Ignition Module problems of the 2003 Saturn ION

I have a 2003 Saturn Ion and it has the same starting problems reported extensively on this website. On cold days, the car will not start at times. It always seems to happen at the most importune times and locations. When this happens, there is no noise and no cranking sound when I turn the ignition key on. However, when I try to start the car about 5 to 15 minutes later, it starts without any problem. I replaced the battery, but it did not make any difference. The alternator checks out fine. I believe the problem is a faulty ignition module, but that is a guess on my part based on the numerous online complaints by other Saturn owners. There is only one authorized Saturn dealer/service facility left in the houston. The technician there told me he has serviced numerous Saturns with the same exact problem and that replacing the ignition module seems to fix the problem, although not in every case. He said that gm has not issued a bulletin or recalled Saturns to repair the units. Gm's denial of a potentially lethal problem is not unlike that of Toyota in addressing stuck accelerators and braking problems. Maybe gm does not care because it is closing down its Saturn division. I can see where Saturn owners, who are unaware of the extent of the starting problem, wind up having their batteries, alternators and other components replaced at enormous cost and inconvenience before Saturn suggests replacing the ignition unit. This is a situation that is ripe for exploitation because the problem is intermittent. The national transportation safety board needs to weigh in on this safety issue and not wait for people to get hurt.

Ignition problem - engine won't start, passlock prevents ignition. I live in texas and it's rarely that cold in the mornings, every time this has happened to me it has been a cold wet blustery day but not freezing. Car acts like the battery is dead, but frequent manipulation of the passlock remote will eventually clear the problem. This has left me stranded several times, and if Saturn knows about the problem, and hasn't done anything about it in the 5 years that it has been occurring, then they should be held criminally negligent. They should be made to correct the problem with the ignition and the passlock system, and replace or repair the control module at no cost. My door locks no longer work, and in speaking to other owners I can expect a downward spiral of electrical failures in the coming months.

Our 2003 Saturn Ion has a permanent default, in that it will not start in cold weather. And the term "cold" is relative. Saturn told us the ignition switch is faulty. Thus, we paid an excess of $200 to rectify the problem. However, this "solution" lasted only a little over one year. Now, Saturn tells us that though we have the updated ignition switch, it still causes the same no-start problem, and we need a $575 (plus tax) body control module. We had to pay $104. 54 for Saturn to tell us this. Obviously, this is a problem caused by the manufacturer , which is leaving many people stranded morning, noon, and night in various locations around the country. The problem should be immediately rectified through a recall.

This happened three times now. First time the daughter was driving and the vehicle service engine display came on and all electrical power went out. Immediately pulled to the side of the road. Turned off the key, checked under the hood for smoke, and called dad because the car was stuck in park with the key stuck in the ignition, and the windows locked in the down position. Called roadside assistance ,the extended warranty - no problem, they will tow it to the nearest Saturn dealer, 180+ miles away through a rain storm. Several days later had to drive round trip to retrieve car from Saturn dealer, who has replaced 7. 5 amp body control module fuse, but didn't know why it blew out. Got back home , 180+ miles and no problems. Daughter entered the car, went 8 miles, bang same thing. To replace fuse called Saturn to make an appointment. Drove car back to Saturn 180+ miles to get fuse to blow 3 times on way back by adjusting the lh RV mirror. They kept the car for one week and replaced lh mirror switch. Picked up car from Saturn. Dealer no problems for about a month. Today she was heading to work, adjusted lh RV mirror and bcm fuse blew out, everything went dead. Called Saturn why do I have to pay to have them fix what I just paid to have fixed , $50. 00 deductible, and what was the real root of the problem? when was this going to happen again? checked this site for other similar problems. Found odi #10152158 noticed that the vins were very similar - 9th digit was different. Mine was 0, and theirs was x. Did not know if that was significant. It happened twice 13 months apart. We have been able to duplicate. 1 original failure, 3 duplicated by myself, and now another failure. Don't think it was the mirror switch. It was the bcm? owner loved Saturns. He owned 3. 2006 vue, 2006 Ion quad coupe, and 2003 Ion sedan. This was a lemon. Saturns were not lemons. This was a little elctronic glitch is. , and a safety hazard that could get someone killed.

If the weather becomes cold, the car will not for about 45 minutes of sitting in the car and trying to start it over and over. It has been to the shop twice, but at the time, the car worked properly. Both times, I was told that I need a new battery. I am now saving the money to have the ignition module replaced. Saturn just keeps telling me to replace my battery. How many do I need?.

The contact owns a 2003 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that the vehicle would not start in cold weather. The vehicle takes over one hour to start and the dealer could not duplicate the failure. The vehicle has not been repaired. The manufacturer stated that her VIN was not included in the GMC ignition module recall (number 03033-03c-06). The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 56,000 and current mileage was 98,000.

I own a 2003 Saturn Ion. The battery went dead today because my wife left the lights on by accident. When the battery in this model car becomes discharged two undesireable problems arise. I feel that both of them introduce safety concerns. First, the key won't come out of the ignition switch through normal means. Second, the car can't be moved! the gear shift lever remains in the park position. I feel that a car designed such that these two problems occur when the battery fails is a poor design. The instruction manual provided with the car makes no mention of these problems occuring with a dead battery. In order to jump a dead battery in a car it is often necessary to move the car I n order to jump the battery from another car. I feel having an intentional design in a car that prevents it from being moved by the owner creates a safety concern. Regarding the key situation, my wife left her entire set of keys in the car when they got stuck in the ignition switch. Many important keys were left in the car unattended. It could have made a bad situation much worse. It turns out that the instruction manual in the car discusses how to get stuck keys out of the ignition switch, but no mention is made in the book that keys will get stuck in the ignition switch when the battery goes dead. I spoke to the consumer complaint department at Saturn regarding this concern, but it is not Saturn's policy to respond to this type of customer complaint. Since I feel these two problems do have a safety impact, I decided to register this complaint with the NHTSA.