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Saturn Automobile Repairs
If you're looking for help fixing your Saturn Automobile, look no further! Our comprehensive Saturn Automobile repair guide will explain common issues, provide tips, and maybe show you how to repair your vehicle.
The Car Keeps Overheating
Surprisingly, overheating doesn’t happen that often especially in modern cars with their complex systems, sensors, and so on acting to keep the vehicle’s temperature just right. Making sure the radiator is looked after and the water pump is working is the easiest and cheapest way to prevent problems with overheating.
Whatever car you own will require regular maintenance and even then you will still get things that go wrong from time to time. Some car models are more prone to certain issues than others and driving style can also have some impact on efficiency. No matter what your vehicle, we hope that you have found this list helpful. Staying vigilant for signs of trouble and dealing with them when they occur saves time and money and keeps you on the road.
The Transmission Fluid is Leaking
Any transmission system needs fluid to make sure all of the working components are kept well lubricated. In automatic cars, the fluid used in transmission is also used in the hydraulic and coolant systems. Small holes can form throughout the system which allows tiny amounts of fluid to leak. Over time, or if the leaks are severe, you will find that transmission is less efficient, plus you may find that the system overheats or loses pressure. In both cases, the transmission will fail. If you see a red puddle collecting under your car it can be a sign that the transmission pan is cracked.
The Car is Consuming Too Much Oil
Fresh oil is essential for a car to function but if you are constantly topping up your oil level you may have a problem with the car. If you start to notice a drop-off in performance or the oil light comes on you will definitely need to check the oil. If you don’t get the oil changed regularly you might find that the engine becomes corroded. Poor quality oil or lack of regular changes can also cause blockages in the oil filter. It is best to change the oil filter at the same time as you change the oil although some modern cars do have a filter bypass system in place.
Dead Battery
Most car batteries should last about three years or 50,000 miles. A dead battery is usually caused by reduced amps – or electrical currents – which naturally decrease as the battery loses its ability to maintain a charge. A damaged alternator, battery temperature sensor, or other charging system components can expedite this issue. It’s best to replace your car battery every 50,000 miles or three years, even if it’s not showing signs of damage.
Broken Starter Motor
The starter motor is responsible for cranking your engine over, which begins the starting process. When this component fails, it’s usually because the electrical solenoid has been damaged, the starter motor breaks or another electrical fault occurs – like a starter relay, for example. While a starter can be replaced before it breaks, it’s difficult to predict when this will happen. It’s best to have a car-starting inspection to determine the problem before assuming it's the starter.
The Radiator is Leaking
Radiator leaks are almost always caused by corrosion. Corrosion itself can have a lot of causes but once you get one leak you are likely to get more so it makes sense to replace the whole radiator. If you don’t keep the radiator in good condition you can get problems with overheating and, ultimately, could end up with an engine fire.
Alternator Failure
The alternator is the part of your vehicle that keeps all electrical systems running once the car starts. It’s also responsible for supplying a charge to your battery to keep it in peak condition. When an alternator breaks, it will eventually cause the battery to wear out prematurely and other starting issues. Check your recommended service intervals and replace the alternator before it breaks to avoid this hassle.
Steering Wheel Shaking
Multiple issues can cause the steering wheel to shake while driving. If it happens right after starting your car and beginning to drive, wheel bearings or damaged suspension components are often the sources. If it happens at higher speeds, it’s typically a tire/wheel balance issue. Regardless, having a professional mechanic inspect the vehicle at your location is the best way to correctly diagnose and resolve this issue.
SOURCE: https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/top-12-most-common-car-problems-and-issues
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I fell in love with the Saturn VUEs when they first came out with them in 2000. I wanted one so bad. In 2002, I was in an accident in my 1995 Saturn Sedan with a tractor trailer. After 2 years of lawyers fees, I had enough settlement left over to buy a 2003 Saturn VUE. It was exactly what I was looking for, the color & all. I didnt care about the size of the motor. I was excited to be able to buy the car I wanted. Last year, I started hearing a noise coming from the motor that turned out to be the timing chain. Just recently, I had to take it off the road to keep it from blowing the motor. The 1995 Saturn was just taken off the road a couple weeks before with shot piston rings after 135k miles. We are now down to borrowing my father-in-laws truck, leaving us with no vehicle for me to take my kids to their doctors appointment while my husband is at work. I have to drum up $700.00 to replace a timing chain that Saturn knew had problems way back when.I understand that Saturn is out of business, but they are still repaired by GM parts. With all the complaints that I have been reading, you would think that GM would figure out in the long run that it would probably be cheaper to fix the problems rather than wait for the government to finally force a law suit causing more money to be paid out.I still love my Saturn VUE even though the transmission will most likely go out yet. But I have had this car for 6.5 years now & this is the first major problem I have had with it. Many others of you have had major problems from the start. I just want mine fixed. I just dont feel I should be responsible to pay for the problem GM knew was there.
The timing chain broke and caused the valves to bend which means the car needs a new engine. It looks like this is a recurring problem with Vues. Our car has 105,00 miles on it. It seems to me that the company needs to make some kind of offer to remedy this issue since it happens so frequently on these products. In talking with many mechanics, this is the only car that has this problem.
I purchased an almost new 2008 Saturn Ion. Immediately I experienced mechanical problems. After taking it to the dealership, I found that the key was stuck and the engine wouldnt shut off. In the end, I would need to replace the ignition, the ignition module, etc. to the tune of over $800. I had paid almost $10,000 into payments and havent been able to drive the car for over two years. It just sits collecting dust.
We have a 2006 Saturn Ion which has been involved in front end accidents twice. Neither time have the airbags deployed. The mechanic stated that the pins that activate deployment were fully depressed and the bags should have deployed. My son could have been killed. After the first accident, I contacted on-star to ask why they hadnt communicated with the car after the accident and why the air bags had not deployed. The answer was that maybe the sensor wasnt hit! Are you kidding me? The whole front end of the car is pushed halfway to the windshield! This matter should be looked into. Someone could easily be killed due to these malfunctions.
Growing up we were always told not to buy American cars because their cars are built to fall apart just after the warranty is up. After decades of driving foreign cars with very few to no major issues, and shortly after the collapse of GM, we decided to support American made cars and help do our share. We bought a 15 month old lease return Saturn Outlook with 15,000 miles on it. The truck looked great and drove well for approximately 20 months to drop the kids off at school and do the local errands. Then, out of nowhere, the transmission went. Since the vehicle had a 100,000 mile drive train warranty, we werent too upset; however, when we towed the truck in for repair, the dealer told us the warranty had just expired 6 months prior so they wouldnt honor it and it would cost us close to $4000 to repair it through GM.Around that time we also started having airbag light issues where they were sometimes on, sometimes off. We had it looked at by GM and were told it was probably a dummy light issue and everything is fine. 1 year later we received a recall for the exact problem we had yet when we called to arrange a repair, we were told our Vin number is not part of the recall and not eligible for repair. After speaking with numerous people in GM over the next 10 months, someone in GM told us that there was going to be another airbag recall coming soon and that our Vin number would be included. To this day, no additional recall has been issued and we are told GM will not authorize a repair. This is ridiculous! I guess you have to die in a crash in order to get this company to do the right thing? We are having it looked at this week and will continue to fight for what shouldve been done from the start but have learned the lesson for good this time. At least to stay away from GM.
This is the second time my ignition switch has locked up. I own a 2007 Saturn Ion Quad Coupe Manual and have almost paid off the darn thing. I have friends who can replace it just for cost of parts and a case of beer but this is ridiculous. Class action suit would be great for all the time and money spent on one part that is obviously faulty. Im willing to do anything to get Saturn/GM to become responsible for their faulty ignition scheme.
My Saturn Ion 2006 wont turn off. The key is stuck in the ON position. I came home from work late last night and tried to turn my car off and the key wouldnt turn off. Because it is manual transmission, my mom just popped the clutch and killed the car so we could go to bed. I started researching this problem online and the amount of complaints is unbelievable. Why hasnt there been a recall on this issue? Can someone please tell me what it takes to prompt a recall?
