Five problems related to steering failed have been reported for the 2006 Saturn ION. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Our insured was on I-10 metairie and hestated that they were traveling down I-10 and the vehicle in front of them hit the brakes and came to a complete stop. Our insured slowed and insd insured's steering wheel failed and went right and then he lost control and went to the left hand lane from the right lane across 4 lanes/ our driver did not have control of his vehcile at this time. Our insured was trying to make it to the shoulder and he was almost there and then another vehcile struck his vehcile. Our insured was cited for reckless driving. Our claim number is pa1282552.
As I was driving to the store I made it about two minutes from my house when I made my first left turn. As I started to turn I noticed my steering was getting difficult, then the three beeps and a display of pwr str went off on my car. Lucky I wasn't on a busy road or thruway on my way to work or school because as I turned into the nearest parking lot the steering was almost impossible. I had it towed to my repair ASAP and was told my power steering motor had to be replace. This repair like any other cost a few hundred dollars that I was surely very unhappy to dish out. I am the second owner of this car and after already receiving the recall notice of the ignition system I went online and checked if there was any recall in the past on the steering. I was surprised to see my websites with people who had the same problem as me however there was no official recall just gm would repair the steering if brought to their dealership, had I known this I would of taken it there. So the next day I called gm's customer service line to hopefully get reimbursed my repair bill since if they are aware of the problem they should be responsible to repay for it instead of just offering to make a scheduled appointment with their dealership to perform the maintenance whenever they're available. I was told since there are four reasons for the steering to fail there hasn't been a final recall made and therefore they are unable to reimburse me. The only advice I got was to wait around for the official recall and then once I receive it then go through the reimbursement cycle. I am not happy about this at all, if gm knows there is a problem they should take responsibility for it. My steering went off completely without notice and I easily could of been in an accident!.
Pwr steering fail while driving. Car dings and displays the pwr steering code in dash. Known issue by gm. Took it to dealer today, they said they'll fix it free of charge based on 10187a special policy. It only covers the motor/module and not the steering column. I am afraid that they are going to rip me off by simply saying the whole column is the problem so I'm out a lot of money. Based on research and complaints gm recalled other cars with the same problem. If they used the same part and they were recalled in other models then the Saturn one should also be recalled. It was very scary losing power steering. Gm needs to make Saturn owners "whole" because there have been various issues already. I replaced the ignition switch twice, the key would get stuck and sometimes would not start.
After being on the road in moderate city traffic on a clear day for approximately 5 minutes, I heard an audible alert then the visual alert "pwr str" appeared on the dashboard display, and I no longer had power steering. I continued my 35+ mile drive home, making one stop on the way. When I restarted the car after that stop, the power steering was once again working. The problem did not recur for several days, then happened again. For the past 25 days or so, the problem happens every time the car is running, sometimes happening after having travelled only 100 feet and sometimes not happening until well after that. This is a definite safety concern. In the event the steering failed while a corner was being negotiated, the outcome could be tragic.
The contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that while driving, the power steering lamp illuminated and the steering failed. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer and the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 56,200.