Steering Column problems of the 2004 Saturn ION

The contact owns a 2004 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken in for inspection to an independent mechanic who stated that the steering column needed to be replaced due to how loose the wheel was when it was coming down from the lift. The contact mentioned that after leaving the shop and driving at low speeds, she noticed that the vehicle would pull to the right, it was difficult to make left turns and would be extremely easy to make a right turns. The vehicle was not repaired for the steering column. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure and current mileage was approximately 139,400.

Driver was turning right after stopping at a traffic light. Vehicle failed to turn immediately and rammed into the median. Driver was diagnosed with a concussion at medical facility. In 2008, power steering went out on vehicle - a warning would sound and the pwr str message would flash. Dealer replaced steering column. Vehicle was repaired and is currently in use. Power steering again went out, same symptoms, on July 20, 2012. Currently the power steering is not working.

The contact owns a 2004 Saturn Ion. The contact was driving approximately 15 mph when she began to smell smoke and the vehicle became hard to steer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the power steering motor and column would need replacing. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileage was 45,020.

The contact owns a 2004 Saturn Ion . While driving 60 mph the power steering chime sound alerted her that the power steering malfunctioned. The contact stated that it was very difficult to turn the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to a garage in order to have the failure diagnosed. The vehicle was repaired with a used steering column. The contact stated that her son was driving at 20 mph when the chime alerted him and the steering wheel was very difficult to steer causing him to crash into a pole. There were front end damages and no injuries. The dealer stated that there were no recalls. The failure mileage was unknown. The current mileage was 67000.

My 2004 Saturn Ion is having issues with the power steering going out while I drive the vehicle. After turning the car off and back on, it resets it, as it is electric power steering, but the problem persists and keeps getting worse. It will turn off about 10 times in a mile on average. I have done research on the issue and it has caused 14 deaths in other instances. After calling the dealer, they say it is not a recall, and will not help me out. A few gm cars like the cobalt have the same issues all covered under warranty and have the exact same power steering moter and steering column. I am in the process to find the partsand replacde them, but the dealer is not willing to help in this matter. Here is a link on a discussion forum for this topic. . Read more...

Power steering has went on my 2004 Saturn Ion. Upon looking on the internet, I was flooded with similar problems. This is a major problem where people's lives are at risk. The chevy cobalt has been recalled for this same problem, and contains the same electric steering column. I don't understand how this has not yet been recalled and peoples live are at risk every day. I cannot afford to fix something like this that should never be a problem because of its health risks.

Wife was driving home from work, and the power steering in her Saturn Ion just quit working making the car very difficult to steer. No one was hurt, but nearly caused an accident. My understanding from the dealer is that the electric motor on the steering column over heats and just stops working. Very expensive to fix, and I also understand this is a common problem. Shutting car off and re-starting makes it work again, but it has happened four other times since then.

I have a 2004 Saturn Ion (red line). In July of last year, my power steering went out while driving. You have to turn the car off and restart it in order to reset the power steering. The problem occurred twice that month and did not happen again until June of this year. It has happened 5 times since. I have noticed that the problem usually occurs when the weather is hot (over 90 degrees). Other than that, there is no set circumstance. It can just go out at any time. I contacted Saturn and they said there was a problem with some part of the steering column that was causing the problem, but the way the car is made, they just can't replace the part, but the entire steering column has to be replaced. This would cost between 700. 00 and 800. 00 before labor. I have been researching this on the internet and have found dozens of other people who have had the same problem. I feel this is a safety problem on Saturns part and the steering column needs to be recalled. I understand you have had similar complaints about this problem. I hope you take these complaints into consideration.

During my drive home from work, I was slowing down for a red light, and the pwr str error light came on in my car immediately followed by my power steering giving out. I could hardly turn the wheel, but struggled with two hands to pull off the road and turn my car off. When I restarted it several minutes later, the error message was gone. I started driving again and the power steering returned. I made it home. The following Monday I took the car to return to work where I planned to take it into the mechanic near there. Again, as I was coming to an intersection and preparing to turn onto a busy highway, the error message came on again and my power steering completely gave out. I was extremely shaken up and forced the wheel to turn off to the side. Again, by shutting off the engine temporarily, I was able to get it to work well enough to get to work. My mechanic observed the car and determined that this is an electronic steering problem. To fix it the entire steering column would need to be replaced. This has an estimated cost of $1,000 and needs to be done at a certified Saturn dealer because of the software associated with the fix. This problem is exactly what was reported in the gm recall of compact cars to fix the power steering. The steering column parts are the same in the 2004 Saturn Ion 3, which is what I drive. Yet, my car was not included in the recall. Why? I am not able to drive my car until it is fixed. This is a serious safety hazard, as I am barely strong enough to turn the wheel without the power steering. I was only lucky that this did not happen while I was in different places of my commute or the consequences could have been severe.

The contact owns a 2004 Saturn Ion. The contact stated while driving at approximate speeds of 65mph, the power steering warning light illuminated and the steering failed. The failure continued and became progressively worse. The dealer and advised the steering column would need to be replaced at the owners expense. The manufacturer would not offer any assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000 and the current mileage was approximately 94,000.

-the contact owns a 2004 Saturn Ion. The contact was driving approximately between 45-55 mph the power steering locked without warning, causing limited control in the steering of the vehicle. The vehicle was driven to the side of the road and the engine was turned off. When the vehicle restarted, the power steering functioned normal for a few moments and failure continued to occur. The dealer was notified and stated that the steering column would be replaced at the owner expense. The vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. The failure mileage was 10,000. The current mileage was 96,000.