I am on my third Saturn. I dont have an Ion. I have a 2007 VUE. I owned two other cars prior to this. My first two Saturns, within the warranty period, had to have the ignition replaced because they jammed and I couldnt turn the key to start the car. My VUE made it past the warranty period, but now is jamming up the same way. Another quirk: I can start the car and pull the key out and drive without the key in. I have to be careful to turn the ignition all the way to off before I pull the key out or the battery will die if the radio or something else is left on. I fully expect, based upon my experience today of trying for about 10 minutes to unlock the ignition and turn the key, that there will soon come a point where I cant start it and will have to pay loads to have the ignition replaced. Yes, three Saturns...same problem. If GM wanted to really be about customer service, they would acknowledge this issue.
I have an 06 Saturn Ion. Several years ago, I had my ignition locked, could not remove or turn the key. The dealer did repairs. Now the ignition problem is returning along with mystery starting problems.
My transmission went out on my 2008 Saturn Vue xr around August 7, 2014. It had 103,000 miles. I had to get it fixed costing about 3300 hundred dollars. Now today August 21, 2014 I go out to start my vehicle and it wont crank, lights wont even come on. My key is stuck in ignition and will not come out. It ran okay for about a week, now this. Is there a recall on this vehicle?
I ransomed my 2005 Saturn Ion this morning from the local Chevy dealers service department. For the second time in less than 18 months, I had to have the ignition lock cylinder, etc. replaced. The problem was identical to others previously listed on this site. The key was stuck in the on position with the car running. I had to disconnect the battery and stall (manual transmission) the engine. In each occurrence, the repair cost well in excess of four hundred dollars. Add the rental car, and the cost approaches a thousand dollars for the two repairs. On a positive note, I see that the dealer used the replacement lock cylinder 20869121 that Frank of Toronto, ON recommended. Although I dont have access to the actual technical service bulletins, I found one listed for Saturn Ion entitled 05-08-49-006 FEB 05 Ignition Switch - Key Hard to Insert/Wont Rotate and another 05-02-35-007A OCT 06 Ignition - Inadvertent Turning of Ignition Lock Cylinder. The cashier this morning said that the problem is related to too much weight on the key ring. I dont think the three keys on my ring qualify. Rather, I think it is the quality of the genuine GM parts.
2007 Saturn Ion - Over the last few months, when Id try to turn my car off, the key would randomly get stuck and I couldnt pull it out. This morning, I arrived at work and couldnt even turn the car off. I called a local Chevy dealership and they suggested slamming the gear shift back and forth. It didnt work. I took it in to the dealership and got a phone call from them about 40 minutes later saying its going to cost $648 plus tax, because the whole case and cylinder need to be replaced. Ill follow with an update.
I have a 2003 Saturn Ion. I have had several of the common issues with the ignition. The not starting because of the security lock thing and having to wait 10 minutes till it resets and you SHOULD be able to start if your lucky. The key not turning and the key not releasing. I love my car and I have gotten the recall repairs done. I havent had any problems with the car not starting anymore but then again from dealing with the issue so long I cant get out of the habit of half turning till the security light turns off then starting so who knows. Repairs did not fix the key getting stuck, still have to use the manual over ride button in the steering column. And after doing more research I now know its the micro shifter in the gear shifter. So many people have the very same problem that GM really cant ignore the fact that something needs to be done.
I have an ‘05 Saturn ION and the ignition cylinder has been nothing but problematic. Ive had the problem where the key gets stuck in the ignition while it’s running and cannot be turned off. This has happened three separate times. The first time was fixed under warranty. The second time was a little over a year ago and just recently, it happened again. The thing is, if you are getting it replaced, make sure that the cylinder is replaced with GM Part # 20869121 which is a newly designed cylinder used in other GM cars.I dont know if the technical bulletins for the ION have been updated to address this. But if they havent, do not let the dealer use the defectively designed Saturn OEM part because you will just have the same issue in the future. My recently repaired car uses the new GM part, so Im hopeful that this will be the end of the problem. You can tell the difference between the two parts because the old OEM part has sort of a dull metal finish which can be seen around the key hole when its installed, while the newer part appears shinier.
I love my car (2005 Saturn ION coupe)! However, as the weather warmed up, my key would not come out of the ignition. I looked up how much it would cost to fix this and the price was outrageous. As with the other comments, why is this not a recall item? You cant get out of the car unless you have the presence of mind to hit the door lock, which may be difficult as we have been programmed to find the door unlocked when the ignition is turned off. Cheap temporary fix: under the steering column is a small diamond-shaped cover and I popped it off and pressed my thumb on a switch on the left-hand side (switch has spongy feeling - and a little greasy) and turned the key at the same time. No problem. This is temporary and will not stop the key from getting stuck again, but Id rather be inconvenienced a bit than pay out the nose for something that is well documented and should be fixed by a recall.
I had heard in the original Saturn series of bad engines, but I had acquired a 2005 which is a later series. I had a wait and see attitude about it, it reached 142,000 miles before the transmission slipped. The mechanics had told me that it would cost about $600 just to open it up and assess the problem...not including any repairs. At that point it would have cost nearly what the car was worth at that point. Before that there were few repair problems.
I own a 2009 Saturn Outlook XR with approximately 84000 miles on the vehicle. The transmission has failed on the vehicle, and the warranty was for five years or 100,000 miles. My local dealer has said the five years are up and they will not give me any consideration for repairs and want over four thousand dollars to repair it. When the towing company placed the vehicle on the roll back, the operator made the statement that he averages quite a few of these a week! This vehicle has had at least six recalls on major issues, water pump, power steering, power tailgate, seat belts, and etc. I can assure you this will be the last GM vehicle that I will ever buy. I have talked to two transmission shops in town and have been told that this transmission has had issues from the very start, and GM has been working on correcting the problem with the transmission. I was told GM has made three changes in the last twenty-four months to correct the problems with this transmission. Thanks GM, for keeping your customers updated on a defective transmission.
I own a 2007 Saturn Ion that I purchased new. It has 48,000 miles on it. I went to work one day and my car wouldnt turn off and the key wouldnt come out. I drove it to my mechanic who had never heard of the problem. He had to replace the ignition, cylinder, and housing for $450. I called the place I bought the car and they quoted a price of $1,100 - $1,300. He also said that with their experience with this problem sometimes they only had to replace two of the parts and might be able to do it for $600. Obviously, it had happened a lot. I would like to know what it takes to get a recall or reimbursement. If anybody has any suggestions, I would love to hear them. I dont know what to do to start a class action suit. I also had to replace my radiator in June because Saturn doesnt put a guard under it to stop the rocks from hitting it. It took $550 to replace it.
Our 2009 Saturn Outlook ONLY has 53,000 miles on it. The 100,000 mile warranty was up because we have just barely had our vehicle 5 years. We have taken it to the same dealer for the life of the car, and taken very good care of it. I was driving to work the other day and my power steering and transmission completely went out. I almost lost control of the vehicle several times. It started when I was at a stoplight, when I pressed the gas to accelerate once it turned green, then my car lurched forward but only revved up. I made it work and then it wouldnt go in reverse at all!. I had it towed to a trusted mechanic. He told us it was indeed the transmission and power-steering but also that the rack and pinion broke. We had our car to the dealer several times for the whining noise to be fixed but they only ever told me they didnt hear the noise. I called GM, who told us to have it towed to a certified GM dealer and that the power steering should have been under a special coverage warranty. Turns out GM was sued and lost in court because of the power steering. The dealer then refused to diagnose my car without us paying them a $1,000 up front. I told them it had already been diagnosed, and if this was covered under their special warranty, then why on earth should I have to pay this large amount of money up front. The service manager told me he did NOT believe that our problem was covered under this special warranty and that the transmission doesnt go out because of the power steering. He said one doesnt have anything to do with the other. Well funny, then how they both went out at the exact same time. I went round and round with both the dealer and GM and neither of them want to take responsibility for what has happened. Especially considering we have documented proof (the dealer has it in their computers) that we had our car to them multiple times to have THIS exact issue fixed. I believe it is time to get another law suit started. GM needs to fix their faulty vehicles BEFORE someone gets severely hurt or dies! We had it towed a 3rd time to be taken care of by our mechanic since the dealer refused to diagnose our vehicle. Do not ever trust GM or their Certified dealers, all they care about is lining their pockets.
