Automatic Transmission Problems of Saturn ION - part 1

The contact owns a 2005 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that the key became difficult to remove from the ignition. The vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 14v17000 (fuel system, gasoline) and the contact stated that after the repairs the failure occurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the shifter and the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 55,000.

See all problems of the 2005 Saturn ION 🔎.

2004 Saturn Ion with automatic transmission, the car stopped moving in drive while turning onto the freeway. Car was towed to a Saturn dealer which they stated that the transmission is no good. Nothing was done because they want $5,000 to fix the car. Found out through the internet NHTSA#10032327, states that Saturn gm will pay 50% of cost of replacement, Saturn dealer will not honor service bulletin.

See all problems of the 2004 Saturn ION 🔎.

Yes a few months afo I financed a 2006 Saturn Ion level 3 since the first week having it have had nothing but problems including a major gas leak and severe gas fumes inside and outside the cab when running and not. The dealer had givin me nothing but lies and the fun around and attitude. Had been documented by an outside mechanic the car in unsafe to be on the roads and should never have passed inspection which the dealer did. I really need help. I know it's a good chance it's a flood car they sold me. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2006 Saturn ION 🔎.

The contact owns a 2003 Saturn Ion. While accelerating onto a highway at 40 mph, the vehicle began to abnormally decelerate without warning. The vehicle was towed to a local repair facility where a diagnostic test indicated the transmission would need to be replaced. The manufacturer advised they would get back with the contact to determine if any assistance would be provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 74,085.

See all problems of the 2003 Saturn ION 🔎.

The contact owns a 2004 Saturn Ion. While traveling at 35 mph, the vehicle would no longer accelerate. The dealer performed a transmission flush on the vehicle to correct the failure. Immediately after the repair, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed and there were no further repairs. The current and failure mileages were 87,000.

The contact owns 2004 Saturn Ion. The contact was driving 10 mph when the vehicle abnormally shifted into the next gear. The contact called the manufacturer and they informed the contact to take the vehicle to a dealer for diagnosis. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle as having a faulty transmission which needed replacing. The dealer advised the contact that he would only be liable for one half of the repair costs. The contact declined and stated that the manufacturer should be liable for the full repair costs due to numerous transmission complaints found online for his year, make and model. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 60,000.

Power steering just all of a sudden goes out on my Saturn vehicle while in operation. A chime sounds indicating somethings wrong and the power steering indicator comes on the dash board. You loose all power steering function and its nearly impossible to operate the vehicle to maneuver at all, at high speeds, especially when turning it can be deadly as you can't control the wheel and almost break your arm trying and can either hit someone or something. When you read over the user manual it tells you that the vehicle needs to be serviced and refers you to a Saturn location to have the repair completed. Upon visiting the dealership, they can only offer you a costly repair to replace the motor which they can't guarantee that it will ever go out again. This is not safe at all!.

See all problems of the 2007 Saturn ION 🔎.

My car key gets stuck in my Saturn Ion 2005 after I have shut it off, also when I try to turn the key it will not turn, I have to turn the wheel and jiggle the key to get it to start. Looks like this is a very common problem in the Saturn Ions. Also the power steering goes out in my car, but once I shut the car off and on the power steering problem goes away but after about 10-15 minutes give or take the light comes back on and I lose power steering. Sometimes this problem will go away for a couple of days, but it comes back. This is very dangerous as it is hard for me to make sharp turns. Took the car in to the shop today, luckily still on warranty, but shame on Saturn because after doing research online, these are very very common problems with Saturn. I will never buy another Saturn! OH and my transmission light will come on and I can't drive fast. That happened for a week and then went away for a couple of months now it is back. I was on the interstate when this happened and could only go 35 mph. Thank god it wasn't rush hour. That is being fixed also. . .

Ding on dashboard and power steering goes out. When first occurred, I could drive about 20-30 minutes before it happened again. Now it happens as soon as I get into car.

I have a 2006 Saturn Ion with 35,000 miles, bought new in October 2005 and only serviced at Saturn. It slips when put into reverse. The dealer could replicate the problem manually but could not get a trouble code. Although a service bulletin was issued, the dealer will do nothing until and unless it will generate a code, and says they will not repair it under warranty. I called Saturn customer service and they told me the same thing. They also will not sell me a gm extended warranty because it is out of warranty on length of time. I am told to continue to drive it until it gets bad enough that it will produce a trouble code. By that time it will undoubtedly no longer be close to the warranty mileage and it will probably cost as much as the car is worth to repair it. Since it has less than 36,000 miles, I want it repaired now at no cost.

