I was driving and my transmission I bought from gm only 14 months ago went out. It was remanufactured and the part cost me 5,513.63 dollars. I only drove approximately 9,000 miles and they said it was 12 mo. Or 1 year so they can't help me. I would expect a remanufactured transmission to last more than 9000 miles and asked if I was the first to have failure at so low mileage and he replied yes. I feel I've been cheated as a consumer. Gm parts told me that part is covered 3 years or 36,000 miles however customer service said that's wrong. I was only at 14 months when it went out and at 9000 miles it is so unfair because it is suppose to be like a brand new transmission. All gm is about is making money and not about the satisfaction of their customers. Car was in motion when it went out.
Saturn Ion transmission failure problems
19 of the 4,344 owner complaints about the Saturn Ion describe complete transmission failure, most of them for the 2003 model year.
- owner complaints
- 19
- worst model year
- 2003
- typical repair cost reported
- $2,136
- typical mileage
- 69,000
By model year
Often reported together
Warning lights 1Won't shift 1Stalling 1Hesitation 1Check engine light 1Adaptive cruise 1
What owners say
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion equipped with a manual transmission. While stopped at a traffic light, the transmission failed. The contact was unable to shift the vehicle into gear. The contact stated that the clutch pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to shift into gear. The failure was intermittent. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 215,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated that the key failed to turn to the on position and the transmission failed to shift into park from reverse or drive. The contact had to make several attempts to get the vehicle to shift into park and remove the key. The contact had to wiggle the key back and forth, apply force to the shifter and turn the wheel back and forth to remove the key. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer. The technician diagnosed that the shifter and cable needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 33,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 saturn ion. The contact stated that the gear lever was shifted into reverse, but the transmission failed to respond. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The transmission was replaced on three different occasions. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 126,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the transmission failed and was unable to shift gears. In addition, all of the warning lights illuminated. The failure occurred numerous times. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
Transmission failure - shortly after the 2004 saturn ion hit 100k miles, the transmission failed. I had to replace the transmission at the dealer for a cost of $4,620.93. In doing research it appears that failing 2004 saturn ion transmissions are widespread around the 100k mile mark.
The car made a loud noise when I pressed on the gas. It would not accelerate fast enough for the highway and the speedometer was not working. I'm guessing the car could go at max, 20mph. The speedometer remained on 0 while the acceleration had to go up to 3 or 4 just to keep the car moving. The check engine light was on. I took the car to gm dealership/certified saturn service right then, and they charged me $360 to replace the transmission control module. The service guy told me that when mechanics first did the electrical diagnostic check, the car failed 32 markers, but when they did an electrical diagnostic check after replacing the transmission control module, the results confirmed that all the car's problems have been fixed.
2004 saturn ion vti transmission failure, pulling out of a fast food drive thru at a slow rate of speed, hundreds of miles from home. It has been a known issue that this transmission was a poorly made gm product; saturn was aware of it, gm has been aware. Recalls should have been made, but instead they are allowed to rip off the buyer with transmissions that fail within 66,000 miles. Car has been maintained perfectly. There will be no more gm purchases with my dollars. My work is worth a better product.
Was stopped at a red light; when it turned green, car did not accelerate. Had to be pushed off to side of road; turned car off, then re-started it. It drove a short distance, then had no power, but was able to coast safely to side of road. Car was towed to gas station. Mechanic checked fluid level was good and did not have burnt smell. Tried to start car again - made low winding noise and would not go into gear. When gas pedal was pressed, the speedometer moved. Mechanic said it needs new transmission. Car has 90,000 miles.
Transmission failure. There was a safety alert letter issued november of 2009 for 2003 saturn ion owners with stipulations claiming that the car had to be in service for 5 years or less to be able to have the part repaired at no cost. No one falls under this criteria considering that this alert was sent out in november of 2009, refer to safety alert #09280. My car has 55,000 miles on it and a transmission is not an expense that a saturn customer should have to be paying in my opinion. They do offer a 50% off deal where they take care of half the cost. It's a $5000 job and half is $2500, still a very high cost for a problem that should have been considered a recall. I have only had this car for 2 years and to have this problem on a car that I have a car payment on. Please assist the saturn owners in finding out how this did not become a recall. So many people are having this issue and it seems unfair to have to pay more money for a defect in the saturn ion and vue's transmission. Thank you for your time and help in this matter.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Saturn Ion transmission failure
Which Saturn Ion years have complete transmission failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2003 (9 complaints), 2004 (8 complaints) and 2005 (1 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix complete transmission failure on the Saturn Ion?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $2,136 (median of 5 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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