Ive had this car now for about 9 mos. Its been a pretty good car until the last 2 weeks. The a/c was the 1st to go out (when I 1st got it). I had everything replaced, then about 2 mos. later, the a/c went out again. So, 2 weeks ago, the stereo stopped playing, it says to check the wiring. In the past week, all these new things started. I now smell gas fumes, when we hit the door locks, the headlights go out and back on. Last night, I put the car in reverse, and the lights went out and back on. Sometimes, when I put it in reverse, the gas gauge drops from 1/2 tank to empty. Other times, after refueling, I leave the pump with the empty gas light on. I make sure the gas cap is on tight before I leave the station. Two days now, the security light comes on, so today, I replaced the battery in the wireless remote, and stopped @ Autozone to have the cars battery checked & it is fine. A few months ago, I was having a problem with the car stalling out when I backed up, but after hearing about the ignition switch recall & GM, I tried something that works. I took the key off my keyring. There are no other keys on it, the added weight of a few other keys, was messing with the ignition switch. Im pretty sure my problem is with some loose wiring, I read that with the Saturn, the a/c condenser hose pops off, and read theres no hope for the gas smell. I just pray the car doesnt go up in flames. Oh, and have had a few problems with the tail lights too. And a few weeks ago, I couldnt get the trunk lock to catch after checking the problem with the brake/tall-light problem. I didnt know until today that Saturn is a GM product, cause I promise you had I known, I would never have bought it. Ford held their own, GM bailed out.
My 2006 Saturn Ion, the money pit - Well I dont know how car companies know but just after I hit my 60k mark, the car starts to fall apart. So far my issues have been: 2x key getting stuck in the ignition; 2x bearings for the axle have been replaced; 1x fuel pump went bad, its starting to go bad again; and 1x interior light won’t turn off. Currently, my car leaks when it rains and I guess this triggers the alarm to go off randomly. And finally, my transmission won’t let me go into 5th gear. This repair will cost about $2,400. I have finally had enough. Im getting a new car and it definitely won’t be a GM.
l200 - The car itself is OK minus the blower not working replaced the motor resistor switch and nothing. And the service engine like that throws the camshaft positioning sensor code that it doesnt have but did replace crankshaft pos sensor to be safe and timing chain. Headers and cold air intake have helped it immensely now getting 28 mpg in town but the body control module is bad from being side swiped and now have to start in neutral or it wont shift from park go gm and your pos vehicles instead of bailing them out we should have decided the bail out between Toyota ford and dodge and said merry Christmas.
Small and compact with only so many people could get in. But it carries food in a very tight space to where the groceries will not spill or fall over. Good the features, the graphics are outstanding and its a very reliable vehicle and supportive for my needs as well. But to add some of the fluid, you actually physically have to lift up the car. Also, the repairs on the vehicle can get expensive if youre not sure where to get them from.
Same as all of the rest. Key will not come out of the ignition. I had to stall the car to kill the engine and unplug a harness to kill elec. I would love to talk to a lawyer if they dont take care of this issue with a recall. I have not taken it in yet. I will not pay for a problem they made. I have removed the plastic under the steering wheel; only 1/2 would come off due to my key being stuck in the ignition. I unhooked the green harness this way. I can still use the car. I risk it being stolen with the key stuck in the ignition, but that would be a gift from God.
I have a 2007 Saturn Outlook I bought used through a reputable dealer. Which included the extended warranty. The transmission went out 1000 miles over the warranty mileage... That was in August! Now it is January and the transmission jumped out of gear last night on the way home. And the transmission light came on AGAIN!!!! Seems to be a pattern here... great style... shotty design... a real LEMON!
This is the fifth time a transmission has gone out on our 2004 Saturn Ion that we purchased brand new. The last one was a year and six months ago. They now refuse to fix it, only offering $5000 off a new GM vehicle if we surrender the car. Not only can we not afford a new car, but why would we want to purchase another GM vehicle when we have to fight them every time we need them to fix their mistake? We cannot trade in the vehicle for a used car because we cant get anything out of it with a broken transmission. Thats not fair for us since we didnt install the faulty variable transmission in all these vehicles. We suggested what we feel is fair: them buying the Saturn back with the Kelly Blue Book value. They refuse. They say they will not fix the car because it will continue to break (which again is their fault) and will only offer $5000 off so they can still make a profit out of us. We have had to fight them tooth and nail every time we needed the transmission fixed. All they care about is money. They have no problem selling faulty vehicles and then they dont stand behind them.
Saturn vue 2008, 80000 miles, transmissions than, + many problems and noise in front end.
My 2008 Saturn Vue is a mess. I need a new heater core, fog comes inside the car, my speedometer is now not working. I am afraid that it is going to blow up while I am driving it. I do not have the money for repair. It is only a 2008 and it is horrible. Help.
Computer warning and detection symbols go on and off. But, the engine light has been on for more than 2 years. Its been reset, but comes on later. Sometimes the radio shows funky symbols. Took it in for inspection. They reset the engine light. Drove it until it came on. Went back within 50 miles of driving. The code was undetermined by the dealer/manufacturer. Dont know how Ill ever sell it with an engine light on. It can be inspected if the shop tries to repair it and you spend up to $200. But, I have never had a car that the engine light ever came on period. And, Ive had quite a few. Whats up with that.
Spring 2011, we bought a 2007 Saturn Ion2 from a local dealer. I noticed that there was a lot of complaints about the ignition switches. I asked the dealer about it, he said he hasnt heard any of it. The car had 80,000 miles but was in excellent condition. The key switch did stick occasionally, we were told to get another key made. I told them if I have a problem with this, I expect them to fix it at their expense. All they said was, if it fails within the 30 day warranty they will replace it. The switch is now locked up. I get the bill. What crap. Saturn should be held liable for using known defective switches.
I have a 2007 Saturn Ion and, like others on here, I have experienced my key getting stuck in the ignition. The only difference is this happened to me when I was on vacation and I have no idea where the nearest mechanic was. I contacted AAA and they tried to come out to help but were unsuccessful. They pointed me to a Sears mechanic in the area and the gentleman there was extremely helpful, but because I was on vacation and needed to have the car to get home, they were only able to offer a temporary fix for the problem, which was to unplug the battery and remove the fuse to force the car to shut off. They were able to remove the key though. I am very disappointed in Saturn and GM that they have neglected to recall this part and am surprised there are so many people out there that have had the same exact problem. Shame on you, GM.
I have owned my 2001 Saturn L300 car for more than one year now. I never knew it will give me so many problems and I am not proud of the decision I made to buy this second hand car. Moment I bought the car I had to replace the serpentine belt, crankshaft sensor and muffler. I was also told by my service experts that it had issues with water pump and that is leaking and will break one day, which I thought I ignored for some time as I had already paid lot of money in repairs. After 3 months the battery started giving problems and had to replace the same and then the water pump started making noise which I had to fix. Meanwhile while I had battery problems, I didnt notice but apparently the ODOMETER went from 64000 miles to 694000 miles and stopped working at all. On further research, I found that this is a known issue in this car and Saturn had a recall organized some time back. But now when I took the car to GM dealer for this fix, they are not able to fix the problem, not sure what I can do?
I had my ignition switch repaired on my Saturn Ion 2, 3 times already and continue to have problems with key getting stuck in the ignition. Spoke to Cruz Chevrolet today and he is telling me he thinks it is the automatic shifter causing the problem. My warranty just ran out in July 2014 and I told the dealership about this problem a few years ago as well as in June 2014 and July 2014. I am so frustrated. Have to bring car to dealership in 2 days.
We have had numerous problems with our 2006 Saturn Vue, which all started with having to roll over extra payments from a 2005 Vue that we had multiple problems with. The first major issue we had was the torque converter, where they said they could never recreate the incident so couldnt help us.They finally replaced it (before the recall came out) and at that time, they also replaced the ignition because of the problems we were having trying to turn the key to start the car. We’re unsure if they actually replaced it or not.Now, we are once again having ignition problems and we are out of warranty. The GM dealership wants to charge me $80 for the ignition tumbler and $60 per key to recode them. That is with me installing it by the way.
