Lose Power Steering Problems of Saturn ION - part 2

I was backing out of my driveway in the morning before heading to work and as I shifted the car into drive and started to accelerate the pwr str alert was displayed and I found it very difficult to move the steering wheel. I then shut off the car and turned it back on and the power steering was restored. I made it fine to work and had no problems after that. However, that Friday, February 4th, I was on the highway on my way for a weekend trip to mi and once again the pwr str alert came on again. I pulled over to the shoulder as soon as I could so that I could attempt to restart my car to hopefully regain power steering. I restarted my car and I was able to gain power steering again. However, after about 15 mins on the road, I lost power steering again. It was very hard to maneuver the car and I was very afraid of what would happen if I had to swerve to avoid an accident. I found it especially harder to turn at slower speeds so making a right hand turn onto a side street was very hard. Then on Sunday, February 5th, I was driving again and at first the power steering was working fine, but I found that within 20 mins of my trip the pwr str alert came on again and I had no power steering again. I find this to be a major issue and is very unsafe for any driver especially young ladies such as myself who have to use both arms pulling down on one side of the steering wheel just to make a slight turn around a bend. When I was getting off the highway and going down the off ramp I found that my front wheels were skipping on the pavement as I was making the turn and I was pulling really hard on the steering wheel just to be able to turn. I fear what would happen if it went out and there's snow. I hope that something is done about this issue to insure the safety of not only those driving the cars that are loosing their power steering, but also for the other drivers on the road.

See all problems of the 2006 Saturn ION 🔎.

12/29/2011 - driving on freeway at around 55 mph and my message screen showed "pwr str" and I lost my power steering. It became very difficult to steer. 01/01/2012 - driving on roadway at around 45 mph and my message screen showed "pwr str" and I lost my power steering. It became very difficult to steer. With both times when I shut the car off and re-started the problem went away.

I was driving on the highway when my car lost power steering. A message on the center console said pwr str. I pulled over at the next rest area and turned off the car and restarted it, and the power steering was functioning correctly. About another 30 miles later the same thing has happened, and it has been intermittent since. Restarting the car seems to temporarily resolve the issue.

My power steering light came on and I noticed that I had lost the power steering ability. With difficulty, I steered the car to the side of the road and turned the car off and then back on and the power steering was working again. This has happened multiple times and with the research I have done, I feel it needs to be recalled for my specific Saturn. I bought the car used 1. 5 years ago and did not know of any problems until now. I have over 100xxx miles on it but that should not exclude me from any recalls that may be issued in the future. I drive my car over 200 miles a day and no longer feel safe in it. This is my 3rd Saturn and I have always loved them but I am very disappointed that this has not been recalled on my car when it is a very specific problem that is happening and being recalled in other vehicles. I got an estimate of over $1000 to fix the problem but I do not have that kind of money laying around. I just hope that I do not get in an accident because of this. If that does happen, gm will be hearing from my attorney.

See all problems of the 2007 Saturn ION 🔎.

When I was going south on I-95 in georgia I heard a warning tone from my Saturn and saw a warning on my dash that was for the power steering. Immediatly I could tell I had lost my power steering because changing lanes felt sluggish and a bit difficult. (not physically difficult but more difficult than usual) the light stays on and I have no power steering untill I shut off the car and restart it. Then it is like nothing has happend. At slower speeds this could cause an accident due to the amount of force that is required to turn. The biggest problem is not for me but for my wife who cannot physically control the car when this happens. This is definatley a dangerous problem that needs to be taken care of.

See all problems of the 2004 Saturn ION 🔎.

This happened on my daughters 2006 Saturn Ion with less than 25,000 miles. She had been making a right hand turn in a duoble turn lane off an angulared intersection (about 60 degrees). She was in the outside lane with a semi-truck making the turn along side, left of her. She was going approx. 25 mph. When she lost the power steering and almost veered under the trailor. Thank god she didn't go under under it or she probably would have been killed. The eps has failed 4 times since. I see that gm has acknowledged this problem with their other models and posted recalls for them, but not for Saturn. 846 Saturn complaints to odi and 3,489 reports to gm and no recalls!!! how many people have to report a crash or sadly enough, have to die, before something is done. I've been out of work for sometime and can not afford the reported $1,000 repair at a dealer that admits there is a problem. Nhtsa and or gm, stand up for what is right and do something. Since when is the loss of steering not a major issue!!!.

We lost our power steering,going around a curve @ 45 mph,almost lost control. We shut the car off and it reset on starting. It kept going off and on for 100 miles,requiring us to pull over and stop and start the car every time, until we got home now.

My 2005 Ion lost power steering at 45mph. Pulled over and shut it off then it came back. Been hearing reports that his happens to a lot of these cars. Really don't have the money to fix it as it seem to be expensive. If I had known, I wouldn't have bought the car. Hope a recall is on it, cause this could be dangerous.

See all problems of the 2005 Saturn ION 🔎.

Driving on highway in my 2006 Saturn Ion. Her a "beep" notification from the dash and simultaneously, I lost all power steering. Warning on dash stated "pwr strng".