Failed transmission.

A week ago, I submitted a complaint about losing reverse in my transmission. I would like to add that the dealer replaced my transmission free of charge or labor costs. I applaud jay wolfe Saturn of tiffany springs, missouri. For taking this corrective action.

I got in my car to go to work on Monday March 16, 2008. The car started. When I put the car in reverse to back out of my garage, the doors locked but the car would not go backward. The car is now at the dealers for trouble shooting.

I have a 2004 Saturn Ion 2 automatic transmission. Any day that the temperature is less than 20 degrees it will not start. Sometimes after about half an hour of trying it will start, but not very often. Also it often idles at an extremely high rpm. It sounds terrible when it does this. Also when it idles high it seems to have trouble shifting gears. It's very twitchy and jerky.

My automatic Saturn Ion with 61k miles and no signs of a problem, on its own downshifted from about 65miles to 30 miles. Once I moved it over one lane to the emergency lane the car would not move forward in any gear. The analysis was that the transmission was completely gone. I believe it is a bad design for a car to give no warnings and then downshift on it own. With the car stopping so abruptly, if my family and I had been on the interstate we probably would have been killed or severely injured in an accident. I contacted Saturn directly concerning this matter.

On June 25, 2007 the 2004 Saturn Ion quad coupe came to a dead stop in the middle of an intersection. After numerous attempts to start the car I was forced to have the car towed to a Saturn dealership in fort lauderdale. I was told that there was a possibility that it was the transmission and that Saturn had extended the warranty on certain transmissions mine included . When I asked if there had been a recall was told no. Also, I was told I should have the car back by Friday 6/29/07. Later that day I was informed that it was the vti trnsmission and parts needed to be ordered. I should have my car back on Friday, 6/29/07. On Friday I was told that the transmision was going to need to be completely replaced and the part had been ordered. I would get the car back on 7/2/07, week since it had been brought in I was told that the parts had not arrived ,and that I would have the car back on Thursday since Wednesday. Today Thursday 7/5/07 I have now been told the car was not ready, and that it may not be ready tomorrow. Why not recall cars affected.

Will driving down the road the transmission in my Saturn Ion lvl 3 slips and I have to let my foot off the gas and then kick the gas pedal for it to go into gear. It does this all the time when I am driving it. Also when I go to park the car, I put it in park and pull up the emergency brake and I go to remove the key and it will only go as far as acc mode. It will not release. I have to wait 20 to 30 minutes until it releases automatically. I have read online this is a known problem with Saturns and I have been told that they will not fix it. It does this almost every single day.

2004 Ion 3 quad purchased new in 2004 currently have 18k miles on it. So far we have had to replace front stabilizer bushing, heater blower motor and windshield wipers. All have been under warranty. The electric steering still doesn't seem correct. Sometimes the car pulls when you rapidly accelerate and is very touchy. I did read that gm made some changes to the electric steering for 2005 Ion, but dealership will not (says can not) make the changes to the 2004. Now we have the loss of power problem. Has done it when car is cold and hot, usually when accelerating, but once just driving 35 mph. It's not a stall just like a loss of power. Car doesn't shake or jerk. Almost like you took your foot off the gas for a second. I've taken it back to the dealer once for this and the dealer response is the same as others have reported "no computer codes, could not reproduce, no problem found". It's at the shop now because the check engine light came on 12/2 and we again complained that the car lost power after picking it up the last time. The last time it failed my wife was taking off from a red light and the guy behind almost hit her when the Saturn lost power. Loosing faith in Saturn's engineering.

I first took my 2004 Saturn 3 Ion quad coupe to the dealer with a transmission problem. As I would accelerate the car would lose speed. I never knew when this was going to happen. It happens at any speed. At the time of my first complaint there was 27,539. I now have 33,020 and finally after 3 months and 12 trips to the dealer they are putting in a new transmission. Every trip to the dealer resulted in my being told that the computer said nothing was wrong with my car. They kept the car for a week while their manager drove it to work and home everyday and he said the car never acted up on him. I left the dealership and 2 miles down the road it started acting up. I had to call the Saturn customer service numerous times about the problem. I wrote them 2 letters and finally when I sent them lemon law papers and told them they could buy it back they decided that I needed a new transmission. In the 3 months trying to get this problem fixed Saturn replaced the cruise control switch, the input/output speed sensor and cover gasket, then they replaced the cover assembly, variable drive and driven pulley a and now the whole transmission is being replace. It is now in the shop for who knows how long and then it will be for sale.

