Ignition problems of the 2004 Saturn ION

The contact the owns a 2004 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shut off and the key became lodged in the ignition. The contact had to make several attempts before the vehicle shut off and the key released. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was included in recall NHTSA campaign number: 14v047000 (electrical system). However, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.

The contact owns a 2004 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that the key became lodged in the igtion switch and was unable to release. The contact mentioned that the vehicle was repaired under recall NHTSA campaign number 14v171000 (electrical system); however, the remedy failed to repaired the problem. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 126,184.

The contact owns 2004 Saturn Ion 3. The contact stated that when the weather became extremely cold she was unable to take the key out of the ignition. She started to noticed the failure when she parked the vehicle outside. She also mentioned that the only way she was able to take the key out of the ignition was to place a hot towel around the steering column. The contact will take the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 162,000.

The key in the ignition of the Saturn Ion 2004 will not come out and the car can not be shut off . Just last month the key would not fo into the ignition or start the car. Brought it to the gm dealership had to have a new ignition cylinder put in a month ago. Today I had to have the ignition housing. This is not just my car. 90 % of the 2004 and 2006 have this same problem. This should be a safety issue since if no one knows how to disconnect the battery the car could overheat . And even catch on fire.

I bought a used 2004 Saturn Ion 6 months ago. I have had no real problems until it started getting cold. Now, most mornings I have the common ignition problem that everybody else has. I turn the key, everything lights up, the engine cranks once, then nothing. I have to keep turning the key all the way off, wait 10 seconds, and try again. Eventually, after 10-30 minutes of doing this repeatedly, the car starts. Every once in a while, the car does start after only a few tries. I have read about this problem on many different forums, and I am angered and dismayed that gm will do nothing about this. Good thing my employer is understanding, and has not fired me yet for being late every time this happens.

Ignition lock cylinder broke which made it impossible to start the car. The lock assembly should be fairly easy to remove but the procedure requires that the key be turned to the run position. With a broken lock that cannot be done. I was only able to get the lock out be using brute force and completely breaking the lock mechanism. I am happy that this happened at a store close to home and we able to get a ride home. I guess I should be thankful we were not one of the poor souls who got stuck in an Ion that couldn't be turned off.

Wont start due to passlock/ignition problems in cold weather. Have not replaced any parts yet as funds are limited.

This has occurred several times before, usually when its colder out. I go to start my car and nothing happens, then a security feature lights up. My car thinks I'm stealing it, apparently. Sometimes my key won't come out of the ignition when this happens either, and I've had to get it towed and repaired. Usually after sitting there and trying to start it for a period of ten to thirty minutes, the car starts as if nothing happened, but is a huge inconvenience seeing as I've been out of town a couple of times when this has happened and it also makes me late for work. I've talked to other Saturn owners and they've said they've also had this happen. I'd say that this happens about twice a month.

I am the owner of a 2004 Saturn Ion2 sedan. As of the past winter with unseasonable cold temps I began having an issue with the ignition of my car. The car would not turn over at all sometimes for hours at a time. The ignition has been replaced and did not fix the problem. I live in western NY where we do see cold temps during the winter months. I have a child I must get to school before I go to work every day. I have been a true advocate of Saturns vehicles up until the purchase of this one. I have been researching the problem and found several others with the exact same problem and no resolution. I really hope that thee have been enough complaints about this problem for gm to actually step up and issue a recall. I really do not want to sell my car or be forever slighted by Saturns because of this problem. Please as a struggling single mom help take care of your consumers.

Have to have my ignition cylinder and housing replaced in my Saturn Ion 3. Key will not turn to start vehicle. A new key will start the car but only works for 2 weeks. I am on my 5th key in a little over 2 months. Took car to dealership yesterday, hope to get it back tomorrow. Charge was $523, complained to Saturn customer care and they brought it down to $230. So I am paying $230 to turn the key in the ignition of my 4 year old car.

The contact owns a 2004 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that she received a recall notification letter for NHTSA campaign id number 14e021000 ( ignition switch). The dealer informed her that the part was unavailable. The contact requested a rental vehicle however, the dealer informed the contact not to drive the vehicle after she drove it to her residence. The VIN was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was unknown.

2004 Saturn Ion I'm having starting problems. On cold days the car won't start sometimes, but if you wait a few minutes it will start right up. Sometimes it takes so long that I have to leave it and get a ride.

Like many others I also had the problem with the ignition and it was repaired this past winter while my car is under warranty. At the same time they attempted to repair a strange grinding noise coming from my heater it has been replaced twice with no success in solving the issue and I was told by the dealer hey would not replace the item again. Also I had recently replace the right head light socket since it was overheating and melting, (which could have caused a fire) while the lights were on. I am also having issues with my power steering turning off and on while driving. Most of these issues I have found on here I hope someone is really looking into them cause Saturn certainly made it clear that they didn't care.

I am having a consistent problem w/ my 2004 Saturn Ion 4 door 3. 3 engine. The problem being is no crank with power on. After waiting 10 - 15 minutes the car will crank & start. This happens inthe morning trying to get to work, at the gas station trying to leave after a fill up, at the red light if I pump the ignition just so. After reading several Ion forums there is a very large problem here. A recall should be issued at least investigated. I am taking the vehicle into Saturn Monday the 3. 23. 09 to have oil change & no crank w/ power evaluated. I will keep you informed.

My 2004 Ion has the intermittent starting issue as well. It first happened when the car had 42000 miles (currently at 80000). The display on the dash reads "service engine" and turning the key results in nothing. Repeat attempts in 10 minute increments usually fixes it right up, after 2 or 3 tries. Saturn should really be held accountable as this seems to be the rule more so than the exception with these Ions.