My head just might explode!!! We bought our 2008 Saturn from a certified dealer about 3 years ago. The vehicle had just about 30K miles on it at the time. Shortly after purchasing the vehicle, we noticed that the engine light would come on and the service StabiliTrak light would come on. I obviously brought it back to the dealership, as it was under warranty at that time, and they said they figured out the problem and sent us on our way. Of course, no sooner did I pull out of the shop, and they light came on again. So, back we went...they said they repaired it. Sure enough, it did it again and they eventually came to the conclusion it was just a stupid sensor and everything was actually fine!Fast forward to December 2013 and the POS starts acting up. The transmission light came on and I panicked. My brother-in-law suggested we just try putting in more fluid and see if that helps. We did...it helped for about 2 days. And then...HELL BROKE LOOSE!! The entire transmission was shot!! It had something to do about a wave plate and as a result, we needed to get an entirely rebuilt transmission to the tune of about $3,600!!! Literally, on the way home from the repair shop, the engine light started flashing! I immediately turned around and brought it back to the shop. They ran some tests and determined that it was likely some excess crap that just happened to pass through the sensor causing it to get triggered.Now, 8 months later, the engine light keeps going on and whenever I fill my car with gas, I have to rev the accelerator to get it to start!! It seemed to be running ok...but after the last fiasco, we didnt want to risk anything. So, I brought it into the shop. The technician find that there has been over 36K misfires from cylinder 2 and that the spark plug has seized. I leave my vehicle there and drive their 1994 Toyota Corolla with over 232K miles on it over the weekend as a loaner. (amazing how a 1994 Toyota Corolla with 232K miles is still running, but my 2008 with 92K miles on it is toast). Anyways, he said that they wanted to replace the spark plugs and then try moving the cylinder coil that had been connected to the #2 over to a different one to see if maybe the issue was just the cylinder coil and nothing more serious.I receive a call this afternoon telling me that it appears that the issue was not related to the cylinder coil and they suspect we are going to need a NEW ENGINE!!!!! Yep, thats right...A NEW ENGINE!!!! This car does not even have 100K miles on it and I am being told I need to put a NEW ENGINE in it??? After we already replaced the transmission!!! That is seriously wrong and a total load of crap!!It appears that both the transmission and the engine are well-known problems for this model and year of vehicle!! I guess 2007s are experiencing the same troubles!! If you look online you can see discussion board after discussion board all discussing these same issues. Saturn needs to stand up and take responsibility for producing a faulty product!!! There is no reason I should have to put in over $10K worth of repairs on a vehicle with less than 100K miles on it!! It is disgraceful!!!
I have a 2008 Saturn Outlook and have had nothing but problems. I know that my warranty has expired but for a 3-year old truck with 70k miles, why is the airbag light going on? Also, the trunk wont open, the stability and stabilizer track is acting up and GM has nothing to say about this. How can one help me address this issue? I am expected to pay for the repairs; I dont think I should.
Common problems with Saturns. The L-SERIES timing chain brakes without warning , so if you are an owner always drive next to the side of the road for ease of stop when this happens (only a matter of time) the ION and VUEs have common transmission problems, the S-SERIES have a common leak issue, pretty much if you are a Saturn owner put about $4000 aside because you will need it sooner or later(sorry to say), and say a prayer before you drive that Saturn car always.
The key of my 2007 Saturn got locked in the “on” position and couldn’t turn “off.” I know other Saturn owners who have had the same problem; I found numerous complaints on the Internet.
The ignition does not turn all the way off sometimes and makes for a long shopping day with 10 min breaks, waiting for the key to switch off auxiliary. I really hope there is a recall on this soon because Im not sticking a thousand dollars into this car, especially when a lot of people are saying this will only fix the problem for a while.
I drive a 2006 Saturn Ion that I purchased 3 years ago. It has 54,000 miles on it. Two weeks ago, it developed transmission problems to the tune of $3000. Whats maddening is that there doesnt seem to be any recourse. Im still making payments. Im fearful that I have more problems ahead. Is there anything that can be done?
I bought a Saturn from a dealer who gave me an engine Warranty For Life. At 88,000 miles, while on a trip, my engine blew. I rented a car to finish our journey and returned. I was told at the dealer who took over for the Saturn company that $5500 is needed to replace. I couldnt afford it so I had my son drive my truck down and we rented a towing dolly and towed it home.I traded the car in, as is, but then asked this new dealer if my warranty was any good. They said that GM covered them for a while but not anymore. I was hoping there was a class action suit going on somewhere.
I have a 2003 Saturn Ion. This is the second time that the ignition has locked. I got the car in 2007 and in 2009, it locked. It was still under warranty so I took it in and had to pay $50 for them to look at it. They replaced the ignition and the cylinder. It is now 2011 and I am having the same problem. I just got it replaced last week for $175. My car is no longer under warranty so I had to pay out of pocket, not to mention that I no longer have a job and I am still making payments. After getting it fixed last week, it started getting stuck again today. I will be filing a complaint and will be calling Saturn tomorrow. I hate this car now and I will never get a Saturn or GM ever again!
Last year, my key got stuck in the ignition and I paid $800.00 dollars to have a new ignition in Aug 2010. Now, Im having the same problem again. I brought it to the dealer who said that there was no problem. They lubricated the ignition and the key came out.Now, two weeks later, Im encountering the same problem. I cannot believe that there is no recall on this. I refuse to keep paying for the same ** problem. Apparently, I was not the only consumer with this problem with the 2007 Saturn Ion. It was crazy and expensive to keep repairing it. The dealer informed me that the part has a one-year warranty. Either the U.S. makes crappy parts or there is a major issue with this.
I was glad to see I was not the only person with this problem. My car is a 2006 Saturn Ion with 46,000 miles on it. Sometimes when you shut the car off, the key will not come out of the ignition switch. I replaced the ignition switch and it still does it. Thats why my other car is a Toyota!
Last night after stopping at a local store, I attempted to turn my 2006 Saturn Ion off. The key would not move backwards and therefore, I could not remove it from the ignition slot. Obviously, I was unable to turn the car off. Since it was about 6:30 when this happened, I tried a couple of auto parts stores, but they found the problem strange. Finally, I drove it to a certified dealership for them to keep overnight. Today I found out that the key, cylinder, and housing would need to be replaced for $650.00! I am the only one earning money for my kids and myself. The consequence is that I do not feel I can afford a new car, so I am stuck paying for a problem that perhaps should be officially recalled. I can tell from this website that I am not the only one with the problem.
I purchased a new Saturn Ion for my daughter. It has always had issues - 2 or 3 ignition switches, 2 or 3 power steering motors, 2 or 3 fuel pumps, bad gas mileage, clunking front end. Too many parts replaced to count 3 or 4 parts stores in town. They know me by name and I dont even have to tell them the make of the car. This thing is a wreck. Only two good things I dont have to wash it. Its not worth the money to clean it up. And I can go to Wal-mart without worrying about somebody stealing it or running into it. Last car for me from GM and I remind my kids to not buy one either.
On 5/30/13, I was driving home from work and turning a corner when the power steering light came on in my car. A chime went off and the message PWR STR appeared. My car then died; the wheel and brakes locked. I thought I was going to hit this mom with her two kids. I panicked and grabbed the emergency brake; jumped a curb. I had my car towed to a local shop by my house completely unaware that ** GM/Saturn is aware of the powering steering failure issue and REFUSES TO ISSUE A RECALL! $1,000 later and NO help from GM, I have no money to feed my family, missed work and almost lost my job. I am terrified beyond words to drive this **. When this happened, it had 24,698 miles on it. NEVER EVER BUY this car. Thank God they are out of business. Im hopefully getting a new car - NON-GM next week because driving any Saturn (or any GM made car from what Ive read) is a death sentence. I also plan on suing GM and contacting every NY news station I can think of and reporting this issue to every single possible place I can - BBB, NJ Lemon Law Unit, NHTSA, etc. LIVES NEED TO BE SAVED.
