Power Steering Fluid problems of the 2006 Saturn ION

On June 22nd while pulling into a parking lot the pwr steering warning came on my dash cluster after this came on I lost power steering and it took great effort to turn the steering wheel. I ck for a broken belt or fluid leak but found neither. After returning to my car and restarting my car the warning light went off and the power steering went back to normal. The problem didn't occur for about 1 week so I thought it was a one time thing. Then my wife was driving the car and the light came on again and the power steering failed, she was barely able to get the car off the road. She called me and I had her shut off the car and restart it. Again the problem went away and she was able to drive home. Since this time the problem has occurred over and over. At high speeds low speeds, and while turning. I called Saturn complaint line 1-800-972-8876 and talked to tarcaria and was told there was no recalls on this problem and was given the address and number to a local dealer who could assist me with the problem. I went to the dealership and talked to the service manager and parts department and was told there was told that the electric steering motor would have to be replaced at an estimated cost of $400. 00 parts and labor. I was also told that there were recalls on this problem on other gm products (chevy cobalt) that used the same type of steering as my Saturn Ion but my 2006 Saturn Ion was not on this list, but it could be added later. If this problem occurs with someone who does not have upper body strength it could lead to accident.

I was driving down route 1 in key west, florida when a bell beeped and my power steering light came on and I almost got in an accident when I tried to get off the road to check & see if the fluid had leaked out. No one could find the fluid container. When we restarted the car, the light went out for awhile and it was ok but it continued to come on till I got it home & parked it.