I have had my 04 Ion for one and half years now, and last year when the weather started to get cold, it would not start. I called the dealer and they told me that the grease around the ignition could not tolerate the cold weather here in nevada. So I had it replaced. Problem solved, until this year. Just today, for the first time this year, it didn't start. Now the weather here has been in the teens for the past week, this tells me that it's not just the temperature, there has to be something else. But no one can tell what. Something needs to be done.

I had a problem with my 2004 Saturn Ion not starting a few times last winter I thought it was related to water in the fuel or a battery problem and after taking steps to fix any defects with either I had no further problem with my car until the first cold day this winter. It has in the last month failed to start at least 6 times, all on cold mornings. It will eventually start after trying for about 10 minutes. I am no longer under warranty so I did some research before calling the dealer and found other owners with the exact same problem. I then called the dealership where I purchased the car and although they knew of the problem, they were still going to charge me diagnostic fees if I brought in my car. I contacted the Saturn corporation to find out why that have not issued a recall and did not get an answer to my question. I am presenting this as a safety problem for a few reasons. It is not safe to be sitting in your car in freezing temperatures for as long as it takes to eventually start. You can't plan ahead for emergencies. Most importantly, I have automatic locks that unlock everytime you remove the key and the car will not even turn over if I don't remove the key in between each attempt. I do not feel safe sitting in my car for 10-15 minutes, late at night, after work in a dark parking lot without locked doors, and I don't want anything to happen to my family or anyone else's just because their car wasn't built properly.

2004 Saturn Ion no crank and no start when the outside temperature is cold. Lots of complaints on the web. Lots of Ions have this issue.

The contact owns a 2004 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that the key failed to release from the ignition. The failure occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the key and the ignition needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 3,000.

While driving my 2004 Saturn Ion, it dies for no reason. There are no consistencies to the problem. It has happen approximately 25 times over the last 6 months. I will be taking it back to the dealership for the 4th time this evening. The dealership claims that they cannot duplicate the problem and cannot find the source of the problem to fix it. The problem has occurred on the highway in traffic. I could be in a serious accident and have indicated to the dealership and Saturn corporation that I feel I am driving an unsafe car. They have no solution for the problem.

The contact owns a 2004 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that after powering off the vehicle, the key was unable to be removed from the ignition. The contact mentioned that the failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the failure was unable to be replicate and two new keys were provided to the contact. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 1,000 and the current mileage was 28,000. Updated 9/24/13.

2004 Saturn Ion suddenly stalled while driving with my family. This happened on 8/5/05 and 8/20/05. Everything died for no apparent reason, which made it difficult to maneuver the vehicle without power steering in traffic. When I came to a safe stop with the stalled vehicle I pulled out the ignition key and re-entered it. The car then started just fine and there were no stalling issues since then. The problem I foresee is the fact that someone could get hurt and get in a serious accident while trying to control a vehicle without power in traffic. Also, as a reaction to the engine stall, someone might try to remove the ignition key while in motion and accidentally lock the steering wheel, which could be lethal. I also find it irritating that you would not expect a 10 month old car with approx. 8000 miles on the odometer to stall without warning (I. E. No engine noise, no check engine light, full tank of gas. . Etc. ) while cruising along. I also believe the dealership/manufacturer will have a hard time to duplicate the problem, because the engine stall happened for no apparent reason and the car runs fine otherwise. This is why I have not yet reported the incidents to the dealership, because it would be a waste of time until more Ion owners report this issue to you folks. However, I just wanted to get the word out. I looks like my Ion is not the only Saturn Ion with this kind of problem according to the already existing car stalling complaints.

This has happened twice. My parents bought a Saturn Ion 2, it is only about 6 months old. After driving the car to their location and turning it off, they came back to the car (maybe 2 hours later), to start the car and nothing would happen. The first time this happened, they called the dealership and was told to push the unlock button several times on the remote. After about 20 pushes the car was finially able to be started. They brought the car to the place where it was purchased only to have someone tell them they don't see anything wrong and don't know why it did not start. About 1 month later the same thing happened again, they called the dealership, spoke with someone in the shop area and was told they couldn't help them out but if they brought the car into the shop, it would have to left over night to see if they can find any problems. We tried to push the unlock button on the remote as we were told last time to do this - it didn't work this time. After sitting in the car for about an hour, the car finially did start. Also on two other separate occassions, on the dash panel, the mileage would dissappear and words would appear. I dont know what this was about, but when this was mentioned to the shop they said not to turn off the car and that it should be brought directly to them. On both of these occassions it was impossible to do that. When the car is turned off and started again, the words disappear. Are there any other complaints or problems like this?.

I live in the pittsburgh area and have had my Ion for almost a year and have never had a problem with. That is until this winter. 4 times I have came out of work at night on cold nights to start my car only to have it not start. After about 15 - 25 minutes of trying my car finally starts up. After I have sat in the cold. I can't wait for the day it decides not to start. Anyway I never left anything on , no doors were left open,nothing. I don't know if this has something to do with the battery being located in the trunk of the car or not. Everything else is fine and it runs fine after I do get it to start. We are expecting some cold days ahead were in live in the next few weeks, so I can't wait to see if it happens again. We I leave work everyone around me has no problem starting up there car different makes and years no problem. I will be giving my dealership a call tomorrow to see if they can help but I am sure as most dealerships are they won't. Anyone else have this problem?.

Car stalls without warning while driving and when turn the car off, it will not turn back on. Dealer said they could not find the cause of the problem. Manufacturer said they cant help caller.

3 days in a row 2004 Saturn Ion 2 won't start. After waiting 10 min I tried again and it started. This only happens when it is cold our temp. Have been averaging -4 to 13 degress. Will be going into the dealers tues. There should be a recall on the pass lock sensor since I have read on another site about all the problems this is causing with Saturn not starting.