Power Steering Failed problems of the 2005 Saturn ION - part 1

The contact owns a 2005 Saturn Ion. After starting the engine and switching the shifter to reverse, the power steering malfunctioned and the steering wheel became very difficult to turn. During the incident, the power steering failure message was displayed. After turning the engine off and back on, the vehicle operated normally. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 195,000.

Power steering completely failed while car was moving. No warning lights came on.

The contact owns a 2005 Saturn Ion. While driving various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. In addition, the power steering failed to operate once the vehicle was restarted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign numbers: 14v171000 (electrical system) and 14v153000 (steering); however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unavailable.

Tl-the contact owns a 2005 Saturn Ion. The contact stated the vehicle was repaired under special policy 10187 at the dealership. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 mph, the vehicle completely shut off, the power steering warning indicator illuminated, the failure recurred on multiple occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, diagnosed with electronic power steering control module failure, and was not fully repaired and the failure recurred again. The manufacturer was notified, the approximate failure mileage was 118,000. Rw.

The contact owns a 2005 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering assist failed to operate. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the mechanic stated that the power steering column had to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 157,000. The approximate current mileage was 159,000.

The power steering failed while driving the car and a message appeared on the driver's information panel; I had to apply a lot of force on the steering wheel in order to control the car. This is happening now everytime I drive the car and it happens randomly while driving.

Was driving my car out of my driveway and 2 blocks away the power steering failed as I was making a turn in a busy intersection. Luckily it was at an off time at night otherwise the outcome would have been a lot worse. Was able to pull off to the side of the road.

The car was traveling straight when the power steering failed, and the information center displayed "pwr str" turned engine off, put in neutral, restarted engine, and power steering worked. Happened about 2 hours later as well.

Power steering fails while driving intermittent failure.

While traveling on the interstate a power steering failure notice appeared on the dash and it became difficult to steer. Upon restarting the vehicle, the power steering function returned. The power steering has failed 8 additional times in the past month since 1/14/12. Fortunately we have not had an accident due to failure. I am a large athletic built 230 man, and I have difficulty steering upon failure. I fear an accident would occur if the steering failed and my 120 lb wife had to make a sudden change in direction.

Power steering keeps failing on and off during turns at all speeds.

The contact owns a 2005 Saturn Ion. The contact was driving 35 mph when the power steering failed while the contact was making a left turn. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer and the manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileages were 130,000.

I was driving my 2005 Saturn Ion at 50 mph on a highway when the power steering warning alarm sounded and the instrument panel displayed power steering failure. I was able to pull over to the side of the road. I turned of the engine and raised the hood to check the fuses. The fuses were good, so I restarted the car and the power steering display was clear. I drove a few more miles and the same thing happened again. After some research I have discovered this is a common failure on Saturn Ion and other gm vehicles with electric power steering. This could be very dangerous for many drivers when this happens without warning! it is harder to steer the slower you drive.

The contact owns a 2005 Saturn Ion. The contact stated while driving 5 mph and at a stand still, the power steering failed. The contact called a mechanic who referred her to NHTSA because they were not sure of what the failure was. The dealer nor manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 27,484.

Power steering failed while driving. Created dangerous situation because of difficulty in maneuvering.

Alert sounds along with "pwr str" message. Power steering fails. This occurred during both city and interstate driving. Seems more frequent in warmer weather. Power steering resets and works fine when car is switched off and back on again. Mechanic checked on the issue and found the module that controls the electric steering system to be faulty, requiring replacement of steering colume.

The contact owns a 2005 Saturn Ion. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the power steering assist would fail. The power steering warning alarm would sound, the warning light would illuminate and the steering wheel would become extremely tight. The dealer advised that the electronic power assist module was failing and would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 139,000 and the current mileage was 141,000.

Power steering fails after a few minutes of driving.

Power steering suddenly fails while driving. Nearly hit a car when it went out and was difficult to steer. Started happening intermittently at approximately 40,000 miles last year (2009). Pull car over to side of road and shut off then turn on and power steering is back on. This is happening while driving straight down road. Now we have 53,000 miles (June 2010) and it is happening almost every time we are driving the car. We are very concerned about our safety. Should be recalled.

I have a 2005 Saturn Ion with approximately 75,000 miles. I have been having power steering failure for the past two months. There was no warning sign or anything-- the car just loses power while in motion. This is a huge safety hazard because when it happens, I am not prepared and I find it very difficult to turn my wheel. Once, I nearly hit a car in opposing traffic because I was not able to turn my wheel fast enough to make a sharp turn. I have done some research concerning this issue and it seems that there are many Ion owners experiencing the same problem. I have not been able to correct this problem as it seems that I would need to have the entire steering column replaced at the hefty price of about $1000. I don't think I should have to pay such an exorbitant amount of money for something that should be recalled and fixed by gm.

