Ignition Problems of Saturn ION - part 2

I could not turn off the car and remove the key. The key was frozen in the on position. Since the car was running, I drove to the dealer and they replaced the ignition system and charged me $650. 00. I have since learned this is very common with Saturns. This could potentially be dangerous. It is a defect and should be recalled.

See all problems of the 2006 Saturn ION 🔎.

After I park my 2007 Saturn Ion the ignition remains locked, it doesn't let me take out my key after the vehicle is off. I have to restart my car then turn it off again and wait about 2-5 minutes for my key to release.

See all problems of the 2007 Saturn ION 🔎.

The contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked, but the key would not remove from the ignition. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for a diagnostic test. The technician unplugged the ignition connection and removed the key. The technician also stated that the ignition housing and lock cylinder would have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 49,598.

I am beginning to believe that the issue with the Saturn Ion is an electical or computer based. I put in a complaint earlier about how the car shuts off in the middle of making turns. This morning as I went to work I was met with the automatic steering not working. At first I thought that maybe the emergency break was still up. I checked my steering fluid and it is full. I turned the car off and then on again and tried to move the wheel. No dice. I drove the car to work fighting with the steering all the way there. When I got to work I called for assistance to get my car to a shop. After making the arrangements, I went to try to straighten up the vehicle somewhat so that others could park beside me and so the towing company could get it out. To my amazement the car steering worked fine. There are several complaints on the web about this issue, the key getting stuck in the ignition, the key being removed from the ignition and the car engine continuing to run anyway, and the shutting off while going over tracks and making turns with the Saturn Ion 2004-2007. Please get GMC to fix these issues. What makes me really angry is that the company knows, they simply are avoiding fixing the problems and only focus on the fuel pump problem. Somebody is going to get killed sooner or later btw the shutting off issue or the steering wheel issues. I hope you guys look into these issues and demand that GMC fixes them before then. Thanks.

On 9/27/2011 I was unable to turn the key to the off in my ignition. The car stayed on and I cannot remove the key from the on position. There are thousands of complaints online regarding the very same problem with the Saturn Ion. This is a safety problem and is very dangerous. This vehicle and/ or part must be recalled.

When I shut off my car, the ignition will not release the key. This happens every other time I use the car. Extreamly frustrating. Also needed to replace the front passenger side wheel bearing assy.

Key stuck in ignition, car will not turn off. Key will only turn on. Car is at gm dealer now awaiting repairs. They say it needs a new cylinder housing, cylinder and key. Car has 57,800km. Also in the past the car slipped out of gear (1st) even when the emergency brake is engaged. The first time it rolled down a driveway and hit the mail box, which damaged to back bumper. Dealer would not check into it. Claimed it was driver error. Bs I have driven a standard vehicle for 35 years in hills. Third problem is the gears. They are too tight. Always was difficult to put into gear, sometimes to put it into first one must put it in reverse first then put into 1st gear. What kind of nonsense is that? complained to dealer within the first year. Dealer said other customers have complained about the tight gears but that was the way it was built and to wait and see if it naturally became easier. From researching the internet the key getting stuck and not turning off appears to be a common problem. A recall should be issued and gm should pay for the repairs.

Power steering and ignition problem. Went in to have the power steering checked then the ignition failed on me and the computer in the engine went nuts.

While out shopping pulled in to park at a mall. Went to turn key to off position and it would not move. Vehicle continued to run as normal, with doors locked and in "park". It could not be shut down. Broke out the owners manual and tried all the handy advice. None of which worked. Being a mechanic of 30+ years this was frustrating. No clear cut definition as to what was the cause. Just " it might be this", and to take to your nearest Saturn dealer for servicing. Upon returning home began investigating the "ignition key" problem online. I've had no real issues with this 2007 Saturn Ion quad coupe that I could not remedy myself. A 2. 2 liter fuel injected engine w/auto transmission that to date continues to provide 30-32 mpg. Car now has 92,000 miles. The answers that I found online were staggering. That this event has been allowed to occur over such a length of time and to several gm models. If the ignition had locked backwards due to such an internal break instead of locking it into the "run" position. I or anyone could have been killed if vehicle was moving at the time. Especially if travel was on a major interstate or thruway environment. I am not trying to overlook that at any speed . . . This is not a safe event to have occur. Did contact a gm dealer locally. . They stated that for $85. 00 , we'll run diagnostics. An ignition cylinder problem does not show on any diagnostic tester to my knowledge. Was then advised that at around $300. 00 to start: they will be able to fix it. Since 1990 gm has been aware of this issue along with other ignition concerns. When does it begin to matter? after someone is killed or critically injured?.

