general problems of the 2004 Saturn ION

When the key is in the off position and removed from the car the lights on the dash stay on. Car is parked when this happens.

When stopped at either a traffic light or stop sign, once I take my foot off of the brake and place it on the gas pedal the car hesitates like it's gasping for gas however, the gasping only happens for a few seconds and then the car drives normally! what is stumping me, why does the new problem only happen intermittingly! I just had a rebuilt transmission installed back in March of 2018 because the car originally had a problem with the transmission slipping into gear! I took the car back to aamco, the place that installed the rebuilt transmission and advised them that my car was acting up again with a new problem. Because the new problem happens intermittently, there are no error codes showing for the mechanic to give a diagnosis of the new problem. I am so frustrated because the car was my first car and being retired and on a fixed budget another car isn't something I can invest in!.

I've had several times where my car wasn't as stable as it should be. The car itself rumbles and jerks a lot on city streets and as I get off the highway. In the past there's been a few issues with the breaks. During winter time, the car won't start up (I have a new battery now and it still happens). Acceleration is occasionally delayed. Lastly there's a clicking noise coming from the passenger side of the car which continues from the time the key is in the ignition until I take it out.

Takata recall 2004 Saturn Ion. While stopped at a traffic light with foot on the brake (foot completely off the gas pedal and gas pedal was not stuck on anything), the engine revved without warning (4000-4500 rpm, and rpms would stay elevated and wouldn't come back down to a normal idle) and the vehicle was accelerating independently. My brakes kept car from moving, but if you take your foot off the brake, the car will violently launch forward. This has happened while stopped and while driving. While driving, rpms went to 4000-4500, and car started accelerating on its own, even though my foot was off the gas pedal. Again, rpm's stayed elevated and would not come back down. The failure has recurred multiple times intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing on 12/28/2017. The technician cleaned throttle bore and replaced the map sensor, but the failure persisted. Since my visit to mechanic, I've had three more incidents. Two times while driving, rpm's went up to 4000-5000 rpm and wouldn't lower. Had to pull over shut car off, wait several minutes and turn car back on. Also, it was difficult to stop because the car was accelerating and wanted to move forward, so once I was slowed down, I put car in idle, pressed brake until stopped, then shut car off. I tried to turn car back on 10 seconds later, and rpms were still 4-4500. Shut car off again, waiting 2-3 minutes, turned car back on and it appeared �normal. � this is the most dangerous auto issue I've ever experience and ever heard of.

�VIN: 1g8al54f44z138868 , salesperson: 5860879� date of purchase: March 27, 2017 , dealers number: 47243. . . $2000 in repairs paid in cash. Purchase vehicle in cash for $3000. False advertisement that the vehicle was in good condition@time of purchase&several defective& malfunctioning parts&I was sold a lemon car that has been recalled several times. Seat belts don't work. Wind shield wipers were broke@ time of purchase. Muffler problems, rattles too. . Emergency brake was no good&fixed. Brake faulty,I purchased new brake pads. Transmission is faulty. Car continously shakes. It's been in and out of shop since I purchased it. Transmission acceleration&gear shift does not work properly or shift in time. Window is off the trap&will brake if I put it all the way down. . Gas leak. Gas leak=$30 a day since purchase. Ignition locks the steering wheel&won't turn while driving. Key will not turn. Car will not start&needs a new ignition. The power steering went out with/in 2weeks of buying it. I was on the road&the wheel locked. I was barely able to turn it with all my strength. I had to replace it& it's an electric power steering wheel. Brake fluid was sold dirty. Overheating constantly. Fan over running. Timing belt needs checked. Brakes are squeaking& squealing&when pumped shoot air, brake pads were changed& break fluid was changed& is clear instead of black. All these problems existed@time of purchase. It was sold as is. I've lost time from work. I did not know it's been recalled several times. Gm &dealer is@fault. It is a lemon. Puts my families life in danger, especially when the wheel locks up on the road. Dealer gave me a dummy key. That's another problem. I have rights under the song-beverly warranty rights.

Strong gas smell & started noticing poor gas mileage and it got worse. Then notice it is leaking gas by the rear driver side tire. Also the running lights automatically come on during the day but not at night.

The starter.

I know there was a recall on this car due to the ignition due to air bags not going off and go my father-in-law has the same car and got it fixed. I just purchased it in April of 2016 and didn't know anything about it until after I purchased it.

After the car is stopped and placed in park, the engine can be shut off but the key stays in a accesory mode and can not be turned to off or removed from the ignition.