I purchased a 2008 Saturn Vue XR on July 7, 2011. On September 2, 2011, smoke started coming through the vents with a strong smell like something was burning. It went away and didnt return for the rest of the day. Well, I didnt drive it for the rest of the day actually. On September 3rd and 4th, it did the same thing while I was driving and became worse if I turned the air conditioner on. Not even two months after purchasing this vehicle, and already the vehicles first trip at the shop on September 5, 2011. The mechanic explained that the hose for heating/air was cleared of any blockage. On September 9, 2011, I had to return it to the shop for the same problem. They gave me an oil change and checked the hose. There was no vapor/mist coming out of the vents for 2 days. The third trip to the shop was on September 16, 2011 for the same issues; strong coolant smell, vapor or mist coming out of the vents, and oily film on the windshield. On September 9th, I called and filed a complaint with Saturn customer service. I was told to take it to a GM certified dealer and have them diagnose the problem. My appointment was on September 23, 2011 at Mike Anderson in Merrillville, Indiana. On September 21, 2011, I attempted to start the vehicle and it wouldnt start. I had to use my husbands vehicle to take my child to school. In the meantime, my husband used a battery conditioner to recondition the battery and jumper cables to start the vehicle. I went to Mike Anderson Chevrolet on September 23, 2011. Joshua ** took care of me in the service department. They kept the vehicle overnight. On September 24, 2011, I was quoted $1,600.00 for Heater Core Replacement due to a fracture in the core causing an antifreeze leakage. Also, the battery needed to be replaced because it was dead again when Joshua tried to bring me the vehicle. Joshua used jumper cables and revived the vehicle.
Same as most of you, my key got stuck in the on position, and would not come out. We asked a mechanic friend who said: Disconnect the ignition fuse (its a tiny red fuse marked #10); if you are going to be out of your car for very long, go ahead and disconnect the battery as well. Weve been driving our car like this for 2 months now, as we cannot afford a new ignition. This will get really inconvenient during rainy season. Please, Saturn...someone, anyone....Recall this so we can all get our cars fixed and get on with it! Please!
I just had an experience where I could not turn the key backward to turn off. It was a very scary situation. I had to find someone to show me how to pull a fuse and then disconnect the ground cable to the battery so as not to run the battery down. The key is left in the on position. It looks like many people are dealing with this and I was told that this is a Saturn/GM issue. Has anyone found recourse to correct this very common occurrence with these vehicles?
Ive owned my Saturn Ion for 6 years. About 2.5 years ago I discovered that my key would get stuck in the ignition of the vehicle after turning the car off. The engine shuts off, but the power (lights and radio) remains on. I called Saturn and they told me to bring it in. At this time, I had driven about 58000 miles and was still under waranty. They acknowledged the issue (in writing) and said the entire ignition piece of the car had to be replaced. They also said they would have to order the parts. I took my car back while they ordered the parts. After about a month, I called asking when the part would be in because I hadnt heard anything. They told me Oh, the part came in yesterday. You can bring the car back and well fix it. I brought the car back and since I was now over 60000 miles, they said I was no longer under warranty, and the job would cost more than $500. I argued that they documented the issue while I was still under warranty with no success. The Saturn mechanic said I should have called for the part sooner, and that if I had ordered a pizza and it was not delivered in an hour, would I not call before a month had gone by to check on it? I told him he was full of it since he told me the part had just come in yesterday. He then told me that I should have stopped driving the car to keep the milage under 60000. I told him it was my only car to which he responded I would have paid to rent a car rather than pay $500 to have my car fixed. I told him had I known his willingness to pay, I would have called him and allowed him to rent one and pay the bill for me. Needless to say, I refused to pay for the work, and never got my car fixed. I took the complaint to corporate only to have the complaint closed out with no solution and no notification. I opened another one, and yet again got no solution. Eventually (after about a year of argument), they told me they would perform the job for $100 plus parts. I told them that Saturn would never get another dime of my money and did not take them up on their so-called offer.
I have a 2007 Saturn Ion with 80,000 miles on it. A few months ago, I got home from work and my car would not shut off. My ignition has never locked my key in. I noticed when I first got the car used that the key could be removed even when the car was running. I thought that was standard, so I could lock the car while it was still running for heat or AC or something like that. I had to pull the ignition switch from under the steering column and then plug it back in and crank to start the car (I used a screw driver because I had no reason to carry the key with me at that point). One week ago, I went to start my car and it wouldnt even start now. It cranks all day and then nothing. I believe there is no fuel going to the injectors and it has to do with this faulty OEM ignition. I filed a complaint just a bit ago and hope for all of our sake that GM honors the BS claims in their commercials and decides to give a ** about their paying customers.
Its the same for me. I own a 2006 Saturn Ion where the ignition locked, and I couldnt stop my car. The only way to stop it was to stall it. It was 11 pm. No garage is open at that time. I made a complaint to GM. They called me and said to go to a dealer to see if its not related to the power steering because they have a recall on that and of course at my own expense. I already know that its not so its going to cost me over $100 just to confirm that sorry, its not related to that. They told me to call us back if its not and well see if we can help you. Im a single mom, I dont have $600 to get my car fixed because after reading all the reviews, it seem to be a very expensive repair. So please go on GM/Saturn and make a complaint. Maybe they will make recalls about it if everyone makes them aware of the problems because at first I called a few dealers and they all seem to be very surprised at this problem. No one has ever heard about this kind of problem.
Saturn ion 3 2005 - Key gets stuck, car shuts off when it wants, and steering goes out sometimes. This is a two hand on steering wheel car for sure!! Pretty scary. It awful that some people who have complaints about this car are no longer living human beings. That must have been changing the radio station while making a turn. Remember two hands and hold on tightly!! I no longer drive cars that have internal combustion engines with complex engine starting features, (push button once to engage low power circuit for radio and accessories, push button again to engage high power circuit for electrical traction motor). Simple, no service ever, no transmission, exhaust, sensors, hoses, belts, radiator, water, clutch, etc., no service required. Good luck with those old things.
My life and my 9-week-old son and 20-Month-old Daughter are in Danger. I have had problems with my 2007 Saturn Ion since I purchased the car brand new in September of 2006. I have had about 11 cases opened with Saturn/GM within the past 5-6 years for the same issue. My cars electrical power completely shuts down while driving. I am unable to turn the wheel, use the brake or gas pedals, roll down my window, unlock the car, turn on hazard lights, or take the keys out of the ignition. After years of this happening and taking my car for service to fix this issue, there still has been nothing found that could be causing this issue and I have been left feeling unsafe driving my car. I felt after the below recalls my car would finally be fixed and the issues that have been happening for so many years had been resolved. Saturn/GM has been aware of the issues with the power shutting down to their line of vehicles. My car was repaired under the below recall, I picked it up from the dealership yesterday evening. This morning I was driving with my kids in the car, when the same exact issue happened. All power in the car stopped, I was almost sideswiped and rear ended. I am at the end of my rope. I fear for my life and for my Childrens lives. I no longer feel safe and do not trust that this issue will ever be permanently fixed. My car is back at the dealership that made the repairs and I only have a rental for one day. I have to provide for my kids and cannot keep missing work. I do not want my car anymore. I would like GM to buy back the car. Will I or my Children have to die in a car crash before GM will help resolve this issue?! I am the original owner of the car. The car only has 27,845 miles on it. These issues also happened when the car was under warranty as well. Please find below the info to the GM issued Recalls: Recall 2014113: Recall Date - 04/16/2014; Recall Description - REPLACE IGNITION LOCK CYLINDER AND IGNITION KEYRecall 2014063: Recall Date - 03/07/2014; Recall Description - IGNITION SWITCH REPLACEMENT
I have a 2005 Saturn Ion Quad Coupe. I had issues off and on for a couple years from miles 50,000 - 90,000. Currently at 105,000 miles and the last 15,000 miles, the ignition stops at ACC and is locked every single time I turn off the car. I wait and hope every time that my key will come out, but held hostage by the lockout until a miracle occurs and the ignition releases the key without rhyme or reason. Sometimes this takes 1 - 10 minutes. Makes it difficult to valet or go anywhere with friends!