During braking, when gears should be downshifting, my automatic Saturn Ion 3 rpms would seem to be racing upwards by several 1000's. I complained on 2 prior occassions to dealer who could not "duplicate the problem". On 05/13/05 I was backing out of my garage, car seemed to lurch backwards. When I put it in drive it the rpms raced above 3000. It lurched me out of my driveway and into the road. Put in reverse and was able to stop and park. Turned ignition off and restarted. In park car was idling at 3500 rpms. Restarted several times with same result. Called roadside assistance b/c car is still under warranty. Tow guy had to brake entire time he was loading car onto steep incline of truck bed b/c he said car was quickly moving forward and up on it's own. Waited w/ service people at Saturn to make sure they could "duplicate the problem". They did. Replaced the throttle position sensor. Complained harshly b/c this was 3rd time in. Car had to be towed in March b/c it wouldn't start in the a. M. Tow guy couldn't start either. Of course Saturn could not duplicate that problem either and stated that it was probably the cold weather. Don't live in alaska. . . March in south carolina does not warrant a 1 yr old, garage kept car not starting. Dealership stated they could not duplicate problem of not starting or of rpms and they did nothing. Saturn made efforts, after the may incident, to compensate. Will update when all details are worked out.

Consumer states that vehicle does not accelerate from a stopped position. At different times it could take approximately 10-15 seconds to go. This occurs mostly while the vehicle is stopped, and happened once when vehicle was going. Consumer took vehicle to Saturn dealer, and was told nothing they could do unless they could duplicate the action.

Driver noticed that the transmission would down shift on its own. Driver took vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that transmission was adjusted on more than one occasion. However, driver informed the mechanic that the problem still occurred, and had not been resolved. The consumer stated that the engine takes 2-5 minutes for it to idle down from 2500 rpm's. The consumer stated that the defoster on the passenger side failed. The consumer stated that the hood would not always close properly.

I have a 2003 Saturn Ion that is having shifting problems. The car has 52,000 miles on it, and it is out of warranty, my daughter originally had the car, and drove it, without me knowing she was having problems with it shifting. Also there seems to be a vibration in the front end. I am taking it in for evaluation. I have had it in several times for the transmission, but they couldn't find anything wrong. I don't understand gm not doing something about these transmission problems. Also the seat belt locks and you can't get out of it. This is a real safety issue and I hope the address it. You literally have to crawl out of the belt.

The transmission on my Saturn Ion quad coupe intermittently disengages or fails to engage when I step on the gas. This is dangerous because if it does not engage while I am pulling into traffic I could be hurt. I took it to the dealer and they said they could not duplicate the concern, but acknowledged there was a problem with these transmissions and a "fix" would be out sometime in the future. I had previously received on owner notification letter re this issue (implying that the transmissions would be replaced if there was a problem. ) when I called the company to discuss my concerns, the dealer's response that nothing could be done, and the owner notification letter contents, the response was essentially that if the dealer cannot duplicate the concern, there is no problem--essentially, they said something bad has to happen before they will take action, and the dealer doesn't have time to drive the car until they can duplicate the concern. I think it's wrong and they should fix the problem. This happens at least 2x per day, never in the same place, no rhyme or reason to it.

Received first Saturn Ion 04 and within one week of purchase car was displaying clear signs of either an electrical or computer problem. Was replaced with a second Ion o4. Noticed a strange clunking sound. Brought car in at 3600 miles, and it was transmission mounts, wheel bearings, axels, and break rotors. Car was returned with a broken piece in the interior, and smelling of burning plastic. I believe that this car is defective, and Saturn refuses to do anything other than make repairs under warranty. I think that I should be issued a refund, due to faulty construction.

Multiple episodes with this car of sudden acceleration especially when putting car into drive or reverse. Roadside assistance has had to start car for me 2 times. Another time the car stalled while idling 4 times within 30 minute drive. Tonight the car lost power completely while I was driving. I see multiple complaints on this page for the same problem. Saturn has not been able to find any problems on their computer. I would like to fight this with the lemon law but I am so afraid to drive this car now that I want to just get rid of it as soon as possible.

Car hesitates with no warning when taking off from stop. Almost rear ended. Also almost struck from side in intersection.