The contact owns a 2005 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the power steering failed and she was unable to maintain control of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who notified the dealer of the failure. The dealer confirmed that the computer needed to be reprogrammed. There were no related recalls; therefore, the contact would be responsible for the repair cost. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 84,000 and the current mileage was 85,000.

2005 Saturn Ion. Driving down the road, not extreme circumstances, just normal driving. Without warning the power steering failed. It has happened twice in the past week. The car is still drivable, albeit with a significantly greater amount of effort. Turning off the car and then turning it back on corrects the problem.

2005 Saturn Ion 3 quad. VIN# [xxx] , mileage 54,698 very unexpected power steering failure. This was the first time it has happened and I bought the car 1 month before Saturn shutdown. Thus I haven't owned the car even a year. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Power steering suddenly fails after vehicle is on for a few minutes. Turning off the car and turning it back on resets it. Fuse is intact (power steering in this car is electrical, not hydraulic).

I own a 2005 Saturn Ion 2 with approximately 37,000 miles, 2 weeks ago the power steering went out, almost resulting in a head on collision as the warning didn't come on until after the fact and I was in the process of turning a corner. Initially the power steering is intact when you first start the vehicle, however it fails after being driven for a short distance, perhaps less than a mile. There have been several gm models recalled for this very same problem, cobalts and pontiacs, perhaps the same problem exist for some of the Saturn models, like mine and they should be added to the list? this is a newer model with low mileage that has been well maintained, I have been quoted $800 to $1000 for the repair of the problem, I have also been informed that if I pay for the repair now and this vehicle is added to the list of recalls for the power steering that gm is not obligated to reimbursement for the expense, therefore hesitant to proceed as gm states its safe to drive there vehicle with power steering failure.

2005 Saturn Ion 64,000 miles. Power steering fails without notice. Power steering is not hydraulic. It is via an electric motor. No fuses blown. Steering will go back to normal and then fail again. Many have looked for a solution on-line but little help. Attempted repair everything from cleaning electric motor brushes and interior of motor housing to replacing the entire steering column at a cost of over $900. 00. Nothing definitive. Same system and same failure on gm chevy cobalt. This is a very dangerous problem. I will not allow my wife to drive the car. Car is useless and can not even be sold due to this safety issue. We need urgently to have this repaired.

The contact owns a 2005 Saturn Ion. The contact was driving approximately 20 mph, the power steering failed without warning. The contact stated the failure occurred after the engine was warm. The vehicle was taken to an independent dealer for diagnostic testing. The mechanic stated the steering column would need to be replaced at the owner expense. The vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. The failure mileage was 41,256. The current mileage was 41,400.

I was turning into sam's club and the power steering quit working. The car was very hard to steer and, because I was turning a corner and this happened unexpectedly, I almost hit the car that was waiting to exit the sam's club lot. I then parked the car after struggling with the steering wheel to turn into a parking spot. I went shopping, came back and, when the car was restarted, I had my power steering. I had another failure within two days, and now the power steering fails even just going to the grocery store (about 2 miles). I called the local gm dealer who said to bring it in for diagnosis. What I read online is this is a $1000+ repair usually replacement of the steering column. I even went to an auto salvage and was quoted $450 for the power steering column and installation. My car only has 66,000 miles on it. This appears to be the same problem for which gm currently has a recall for cobalt and pontiac g6 cars.

The contact owns a 2005 Saturn Ion. The electrical power steering failed as he was driving various speeds. He had to drive onto the side of the road, turn the engine on and off so that the vehicle would reset. The failure has occurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they will replace the power steering motor for $500. The manufacturer was not called. The failure mileage was 52,250.

Every so often when driving, I hear three dings and a "pwr str" message is displayed. The electric power steering has failed, but comes back after stopping and restarting the car. This has occurred 3 times in the past month. I have not attempted to repair yet, as the cost of repair is very high, about $1000.

The power steering fails and the vehicle becomes very difficult to turn.

Power steering failing, very hard to turn.

On oct. 2009 to present my Saturn Ion (2005) power steering failure. This happens everytime when I drive the car. In order for the problem to go away, I have to pull over and turn off engine and power steering is ok for few miles, then power steering failure again and again. The steering wheel gets really hard and it's hard to steer. Also I noticed my mileage from 60,000 now reads 711,300. I called the dealer and explain the situation and they are going to charge me over $1200. 00. I still drive the Saturn occasionally on short distance only. Please help.

2005 Saturn Ion electric power steering quits without warning. Occurs at least once every 40 mile trip. Could cause an accident if cornering when power steering fails. Turning the car off and restarting fixes the problem temporarily.

I purchased my 2005 Saturn Ion in may of 2009. Shortly after I began experiencing problems with my power steering failing. Recently gm has recalled many chevy and pontiac models with the same problem. My 2005 Saturn Ion redline uses the same power steering unit as the other models recalled, but has not been covered in the recall.