I was driving my car through town when the dash suddenly made an alert sound and a 'pwr str' light came on. My power steering instantly stopped working. I was in the middle of a three lane street and in the process of merging lanes, so the power steering failure almost caused me to run into another car. After I shut my car off and started it again, the power steering worked fine for about 5 miles before the message came back up and the power steering failed once again. I drive at least 15-20 miles through the city for my job each day, and it's a huge safety hazard for me when the power steering stops working. It has been failing at least 2 or 3 times a day since the first incident occurred. I drove to my parents' house which is 80 mile from my current home, and the power steering failed at least 7 times during the drive. I loose almost all of my control over the vehicle whenever this occurs, and I'm very concerned for my safety and the safety of the others on the road near me.
2006 Saturn Ion steering complaints
Page 7 of 19: complaints 161 to 190 of 544, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Was driving on parkway when started to go on off ramp car started to peep and on dash board it showed pwr strp and than engine light came on steering wheel got hard to maneuver. If u turn off car for 15 minutes light is off on dash but it will come on again after driving for 2 or 3 miles.
While driving a "pwr str" light came on and the power steering stopped working while driving. Turning off the car and cranking again fixes the problem. This creates a hazard while driving as its behavior is unpredictable. This car was left out of a previous saturn recall with similar complaints. A google search of "saturn ion steering not working" will return many results of owners with similar complaints.
Received notice from gm regarding power steering assist motor recall. Drove with no power steering 40 miles to local dealership.towed it home 4 days later. The car hasn't started since. I was aware of the pass lock problem and told the dealer the car might take a few tries to start. The steering wheel is now crooked and the key sticks in the ignition. This is a new problem. For three hundred dollars the dealer said he would fix it. He claims he did the work requested. I wouldn't know because the car hasn't started since. Drive it in and tow it out ...now that's customer service for you!!! A free repair cost me the use of my car and 200 in gas and tow expenses. Wonder if I have power steering??? Hard to trust a dealer that states" I never touched the column,your pump is under the hood" pump??? Even I know there is no pump or power steering fluid.
I was going down road, steering because hard, transmission became stuck, pwr str light came up on mileage screen and the engine light came on. I was reading that others have had problem with steering column. Please let me know. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 saturn ion. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact managed the vehicle to the shoulder and realized that the power steering had also failed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 48,000. Updated 7/31/12 *cn the consumer stated the vehicle suddenly lost power steering at a high speed of 65 MPH. It was difficult to turn off the road, but he managed to do so. It occurred again at slower speeds, too. The consumer stated he read online that stopping the vehicle, and turning it off would re-activate the power steering for awhile. The dealer replaced the power steering motor free of charge. Updated 08/01/12
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 saturn ion. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH the power steering system seized, causing the contact to have difficulty in steering the vehicle. The contact pulled over and shut the vehicle off. After restarting the vehicle the power steering system worked normally. The contact took the vehicle to a local mechanic for a diagnostic test. The test results showed that there was a faulty power steering system that needed to be replaced. The contact did not take the vehicle to the dealer. The failure mileage was 103,198.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 saturn ion. The contact was driving 30 MPH up a mountain when a warning lamp illuminated and the power steering failed. The contact mentioned that it was very difficult to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who had not been able to determine what was causing the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 60,000.
Could not shut car off, key is locked in ignition, could not get key out of ignition.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 saturn ion. The contact stated that the power steering failed while reversing from her driveway. The power steering warning light also illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact shut the vehicle off and the vehicle resume as normal upon restart. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure and current mileages were 147,294.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 saturn ion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 MPH, there was loud chime with complete loss of power steering and the warning indicator illumination. The vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road, where the engine was turned off. The vehicle restarted and resumed normally. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who advised that the vehicle be taken to an authorized dealer for assistance due to the electric power steering. The failure occurred nine times. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 49,000.
I was driving to work at 9pm and I got off the highway and my power-steering stopped working. There was a light on the dash that said it was my pwr str. I made it to work, but it was very difficult to steer my car and very un-safe.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 saturn ion. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH the power steering failed. He turned off the vehicle and once restarted, the power steering assist was reset. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The dealer advised the contact that they needed to replace the power steering motor. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 41,000 and the current mileage was 41,500. The VIN was not available.
There was 3 beeps and "pwr str" was displayed, and the power steering failed. Since the first occurrence, the car will start with the power steering enabled, and then after driving for anywhere from 1 to 6 minutes, it will fail again. Without the power steering, the car is almost impossible to turn.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 saturn ion. The contact stated that the power steering assist failed while driving 65 MPH. The contact had to shift into neutral, turn off and restart the vehicle for the power steering assist to reset. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 97,600 and the current mileage 97,984.
Was driving down the highway and power steering motor went out. Power steering keeps shutting off.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 saturn ion. The contact stated that the power steering warning light illuminated and the steering wheel seized. The contact also stated that the vehicle would sporadically stall without warning. The vehicle returned to normal operation when it was restarted after the failures. The vehicle was not taken to have the failures diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was 86,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 saturn ion. The contact stated that when driving at various speeds, the power steering assist would seize sporadically. The vehicle was turned off and on, and the steering would reset independently. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 saturn ion. The contact was driving 50 MPH when the power steering failed and the contact experienced extreme difficulties in maintaining control of the vehicle. The contact mentioned that the power steering warning lamp illuminated immediately after the failure. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer and the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 120,000.
I was driving my car when my consul read the phrase "pwr str" meaning that my power steering was malfunctioning and no longer worked until I pulled over and restarted the car and that reset the power steering. This now happens about two to three times every time I drive my car.
Power steering light goes on randomly and power steering fails.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 saturn ion. The contact stated that while driving 2 MPH, the contact attempted to turn the steering wheel when it became inoperable. The vehicle was taken for diagnosis by an independent mechanic where they advised that the power steering assist system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 107,000 and the current mileage was 114,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 saturn ion. He contact replaced the battery and noticed that the power steering failed. The vehicle was neither diagnosed nor repaired. The current and the failure mileages were 68,000. The VIN was not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 saturn ion. The contact was driving 35 MPH when the power steering failed without warning. The contact mentioned that although it became very hard to steer, he was able to maintain control of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who diagnosed that the power steering was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and was 72,691.
Power steering system fails at random, no discernible pattern. Power steering system seems to reset after stopping and restarting the vehicle. The vehicle become extremely difficult to steer...causing dangerous situations.
While driving down the road the power steering just stops working you have to turn the car off and back on to continue to drive safely.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 saturn ion. The contact stated that the power steering failed while driving approximately 70 MPH. The power steering warning chime beeped as the power steering warning light illuminated. The contact had to use extreme force in order to steer the vehicle. The failure was recurring. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to have a diagnostic performed or for repairs. The failure mileage was 52,000 and the current mileage was 53,000.
Driving on the freeway when power steering completely failed. Driving between 55 and 60mph. Finally able to pull over. Turned off engine and upon restart, power steering was restored. This failure has continued to occur on a daily basis. Very dangerous.
As I was driving down the interstate my power steering message light came on and my steering became hard to steer. After I shut it off and let it rest for awhile it works again for awhile then gets tight.
While the vehicle was in operations the power steering on the vehicle went out. We were able to continue driving despite it being very difficult to turn the cars steering wheel. However after turning the car off and restarting it the power steering unit worked again. Figured this out after reading other peoples complaints about the same issue online.
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