Ignition problems of the 2003 Saturn ION

The contact owns a 2003 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that less than a minute after starting the vehicle, the steering wheel seized. The contact stated that the vehicle lost power steering functionality, with the power steering failure message was displayed. The contact stated that after shifting to park(p), the contact would wiggle the key around in the ignition before being able to remove the key from the ignition switch. The vehicle had not been taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 111,350.

Tl the contact owns a 2003 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that the key seized in the ignition. The contact called a locksmith who removed the key and stated that the vehicle was subjected to an unknown recall. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired in 2014 for an unknown recall, for a similar failure, at the weseloh Chevrolet dealer located at 5335 paseo del norte, carlsbad, CA 92008. The contact called the same dealer and was informed that the recall was expired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 75,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under gm recall number: 14632 (special coverage adjustment-unable to remove key from ignition), NHTSA campaign number: (n/a), in December of 2013 at serra Chevrolet saginaw located at 4200 bay rd, saginaw, mi 48603, (989) 790-0800 however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to mcdonald GMC located at 5155 state st, saginaw, mi 48603, (989) 319-4136, where the vehicle was diagnosed and it was determined that the ignition lock cylinder, housing and keys needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of failure. The failure mileage was 68,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that while traveling at 50 mph, the vehicle stalled and the contact lost control of the vehicle. The contact crashed and the air bags failed to deploy. The contact was taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that the ignition switch failed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000 and the current mileage was 130,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that the vehicle was included in a recall (lock cylinder/ignition switch replacement/ ignition key). The contact stated that the dealer provided her with the wrong key. The contact received a letter from the dealer on may 27, 2015 which stated that, as part of the repair, the dealer provided her with the wrong key. The dealer would not replace the key. The manufacturer was notified. The NHTSA campaign number was unknown. The contact had not experienced a failure.

The contact owns a 2003 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA recall campaign number 14e021000 (ignition switch). The contact stated when she turned the vehicle off, the key would not release from the ignition once the vehicle was parked. The approximate failure mileage was 112,111.

The contact owns a 2003 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into park. The contact mentioned that due to the failure the key became lodged in the ignition switch causing the battery to drain. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a diagnostic testing. The technician diagnosed that the bitsi cable failed and as a result, the shifter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. However, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 114,341.

Failure to start in cold weather, and key sticking in ignition.

I am really getting tired of this part breaking and gm needs to find a fix and recall this car and solve the problem. . Read more...

2003 Ion, will not start when the weather is cold, the error noted on the display notes theft interlock, if you wait 10 minutes, the car will start. At times the key will stick in the ignition and will not come out, at times the car will not shut off. This interlock needs to be a Saturn recall.

My 2003 Saturn Ion has an ignition problem. Sometimes it won't start. It is intermittent. Today the car started, I started driving all the warning lights came on, the power steering went off, the abs brake light came on. I got the car stopped, turned off the car. Tried to start it again, to no avail. Waited a few minutes, started the car, turned around, went back to beg. Destination. Turned off car. Tried to restart - no restart. Waited 30 min. Tried again, no start. Waited 1 hour, started but none of the items on the dash would work. This problem has happened several times. What would have happened if I were on the freeway and all this just stopped and the power steering went out?.

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.

Car does not want to start in cold weather & recently has not wanted to start a few times in warm weather. I have only had the car since January & on average it does this 5-10 times a month. If you put the key in to start the car, it will either make a clicking noise & wont start or it will start then the ignition dies immediately. Service engine soon scroll light will come on. It usually takes 10-30 minutes to eventually get the car started. One time in extremely cold weather it would not start for 4 days. Took car to dealership where purchased & it failed to act up while they had it. They said there was nothing they could do about it.

The contact owns a 2003 Saturn Ion l3. The contact stated that the vehicle would not start. The contact placed the key into the ignition and the engine did not start, but the service vehicle light illuminated on the instrument. The contact stated that they had to wait several minutes to get the vehicle to start. The contact stated that the key also became stuck in the ignition. The contact spoke with the manufacturer in regard to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 42,000 and the current mileage was 55,000. Updated 4/24/13 the consumer stated the vehicle needs a new wire harness for the alarm system and a new ignition lock tumbler with the dielectric grease in it. This failure across more often when cold. Upon making short errands, the vehicle must be left running in order to avoid sitting for 10 minutes. Updated 06/3/2013.

When the outside weather is cold, my 2003 Saturn Ion 2 won't start. This has happened 3 separate occasions over the last 2 months.

Vehicle will start some days and not start others. Would have to try over and over again several times to get the vehicle to start. Not the battery!.

My daughter has a 2003 Saturn Ion and won't start when it is cold. I have been on several web sites and other Saturn owners have had this problem. Please help what can I do. Will this car get a recall. Some of the owners are saying that it is the lubricate that Saturn used on the ignition that it can freeze in cold weather. Is this the case. Help in cold weather.

Car won't start on mornings when temp is below 50 degrees. Once temp warms up, car starts fine. I can't wait until the afternoon to go to work! I also don't want to be stranded while working (I do home nursing).

When it is cold out, and I go to start my car in the morning, it starts to turn over but then stalls and dies. The lights and radio still work, and the instrument panel blinks "service vehicle". I have to wait at least 10 minutes to even attempt to start my vehicle again because it is something with the security feature of the ignition.

When temperature gets low, my 2003 Saturn Ion won't start. It must sit for 15-20 minutes before it will start up.