I am the owner of a 2004 Saturn Ion. I have had the ignition swich replaced due to a recall. However the key is still sticking in the ignition. I have had this problem prior to the recall and I still have it. It happens not often but enough to be annoying. I have to move the key back and forth and eventually the key will come out. I would like to know if there is a recall for that kind of problem.

While driving in pre-dawn hours (headlights & defrosters on), started smelling something melting or burning. Then instrument panel lights went out for a few seconds. Instrument panel lights then came back on & started flashing on & off really fast. At that same time, door locks started locking & unlocking repeatedly on their own. Burning & melting smell was getting stronger. As I was pulling over, I entered a more well-lit area and saw smoke accumulating indide car near roof & top of windshield. Shut car off immediately.

We own a 2004 Saturn Ion. The key failes to release from the ignition switch even though repeated attempts are made to release same. We waite from 5mins to one hour before trying same and key finally is released independently. The failure occurs continuously. The vehicle was repaired recently (8-23-14) under the recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number: 14v171000 (electrical system). Dealer was advised of the above problem and we were told this was not associated with same. Dealer advised this was a faulty shifter problem and even though they were aware of this issue we were still responsible for cost ($576) of repairs. Dealer advised that this problem would in fact get worse. This should be manufacturer responsibility especially since dealer admission that they (gm) were aware of this constant problem with malfunction shifter in this type of vehicle.

Took my Saturn in yesterday for the recall on the ignition switch-got a phone call from the dealer saying that the housing for the switch also needs replacing, but gm will not cover it and I need to pay for that part and the labor. The switch can not be replaced unless this housing is replaced, but now they want me to pay for it even though the recall says this should be at no cost to me. I called gm and they are saying that the housing is not covered in the recall. According to the recall information, I should be able to get reimbursed for having to replace the switch, but first I had to replace it again, which is what I was trying to do. What can I do about this? it does not make since to me. Have me do the recall and then attach a charge for it because you can not do it unless you replace something else. Is the not a problem of a "causal part"? if this not a problem for your agency, please refer me to an agency that can handle this. I am currently awaiting more information from the gm dealer, fremont Chevrolet. As of now, they have my Saturn torn apart and are "thinking" of what they can do for me.

My Saturn has had problems with the a/c unit the dial has gotten to were it won't work and the defrost doesn't work. It has been like that for about 7 yrs. My has car has cut off on me twice. Once this year and last year. Now the most recent one was on April 25 2014. It was around 3:30 pm. Here in richmond va it was a really bad thunder and lighting storm. I started to smell a burning smell, the brakes were acting strange I was able to stop at stop light and while I was a red light I heard a high pitched beeping sound and the warning lights came on. My car was towed. And the henrico county beat aaa to pull it to royal chevy. The cops had my placed at impound lot. And I finally did it towed to royal chevy on April 26 2014. Royal chevy has agreed to pay for my rental. I saw on this website there are 10 recalls on here and gm has only told me about 2 of the recalls not of the other 8.

In late March I called kelly automotive, the dealership where I bought the Saturn to schedule the recall repairs. They said parts would be available in a few weeks. I have called repeatedly to find out when the parts would be available with a few weeks. Lately, they claim I never have called, then when I told them I would file a complaint they found my request. The last two calls, they would look into it and call back. I never get return calls. I contacted gm and they said I had to work it out with the dealership. . Read more...

While driving in heavy traffic on rt 95 car stalled and it took a few minutes to restart. Have a terrible time starting the car in morning and its not the battery as its about year old. I thought it might be the cold weather but sometimes it starts sometimes it doesn't. I never know whether its going to start. When this happens it sounds dead. I think there is a problem with the ignition switch. Have talked to other Saturn owners who have same problem and they said a relay switch cured the problem.

The timing chain has busted while driving home from work. The engine just stopped out of nowhere.

I have had the ignition changed due to a recall. Prior to that the ingnition key would stick and would not come out. I had to move it back and forth and after several tries it would come out. I thought that the recall would correct but it did not. I still have the same intermitten problem. Are there more complaints regarding this problem? thank you very much for any advice you can give me regarding this problem.

I write on behalf of the estate of jo ann eckels. Jo ann eckels and james eckels were killed on August 17, 2012 in a 2004 Saturn Ion after the vehicle was struck by a pickup truck and the air bags failed to deploy.

