general problems of the 2003 Saturn ION

My key switch doesn't allow me to remove my key when I'm in parked and my transmission strands at times and my car doesn't start all the time when I try to start it I have to sit and wait awhile before it starts again I could be sitting in the drive thru on parked waiting to travel again on th he main roadway.

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.

My car feels like a death trap. To start off with only one of my windshield wiper motors work . When I first bought the car from a single individual the passenger side wiper appeared to shake a little more than the driver side. As if it was working a little harder to keep up with the other wiper. . And then less than a month after purchasing vehicle it stopped working all together. Now I only have the driver side wiper that I use. Also when I go to turn on the blinker, go over a railroad track, make a turn iorn vehicle, or sometimes just sitting still. The wiper will start working without me having turnned it on. At first it would just come on for 3 or 4 swipes and then automatically stop again. But now its doing it more frequently and sometimes it will not stop swipping whichis very aggravating causing scratches on my windshield and wearing my one wiper down faster than it should be. Along with these problems my car has also been idleing extremly high upon cranking and while changing gears it acts as if it gets stuck between 1rst 2cd and 3rd. Also when I try to increase speed for passing or to make turns it sometimes just causes it to bog down more instead of increasing my speed it sounds as if its gonna blow up the engine.

Coming to a stop in heavy traffic alarms and lights went off, the car lost powering and wouldn't go into gear finally when the gear engaged it would only stay in first gear. Luckily we were able to pull off the busy highway and get safely to the side of the road with no accidents or injuries.

I am not sure if the power train is the transmission, but this car will downshift on its own, causing it to loose speed incredibly fast almost to the point of stopping. I found out there was a recall on this transmission, but gm now says there was not. Even though when I first called, the gentleman that answered said that the symptoms fit the recall stats. When I was able to talk with the person that was handling the claim, she said it was past 8 years, and they could not fix the recalled problem. I have had more than one garage, and transmission company tell me that this transmission is on a recall, just by checking the VIN #. Gm now refuses to fix it and denies saying it was on recall. The auto dealer I bought it from says they can't do anything about it, even though they have sold other Saturns, same year. I spoke with the girl there that "enters the vins into the system to see if there is a recall on the car". . . And she knew nothing about this car, although it has 4 other recalls listed for this year and model. Other important facts, I first called a local Saturn dealer, and they blew me off saying it was just "stuck" (the transmission) I kept driving it thinking I was wrong it was stuck like they said, whatever that meant. It got worse, I ended up calling gm as referred to by many garages and auto parts stores, and they acknowledged the recall on tranny, then flipped it around . While driving this car whether it is on the highway or a street, it will suddenly almost stop without hitting the breaks, as it will downshift on its own. This almost caused more than one accident. The car cannot be driven, I was never told about this problem when I bought the car.

2003 Saturn Ion . Consumer writes in regards to vehicle recall issues the consumer stated the vehicle was purchased new and she was never informed of a recall regarding the body control module which she was having problems with. The consumer stated the problem first started when the driver side window dropped when she closed the door. Then it would not stay up. Then half of the dash went black. The next window would go up and down on its own with no contact of any type. Then the controls to the electric windows stopped working completely and the electronic lock/opening device would not open the doors any longer or lock the trunk. The consumer was informed she would have to pay for a diagnostic test. The consumer also stated there was also a problem with the transmission. The vehicle did not react to being in park, so therefore, she had difficulty removing the keys from the ignition. The O2 sensor and the ignition switch had to be replaced. The consumer stated the transmission was never properly replaced. On one occasion, the vehicle stalled and the steering locked up.

My Saturn Ion has developed a transmission problem and I called gm and received a special request number and 48 hours later was contacted and after answering a few questions I was told that my car did not qualify for anything. The reason they gave was because the car has a salvage title. I had the car inspected by the state of mn and now have a prior salvage title. The damage to the car was cosmetic and has nothing to do with the poor transmission that gm sold to the public. Since then I have heard nothing but bad news stories about this transmission--someone needs to be accountable.

I was traveling approximately 40 mph when the power steering lamp came on and the power steering failed. After pulling to the side of the road, and turning the vehicle off, I restarted the vehicle and the power steering was restored for about 20 minutes. The days following this, I encountered several power steering failures until I had the power steering box replaced on may 10, 2011. I researched the internet and found many other 2003 Saturn Ion's owners had experienced the same failure. I contacted a gm representative and asked for reimbursement. I was told that there was no recall for the power steering for my year and make of car. I had also complained about my transmission because I had declined repairs on my power steering. Winegarden pontiac informed me that they would not further check the cause of transmission problems because the power steering failure presented a safety concern. I had the power steering box replaced at a cost of $537. 94 minus the $127. 00 diagnosis fee! I strongly feel that a recall should be in place for the power steering failure, and all who had the problem corrected out of pocket, should be reimbursed at gm's expense. The power steering failure has contributed to an accident in houston texas! I would not like to have human life lost before this problem is given serious consideration! updated 06/08/11.

Does not crank, does not start in cold weather & leaves you stranded.

Periodically the Saturn will lunge fwd will stopped or even driving the rpms spike while driving. Breaks will not stop this issue. I've put my car in the ditch to miss major wrecks . . This has been going on for yrs. Also the losing power when turning has happened but not as much as the accelerator sticking. Bought a new car just for my kids to be in they aren't allowed in the death trap Saturn. Wish someone would investigate these problems because they keep getting worse as the yrs go by. Have had the vehicle since it was new. . Would even be willing to show anyone these problems if they would sit in this death warrant.

Almost from day one, the traction control does not turn off. The dealer says they hooked up a computer to see if it turned off and they said it does, but, as soon as I left the dealer, I hit the button to turn off the traction control and I spun the tires and the traction control kicked on and the car had no power pulling out into traffic. Yet the dealer says there is nothing wrong.

I bought a 2003 Saturn Ion 3 March 17, 2003. Within 2 weeks the car had a cracked cylinder with coolant leaking into the engine. Saturn corp. Recalled the car. The purchase of 1g8al52f33z149331 was canceled 4/17/03 and I purchased a 2nd 2003 Saturn Ion 3, 1g8al52f83z171972, on 4/17/03. The 2nd car from the beginning had transmission problems shifting between gears, jerking up and down from 30 mph to 70 mph, kicks when started, rattles loudly in reverse, and steering problems coming out of turns. The car has been in service 4 times (bumper to bumper warranty.