We own a 2003 Saturn Ion and the key gets stuck in the ignition. You have to press a release button in the steering column to get the key out. In addition, this appears to create an electrical issue as sometimes the car won't start. We purchased this vehicle used and took it back to the dealership within the 30 day warranty period. They said they were "unable to replicate" problem, unbeknownst to us this was an ongoing issue with Saturn Ions. The "temporary fix" is even in the owners manual. That's just wrong! how can a company get away with selling such a defective product -- and especially a car!!! I feel ripped off and Saturn should stand behind such a defective vehicle issue. This does create a safety issue because sometimes the car won't start leaving you stranded. The dealership won't even offer to give a "free estimate" -- and now they tell me there are various possible fixes -- it depends on which part is broken. So I have to give them $85 for them to tell me how much it will cost to fix. I am a single parent, I purchased this vehicle because it was affordable and I certainly don't see why I have to pay for a manufacturing defect. Saturn needs to step up and fix the problem!!! there are hundreds of stories like mine online. I hope you can help!.

Saturn Ion 2003 fails to start when cold out. Reference NHTSA #10007431. Saturn does not admit this is a design flaw. But will charge you and arm and a leg to fix the problem. I went to alldata web site and the show numerous problems with the 2003 Saturn Ion but gm fails to recognize this is a problem.

Vehicle won't start - no crank, no start. It is only 3 years old and has low usage and mileage.

The contact owns a 2003 Saturn Ion. The contact was able to remove the key from the ignition while the vehicle was in any gear, including drive or reverse. She took the vehicle to the dealer at least twice and each time they stated that there was a different failure. The dealer wants to replace the steering column all the way through the engine to determine the cause of the failure. The key would not turn all the way back to the acc position unless the vehicle had been idling for at least 3-5 minutes. The contact found NHTSA campaign id number 97v055000 (electrical system:ignition:switch) for the same make, but a different model and the previous year. The contact feels that the recall should be expanded for her year, make, and model vehicle. She found hundreds of complaints online regarding this failure. The failure began within a week of purchasing the vehicle. The failure mileage was 40,000 and current mileage was 41,000.

2003 Saturn Ion quad level 3, will not start when temperature drops, or starts and immediately stalls. The passlock icon blinks and the message center says service vehicle. The dealership verbally stated to turn key on for fifteen minutes to reset the passlock, then turn off, remove key, and try the start sequence again. This is a recurring issue, four times in the past two days, car is currently immobile in a parking lot across town. An internet search strongly suggests this is a common failure that gm refuses to acknowledge and that all Saturn owners experiencing this issue should file a complaint for relief.

The contact owns a 2003 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that the key becomes stuck in the ignition and causes her to restart the vehicle approximately 3 or 4 times to release the key. She has taken the vehicle to the dealer approximately 3 times and they have kept the vehicle for an entire week. After leaving the dealer, the vehicle will operate normally for a few weeks, but then the failure recurs. The failure mileage was 15,000 and current mileage was 17,000.

While there have, been no adverse deaths or injuries there is a problem that has happened multiple times that could lead to deaths. I have a 2003 Saturn Ion and have had to replace the ignition 2 times. The ignition locks up and the car will continue running even if I remove the key.

My car won't start! at least every once in a while anyway. It's a 2003 Saturn Ion. I bought it used on 5/14/05 and a few months after, when it started to get cold in GA. , it wouldn't start. After about 10-30 minutes, it would finally start as if there was no problem leaving me feeling like I was going crazy. I thought it may be the battery, so I replaced that (40. 00 dollars). It still gave me problems that very night! I took it to the dealership, and had a diagnostic check done (40. 00 dollars), they couldn't find anything wrong, and basically blew me off. Discouraged, I left and gave up. It continued to act up 2 days later, which I just dealt with. I took it to the shop yesterday for a oil change and guess what? it wouldn't start while it was there. They told me that while they were about to take it to the wash it wouldn't start, and asked me if I had any problems. I said yea. They said they were sure they'd locate the problem that day. Came back an hour later to tell me that it was the technician fault, claiming that he had left it in drive while trying to start it (how would he get it in drive if it wouldn't start?) anyway, it wouldn't start that night! at this point im going to get my future father in law involved since he is an engineer and have him stir the pudding. Oh, and he believes it a short with the electrical system so we will have to have them to check that out.

The contact owns a 2003 Saturn Ion. The contact noticed that the key would remain stuck in the ignition when the vehicle was shut off. Both the dealer and manufacturer were notified who was aware of the issue but did not offer any additional assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The current mileage was approximately 60,000. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000. The VIN was unavailable.

: the contact stated the vehicle had problems starting in cold weather. The engine would start after a few attempts or not start at all on different occasions. The non service dealer could not duplicate the issue to fix it.

The biggest issue is that on cold days (and sometimes not so cold) my car will just click and not start, or will start and die out, resulting in my having to wait 9-10 minutes for the passlock to reset and hopefully allow my car to start on a second attempt. On some rare occasions I will have to wait through this 9-10 minute cycle 2 or 3 times before it will start properly so I can drive. The key sticks in the ignition. While I am able to turn the engine off, I can't turn the car off completely. I have to resolve this on an almost daily basis by using a screwdriver in the small panel hole in my steering column and moving a small switch to release the key. Since purchasing the vehicle in 2003 I have had more trouble with this car than any used car I possessed. My hood latch would not catch and was repaired 4 times. The heating control knob was replaced 7 times before it finally functioned properly without problem.

Key always stuck in ignition, car doesn't start car door lock broken.