I drive a 2004 Saturn Ion. About two months ago my power steering started to go out at random times, however, when I would turn the car off and then back on it would be fine. I did bring it in to a mechanic and had it looked at. He found no error codes and no duplicate of the problem because it was at random times. A couple weeks ago it started to turn off a couple times a day. I finally brought it in again when it turned off on me on the freeway and I almost crashed when a big rig swerved. My mechanic was able to verify there was an issue with the power steering column & modular. That part was $560. 53 (not including labor). Further research into this part on my car with the help of my mechanic showed that this is a very common issue with my Saturn make. However, the story does not end here. After replacement of this part my mechanic discovered the cause for the steering breaking. The motor in this column piece fries the whole modular. The replacement part for this was another $175. 00. The Saturn factory has plenty of steering columns in stock however because of the increase in demand for the replacement of the motor, the part was on back order for a couple of weeks. Yes the whole process was frustrating and expensive but having power steering go out unexpectedly is very dangerous. Someone should not have to die or be injured in an accident before a safety recall is forced upon Saturn.

The power steering motor keeps going out on my 2004 Saturn Ion while I am driving it. It goes out almost every time I drive the car- sometimes while in the middle of a turn, making it very hard to steer. Saturn will replace the steering column for about $1000 but after reading many many people online complain of the same issue I feel it should be a safety recall!.

My 2004 Saturn Ion 3's power steering keeps going out. Often driving it for 10-15 miles, the power steering message will display on the message center and the power steering will go out immediately. This is extremely dangerous because at any time it will go out. It happens intermittently. It will cost 1600 dollars to get a new steering column from gm. If I drive it like it is, an accident will most likely occur. My car is only 5 years old, with 55,000 miles and I take good care of it. I am extremely upset by this which seems to be an issue that many 2004 Ions have.

The contact owns a 2004 Saturn Ion. The contact stated when driving at 10 mph exiting a ramp or attempting a turn, the steering would become extremely stiff and difficult to steer. The contact stated the failure became progressively worse and would occur on a daily basis. The vehicle was previously taken to an independent mechanic where the failure could not be duplicated. On a later date, the vehicle was taken to the dealer where he was advised that there was an electric base and in order to make repairs, the entire steering column would need to be replaced. The vehicle was serviced yet the failure recurred. The vehicle was not taken back to the dealer nor were there any further repairs. The failure mileage was 30, 000 and the current mileage was 40,500.

Experiencing continuous failure of the power steering in my '04 Saturn Ion. Steering can lock up at any given time after start up and has done so on an every trip basis for the past 6 months. The dealership's diagnostic didn't find anything, but offered to replace the power steering column for almost $800; which as I have read doesn't guarantee fixing the problem. Losing your power steering while driving is a safety issue and I feel that if this issue is prevalent in the Ion series, Saturn/gm should address it accordingly.

The contact owns a 2004 Saturn Ion. While driving 70 mph, the power steering failed and the power steering light illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle. Once the engine was restarted, the vehicle performed normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but they could not duplicate the failure. The mechanic stated that if the steering was failing, the entire steering column would have to be replaced. The vehicle has not been repaired and continues to fail. The manufacturer stated that no compensation would be provided because there were no recalls. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer for further inspection. The failure mileage was 65,000 and current mileage was 77,000.

The contact owns a 2004 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that when driving at various speeds, the electric power steering would fail. If under 15 mph, it would be extremely hard to turn without the electric steering. When he turned the vehicle off and restarted it, the problem seemed to correct itself. The problem was intermittent at first but became more frequent over time to the point where it may happen 4-5 times while driving. The contact took the vehicle to the dealership several times and was told that the entire steering column needed to be replaced. He called the manufacturer and was told that they could not assist him because there was no recall. The vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. The current mileage was approximately 170,000. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

Power steering turns off while driving. Comes back on if car is turned off and restarted. Dealership charging @ $920. 00 to replace steering column. Numerous reports online of same issue.

Car does not start when below 35 degrees. I have to wait exactly 10 minutes then it will usually start. Power steering would occasionally turn off while driving around 50,000 to 60,000 miles and gradually worsens over time. My power steering is now completely not working and has almost caused me several minor to major accidents when it shuts off while driving either by myself or with my children. I replaced the electric power steering fuses first to see if that solved the problem only to realize its the power steering column will have to be replaced costing me $1100. I can no longer drive my car because I am not strong enough to turn the wheel with the constant failing of the power steering.

While driving on the highway, the power steering light would come on and I could barely steer the vehicle and I had to get off the highway immediately. After I pulled off the highway, I would turn the vehicle off and then turn it back on and I would proceed to my destination.

: the contact stated while applying brake pressure at 35 mph on a street, there was a loss of all power steering without warning. Afterwards, the power steering failure light illuminated. The contact turned the ignition off and restarted the engine, but the power steering returned. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who determined the steering column needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified.

The contact owns a 2004 Saturn Ion. While driving approximately 25-30 mph the vehicle lost power steering. She stated that the vehicle became very difficult to steer and she had to hold on to the shifter and the steering wheel in order to gain control of the vehicle. The vehicle was manual. The contact had taken the vehicle to three local mechanics and they advised her that the steering column needed to be replaced and has referred her to the dealer. The vehicle was not taken to an authorized dealer for this failure. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent at first but she no longer has power steering. While driving the vehicle also locked in gear and she could not shift out of gear. The contact stated the failure happened at 9,000 miles. The vehicle was taken to the dealer thirty seven times for this failure and they have replaced the wires but the failure continued to occur. The dealer has never diagnosed the failure because the contact would not pay $500. 00 for diagnostic testing. The failure mileage was 21,000 and the current mileage was 83,000.