Clutch Pedal/linkage Problems of Saturn ION

Saturn ION owners have reported 9 problems related to clutch pedal/linkage (under the power train category). The most recently reported issues are listed below.

1 Clutch Pedal/linkage problem of the 2004 Saturn ION

Failure Date: 06/12/2017

My car has a standard transmission and the clutch pedal assembly failed causing dangerous and difficult shifting between gears. The end of the clutch pedal assembly is plastic and it broke at the juncture where it meets the transmission. Unbelievably, general motors (gm) knew of the problem but took no remedial action. Complaint letters on the internet clearly show gm has known about the problem for awhile but taken no action. It cost me $609. 74 to have the safety problem fixed. I reported it to gm and asked to be reimbursed. This is dangerous: I had great difficulty shifting between gears & almost got run over by other motorists when there was a delay in locating the next gear. Gm should take action on this before someone gets killed.

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2 Clutch Pedal/linkage problem of the 2003 Saturn ION

Failure Date: 08/07/2016

The contact owns a 2003 Saturn Ion equipped with a manual transmission. While stopped at a traffic light, the transmission failed. The contact was unable to shift the vehicle into gear. The contact stated that the clutch pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to shift into gear. The failure was intermittent. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 215,000.

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3 Clutch Pedal/linkage problem of the 2004 Saturn ION

Failure Date: 01/06/2014

Tl - the contact owns a 2004 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that while driving 30 mph, she attempted to depress the clutch pedal but noticed that the pedal had raised eight inches from where it normally was, preventing her from shifting gears. The contact mentioned that the vehicle eventually stalled and was towed to an independent mechanic where the technician diagnosed that the clutch pedal was fractured. As a result, the master cylinder, slave cylinder and the clutch pedal needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 77,362 and the current mileage was 79,810. Kmj.

4 Clutch Pedal/linkage problem of the 2004 Saturn ION

Failure Date: 01/23/2013

Tl- the contact owns a 2004 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 mph, the clutch pedal began to harden. Also the contact would hear a click when depressing the clutch pedal. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for a diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage and current mileage was 200,000. Dr.

5 Clutch Pedal/linkage problem of the 2005 Saturn ION

Failure Date: 04/19/2011

Events leading up to the failure: upon engaging the clutch (pressing on the pedal as usual) I heard a loud pop/crack noise and the pedal became very loose and went all the way to the floor very easily. Date/time/place of failure: on 4-19-2011 at 9:20 am while parked in a residential parking lot. The failure is described as the clutch pedal not properly engaging the hydraulic clutch due to a bracket or some other part of the assembly's breakage. This bracket holds a piston in proper place to actuate the hydraulic clutch as the pedal is depressed to the floor. Since the bracket is broken, the clutch will not engage fully, if at all. I have temporarily placed double-sided foam tape where the bracket used to be on the pedal so that the piston rod can remain somewhere close to its original mounted position - so that I may drive the vehicle. Since the failure, the transmission exhibits a grinding noise when shifting into third gear - presumably due to the partial engagement of the clutch. This bracket's failure presents a loss of control safety issue which I feel should be addressed by the manufacturer; when coming to a stop earlier today, I was unable to shift to neutral while coming to a stop - which nearly caused a crash.

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6 Clutch Pedal/linkage problem of the 2004 Saturn ION

Failure Date: 11/11/2009

The contact owns a 2004 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that he was unable to shift out of gear. The vehicle was inspected by the contact who diagnosed that the clutch pedal and the clutch master cylinder needed to be replaced. In addition, the plastic guide for the seat belt on both the driver and passenger side broke causing the seat belt to lie on the neck instead of across the chest. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 120,000 and the current mileage was 210,000.

7 Clutch Pedal/linkage problem of the 2003 Saturn ION

Failure Date: 05/04/2009

I was at a stop sign and my clutch pedal disconnected from its socket just as I was about to begin driving.

8 Clutch Pedal/linkage problem of the 2004 Saturn ION

Failure Date: 07/20/2007

The contact owns a 2004 Saturn Ion. The clutch pedal on the vehicle has a retainer that does not have the proper durability. After a few months, the retainer detaches and causes the clutch pedal to raise upwards. As a result, the driver is unable to properly switch gears fast enough. When the failure first occurred on July 20, 2007, the dealer replaced the cylinder axulator, master clutch, the entire clutch pedal, and the retainer. The repair lasted for 15 months. Recently, while attempting to switch gears at 15 mph, the contact noticed that the clutch had once again lost the retainer and caused the pedal to raise. The contact was unable to determine where the clutch was located, which nearly caused a crash. He called the dealer and was informed that the vehicle could not be repaired for free because it was no longer under warranty. The contact believes that this is a safety issue that the manufacturer should be responsible for repairing. He called the manufacturer directly and they refused to make any repairs. The vehicle currently has not been repaired. The failure mileage was 59,751 and current mileage was 80,210.

9 Clutch Pedal/linkage problem of the 2004 Saturn ION

Failure Date: 05/15/2007

The failure was to the arm that held the clutch pedal in place on the 2004 Saturn Ion redline. The part broke and the clutch was completely inoperable ,as such the car was rendered inoperable. 5 minutes earlier I was on a major highway doing 60 mph at which speed I could have lost all control of the car and caused a major accident in which lives may have been lost. The deal offered to replace the plastic arm with another plastic arm. The part that replaced mine had a different part number than on the original car, I was not sure if this was just a new part number or if the part had been replaced due to previous incidents. If there was any history on this part I was not able to gain the information from the dealer, who was very unwilling to comply. The damaged part was not returned to me because they claimed they had to return all parts covered under warranty to the manufacturer.




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