I bought a 2002 Saturn Ion sl2 and Ive had nothing but problems. How is it that these crooks are allowed to get away with this? My ignition locked up while I was driving leaving me stranded for three hours on a busy road in 100 degree heat with no extra money for a tow truck or to get it fixed, and unable to after replacing the ignition to unlock the vehicle. I am glad that my son was not in the car with me and there was no accident as an outcome of this or GM would be hearing from my attorney. I will be getting rid of this car immediately.And the thing that irritates me the most is that NO ONE from this company cares. They care about making their money and robbing people, people like me who had to save up months to be able to purchase a vehicle hoping it would be reliable and safe to transfer my son and I from daycare, work and school. I will never purchase another vehicle through them again. Now I have to worry about how I will be repairing a vehicle I dont have money to fix and still pay my bills and find a way to work and school. Thank you so much for your poor engineering.
I reached out to GM today after my second door jam mechanism failed and I see over 900 complaints lodged as such in this models year (2006 VUE). Despite the obvious safety issue I was told I was on my own. The door(s) eventually will not close as the jam mechanism fails so the door is subject to swinging open while the vehicle is in use. This is not an inexpensive fix and must be taken to a body shop. I will need all 4 door mechanisms replaced as I will not risk the other two failing as well.
I have had ongoing problems in the winter with my 2003 Saturn Ion not starting. This is a well-known problem with Saturns when researched.I submitted my complaints to Saturn and the BBB and was told my car was too old for coverage. This is unacceptable, as it takes a good 30 minutes to start the car. This while sitting in the cold and being late to work. The ignition switch should be replaced, again a well-known issue.
My key gets stuck in my Saturn Ion ignition switch. It turns as far back that the car turns off but that the radio is still on. This problem has caused my battery to die a few times but for the most part, it is just a pain to remember to go back for my key before bed. Sometimes it will come out within seconds; other times, it is several hours. As I read on this site and a few others, it is a big issue. I wish they would issue a recall. Just the other day, I received a letter about a recall on the power steering. Hopefully, they will have one for this too!
I have had the BEST luck with my 2008 Saturn VUE XE. Bought it brand new December 2008. Have not had one problem EVER. I do however take very good care of her - I do think that is key. Oil change every 3500, recommended owner guide maintenance. 120,000 and going strong.
I purchased my Saturn Outlook as a demo in July of 2007 with about 13,000 miles. My transmission failed at only 48,000 miles and was rebuilt since I was still under warranty. Now less than 20,000 miles and 2 years later, I am having the same gear change, engine light, stalling and jerking problems that I experienced at 48,000 miles. Now no longer under warranty, I am paying all kinds of service and labor fees when GM is well aware of the faulty clutch wave plate destroying transmissions in its vehicles. They need a recall on this product as it is a safety issue for Americans all across this country. Shame on GM for sweeping this issue under the rug and giving American products a bad name. It will come back to bite them in the end!
Purchased a pre-owned low mileage Sky and I absolutely love this car and wish that GM would return this to production. I would love to see this car returned to production. It is economical, comfortable and fun to drive. It is also in the lower cost class of convertibles.
The ignition problem is continuing with more problems than GM knows. There should be a recall because it is an ongoing problem with the 07 Ions. I just paid $400 for the repairs on my 07 for the ignition replacement and GM should be footing the bill. It is happening all too often and most people will not report it.
I have purchased a 2009 Saturn Aura. Recently, my power steering light has been coming on. Just a week ago, I turned the key on and my steering wheel was going crazy! It was shaking! Two days later, as I was driving, my power steering light came on and started beeping and my steering wheel got stiff! I couldnt move to the side to get off the road, so I ended stopping on the middle of the street and shut the car off, took the key out and the steering wheel wasnt locked again. Just today, I was driving and my steering wheel froze on me! So I had to again stop the car to turn it off and I started up the car again! I took it in and they couldnt find anything wrong with it! I am posting this as an insurance to make Saturn liable if anything happens to me while driving and this steering wheel freezes up on me and I’m in an accident due to this problem!!! There seems to be a lot of problems in regards to the power steering. But my vehicle freezes up on the steering column and I’m not able to move the steering wheel to move out of the road! Please help! I myself wanted to change the power steering, but if it’s not showing up on the computer code as a defect. Why do it?
My wifes 2008 Saturn Vue has 65000 miles on it. Less than a year out of warranty and without warning, the transmission started to slip. I was told by the transmission repair shop that the transmission would need to be repaired at a cost of $3000.00. The shop said there is a snap ring in these transmissions that is a common point of failure. I would estimate this is a $20.00 part at best. Why would GM continue to put cars on the market when they know there are issues with them? It appears this issue has been know about since at least 2005 and continues to 2010 based on my internet research. I feel GM has a responsibility to current Saturn owners and should recall these vehicles and make all those that have already failed eligible for restitution. I have been a lifelong GM owner but I have to say this one may be my last. If you are thinking about buying GM, I say stay away from them.
I purchase a 2002 Saturn Vue for my daughter in college. I have been a faithful Saturn owner without any issues prior. Since purchase, nothing but electrical problems - including a near crash on the freeway when the car abruptly slowed down to 10 mph. A recall is needed before someone is killed. Weve invested $2,000 to try and fix a ghost problem.
Saturn needs to make a recall on 2006 model of ION. My car keys normally gets stuck in the key ignition yet I have only owned my vehicle for a year. I cant believe this has gone out. I have reviewed comments about other owners of the same vehicle of the same year with the same problems which I think is a dealer issue. They have to recall these vehicles for these problems. I dont feel that the owner should be putting their hard-earned money in something that has factory defects. They need to be recalled. It is not very safe when you are unable to turn off your vehicle.
At a stop light, all of a sudden the clutch pedal had no effect. I bought the Vue used, so had no warranty. It seemed like a pretty good deal for the price. The dealer was fairly upfront about the issues it had (mostly minor), but while driving it today, out of nowhere, the clutch pedal had no effect! Sitting at a red light I suddenly wasnt able to get it into gear! Its ran pretty good till this and Ive owned Saturns before with minimal issues, but this was different. This time my life was in danger. Ive read lots of people with the same problems. Hope I can get it fixed without spending too much or PUTTING MY FAMILY IN DANGER AGAIN! BOOOO GM!!!
I bought a 2004 Saturn Vue, second hand from a dealer in 2007. The first sign of trouble (2008) was a loss of power coupled with clutch to the floor. I managed to get it in gear and drive it to a repair shop (not a dealer, but a very reputable local shop). The master clutch cylinder was shot. Its cost was $400. The mechanic also informed me the car was going into gear, but with a grinding chirp in third. He said it was most likely a synchro ring.I then left on a cross-country trip. A day into my trip the clutch was springy again, so I topped it up with Automatic Transition Fluid (Oops--should have been brake fluid). Four hours later my clutch pedal froze and then finally just fell to the floor. Luckily I was right at an exit with another very nice repair shop. It needed a full clutch system replacement. One week in the shop, and $1500 later, I was back on the road.The second sign of trouble was last winter (1/2011). The car would run and shift, but not go into gear again. The clutch, however, was still feeling normal. Having no money, I started researching possibilities. This was when I learned of all the Saturn transmission problems. Luckily, I noticed an anomaly on the shift linkage. The tension pin in the shift linkage sheared off both sides of the input shaft. I managed to get two thirds of the pin out, but the middle pin was fused. I couldnt get the new pin in more than half way. It was in far enough to shift the car so we just left it at that until I could get back grinding the pin out or whatever.The third problem (3/2011) was a replaced, worn, passenger side, wheel bearing. The fourth problem (6/11) was a severe loss of power and blinking check engine light. The AAMCO repair shop found a bad coil pack, $500 to get fixed, but the engine light is now steady on. (The original repair man said a very narrow fault tolerance on one emissions computer was known to put the light on in this model of car and it would sometimes be on and sometimes off).Finally (10/11) I start having problems getting my car into third, then a clunk and now I can only use 1, 2, 5 and R. It is likely that the synchro ring finally broke. I might replace the transmission myself because I can almost afford $1k; no way I can do or would do more. I emailed Saturn to see what they would do about the transmission which is known to have many problems.