I bought a Saturn Ion 2 in January since that day I have only got an average of 22. 5 mpg that is 270 miles per 12 gallon tank (and it still continues). In March as I was driving down a back road, it lurched, the check engine light came on, it bogged down, and would not accelerate over 50mph and was extremely sluggish, felt like I was driving a golf cart. I had it towed to the dealer. The recalls on the fuel filter and computer system were completed. The dealer informed me that the car was "operating as designed" and the problem could not be repeated. June 10th, the car repeated the same problem. I took it in again, they did the 6,000 mile service on it. Per my records, everything "checked out". The problem could not be repeated. The car was "operating as designed . 3 weeks later, driving on the freeway, the car once again, lurched, the check engine light came on, and went from 65  40 mph. Thankfully I did not get rear-ended. I exited the freeway, had to stop at a light, then during a left hand turn had difficulty getting the car to accelerate. The car finally corrected its problem, and I was able to drive home. I took the car to the dealership yet again, they could not replicate the problem. They replaced my valve body and now my car is running worse then it was before. I stopped by the dealership a day ago, and talked to the maintenance manager, and he stated that he hopes they replace the car, since there is nothing they can do about it. They have tried everything. My car is unsafe to me and others around. It is a safety issue. I am no longer comfortable driving my car. I have opened a case with Saturn customer assistance. This problem that I have experienced and as I have read others too, is extremely unsafe!.

Vti transmission causes sudden vehicle deceleration.

The two Saturn 2003 Ions I have driven (including my current vehicle) have a transmission problem where, when engaging in third gear, the transmission will "freewheel" for several seconds before engaging with a lurch. The problem can be created by accelerating around a corner while the transmission is shifting from second to third. The cars were manufactured in March/April, 2003.

I bought a Ion quad coupe in July of this year. I had a problem with the car not moving when placed into gear. They worked on the transmission and replaced some parts. The newly rebuilt tranmission stil slips and has a hard shifting feeling. I brought it in 3 times before it was actually fixed, and still need to go back. This seems to be a safety issue. What if it was to not drive when pulling out into traffic, or fail when I was driving. It has been over a week since I brought it in and the dealership will not give me paperwork on my car. I dont even know what parts were exactly replaced. Paperwork is missing from over 2 weeks ago from the 2nd visit.

When making turns, particularly right turns, my wife's new Saturn Ion quad coupe, loses power and hesitates after it gets the turn partially completed. This happens intermittently about once a week so it is tough to duplicate but it has caused her to be nearly hit several times by on coming traffic. The dealership states this is the way the vti transmission is designed to work so there is nothing to fix. Saturn in spring hill did not deny this was how the transmission was designed to work. I asked if there were any service bulletins that would fix this and they said none would actually fix this problem and they had no idea how to fix it. They also refused to provide a written response to my certified return receipt letter even though I specifically requested a written response. People are taking their cars to independent transmission shops to be fixed. Saturn is reimbursing some of these charges but they call it strictly a "customer satisfaction issue". Complaints 10049664 and 10049638 sound very similar. I would suggest that you request that Saturn provide all complaints filed with them about the vti transmission, especially where independent shops did repairs. Those owners/independent shops could probably provide a wealth of info about vti transmission problems. I think you will find this is a safety problem and a recall is warranty.

My 2003 Saturn Ion down shifts on me when I try to accelerate. It is getting consistently worse and has gotten to the point that it will stop for a second and then take off again. Saturn has been unable to fix this problem. A tech has test drove the vehicle with me and seen it happen first hand. Still on resolved. My vehicle has been in the shop a total of 4 times since I bought it. I have filed a complaint with the bbb and am currently trying to lemon law it.

The consumer stated transmission has never worked properly. The vehicle has been to the dealership multiple times, they stated could duplicate the problem. The problem was duplicated once, and the transmission module was replaced. The consumer has gone through 1-800- my- lemon, and since that, the dealership was not willing to help her anymore. The manufacturer was contacted, and they also claim ed it could not be t be duplicated, so they could not help. There have been multiple things wrong with the vehicle; the gas gauge and other things. The consumer did have the work orders and could send in that information. The transmission would go up to high rpms. It would jerk, and almost shut off. It happed on straight roads as well as hills.

Transmission: while driving 25 mph vehicle froze. Consumer could not go backward or forward. She had this problem several times in the past. Contacted the dealer, but the problem still exists.