putting in a lighter lubricant. Total cost for both sprays was under $20.
2005 saturn ion, multiple problems, such as the key getting stuck in the ignition switch, in order to release the key I need to push a button underneath and inside the steering column. Also, the passlock system is defective, it prevents the car from starting and drains the battery, I have replaced the battery twice in one year.
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