I have the same problem. I just had the recall from GM done on my 03 Saturn Ion today. They replaced the switch and ignition lock cylinder because of cars going dead because the ignition switch turned off easily with a little weight on the key ring. Accidents occurred and they were sued. This was not for and did not fix the problem of the key not turning all the way off without reaching underneath and pressing the solenoid plunger which feels like a switch (They said nothing when replacing the new switch if this ever happened then). I did not inform them of the problem either.I just found a fairly new video on YouTube that concerns this very problem. Watch the video. Long story short, the shifter micro-switch is not engaging either because of a bad switch or a bad placement fit of the switch to where the plunger of the switch is not being depressed as to close the switch and therefore allow voltage to be applied to the ignition switch solenoid, freeing the cylinder to turn off. The YouTube video title is Saturn Ion key ignition stuck wont come out (solved) manual override & troubleshoot . Search for: video ** by Danroxye01. He made a later one to better explain with audio of what he found out.
My 2005 Saturn Ion with 12,000 miles has problems with the ignition switch that will not turn off. I had service on this problem three times. I never know when the key will stick and I cannot turn the motor off. I am 82 years old and do not want to buy a new vehicle. I do not want to pay $550 dollars to have it repaired for a manufacturers defect.
I bought a brand new 2006 Saturn ION. Yesterday, the key decided to get stuck in the ignition. I couldnt twist it out so I eventually ended up yanking it out. I had to disconnect the battery so it wouldnt deplete as well.
The ignition switch I can put the key fine on it, but when it comes to take it, it gets stuck. Im just frustrated with it. Its just so ridiculous that i have to sit in the car and wait until I heard a clicking sound on the steer wheel column. And now with the winter, if the temperature is low like approximately 20s degrees Fahrenheit, the car wont start at all. I believe myself the company should take the action and responsibility over this. About most of the people who owns a Saturn got the same issues.
Sure would love to know did Gm let their service Departments know about ignition problems. So when customers came in, they would what to do. That way they wouldnt be guessing and charging customers a lot of unnecessary money.
I have loved my 2004 Saturn Ion, bought it in August 2009 with 80k, and now June 2013 146k. No problems up to last month. But now when I put the key in, it wont even turn to the right. My sister and I have figured out that if you take your time to push up and to the right, about the 10th attempt it turns to the right and starts... SUPER ANNOYING! Reading these other reviews makes me want to quickly trade it in! So sad because I have loved not having a payment! :(
Both my 2007 Saturn Vue as well as my Saturn Ion have the same problem - the ignition locks up and the cars both will not start. From reading online, I am surprised that this has not been recalled. I mean, it is the same on both vehicles. I feel that GM should check and fix these cars - especially today. I am at work with a Saturn Ion that will not start back up and a Vue at home that wont start with two small children.
My 2008 Saturn Aura trans just went out today. The check engine light came on this morning, and during my drive to have it looked at, the car just started to speed up and back down so I pulled over. I called AAA and they could not even get the car to go into reverse. I called GM; I was told to take it into a GM dealership and now Im wondering if I am going to be out of a lot of money after reading the known issues. GM states my warranty ended 4 months ago, but I never received anything in the mail.
The anti-sway bar of my 2006 Saturn Vue snapped when making a right-hand turn at normal driving speed. The Vue was taken to the local Chevy dealership. The vehicle spent 21 days in the shop because they were unable to locate a new part. The dealership found a used part and charged the new part price. Six days later, this same part broke again, this time making a left-hand turn into my driveway. The vehicle is again in the shop.
I bought my Outlook in April 2009. So far the transmission has been replaced (warranty thank goodness) & there have been recalls on the safety airbag light & now power steering. Those are the flaws GM admits to. I have a consistent drip when it rains that can easily turn to a stream of water if Im pointing uphill or downhill. Checked the Internet & its been verified Saturn cut the drain tubing too short. Checked with GM to see if they would fix it but they said I needed to work a deal with the dealer who want going for it. Turns out the water has drained right into my fuse box so now my electrical is messed up. The fuse box is impossible to get to. Among other problems my service airbag light wont ever turn off - fuse issue or real problem, Im not sure. Worried it will cost me a fortune to fix & on one income with 2 kids thats a tough call. Then today, I turned the car off & it kept running. Key was out! Now I read there are ignition problems. Wish all these reviews were out when I bought my first almost new car ever. Teach me!
Weekly the battery has to be charged. While drinking with baby in car, the car cut off. Luckily no one got injured when getting out of traffic.
My 3 vehicles were on the recall list. I currently have the Chevrolet and the other two cars were sold. During the first year of purchasing these vehicles, I incurred problems with each of them. The vehicles would sporadically start/stall on me and my son. We both experienced being stranded at work, in parking lots or while running errands. My son worked late hours and in the City of Detroit. He had to sit and wait for my husband to come from Commerce Township to W. 8 Mile-Detroit. Needless to say, those occurrences were frightening and very unsafe. On a number of occasions, my husband had to jump start the both of us.We replaced 3 batteries and that did not fix the problem. After towing the vehicles from repair shops to the dealership, the service dept. told me, the 2002 Oldsmobile Alero needed an ignition switch/cylinder and new key fob. The car worked fine after that. Then, I had to replace the ignition switch on the 2008 Saturn LS. The 2005 Chevrolet Impala was serviced upon the recall notice. My complaint is, I spent money for ignitions on both vehicles before the recall and General Motors denied my claim for reimbursement. There should be a class action suit for customers who experienced the same circumstance.
Before the recall, I had the ignition problem. My key got stuck in the ignition and wouldnt shut off. I finally pulled the fuel fuse to get it to shut down. I went to a repair shop to get it fixed and they had to replace the steering column as well as the ignition and this left me with only one key because they could not remove it and it broke. The recall came out and the new part was ordered and after several hours of waiting, my vehicle was repaired. I was told by Saturn that I could be reimbursed for the money I put out for the original repair. They wouldnt reimburse me for the steering column. After trying for several days to get reimbursement (with all invoices submitted as well as phone numbers and name of original mechanic) for an issue that was no fault of mine but certainly Saturns bad parts, I finally accepted the minimal amount of money THEY said was due to me. Im still very upset that after all theyve paid out due to their own negligence and bad parts, they arent fairly reimbursing. I will continue as often as I can to give bad reviews on this company. Ill also tell everyone I can by word of mouth that Saturn is a terrible company and is only out for themselves NOT the consumer. DO NOT MAKE THE MISTAKE OF PURCHASING A SATURN USED OR OTHERWISE!!
I purchased a 2002 Saturn SL2 in 2006 from an individual who kept it as a summer car. It only had 26,000 miles on it. I drove the car and loved it. In 2011, the transmission suddenly started giving problems when the car had about 77,000 miles on it. I took it to a transmission shop and they put in a rebuilt transmission. It cost me $1,500.00. Now at 114,000 miles, that transmission is doing the same thing - clunking into gear, slipping out of gear, hesitating and then suddenly clunking into gear. I have decided to get a different car even though I love my Saturn.
Our Saturn Vue 2006 needs a secondary axle bearing, GM part No. 24460143. Should be simple, right? No! After searching locally and online we called GMs Detroit Headquarters in July, only to be told that they have stopped making this bearing. Their policy is supposedly to continue producing parts at least till the vehicle is 10 years old. The young man we spoke with in July promised to open a case to check into this and get back to us shortly. We waited for 2 MONTHS, with no response. Finally we called back and after about 6 hours of phone calls we were but through to Marie at GM Corporate Headquarters. Explained the problem all over again, waited another week while she looked into the situation, only to be told, sorry about your luck, we dont make that bearing anymore, and that since the problem had been diagnosed by someone other than a GM dealership, they had no responsibility to produce the part. Deduction: General Motors does not stand behind its products, will only consider General Motors Dealership mechanics as qualified to diagnose problems on their vehicles!!!