Lost of power steering started some time in 2009,I have no record of the date,but in one of the incidents 06/10/2011 I took a picture of the dashboard showing the date and message on the speedometer. I restarted the engine every time this happen to get it back to power steering . Then I had a situation when I lost speed as I was traveling on a city avenue. The car lost speed when I was traveling around 35 mph,it made a alarm or warning sound and drop down to 10mph and I could not get back to 35mph,I stop the car and I restarted the engine,that was the only way it would recover the power on the engine. It happens two or three times in one month.

While my wife was driving our 2006 Saturn Ion, the "pwr str" light came on and she lost power steering control. Shutting off the engine resumed the power steering to the vehicle but repeated the failure numerous times before being able to drive the vehicle home. This is now occurring numerous times without any warning. This I believe is a safety related item which should require a recall of this vehicle. The vehicle is barely drivable because it is so difficult to make turns. The vehicle only has 40,000 miles.

I recently have experienced a loss of power steering in my 2006 Saturn Ion. This has randomly occurred four times over the past two weeks. Suddenly, the warning message "pwr str" will appear in place of my digital odometer reading and the car will immediately lose power steering and becomes extremely difficult to steer and dangerous to drive. I have found that am able to "reset" the steering by pulling over and turning the car off and back on again. I have never experienced this problem prior to two weeks ago. The car has approx 185k miles on it. After experiencing this issue today (the fourth time it has happened), I did a search on the internet and learned that NHTSA is currently investigating Saturn Ions for this issue (NHTSA action number : rq10004), to determine whether the vehicle should have been included in a recall for the same issue with other gm cars. Please consider this complaint in your investigation.

I lost my power steering and the pwr str warning light came on while driving on the interstate. When I safely exited, I read the owner's manual and it said this requires immediate service. I went directly to a firestone dealer but they were near closing and could not put it on diagnostics and asked me to return in the morning. However, when they started the car, the warning light was off and the power steering ability returned. I researched this online and it seems this is the same problem that prompted gm to recall other gm vehicles in March 2010, but not the Saturns. While the problem may be temporarily resolved by replacing 2 fuses, the ultimate solution is to replace the steering column motor which is a rather expensive item. I believe the Saturns should have been included in that recall gm issued.

I am purchasing a 2007 Saturn Ion 3. When I drive down the road sometimes you will hear a ding, pwr str shows up where the odometer is, and I lose my power steering. I stop and turn the car off then on and I have power steering back. I received a letter from Saturn saying that this might become a problem and they would repair it if the vehicle was less than 10 years old and 100,000 miles or less. Of course my Saturn conveniently is over 100k miles. I called Saturn and all they would say is that I can go have it diagnosed and they might help me. Gm has recalled the cobalt for the same problem. 14 people have died because of this problem. Why isn't gm recalling Saturn Ions for this problem?.

While driving at 70mph the power steering light came on and I lost power steering. I exited the interstate and pulled off the road. I turned the engine off then counted to 10 and started it up,the light went out and the power steering was back. The next time I was in city traffic when the power steering light can on and the power steering died. Again I pulled over and restarted the engine and it was ok. The problem is intermitent and unpredictable. I went online with Saturn and they recommend a Saturn service center. I also read blogs that the repair will be over $1000 and not covered by a recall or warrenty. I have parked my Saturn Ion in the driveway and may have to tow it to a dealer.

My 2007 Saturn Ion lost power steering ability for no specific reason. The warning screen would flash and beep and then it would stop working. It continued to do it throughout the day at random times. Every time I would turn the engine off and restart it the power steering would work again and then randomly stop working usually as I am driving down the road.

While driving the car under normal conditions I suddenly lost power steering nearly causing an accident.

Traveling approx. 65 mph instrument panel *dinged* the pwr str* came upon the panel. At that time I lost power steering while traveling full speed and had a hard time pulling off the exit. Once off the exit car was turned off and restarted and began to operate properly. This happened 3 times within 2 hours.

The contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. While traveling 15 mph the contact noticed that the power steering light appeared on the dashboard, seconds later the vehicle lost all power steering. The vehicle was not diagnosed and there were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileages were 81000.

I was driving with my daughter in my 2004 Saturn Ion and the power steering light came appeared. I lost power steering immediately. It took all my strength to turn my vehicle around and make it home safely. I immediately researched the problem and found numerous complaints online. I contacted customer service and they said that there was a special policy in place for the problem to be repaired but because my vehicle was over 100,000 miles (118,000) it would be an out of pocket expense.

The contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. The contact stated while driving 60 mph the power steering system suddenly malfunctioned which made it difficult to control the steering wheel. The contact had to drive onto the emergency lane and shut the vehicle off. When the vehicle was restarted, the vehicle the power steering system began to function properly. The contact called the manufacturer regarding the power steering system they stated there were no related recalls. The contact was concerned that the lost of power steering could result in a crash. The failure mileage was 117,000.

The contact owns a 2007 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 mph, the vehicle suddenly lost power steering. There was a power steering light that illuminated during the failure. She noticed that it was extremely difficult to turn into a parking space as a result. The contact turned off the vehicle and restarted it. When she restarted it, the failure seemed to have corrected itself. The vehicle had not been inspected or repaired at the time of the complaint. The current mileage was approximately 36,500. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000.

The contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. The contact received a letter from the manufacturer stating that the vehicle could potentially lose power steering capabilities and that the dealer would repair the issue only after the failure occurred. The contact was concerned because he did not know if and when the failure would occur. He called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. The current and failure mileages were approximately 33,000. Updated 12/23/lj updated 01/03/11.

I have a 2005 Saturn Ion, 2. 2 l. The power steering light has gone on july16 - July 18 and lost power steering 5 different times. I have difficult making any kind of turn then. I have to pull over somewhere safe, stop the car, wait a minute or two and start the car up again. The power steering is then fine again. I watch for the warning now because I am not sure if the power steering will go out again. The weather on the days the power steering went out has been very,very hot- 90's to 100's. I have not gone to dealership to look at it, still debating what to do.

I own a 2005 Saturn Ion. I have 3 more payments left on it. I was driving on the highway on 7/16/10 and my pwr str light came on the display. I immediately lost power steering. I have researched this on the web and it appears that thousands of people are having this issue. Apparently there was a recall on 3 or 4 other gm models of cars that have the same "power steering motor" however, the Saturn does not appear to be one of them.

My 2007 Saturn Ion lost power steering on the highway, I found out it has electric power steering. I was able to get it off the road safely, but this could have been a serious issue. It is intermittent but I believe it should be a recall issue as many owners I found online complain of same issue. My local dealer as seen many vehicles come in for the same problem. Had it been raining or a stop fast situation I would have had no turning control.

Was driving along one day heard a chime in my car,looked at the dash. . . It said "pwr strng" and at that very moment I had lost my power steering. From then on until the present it goes out and comes back on after I have shut the car off but only for a short time,then it goes right back out again.

The contact owns a 2004 Saturn Ion. While driving at 25 mph, the contact stated that the vehicle suddenly lost all power steering . The vehicle had not been inspected or repaired at the time of the complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 128,000. The current mileage was approximately 130,000.

I was driving the car and got a pwr str warning on my console. I noticed that I had lost my power steering. I pulled over and turned the car off. When I restarted the car everything worked fine. I didn't have the issue again for 3 days, but now im having it 10-15 times a day. My fiance is the normal driver of this car and does not have the strength to steer and control the car when it looses the power steering. She has almost been in 3 wrecks in the last week resulting from this. There is a recall for the chevy cobalt and pontiac g5 that is TSB 10v073000. This is the same part and component that is on the Saturn Ion, but it wasn't included in the recall for some reason.

Power steering light comes on and lose all power steering until car is shut off and turned back on.

While driving, as with all the complaints I've been reading, the car "beeped" and the pwr strn indicator came on and we lost the power steering while driving at 60 mph. I have had the car looked at and have been told it's the power steering motor/power steering module and will cost approximately $1000. -$1200. To fix. I see this as a major safety issue and if gm will not fix this defect then I am forced to conclude that they are a less-than-reputable company as well as a manufacturer of an inferior product. Up until this point, we have had no complaints with this car but, with what appears to be a common safety problem, I do not feel comfortable with my wife and child traveling in such a vehicle. I am sorry to say that I will, most likely, not consider general motors in the future.

While driving on the freeway at 60 mph, my 2004 Saturn Ion iii lost its power steering. The car chimed at me and displayed a "pwr str" message. The car instantly became much more difficult to control, especially in turns and at lower speeds. I was able to make it to work. When I restarted my car later in the day, the power steering was working again. Based on a brief online search, this problem appears to be common with the Saturn Ions. It is my understanding that the Ion has the same power steering motor/module as the chevy cobalt. A recall has recently been announced for the cobalt's power steering issue.

Driving automobile, alarm chimed, power steering warning came on, lost power steering. When car is restarted power strg works approx. A couple minutes then loose power steering. Gm aware of this problem, has not included Saturns in this recall.

Saturn Ion 2007. Loses power steering and you have to turn the motor off and restart to regain power. This was rare at the beginning but happens frequently now.

My 2007 Saturn Ion occasionally loses power steering. When it does, the car chimes 3 times and displays pwr str on the odometer display. This happened once last month, once yesterday, and 3 times today. It seems to be truly random, as I drove 80 miles before the first incident today, only a couple of minutes the other three times, and 90 miles without incident after the final occurrence today. Power steering remains out until I cycle the ignition switch. I found that I could switch to off and back on quickly enough to keep the engine running, and even this brief interruption in power was enough to reset the fault. This is a serious problem, as the car is very hard to steer without power steering. I fear that my wife may not be strong enough to "muscle" the car in this condition. A quick internet scan indicates that this has been a common problem for several model years, and other gm cars with identical components have been recalled, but not Saturn. Please instigate a prompt investigation and get the recall going for these Saturn defects. This is obviously a control module problem since it is so easy to reset, and is not related to the motor itself or overheating, since no cooldown period is required to restore operation. The gm solution seems to be replacing the entire steering column for $1200! this is unacceptable.