Bought the car under warranty, no crank/no start because of faulty passlock system. Saturn "rebooted the computer" (saturns words). This was in may of 06. Strangely, the car has "died" in at least 3 driveways as though the battery was dead. I have taken the car to a garage and had the battery tested and it was fine. Recently, when the weather is cold, the car will no crank/no start and throw the passlock code. On the dash, sometimes it says service engine it may or may not reset after 10 minutes. The vehicle has become unreliable as I am never sure if I am going to get to work on time or not. I called Saturn last week. Apparently Saturn is aware of the problem, but since they are going to inconvenience me to drive 200 miles to the dealership and then charge me $100 to walk through the door land then another $1000 on top of that to "fix" the car' they know they are making money off their faulty equipment. I refuse to pay for it, but in the meantime my car continues to not start if it is zero degrees.

I was driving on dry roads during the daytime below the speed limit, when the power steering light came on. The wheel locked, and I was unable to steer the car. I pulled to the side of the road and turned the car off and back on. It restarted without incident. 3 years later, the same event occurred without causing an accident.

I have a 2004 Saturn Ion. I bought in the winter of 2007. It immediately presented with the problem of not starting in really cold weather. I took it to the dealership it was bought from and they told me they couldn't find a problem. I have been told by another mechanic that he couldn't find the problem either. I sometimes have to wait up to 30 minutes for my car to start in freezing cold weather. About 6 or 8 months ago the key wouldn't turn when it was inserted into the ignition. I have to jiggle it back and forth, sometimes the key almost coming out totally before it will turn over. Today it took 15 minutes to finally get it unlocked and turned over to start.

Key at times does not come out of ignition switch. Even though the switch was replaced twice. This has been a on going issue and still has problems today.

Around '06, the key started sticking and you could not either start the car (I've had several tows), or could not get the key out of the car (it was stuck on locked). I got it fixed on 2/13 07 with a new ignition switch at a Saturn dealer. It never really worked correctly. It kept doing the same thing, so I took it into the dealer in may of 2012. They put in a "bcm"?? and reprogrammed. Still did the same thing. Then a few months ago, I heard about the recall program. I got my car fixed for the recall on 4/15/14. My claim for paying $700 in may of 2012 was denied. My car still sticks when trying to start, or trying to get the key out of the ignition. I think this whole thing is your fault. I want to be reimbursed for the $700 I spent in may, and get my car in again and get it fixed once and for all!!.

12/14/2006 - 03/2014 - ignition switch problems off/on - car won't start. First time won't start, wait 15 minutes most of the time will then start if not then wait 30 minutes then will start. There are other times that it will start then "die" then start after parking at a store (grocery, library, etc. . . Not at an over night wait). When change oil at a dealership I have told them that problem but they could not find anything wrong with the car not starting. It happens off and on. Most of the time that happens when weather is cold but has happened in warm weather too just not as much. Again, dealerships never finds the problem because it only happens off and on for the list eight (8) years! so at 60 years old I could be stuck in very cold or very hot weather for 15 - 45 minutes and it may not be safe! now have 39,189 miles on my car with the same 3,918 mile problem!.

After only 9 months of owning my Ion I have experienced problems with shifting the car in and out of gear. It is a random occurrence and can happen 8 times in a week then not at all for months. However when it does happen it is a life threatening experience as I am usually driving on a major highway. The car will be "locked" into 4th for example and when I try to shift to 5th I can not get it out of 4th. I have taken the car to the Saturn dealership a minimum of 20 times for this problem, only to be told that they could not do anything. I then took it to a different dealership where the tech took the car home for 1 week, experienced the problem for himself, and told me all he could do was replace a wire and hope it helped because Saturn would not let him investigate any more options. It did absolutely nothing to help my car. And since the last time my car has been at the Saturn dealership my power steering now goes in and out. Apparently they busted a seal and failed to mention that to me, so not only do I have to worry about not being able to shift, but also losing my power steering. They only solution I can come up with is to try my best to get the car to a safe spot and turn it off and let it sit. This car has had more problems than anyone should have to deal with: reverse switch going out, airconditioning going out, power windows no longer work, power steering, and not being able to shift. I have to drive this everyday with my children in the car with me at most times. This should have all been taken care under the orig. Warranty, as it all happened within the first 6-12 months of owning the car. Lol that's what I get for buying a gm product.

Brakes failure.

The ignition switch in the 2004 Saturn Ion has a malfunction. The car is only four years old and will not start in cold weather. Upon calling the local Saturn dealership in springfield, PA the service receptionist was able to tell me exactly what was wrong with the car and that I had to wait 15 minutes to half an hour and then try to start the car again to see if it will start. Gm and Saturn know that the ignition switch is faulty which is proven by the fact that the receptionist knew how to start my car but they have not done anything about it. The first instance of this occurring for me was on November 19th when I talked the receptionist and it has continued to occur. On December 6, 2008 the car was able to brought in to be fixed and was charged to the owner of the car even though they know this is a default of the car.