I went out of town in my 2006 Saturn Ion. While I was there, I could not turn the ignition off on my car. The key was stuck and would not turn back so I could turn the car off. Thank God, I had a spare key in my purse and was able to lock the car and leave it running. I had a few things to do in town, so my car was on for 6 hours or more. I just had to make sure that I had enough gas in it. I just found out that its going to cost me $300 to have this problem fixed.
I too have a 1999 Saturn, and my son was driving and it started to jerk. He had to pull over on the side of the road and found that the car would not go into any gears. He had no neutral on it. I had the car towed to a local garage, and the mechanic said it was a transmission problem. I had to have it towed to a transmission shop where they said it would be anywhere from $900 to $1500 to fix it. Now I am reading about all these other customers that have a Saturn, and it is bound to happen again. I think Saturn should have a recall to replace these faulty transmissions. I always thought Saturn was respectable company, but now, I just dont know.
I bought a Saturn Outlook in 2011 and it has been one of the best SUVs that I have had. It is roomy and has a 3rd row seat. I get many compliments from my passengers on smooth ride. It is driver friendly and has excellent gas mileage driving long distance and locally! I love it.
Saturn Vue 2008 - We have 78,000 miles in our Saturn and love the car. Havent had any major problems over the last 6 years but I was driving the other day and after stopping at a stop sign the car wouldnt move. I shut the engine off and started it again and out it in drive and it went about 50 feet before going back into neutral on its own. Cannot get it to drive. It has been towed to a Chevy dealer 40 miles away and we are waiting to hear. Of course there is no warranty anymore. Time for a Ford? This is ridiculous from all the comments I have read with people having transmission problems with their Saturn Vue. Why doesnt GM address this? Too many other recalls?
I bought a GM Certified 2007 Saturn Aura in November of 2008. The vehicle had 14,500 miles on it when I purchased it. The car fax said there were no problems, other than a minor gasket, which was replaced at about 5,000 miles. I immediately went into the dealership for wheel imbalance problems, that the dealership never did satisfactorily fix. My own mechanic later told me he found a bent rim on one wheel right away, when he replaced the tires. The brake pads broke at 15,000 miles, and the seat back airbag housing fell apart at 16,000 miles (no one sits in my back seat). Both door speakers were replaced by 16,000 miles, and I am not a teenager. It was in the shop for steering noise and vibration problems, on three separate times. The new oil pan gasket was done at 16,500 miles. The washer fluid pump failed at 37,000 miles, and the final problem after 4 years at 45,000 miles, the head gasket failed. Most of these things were taken care of under warranty, but the sheer time it takes to wade through all of these problems is not worth it to drive American.I am a GM brat, and this will be the last vehicle that I purchase from them. This is the worst vehicle that I have had, since my 1984 Renault Alliance. I owe more than the dumb thing is worth, so I have no choice but to keep my fingers crossed, and hope that it lasts until I pay it off. 2007 was the first model year for the Aura, but GM had been making the Opel equivalent for at least two years before. You think they would have worked the bugs out, before they brought it to the US.
In the last four years, Ive had my ignition replaced three times. Saturn designed a faulty ignition and as soon as a service department repairs it, the problems start up (the same day). The key gets stuck in the ignition, the car wont start, or the car wont turn off. The problem cant be fixed because they keep using faulty parts.
I have a 2006 Saturn Ion that has a recall for fuel odor and fuel dripping from the tank due to hole in the line. I had this repaired at a GM dealer and then found out about a recall. I called to get reimbursed for my expense and was told my Saturn did not have the recall on it. I do not understand how it would not have been recalled when I am having the same problem, which was described in the recall. The person at the service center could do no more than read from a paper. He was of very little help and did nothing but piss me off. If the Ion has a problem, it should be taken care of.
Yesterday, our 2001 Saturn L series just stopped running in the middle of traffic. It was towed to our mechanic only to find out today that the timing chain had broken and damaged the engine. He told us it was a common problem with Saturns. We never received an apparent recall in 2008 so does anyone know if GM will repair this problem for free or are we on our own?
I have a 2005 Saturn Ion that I bought with 37,000 miles on it. Whenever the temperature is below 30, my car starts when it wants to. When I turn the key in the ignition, my security system light just flashes and wont let me try and start my car again for 10 minutes while it resets itself. It takes anywhere from 10 to 40 minutes to get my car started. I have resorted to putting a bathroom heater inside my car on the driver side floor to warm up the ignition so it will start. I have dealt with this for 2 years and I am buying a new car in a couple of days, because I cant take getting stuck after work for 30 minutes because my security system thinks Im breaking into my car. Ill take the $3,000 loss on my car!
We finally got our car in for the ignition switch recall and now my key is stuck in the ignition and car is dead. I have had more problems since it was replaced than I had before.
My 2003 VUE (3.0) hit the 100K threshold a few months back. I noticed increasing delay in starting, so decided to change out plugs with iridium ones. Ran great following new plug job. Shortly thereafter, I noticed a few trouble codes causing my Check Engine light to come on. First was for Cam Shaft Position Sensor, and second was for low temp sensor. After ruling out fuses, faulty connectors, etc., I decided to replace the Cam Sensor (easy), and thermostat (especially since it had never been done). When I finally finished the job, the car wouldnt start (turned over though). I pulled my hair out for weeks looking for reason for not starting. Had mobile mechanic come out, and could only tell me it sounded like compression loss and/or timing problem. Finally had it towed to shop. Their diagnosis was a skipped timing belt (4 teeth), which caused a few valves to bend etc, etc... Now I am looking at $3000 to $3500 to fix the problem (I hope). I replaced the water pump and timing belt a few ago and drove it without a problem until what I thought was routing thermostat replacement - boy was I wrong. The cost to repair is about $2K less than getting a rebuilt engine, but is still at that grey point between getting work done or not. The optimist in me is hoping for another 100K miles after all is said and done. Not too happy with GM at the moment. Parts cost an arm and leg since Saturn is no longer produced. Hope it works out in the end.
I returned home and the key wouldnt turn off. It was locked in the on position, still running. The temperature outside is over 100 and my husband even had to take the steering column apart just to shut the engine off. So now, you basically have to hot wire the car to start it and disconnect wire to turn it off. I can see that Im not the only one out here with the same problem - mine is a Saturn Ion 2005 with 45,000 miles. We need a recall! Obviously, Saturn has a real problem here. Look at the post and this is just from the people that inquired. Help ** if you know what I should do. I dont have the money to make the repair!
I have a 2005 Saturn Ion 3 that I bought new. It has been a great car. In April of 2011, I went to start my car and it would not start. I turned it off and tried to take the key out of the ignition and it would not move. It was stuck in the ignition and I could not get it to do anything. On January 4, 2012, I tried to start my car and it would not start.On the first incident, I had it towed to Firestone who has done all the work on my Saturn 2005 Ion 3 since the warranty expired. The steering wheel column had to be removed to get the key out of the ignition and the battery was replaced. On the second incident, I had it towed again to Firestone. The mechanic was able to start it. He began to research problems with Saturns and found the ignition problem. He advised me to take it to Saturn for an ignition replacement.
I purchased a 2001 Saturn L series new in 2001. After only 5 years and 75,000 miles, the transmission needed to be replaced. Maybe Im one of the lucky ones (as evidenced in this thread. ) One re-built transmission later, Im back in for yet another re-built transmission. I guess I should consider myself lucky. I got as much use out of the rebuilt, as I did the original.Third times a charm, right? What is it about these transmissions? I should have known better than to have purchased another Saturn, considering the fact there were problems with my first one in 1995 (after only a couple of months). What was I thinking, right? Ever think some of these issues has anything to do with the fact that Saturn is no longer around?
2004 Saturn ION: I was involved in a vehicular accident on 03/29/12. This was a 3-car pile up, with me on the tail end. I was driving approximately 40-45mph and hit a car in front of me. My airbags did not deploy. Luckily, I was not seriously injured, but my car was declared total. How can I lodge a complaint in regards to this issue? I have noticed while researching online that this has been a major issue for Saturns.