Key can get stuck in ignition of Saturn Ion cars. Engine will shut down but key will not eject from ignition. To release key it is required to pop open ignition column and press compression switch to release key. This also causes interior lights to turn on, even if car is off. Triggering the anti-left system. The theft system using the lighting to determine if the doors have opened. Saturn has been aware of this problem on Ions from 2003-2007. But have done nothing to fix the 1000's of complaints. Problem has persisted since 2008.

See all problems of the 2005 Saturn ION 🔎.

The contact owns a 2007 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the key would not disengage from the ignition. The contact had to have the fuse in the engine disconnected in order for the vehicle to shut off. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 88,000.

The contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 mph the front driver's side window dropped down into the door panel, causing the door to swing open. The vehicle was pulled over and shut off. After repeated attempts the door was shut, but would not reopen. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed the window detached from its track. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but offered no assistance. The contact also stated that the vehicle was experiencing recurring failures in which the check engine light would constantly illuminate on the instrument panel and the key would intermittently become stuck in the ignition. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they were unable to diagnose the failure in regards to the check engine light. In regards to the key becoming stuck in the ignition, no repairs were performed. The failure and current mileages were 63,000.

2007 Saturn Ion. Consumer states problem with vehicle ignition the ignition lock cylinder and housing were replaced.

The contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion 2coupe. The contact stated that she was unable to power off the vehicle. On one occasion, the vehicle would not power off and was left running for seventeen hours. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who disconnected the ignition and diagnosed that the ignition lock cylinder needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was repaired. The failure and current mileage was 40,130.

The contact owns a 2005 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that after turning the vehicle off, the key could not be removed from the ignition switch. The contact indicated that after several hours the key was able to be removed from the ignition switch. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on multiple occasions. The vehicle was repaired under NHTSA recall campaign number: 14v171000 (electrical system) but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,000.

Approximately 1 year ago I started having problems getting the key in the ignition to go back to the 'lock' position when I turned the car off. After jiggling the key it would eventually come out - until this past Sunday when the key refused to turn at all and I was unable to shut my car off. I took it to the dealership where I had to remove the ignition fuse to shut off the car. I received a phone call from the dealership Monday morning and was quoted a price of $390 plus tax to replace the ignition cylinder. I was told at that time how it would be fixed because they have replaced many ignitions due to the same problem. . Read more...

The contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that her key remained stuck in the ignition. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where they replaced the cylinder and housing. The manufacturer advised the contact that there were no related recalls to the failure and provided no assistance. The current mileage was 56,000 and the failure mileage was 55,803.

Car was on and the ignition key would not come out of the ignition and vehicle could not be shut off.

The contact owns a 2007 Saturn Ion. The contact noticed that when attempting to remove the key from the ignition, the key would remain stuck and she was unable to power the vehicle off. The dealer advised the contact to bring the vehicle in for inspection. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance to the contact and the vehicle was not repaired. The current mileage was 58,000 and the failure mileage was 54,000.

2006 Saturn Ion. Daughter highway driving returning from college, indicator light on dash came, power steering failed. She pulled over turned vehicle off, turned back on and it drove fine. Next day driving at a slower speed the same thing happened. This has happened several times since. Contacted authorized Saturn service dealer, they said they are aware of similar problems but after taking our VIN# indicated gm has not made a recall for our vehicle. To repair this at the dealership we are looking at $300+. I just spent over $200 six months ago on a problem I feel gm should also own up to. . . The ignition problem with the key sticking in the ignition and not able to turn the vehicle off. I know this electric steering problem is also showing up in other gm vehicles and for what ever reason they are only fixing a select few in a select few states across the country. I have read where there have been 14 accidents resulting in deaths tracing back to this problem. I feel my daughters safety is at risk. I don't understand why an american company would allow the safety of people to be compromised.

The contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion2. The contact stated that she was unable to remove the key from the ignition. The only way she was able to shut the vehicle off was to disconnect the cables to the battery. The vehicle was inspected by the dealer who informed the contact that she would need to replace the tumblers in the ignition. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

2006 Saturn Ion does not release the ignition key when shutting the engine off. The failure is intermittent occurringgg about 50% of the time. To get the ignition key to release can take anywhere from 30 seconds to several minutes by trying to engage and re-engage the shifting mechanism to park and sometimes by locking and unlocking the car doors.

Failure to start in cold weather, and key sticking in ignition.

See all problems of the 2003 Saturn ION 🔎.

The contact owns 2004 Saturn Ion 3. The contact stated that when the weather became extremely cold she was unable to take the key out of the ignition. She started to noticed the failure when she parked the vehicle outside. She also mentioned that the only way she was able to take the key out of the ignition was to place a hot towel around the steering column. The contact will take the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 162,000.

See all problems of the 2004 Saturn ION 🔎.

Beginning in November of 2010, my 2006 Saturn Ion will frequently not start when I enter my key and turn the ignition. This usually occurs in cold temperatures, but has also happened in warm temperatures. The security light on my dashboard will light up and it will take at least 10 minutes, sometimes up to 40 minutes for my car to finally start. I have missed several days of work because of this problem and have spent over $1000 trying to repair this problem with no luck. I have seen that thousands of other Saturn Ions have the same issue. A recall needs to happen!.

When placing vehicle in park, the doors remain locked and key cannot be removed from ignition. Took vehicle to chevy dealer for repair and they said my factory warranty was expired. I currently have 22,500 on vehicle and I purchased the vehicle on 1-1-2008 as a new vehicle at the dealership. I am being told by Saturn customer service that the warranty went into effect in 2006 on the day that my vehicle "was delivered" to dealership and over a year before I ever owned it! what a scam!.

The contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that the key was unable to be taken out of the ignition. The vehicle was inspected by the dealer who stated that the ignition cylinder needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000. The VIN was unavailable.

I own a 2007 Saturn Ion and have been experiencing an ignition problem. Everytime I park my car and turn the key to shut it off it gets "stuck". No matter how I park, wiggle it, etc. . It gets stuck then I have to sit there anywhere from 30sec-hours before it will release. I brought it to my local Saturn authorized service department (1hr away) and they could not find anything wrong they told me it must be spilt soda in the shifter and cleaned the inside of my shifter and charged $90. To only drive an hour home and have it keep happening! Saturn will not help and my warranty expired. I did some research online and thousands of people have the same problem. Shouldn't this be a recall?.

The contact owns a 2007 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that the key could not be taken out of the ignition. The contact called the local dealer who advised her to call NHTSA and that there were no related recalls. The manufacturer had not been notified. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.

The contact owns a 2007 Saturn Ion. While attempting to turn the vehicle off the key would not turn inside of the ignition which made it difficult to turn the vehicle off. The failure was not diagnosed and there were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileages were 55000.

The contact owns a 2007 Saturn Ion. While attempting to turn the vehicle off the key would not release out of the ignition and it would not turn to the off position. The vehicle had not been diagnosed. The current and failure mileages were 59000.

2007 Saturn Ion 2 does not allow key to pulled out of ignition.

The key became stuck in the ignition and would not turn off. It was repaired by a gm dealer and has happened again twice since that time.

The contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that the key became stuck in the ignition and could not be extracted. A fuse was removed in order to turn the vehicle off. The vehicle was taken to a local repair shop where the contact was awaiting diagnosis of the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The VIN was not available. The current and failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

The contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that the key became stuck in the ignition and she was unable to turn the key in order to turn off the vehicle. The dealer removed a fuse underneath the hood which made it possible to turn off the vehicle. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileages were 70000.