Seven problems related to lose power steering have been reported for the 2003 Saturn ION. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Intermittent electric power steering loss during driving, causing major safety issue as well as damage to steering column. Vehicle lost power steering while I was driving and the steering shaft snapped causing complete loss of control.
In June of 2016 at a speed of approx. 70 mph my 2003 Saturn Ion lost power steering on the e-way. I had to pull off e-way. Park and restart. After restart power steering was back but only for short periods of time. Has been an off and on reoccuring problem since.
Tl-the contact owns a 2003 Saturn Ion. The contact received recall NHTSA campaign number: 14v047000 (air bags, electrical system) and NHTSA campaign number: 14v171000 (electrical system). The contact stated that the vehicle was remedied by dealer. The contact stated that while driving approxiametely 45 mph all power to vehicle seized, as a result the vehicle lost power steering. The contact stated that she cut the vehicle off and the vehicle would not start. The vehicle was towed to the contacts home. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 162603. Mc.
I was driving down the highway and I lost power steering. The bell started sounding and the dash said pwr steering. I have to man handle my car to get pulled over, kill the motor for a couple of minutes and start it back up. Sometimes it does it again right away, other times it will go for a while before reoccurring.
My Saturn loses its power steering on start up, but was told it can do it while driving. My wife and I should not drive the car because of the safety issue. The recall starts with the 2004, my Saturn was built approx 8 months before the recall. I cant sell the car because of I wont give that safety problem. The car is kept like new and has the service done on it. I had the ignition switch recall done but it made my remote start not work. Had to pay for it myself,gm or the dealership would not pay. It is still messing up. The cost of the fix for the power sterring, dealership, about $400. 00.
Why is gm not required to include the 2003 Saturn Ion's in the recall for the power steering problem? I was advise by the gm customer service department that only the models 2004 and above are being recalled yet, I had a dealership confirm that my car has the same defective part as the 2004 models. I have lost power steering while driving on the highway multiple times at speeds over 55 mphs. This happened to my 3 times alone just yesterday. It seems like the problem is getting worse yet gm refuses to correct this problem.
I was driving along the highway when my car began to accelerate and shift gears strangely. The check engine light came on and then a warning about the power steering. It did feel a little bit harder to drive. Took it to a mechanic who said something about the transmission had come up instead of power steering. Took it to another place who said it was a computer control module. Once checked, engine light turned off and car drove normally. Happened again in March, lost power steering for a few miles before it came back. Engine light came on, stayed on for a day, and then turned off. Searched online for other instances of this happening and found other Saturn Ion owners complaining of same thing, only it applied to 2004 and later. My 2003 is having the same issue as their's.