Front Suspension Control Arm problems of the 2003 Saturn ION

Two problems related to front suspension control arm have been reported for the 2003 Saturn ION. The most recently reported issues are listed below.

1 Front Suspension Control Arm problem

Failure Date: 03/12/2009

There are no events leading up to the failure. From everything I've read from other Saturn Ion owners this is a frequent and seemingly random problem. At any given time if it is cold outside the car won't start. Everything lights up, the engine turns over and catches, only to stall. Upon repeated attempts to start the car there will be no response whatsoever. The engine does not turn over. After waiting several minutes it will eventually start. This problem has occurred 4 times in the last month; twice causing me to be late for particularly important engagements. Upon reporting the problem to the Saturn dealership where I bought the car I was told that they have many complaints of the same problem, but that their staff haven't been able to resolve it. This has been their general attitude towards several issues I've had with my car. I took it to another garage and they can't find a thing wrong with it. Saturn seems to be turning a blind eye to a problem that is clearly the result of a poor design somewhere on their part. I have also had to replace control arm bushings when I was at about 80 000 km, and now need to replace struts. I am hesitant to do this though, as the general consensus among Saturn Ion owners is that bushings and struts are in perpetual need of replacement on these cars. After replacing the parts most people find that they have to make the same repairs again within 2 years. Further problems I have with my car are: trunk will not open with key, replaced wires on both front turn signals and one headlight, key would not release from ignition, erratic transmission behavior (I was told that this is a common problem and that I just have to deal with it), seat belt guides broken (front, both sides), rear seat belt "female" component falls into crevice in seat, paint peeling from front bumper without being chipped prior, and a faulty cruise control switch. Every single one of these problems has turned up again and again in the Ion owners community.

2 Front Suspension Control Arm problem

Failure Date: 04/10/2006

I have been having some issues with clunking and grinding noises when going over bumps or potholes or while making turns. I took my 2003 Ion 2 to have this checked and I found out that the problems was both of my control arm bushings. My car is 2 months out of warranty and has only 38,000 miles on it, so at first I thought that this could be untrue. But, after internet research it seems that many 2003 Ion drivers have had this problem. I called my Saturn dealer and they acted like they had never heard of this problem and could do nothing to help me or fix it. My other problem with the car, which also seems to be a common problem, is that the service engine soon light comes on intermittently. One day it will be on, and the next it will be fine.


Other Suspension related problems of the 2003 Saturn ION



Fuel Economy of ION Vehicles
ION Service Bulletins
ION Safety Recalls
ION Defect Investigations