Tl* the contact owns a 2007 saturn ion. While driving, an unusual tapping noise was heard under the dashboard. The contact also mentioned that the front passenger seat air bag warning indicator flickered on and off. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified. The failure mileage was unknown.
Saturn Ion airbag light comes on
45 of the 4,344 owner complaints about the Saturn Ion describe airbag warning light, most of them for the 2007 model year.
- owner complaints
- 45
- worst model year
- 2007
- typical mileage
- 65,000
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
No deployment 6Check engine light 4Stalling 3Power steering loss 2Fuel smell 2Adaptive cruise 2Won't start 1Steering lock-up 1
Trouble codes mentioned
P0420 1
What owners say
Airbag light comes on all the time when I'm driving, off then come back on, happens on streets and highways, just comes on and off all the time
Received recall notice about 3 years ago regarding fuel tank. However, it specified certain states of origin. I disregarded notice since I was not residing in one of those states. My car periodically smells of gas, my check engine light and low performance light goes on/off and my mechanic suggested recall. My suspension issues have required replacement of bearing and sway bar on more than one occasion. My passenger airbag light stays on all the time and dings as a reminder every time I start my vehicle.
The vehicle stalled and slowed but engine did not stop approaching an intersection on a town road. Days later it stalled again on a town road. The check engine light came on and another light flashed. In both cases stopping the engine and turning it back on remedied the issue and cleared the lights. While in motion on a country highway the passenger airbag light began flashing from on and off although there was only my pocketbook in the passenger seat. Removing the bag did not solve the issue. Stopping and turning off the ignition cleared the problem.the car lost power again on an interstate highway. I managed to get to the shoulder turned off the engine and the problem solved. The car began chiming instead of ticking when the left turn signal was on when the vehicle was exiting from a highway. The seat belt light came on at that time as well. The airbag light has remained on for several days now. This last occurrence was yesterday august 8, 2017. I am afraid that the car may stall while in a dangerous situation.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 saturn ion. While idling, the vehicle experienced misfires and had an abnormal fuel odor. Additionally, the check engine and air bag warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact referenced the federal safety agency campaign number: 09v419000 (fuel system, gasoline), but the VIN was excluded. The failure mileage was approximately 114,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 saturn ion. The contact stated that the air bag indicator illuminated when the vehicle was started. The contact also stated that the temperature gauge did not move and that the air conditioner did not work. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the temperature gauge failure was an electrical failure that needed to be remedied. The technician referred the contact to a dealer to diagnose the air bag failure. The failures were not remedied. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 185,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 saturn ion. The contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact was unable to remove the key from the ignition. The failure started after the vehicle was repaired per the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v171000 (electrical system). The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, but was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 83,000. The VIN was unavailable.
The car was fueled up, when it was being started it had great difficulty. Once it was running, it was driven and a right turn was made, then all gauges died. The check engine light, the airbag light and the "pwr str" massage remained on. The car was pulled over to the side of the road and turned the ignition switch to the off position the three indicators remained on and the car refused for about two minutes before turning off.
I have had intermittent issues with my passenger airbag light coming on and off. My vehicle has about 65,000 miles on it and I do not feel safe driving it with passengers. My gas cap light is on and off as well, and now, water is pooling on the floor for no reason after a dealer looked at my car. I have reported my airbag case to gm, as well as to the federal safety agency hotline. I feel like airbag issues should be covered in all vehicles, particularly if there is no evidence of a crash. I do not have an airbag on/off switch, so I have no way to turn it on/off. My concern is that it may deploy for no reason, possibly injuring my passengers. All of my issues are on the passenger side of my car. (reported by friend of vehicle owner) no documentation other than case number info given to gm. Specific date just sept 2015.
Within 2 months of having the first recall on the ignition switch repaired the airbag light on the dashboard will illuminate at random times. Some times it will stay on after starting the car and turning off at some point into the drive, or it will illuminate while driving, stay illuminated for a period of time and then shut off. Had the second recall that still impacted the key being able to be removed which required the gear shift to be replaced less than a year after the ignition switch was replaced. Since the second repair the air bag light illuminates more frequently. See many others have had the same issue since have the repairs completed. The air bag light never illuminate prior to recalls being repairs.
Related recalls
Air bags
- What is wrong
- This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on February 10, 2014 that they are recalling 619,122 model year 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalt, and 2007 Pontiac G5 vehicles. On February 25, 2014, GM increased the recall to include an additional 748,024 model year 2006-2007 Chevrolet HHR and Pontiac Solstice vehicles and 2003-2007 Saturn Ion vehicles and 2007 Saturn Sky vehicles. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine. On March 27, 2014, GM notified the agency that the defective ignition switches may have been used as service replacement parts on other vehicles, and as a result GM will be recalling certain model year 2008-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, Saturn Sky, and Pontiac G5 and Solstice, and 2008-2011 Chevrolet HHR vehicles. The part numbers for the service parts are 10392423 (a/k/a ACDelco D1461F), 10392737, 15857948, 15854953, 15896640, and 25846762. This expansion represents an additional 823,788 vehicles.
- Risk
- If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition switch, free of charge. An interim notification was issued to owners of 2007 and earlier models on March 10, 2014, informing them of the safety defect. Owners of 2008 and later vehicles will be mailed an interim letter on April 21, 2014. All affected owners will receive another letter once parts are available. The recall began on April 18, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1‑800‑222‑1020, Pontiac at 1‑800‑762‑2737 or Saturn at 1‑800‑553‑6000. GM's number for the initial recall is 13454 and 14063 for the expansion. GMs recall number for the vehicles that may have received the replacement parts is 14092. Note: Until the recall repairs have been performed, it is very important that customers remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the vehicle key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. Always wear your seatbelt.
Recall number 14V047000 · Recall details
Questions about the Saturn Ion airbag light
Why does the airbag light come on in the Saturn Ion?
Owners who report it most often also describe airbags did not deploy in a crash, check engine light and engine stalls while driving, and the codes they mention most are P0420.
Which Saturn Ion years have airbag warning light problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2007 (19 complaints), 2006 (15 complaints) and 2005 (5 complaints).
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